ALA 



Wiighbourhood of rollentia, was thrown into confufion 

 by tho fiiddcii and impetuous cliargc vt' the Imperial c;i- 

 Viilry : the engagement which fiiccciutd was long main- 

 tained with equal valour and fuccels ; but at the moment 

 when the victory of Alaric was alnioll decided by the de- 

 feat of the cavalry, Stilicho led the Roman and Barbarian 

 infantry to the attack, and determined the fate of the 

 ilay. riie Goths retreated from the lield of battle ; the 

 intrenchments of tlv.ir can;p were forced ; and the fctnc 

 of rapine and ikuighter made fume atonement for the ca- 

 lamities which they had infliiitcd on the fubjecls of the em- 

 pire. The magniliccnt fpoils of Corinth and Argos cn- 

 riclied the veterans of the Weft ; the captive wife of Alaric 

 was reduced to the neceifity of imploring the mercy of 

 the infulling foe ; and many thoufand prifontrs, releaftd 

 from the Gothic chains, difperfed through the provinces of 

 Italy the prailcs of their heroic deliverer. Alaric [till main- 

 tained that iiivincible fpirit, which rifes fi;perior to every 

 misfortune, and derives new refources from advcrlity ; and he 

 boldly rel'olvcd to break tluough the unguarded pafles of the 

 Apennine, to fpread defolation over the fruitful face of 

 Tulcany, ar.d to conquer or die before the gates of Rome. 

 But Stilicho faved the capital, entered into a ncgociation 

 with the enemy, and iriduced him to rcpafs the Po, with the 

 remains of the fiourifliing army which he had led into Italy. 

 In his retreat, however, he took pofllflion of Verona ; but 

 having been defeated in a bloody adtiou near the walls of 

 this city, he efcaped by the fwiftnefs of his horfe. After 

 this difailer he retired with the fhattered remains of his army 

 to the mountains, where he loft, the grcatell part of them 

 by hunger and difeale, and by defertion ; and from hence 

 he fmally retreated into Thrace, and thus Italy was libe- 

 rated. 



It was not long after this event before Alaric was recom- 

 Jiiended by Stiliclio to Honorius, and appointed by this 

 weak prince mafter-general of the Roman armies in Weftern 

 lUyricum. Whilft Stilicho rcfumed his pretenfions to tho 

 provinces of the Eail, and was anxious to employ Alaric 

 and his forces at a diftance from Italy, the Gothic king per- 

 ceived his defign ; and protratling his languid operations in 

 Theffaly and lipirus, he held a doubtful, and perhaps a 

 treacherous, correfpondence with the two rival courts, and 

 advanced to ilLmuna, on the confines of Italy, with a view 

 of enforcing his demand on the Roman court, for the re- 

 compence of incfleaual fervices. The demand was fup- 

 ported by Stilicho, who loft; his life during the hclitation of 

 the fenate ; and the delay furniftied Alaric with a pretext for 

 again entering Italy, in 408, By bold and rapid marches 

 lie pafti-d the Alps and the Po ; pillaged the cities of Aqui- 

 Icia, Altinum, Concordia, and Cremona, ivhich yielded to 

 his arms ; increafed his forces by the acceffion of 30,000 

 auxiliaries ; and at length pitched his camp under the walls 

 of Rome. The city was foon reduced to the utmoil extre- 

 mities of famine and peftilcnce, and a ncgociation was com- 

 menced and terminated in a ranfoni, tlie payment of which 

 induced Alaric, A. D.409, to raile the fiege, and to with- 

 draw his army into Tulcany. Here the Gothic ftandard 

 became the refuge of 40,000 Barbarian Haves, who had 

 broke their chains, and afpired, under the command of their 

 great deliverer, to revenge the injuries, and the difgrace, of 

 their cruel fervitude. About the fame time he received a 

 reinforcement of Goths and Huns, whom Ataulphus, or 

 Adolphus, the brother of his wife, had condufted, at his 

 prefling invitation, from the banks of the Danube to thofe 

 of the Tiber, and who had cut their way, with fome diffi- 

 culty and lofs, through the fuperior niimbers of the Im- 

 perial troops. Aiaric was now at the head of 100,000 

 Vol. I. 



ALA 



fightinjf men ; and tliougli Italy pronounced hiB name wilH 

 tenor and refpecl, he profelfed model ation, and tcpratcdly 

 declared, that it was his defire to be conlidertd as the friend 

 of peace, ar.d of the Romans. Ambaftadors were fent to 

 the court of Honorius qt Ravenna to negotiate a treaty ; 

 but he iniitled on his militaiy rank in the empire, and the 

 poflellion of Anne ot the provinces between Jialy and the 

 l)anubc. The terms' wei'c rejedlcd ; and Alaric again ad- 

 vanced to Rome, A. D. 409. Having taken pofleffion of 

 the port of OIlia, he ciim.pelled the city to furrender, and 

 elevated Attains, the prefect of the city, to the dignity of 

 Einpcror. He then conduced the new emperor to the gatei 

 of Ravenna, with a refolution of depriving Honorius ; but 

 Attains himfelf was difgraced witii A laric and depofed. The 

 court of Ravenna, however, inllead of taking the advantage 

 of this circumilance to eftetl a peace, offered an iufult to 

 Alaric, which provoked his refentment and induced him (o 

 march back to Rome with a detcrmini'tion to futiatc his 

 appetite for plunder and vengeance. C'l the 24ih of Au- 

 guft, A.D. 410, the Xiiithic army entered Rome; ar.d 

 thus 1 163 years after the foundation of the Imperial city, 

 which had fubdued and civih/ed fo confiderable a part of 

 mankind, it was delivered to the licentious fury of the tribe* 

 of Germany and Scytliia. As fomc of the Goths were 

 Chriiliar.s, they fpared tlic lives of the unrcfifting citizens, 

 and refpefted the churches as holy and inviolable fanctuarics ; 

 but the Huns, and other Heathen Barbaiians, con-.mitted 

 the moft honid maflaeres, rapes, and violence of eveiy 

 kind, without reftraint. After a pillage and devaftation of 

 fix days, the Gothic army evacuated Rome ; and their in- 

 trepid leader, at the head of an army, encumbcretl willi rich 

 and weighty fpoils, advanced to tlie fouthern parts of Italy, 

 deftroying whatever dared to oppole his paftage, and con- 

 tenting himfelf with the plunder of the unrcfifting country. 

 Having arrived at the extremity of Italy, his ambition was 

 excited by the near profpcft of the fertile ifland of Sicily. 

 But when the firft divifion of the Goths had embarked, in 

 order to pafs the Straits of Rhegium and Mefilna, r temped 

 arofe, which funk or fcattcred many of the tranfpoits, and 

 daunted the mariners, and their whole defign was defeated 

 by the premature death of Alaric, which fixed, afterafhort 

 ilinefs, the fatal teiTn of his conquefts, A. D. 410. His 

 funeral was celebrated with mournful applaufe ; his body 

 was buried in the bed of the fmall river Bufentinus, which 

 waftied the walls of Confentia, and which for this purpofe 

 was diverted from its courfe and then reftorcd ; and the 

 place of his interment was concealed by the maftfacre of the 

 prifoners who had been employed in the work. Of the 

 charafter of Alaric it is fufticient to fay, that he poflcfl'ed 

 more humanity, moderation, and iidelity to his engagement* 

 than many of the clals of Barbarian conquerors; and that 

 his exploits have rendered his name memorable in the moft 

 civilized paits of the world. Alaric. fays Lardncr, (Works, 

 vol. ix. p. llfo), was a Goth, and tliereforc called a Barba- 

 rian ; but he was a man of a great and geii' rous ir.ind, and 

 a chriftian of the Arian denomination. ^\ lien Rome was 

 facked and plundered, the calamity was attended with fomc 

 favourable eireumilances, refulting from the generofity of 

 Alaric, and his profefTion as a chriftian By ordering the 

 lives of men to be fpared as much as pofTible, and the churches 

 to be refpeiled, many Chriftians and Pagans were prcfcrved. 

 Altliough, adds this candid writer, the taking of Rome by 

 Alaric was the occafion of ir.any retleclions upon the Chril- 

 tians, from which tliey have been vindicated both by Au- 

 guftinc and Orofitis, the event Avas veiy prejudicial to the 

 intcrefts of Gentillfm, and confequently conducive to the 

 progrefs of the Chriftian religion. Anc. Un. Hill. vol. xvii. 



Kr p. 191. 



