707 
G O 
take. The king', or leaelcr, of that fierce nation, trn- 
verfed with contempt the province of Dacia, and juilled 
both the Nielier and the Danube, without encountering 
any oppofition capable of regarding his progrefs. 'I'hc 
relaxed difcipline of the Roman troops, betrayed the 
mod: important ports, where they were ffationed, and 
the fear of defervcd punifliment induced great numbers 
Ilf them to iiiliil under the Gothic ftandard. The vari- 
otis multitude of barbarians ap]5eared, at length, under 
the walls of Marciiinopolis, a city built by Trajan in ho¬ 
nour of his lifter, and at that time the ca^^al of the fecond 
Matlia. The inhabitants confented to rat^fom their lives 
and }n operty, by the payment of a large lum of money, 
and the invaders retreated back into tiieir deferts, ani¬ 
mated, rather than f.itisfied, with the firft fuccefs of 
their arms again.ft an opulent but feeble country. Iii- 
telligence was Coon tranfmitted to the emperor Decius, 
that Cniva, king of the Goths, had parted the Danube 
.a fecond time, with more conrtderable forces; that Ids 
numerous detachments feattered devaftation over the 
province of Mtelia, whilft the main body of the army, 
confifting of leventy thoufand Germans and Sarmaiians, 
a force e(iual to tite moll: daring atcliievements, required 
tlie prefence of the Roman monarch, and the exertion of 
all his military power. 
The Goths were found by Decius, A. D.. 250, engaged 
before Nicopolis, on the Jatrus, one of the many monu. 
nients of '1 rajan’s victories. On his approach they 
raifed the liege, but with a dellgn only of marching 
aw'ay to a conqueft of greater importance, the liege of 
Philippopolis, a city of Thrace, founded by Philip king 
of Macedon, near the foot of mount Hkiiius. .Decius 
followed them through a difficult country, and by forced 
marches; but when he imagined himfelf at a confidera- 
ble diftance from the rear of the Goths, Cniva turned 
fliort with rapid fury on his purfuers. The camp of the 
Romans was f.uprifed and pillaged, and, for tiie firit 
time, tlieir emperor Hed in diforder before a troop of 
half-armed barbarians. After a long rertrtance, Philip- 
popolis, deftitute of fuccours, tvas taken by ftorm. A 
hiindied thoufand perfons are reported to have been 
malTacred in the lack of that city. Many prifoners of 
confequence became a valuable accellion to the fpoil ; 
and Prifeus, a brother of Phi!i|i, blulhed not to aliiime 
the purple under the protedfion of the barbarians. The 
time, however, confuined in that tedious liege, er.abled 
Decius to revive the courage, relfore the difcipline, and 
recruit the numbers, of his troops. He intercepted le- 
veral parties of Carpi, and other Germans, who were 
haftening to lhare the vitlory of their countrymen, in- 
trufted the palfes of the mountains to otlicers of ap¬ 
proved valour and fidelity, repaired and ftrengtliened 
the fortifications of the Danube, and exerted his utmoft 
vigilance to oppofe.eitlier the progrefs or the retreat of 
the Goths. Kneouraged by the return of fortune, he 
anxioLilly waited for an opportunity to retrieve, by a 
great anct decilive blow, bis own glory, and that of the 
Roman arms. 
The Goths were now, on every fide, furrounded and 
purfued by the Roman arms. The flower of their 
troops had perilhed in the long ficge of Philippopolis, 
and the exhaullcd country could no longer alioid fub- 
fiftence for tlie remaining multitude of licentious barba¬ 
rians. Reduced to this extremity, tlie Goths would 
gladly have ptirchal'ed, 'by the lurrendcr of all their 
booty and prifoners, tlie permillion of an undiltuibed re¬ 
treat. But tlie emperor, confident of victory, and re- 
I'olving, by the chajtiremcnt of thefe invaders, to Itrike 
terror into tlie nations of the Morili, refilled to lirten to 
any terms of accommodation. The liigh-fpirited bar¬ 
barians rather preferred death to llavery. An obfeure 
town of Micfia, called Forum Terebronii, was the leene 
of tire battle. The Gothic army was drawn up in three 
lines ; and the front of the third line was covered by a 
deep morafs. In the beginning of the action, the Ion of 
T H S. 
Decius, a youth of the faireft hopes, was (lain by an ar¬ 
row in the light of his afflicted father; who, fummon- 
ing all his fortitude, admoniflied the difmayed troops, 
that the lo/'s of a fingle foldier was of little importance 
to the republic; The conflift was terrible; it was the 
combat of defpair againlt grief and rage. The firft line 
ot the Goths at length gave w'ay in diforder; the fe¬ 
cond, advancing to fufta'in it, lliared its fate; and the 
third only remained entire, prepared to dilpute the paf- 
lage ot the moral's, 'wliieli was imprudently attempted 
tlirough the iiiconfideratenefs of the enemy. Here the 
fortuncof the day turned, and all things became adverfe 
to the Romans : the place deep with ooze, linking un¬ 
der thole who ftood, llippcry'to fuch as advanced ; their 
armour heavy, tlie waters deep ; nor could they wickd, 
•in that lituation, their weighty javelins. Tlie Goths, 
on the contrary, were enured to encounters in the bogs ; 
their perfons tall, and their fpears long, they could 
wound at a diftance. In this morals the Roman army, 
after an ineftebtual ftruggle, was irrecoverably loft ; nor 
could the body of the unfonunaie Decius ever be 
found. 
Tlie infperial dignity was conferred on Hoftili:i- 
iius, tile only lurviving f'on of Decius, and the fame rank, 
was granted to Gallns, wliole ability feemed equal to 
tlie great truft of guardian to tlie young prince and the 
dillrelfed empire. The firft care was now to deliver 
the Illyrian provinces from tlie ravages of the viefori- 
ous Goths. Me confented, in the year 252, to leave in 
their hands tiie rich fruits of their iiivulion, an im- 
menle booty, and, wliat was more tlil'graceful, a great 
number oi prifoners of the liiglieft quality. He lup- 
plied their camp vvitii every, coiiveniency that coukl al- 
luage their angry fpirits, or facilitate their departure ; 
and lie even promifed to pay tliem annually a large fuiu 
ot gold, on condition they lliould never afterwards in- 
feft the Roman territories by tlieir incurlions. 
The great Ibeaiii of Gotliic hcftilities was now, 
for a time, diverted into a dilterent elianncl. Tlie 
Goths, in tlieir new I'ettlemcnt of the Ukraine, loon be¬ 
came iiiaftei's of the nortiiern coaft of the Kuxiiie : to 
tlie loiitii of that inland lea, were lituated the lott and 
wealthy })roviaces of Alia Minor, which portell'ed all 
that could attract, and nothing that could refill, a bar¬ 
barian conqueror. 'I'he banks of the Boryftlicnes are 
only fixty miles diftaiit from the entrance of the penin- 
lula ot Criin 'I'artary, known to the ancients under the 
name of Ciierfonefus Taurica. "I his little kingdom of 
Bolphorus, whole capital was lituated on the Straits 
through which tlie Mieotis communicates itieif to the 
Euxinc, was compol'ed of degenerate Cireeks. Domef- 
tic faiftioiis and fears, or the private intereft of indivi¬ 
duals, wore foon the means of admitting the Gotlis into 
the heart of Bol'iihorus. With the aequilition of a fu- 
perfluous wafte of fertile foil, the conquerors obtained 
the command of a naval force, I'ufficient to tianl'port 
their armies to the coaft of Alia, d'ho Ihips tiled in the 
navigation of the F'.uxine were of a very finguiar eon- 
fti'uction. '1 liey were llight flat-bottomed barks framed 
of timber only, without the leaft mixture of iron, and 
occafionaily covered with a llielving roof, on the ap¬ 
pearance of a tempeft. Jn thefe floating houfes, the 
Goths carelel’sly trufted thcmlelves to ilie meicy of an 
unknown fea, under the conduct of Tailors prclfed into 
tiie fervice, and wliofe Ikill and fidelity were equally 
fulpicioiis. But the hopes of plunder had banilhed 
every ide.i of danger, and a natural fearlcrtiiels ol temper 
lupplied in tlieir minds, the more rational confidence 
wliieii is the jnft rcliiit of knowledge and exp.eriencc. 
Warriors of Inch a daring Ipirii muft have otien mur- 
inured againft tlie cowardice of their guides, wlio re¬ 
quired the ftroiigcll all'iirances of a lettied calm before 
tliey would venture to embark; and wouUt i'c.ricely 
ever be tempted to lofe light of the land. The fleet of 
the GotJas, leaving tiic coalt of Circallia. oii the left 
hand, 
