GOTHS. 
barbarians, who difpfayed tbe infolence of mafters, and 
the licentioufnefs of enemies. But the intemperance 
which gratified their appetites, retarded tlieir progrefs; 
and before the Goths could receive any certain intelli¬ 
gence of the defeat and death of Procopius, they found, 
by the hoflile date of the country, that the civil and 
military powers were refumed by his fuccefsful rival. 
A chain of polls and fortifications, fkilfully difpofed by 
the generals of Valens, refilled their inarclt, prevented 
their retreat, and intercepted their fublillence. The 
fiercenefs of the Goths was tamed by hunger: they 
threw down their arms, and for the fake of food fub- 
mitted to chains. The numerous captives were dillri- 
buted in all the cities of the eaft; and the provincials, 
who became familiarized with their favage appearance, 
ventured, by degrees, to meafure their own llrengtlt 
with thefe formidable adverfaries, whofe name had fo 
long been the objedl of their terror. The king of Scy¬ 
thia was grieved and exafperated by this national cala¬ 
mity. His ambalfadors loudly complained, at the court 
of Valens, of the infraftion of the ancient and folemn 
alliance, which had fo long fubfilled between the Ro¬ 
mans and the Goths. They alleged, that they had ful¬ 
filled tlie duty of allies, by aililling the kinfman and 
fuccefibr of the emperor J ulian ; they required the im¬ 
mediate rellitiition of the captives; and they urged a 
very lingular claim, that the Gothic generals, marching 
in arms, were entitled to the facred character and pri¬ 
vileges of ambafiadors. The peremptory refufal of 
thefe demands, was the immediate lignal for a new war : 
the aged monarch of the Goths refigned to Athanaric 
the conduct of the war. A bridge of boats wuis etla- 
blilhed upon the Danube ; and the prefence of Valens 
animated the Rom.ui troops. The operations of the 
campaign were in favour of the Romans; but they 
found it impollible to drive the Vi/igoths from their 
ftrong polls in the mountains: and the devalhition of 
the plains obliged the viftors to rej afs the D.uuibe on 
the approach of winter The incelfant rains,' which 
fwelled the waters of the ri.ver, produced a fufpenlion 
of arms, and confined the emperor Valens, during the 
whole courfe of the enfuing fununer, to his camp of 
IVlarcianapolis. The third year of the war became Hill 
more favourable to the Romans, and more pernicious 
to the Goths ; who, by the defolation of the country, 
were threatened with the horrors of famine. Athanaric 
was therefore compelled to rilk a battle, which lie loft ; 
and the purfuit was rendered more bloody by the pre¬ 
caution of the Roman generals, who had promiled a 
large reward for the head of every Goth that was 
brought into the imperial camp. This lignal over- 
th row procuied, as ufiial, a temporary peace. Valens 
x'eturned in triumph to Conftantinople ; and the Goths 
remained in a Hate of tranquillity about fix years; till 
they were violently impelled againft the Roman empire, 
by a new horde of Scythians or Huns, who appeared to 
iO'ue from the frozen regions of the north. 
The great Hermanric, whofe Gothic empire was ex¬ 
tended from the Baltic to the Euxine, began to enjoy, 
in the full maturity of age and reputation, the fruit of 
his vidfCries, when he was alarmed, in the year 375, by 
this formidable hoft of unknown enemies. The num¬ 
bers, the ftrength, the rapid motions, and the implacable 
cruelty, of the Huns, were loon felt and dreaded by the 
aftonilhed Goths ; who beheld their fields and villages 
conlumed with flames, and deluged with indiferiminate 
llaughter. Hermanric prepared to exert the united 
forces of the Gothic ftate againft them ; but he foon 
dil'covered that his vall'al tribes, provoked by oppreflion, 
and inftigated by the hope of plunder, were much more 
inclined to lecond, than to repel, the invalion of the 
Hims. One of the chiefs of the Roxolani had formerly 
delerted the ftandard of Hermanric, and the cruel Goth 
condemned the innocent wife of the traitor to be torn 
sfunder by horfes. The brothers of that luifominate 
i 
711 
woman feized the prefent moment of revenge. The 
aged king of the Goths languilhed under the wound 
which lie received fioni their daggers; and thecondufl 
ot the war was dillradled by a I'pirit of jealoufy and 
difeord. His death, which has been imputed to his own 
defpair, left the reins of government in the hands of 
Withimer, who, witli the aid of fome Scythian merce¬ 
naries, maintained the conteft againft the Huns, till lie 
was defeated and llain in a decifive battle. Tlic Oftro- 
goths lubmitted to their fate ; and tlie roval race of the 
Amali are henceforward found among the fubjefts of 
Attila. But the perfon of VVitheric, the infant king, 
w'as faved by the diligence of Alatheus and Saphrax ; 
two generals of approved fidelity ; who, by cautious 
marches, conducted the poor remains of the Oftrogoths 
towards the Nieller. On the banks of that river tlie 
prudent Athanaric, more attentive to his own than to 
the general fafety, had fixed the camp of -the Viligoths, 
with a lefolution of oppofing the vitftorious barbarians 
by mere defenfive operations. The fpeed of thlj Huns 
W'as ciiecked by tlie wciglit of fpoils, and the incum¬ 
brance of captives ; but their military Ikill deceived, 
and almoft deftroyed, tlie army of Atlianaric. Wiiile 
this dillinguiihed judge of the Viligoths defended the 
banks of the Niefter, he was encompalfed and attacked 
by a numerous dciacliment of cavalry, w'ho, by the 
light ol the moon, had pall'ed the river in a fordable 
place ; and, it was not without the utmoft efi'orts of 
courage ami conduft, that he was able to efi'eb't his re¬ 
treat towards the hilly country. The undaunted Atha¬ 
naric liad already formed a judicious plan of defenfive 
war; and tlie ftioiig lines which lie was preparing to 
coiiftru6t between tlie mountains, the Pruth, and the 
Danube, would have fecured the extenfive and fertile 
territory that now bears tlie name of Wallacliia, from 
the dellritclive inroads of the Pluns. But the hopes 
and meafures of the judge of the Vifigoihs were loon 
dilappointed, by the trembling impatience of his dif- 
mayed countrymen ; who were perfuaded by their fears, 
that the interpofitioii of the Danube was tlie only bar¬ 
rier that could fave them from the rapid purfuit of the 
barbarians of Scythia. Under the command of Fritigern 
and Alavivus, the body of the nation advanced to tlie 
banks of that river, and implored the protetlion of the 
Roman emperor of the call ; while Athanaric retired, 
with a band of faithful followers, into the mountainous 
country of Caucalaiid, which appears to have been almoll 
concealed by the impenetrable forells of Tranfylvania. 
In 376, an embalfy was difpatched to the emperor 
Valens, to inform him that the North was agitated by a 
furious tempeft ; tliat the irruption of the Huns, a mon- 
ftrous race of lavages, had fubverted the power of the 
Goths; and that the luppliant multitudes of that war¬ 
like nation, wliofe pride was now humbled in the dull, 
covered a fpace of many miles along the banks of the 
Danube. With pathetic lamentations they deplored 
their pall misfortunes, and their prefent danger; ac¬ 
knowledged, that their only hope of iafety was in tlie 
clemency of the Roman government; and molt folemnly 
protefted, that if the gracious liberality of the emperor 
would permit them to cultivate the walte lands of 
Thrace, they Ihould ever hold themfelves bound by the 
ftroageft obligations to obey the laws, and to guard the 
limits, of the republic. The prayers of the Gotiis 
were granted, anti their fervice was aedepted by the 
imperial court : and orders were dilpatched to the civil 
and military governors of the Thracian diocefc, to make 
preparations tor the paO'age and fublillence of this dif- 
trelfed people, till a fufficient territory could be allotted 
for tlieir future relidence. I'he liberality of the em¬ 
peror was accompanied, however, with two rigorous 
conditions, which prudence, perhaps, might jullify, 
but which diftrels alone could extort from the indignant 
Goths. .Before they palled the Danube, they weie re¬ 
quired to deiive.r up their arms; and it was infilled that 
their 
