718 G O 
to fome feciire and diflant flation in the provinces of 
Gaul. Stilicho alone had courage and authority to re¬ 
fill this difgraceful mealiire, wliich would have aban¬ 
doned Rome and Italy to the barbarians; but as the 
troops of the palace had been detached to the Rhastian 
frontier, and as the fource of new levies was flow and pre¬ 
carious, tlie general of tlie Weft could only promife, tliat, 
)f the court of Milan would maintain their ground during 
liis abfenci^, he would foon return with an army equal 
to the encounter of the Gothic king. Without lofing a 
moment, Stilicho embarked on the Larian lake, afcended 
the mountains of ice and fnow amidft the feverity of an 
alpine winter, and fuddenly reprefled, by his unex- 
pefted prefence, the enemy, who liad difturbed the tran¬ 
quillity of Rhastia. The cohorts, who were delivered 
from the neighbouring foe, diligently repaired to the 
imperial ftandard ; and Stilicho ilTued his orders to the 
moft remote troops of the Weft, to advance, by rapid 
marches, to the defence of Honorius and of Italy. The 
l>ridge and pafTage of the Adda were now poftelfed by 
a ftrong detachment of the Gothic army ; and as Alaric 
approached the fuburbs of Milan, he enjoyed the proud 
fatislacfion of feeing the emperor of the Romans fly be¬ 
fore him. Honorius, accompanied by his ftatefinen and 
eunuchs, haftily retreated towards the Alps, wirh a 
defign of fecuring his perfon in the city of Arles, which 
liad often been the royal refidence of his predeceflbrs. 
But Honorius had Icarcely palled the Po, before he was 
overtaken by the Gothic cavalry. The urgency of the 
danger compelled the emperor to feek#a temporary fliel- 
ter within the fortification of Afta, a town of Liguria, 
fituate on the banks of the Tanarus. The fiege of an 
obfeure place, which contained fo rich a prize, and 
feemed incapable of a long refirtance, was inftantly 
formed, and indefatigably prelfed, by the king of the 
Gotlis ; and juft as tlie barbarians had propofed the in¬ 
dignity of a capitulation, the imperial captive was re¬ 
lieved by the hafty approach of the hero whom he had 
fo long expedfed. At the head of a chofen and intrepid 
band, Stilicho fwam the ftream of the Adda, to gain 
the time which he muft have loft in the attack of the 
bridge; the pafl’age of the Po was an enterprife of much 
lefs hazard and difficulty ; and the fuccefsful aftion, in 
which he cut his way through the Gothic camp under 
th.e walls of Afta, revived the hopes and vindiciited the 
drooping honour of Rome. Inftead of grafping the fruit 
of his vitfory, the barbarian was gradually invefted, on 
every fide, by the troops of the Weft, who fucceflively 
illued through all the pafles of the Alpis; his quarters 
were ftraiteued ; his convoys cut oft; and the vigi¬ 
lance of the Romans prepared to form a chain of fortifi¬ 
cations, and to befiege the lines of the befiegers. A 
military council was aft'embled of the chiefs of the 
Gothic nation, who recommended the prudent meafure 
of a fci fonabie retreat. In this debate Alaric dilplayed 
the true fpirit of a warrior; after he had reminded his 
countrymen of their atchievements and of their deligns, 
lie concluded an animating fpeech by the folemn and 
po/ltive affurance, that he was refolved to find in Italy 
cither a kingdom or a grave. 
The camp of the Goths, which Alaric had pitched in 
tlie neighbourhood of Pollenfia, was thrown into confu- 
fion by the fudden and impetuous charge of the impe¬ 
rial cavalry ; but, in a few moments, the undaunted 
genius of their leader gave them an order of battle; and 
as foon as they had recovered from their aftonilliment, 
they refifted the attack of the P..omans, and the battle 
raged with tenfold fury. In the evening of the bloody 
day, tlir Goths reti eated from the field of battle; the- 
intrenchments of tlieir camp were forced, and the feene 
of rapine and flaughter atoned in fome meafure for the 
calamities which they had inflihfed on the fubjedls of 
the empire. 1 he magnificent fpoils of Corinth and 
Argos enriched the vcieians of the Weft; the captive 
wtife of Alaric was reduced to implore the mercy of the 
T H S. 
conqueror; and many thoufand prifoners, releafed from 
Gotliic chains, difperfed through tlie provinces of 1 taly 
the praifes of their deliverer. The triumph of Stilicho 
was compared to that of Marius; who, in the fame part 
of Italy, had encountered and difeomfited another army 
of northern barbarians. 
Alaric, in the midft of this fignal overthrow-, pofTefled 
tlie invincible temper of mind which rifes fuperior t® 
misfortune, and derives new refourccs from adverfity. 
After the total defeat of his infantry, he withdrew from 
the field of battle with the greateft part of his cavalry 
entire and unbroken. Without wafting a moment to la¬ 
ment the irreparable lofs of fo many brave companions, 
he left his victorious enemy in quiet poftetTion ol their 
fpoils, and boldly refolved to break through the .un¬ 
guarded palfes of the Apennines, to fpread defolation 
over the fruitful face of Tufeany, and to conquer or die 
before the gates of Rome. The capital was faved by 
the active and inceftant diligence of Stilicho: but he 
dreaded the favage defpair of his enemy ; and, inftead 
of committing the fate of the republic to the chance of 
another battle, he propofed to purchafe the abfence of 
the barbarians. The fpirit tof Alaric would have re- 
jeiSled fucli terms, the permilfion of a retreat, and the 
offer of a penfion, with contempt and indignation ; but 
he exerciled a limited and precarious authority over 
the independent chieftains, who had only railed him for 
their own fervice above tlie rank of his equals; they 
were ftill lefs difpofed to follow an unlucccfstul gene¬ 
ral, and many of them were tempted to confult their in- 
tereft by a private negociation with the ininifter of Ho¬ 
norius. The king fubmitted to the voice of his chiefs, 
ratified the treaty with the empire of the Weft, and re- 
piiffed the Po, with the remains of the unfubdued army 
which lie had led into Italy. But the Roman forces, 
jealous of his defigns, ftill hung upon Ills rear; and 
Stiliclio, who maintained a fecret correfpondence witli 
fome of the barbarian cliiefs, was punctually apprifed 
of the defigns that were formed in the camp and council 
of Alaric. The king of the Goths, ambitious to ftgnalize 
his retreat by fome fplendid atchievement, iiad refolved 
to occupy the important city of Veiona, which com¬ 
mands the principal pallage of the Rhastian Alps ; and, 
directing his march through the territories of thofe 
German tribes whole alliance would reftore hisexhauft- 
ed flrength, he propofed to invade, on the fide of the 
Rliine, the wealthy and unfufpeCting provinces of Gaul. 
Ignorant of the treafon which had betrayed this bold 
enterprife, he advanced towards the paffes of the moun¬ 
tains, already pofleired by the imperial iroops ;» where 
he was expoled, ahnolt at the fame inftant, to a general 
attack in the front, on his flanks, and in the rear. In 
this bloody action, at a fmall diftance from the walls of 
Verona, the lofs of the Goths was not lefs heavy tlian 
that which they had fuftained in the defeat of Pollentia ; 
yet the undaunted Alaric fecured the remains of his 
army on the adjacent rocks; and prepared himfelf, with 
unfubdued refolution, to maintain a liege againft the 
fuperior numbers of the enemy, who invefted him on 
all (ides. But he could not oppofe the inevitable pro- 
grefs of hunger and difeafe ; nor was it pollible for him 
to check the continual defertion of his impatient, and 
capricious barbarians. In this extremity lie ftill found 
relburces in his own fubtilty, or in the moderation of 
his adverfary; and the retreat of the Gothic king was 
confidered as the deliverance of Italy. Yet the people 
of Rome, incapable of forming any rational judgment 
of the bufmefs of peace and war, prefumed to arraign 
the policy of Stilicho, who fb often vanquiflied, fo often 
lurrounded, and fo often difmift’ed, tltis implacable ene¬ 
my of the republic. 
In the courfe of this unfortunate expedition, the king 
of the Goths muft indeed'have liiftained a confiderable 
lofs; and his haraffed forces required an interval of re- ■ 
pofe to recruit their mimbersj and revive their confi- 
■ rience. 
