G O ' 
Adverfily liad exercifed, and difplayed, tlie 
genins of Alaric ; and t!ie fame of Ins valour invited to 
the Gotliic ffandard tlve braved of tlie barbarian war¬ 
riors; wlio, from the Eiixine to the Rhine, were agi¬ 
tated by the defire of rapine and conqtied. He liad ac¬ 
quired the admiration and friend/hip of Stilicho; and 
through his means concluded with Honorius, who now 
kept his court at Ravenna, a treaty of peace and af- 
liance, by which he was declared mader-general of the 
Roman armies throughout the prasfedlure of Illyricum : 
and a civil war being expected between tlie eadern and 
wedern empires, Stilicho prepared to lead to tlie gates 
ot Coiidaiitinople the united armies of tlie Romans and 
of the Goths. But this declaration was rather an objeCt 
of policy ; and his principal care was to employ the 
forces ot Alaric at a didance from Italy. This defign 
could not long efcape the penetration of the Gothic 
king, who continued to hold a doubtful, and perhaps a 
treacherous, correlpondence with the rival courts. In 
tlie mean time envy and reproach follov;ed rapidly the 
footdeps of the able and judicious Stilicho, who was 
bafely murdered through the corrupt policy and mif- 
taken zeal of his ungrateful countrymen. 
1 'rom his camp, on the confines of Italy, Alaric at¬ 
tentively obferved the revolutions of the imperial pa¬ 
lace, and watched the progrels of faction and difcon- 
teiit in the bofom of the Roman empire. In tlie midd 
ot its difficulties and contentions, the Gothic king de¬ 
manded the piayment of four thoufand pounds of gold, 
which had been formerly granted by the Roman fenate, 
either to reward his fervices, or to appeafe his fury. His 
decent firmnefs was fupported by an artful moderation, 
which contributed to the fuccefa of his defigns. He re- 
fufed to trud the faith of the Romans, unlefb ./^itius and 
Jafon, the Ions of two great officers of date, were fent 
as hodages to liis camp : but he odered to deliver, in 
exchange, feveral ot the nobled youths of the Gothic 
nation. The inodedy ot Alaric was interpreted, by the 
miniders of Ravenna, as a hire token of his weaknefs 
and tear. 1 hey diidained either to negociate a treaty, or 
to ademble an army; and with a rafh confidence, de¬ 
rived omy from their ignorance of the extreme danger, 
irretrievably wafted the moments which diould have 
prepared them for war. Alaric, with bold and rapid 
marches, paffed the Alps and the Po; hadily pillaged 
the cities ot Aquileia, Altinum, Concordia, and Cre¬ 
mona, which yielded to Ins arms ; increafed his forces 
by the accedion of thirty thoufand auxiliaries; and, 
without meeting a lingle enemy in the field, advanced 
as tar as the edge ot the morafs wliich protected the im¬ 
pregnable refideiice of the emperor of the weft. Indead 
liowevcr of attempting the fiege of Ravenna, the leader 
ot the Goths proceeded to Rimini, dretched his ravages 
along the fea-coafts of the Adriatic, and meditated the 
conqued of the ancient midrefs of the world. His 
troops, animated by the hopes of Ipoil, followed the 
coiirfe of the I’laminian way, occupied the unguarded 
patfes of the Apennines, defcended into the rich plains 
of Umbria; and Alaric at length pitched his camp un¬ 
der the walls of Rome, A.D. 408. 
By a fkilful dilpolition ot his numerous forces, who 
impatiently watched the moment of an afFault, Alaric 
encompaded the walls, commanded the twelve principal 
gates, intercepted all communication with the adjacent 
country, and vigilantly guarded the navigation of the 
Tyber, from which the Romans derived their fupply of 
provifions. The fird emotions of the nobles, and of the 
people, were thofe of furprile and indignation, that a 
vile barbarian Ihould dare to infult the capital of the 
world; but their pride was foon humbled by misfor¬ 
tune; and their unmanly rage, indead of being directed 
againd an enemy in arms, was meanly exercifed on a 
defencelefs and innocent victim. Within their walls 
was Serena, the widow of Stilicho; and they lidened 
with credulous palfion to a tale of calumny, which ac- 
r H s. 719 
cufed her of maintaining a fecret and criminal corre- 
fpondence with the Gothic invader. Aiftiiarcd by the 
fame popular frenzy, the fenate, without requiring any 
evidence of her guilt, pronounced the fentence of Iter 
dea'ii, Serena was ignominioudy dianglcd; and tlie 
infatuated nuiltinide v\ ere adouidied to find, that this 
cruel aCl of injudice did not immediately produce tJie 
retreat of the buibarians, and the deliverance of the 
city: indead of whit It they were del'ervcdly punifhed 
with tlie didrefs of fcarcity, and the calamities of fa¬ 
mine. Many thoufands of the wretched inhabitants of 
Rome expired in their hpufes, or in the dreets, for want 
of food ; and as tlie public fepulchres v itliout tlie walls 
were in the power of the enemy, the dench, w hicli arofe 
from fo many putrid and unburied carcafes, infedled tiie 
air; and the miferies of famine were fucceeded and ag¬ 
gravated by the contagion of a pedilential difeafe. 
The lad refotirce of the Romans was to be found ia 
the clemency or moderation of tlie king of the Gotlis. 
The fenate, who in this emergency ad'unied the powers 
of the government, appointed two ambad'adors to nego¬ 
ciate with tlie enemy. This trud was delegated to Bafi- 
lius, a.feiiatorof Spaiiidi extraCIion ; and to John, tiie 
fird tribune of the notaries, who was peculiarly quali¬ 
fied by his dexterity in bufinefs, as well as by his for¬ 
mer intimacy with tlie Gotliic prince. When they were 
introduced into his prefence, they declared that the 
Romans were retblved to maintain their dignity, either 
in peace or war; and that, if Alaric refuted them a fair 
and lionourable capittilation, he might found his trum¬ 
pets, and prepare to give battle to an innumerable 
people, exercifed in arms, and animated by defpair. 
“ I'he thicker the hay, the eafier it is mowed,” was the , 
concife reply of the barbarian. He then condefeended 
to fix the ranfom, wliich he would accept as the price 
of his retreat from the walls 01 Rome: all the gold and 
filver in the city, whether it were the property of the 
date, or of individuals ; all the rich and precious move¬ 
ables; and all tlie (laves who could prove their title to 
tlie name of barbarians. “ If fucli, O king, are your de¬ 
mands, (laid tlie aftoiiidied negociaiors,) what do you 
intend to leave us?” “ Your lives;” replied the 
haughty conqueror : they trembled, and retired. Yet 
before tliey retired, a (hort fufpenlioii of arms was grant¬ 
ed, whicii allowed fome time for a more temperate de- 
cilioii. The dern features of Alaric were inlenlibly re¬ 
laxed ; he abated much of the rigour of his terms ; and 
at length confented to raife the liege, 011 tiie immediate 
payment of five thoufand pounds of gold, of thirty 
tlioiifand pounds of diver, of four thoufand robes of lilk, 
of three tlioiifand pieces of line fcarlet cloth, and of 
three thoufand pounds weight of pejiper. As loon as 
the Romans had faiisfied the rapacious demands of 
Alaric, A.D. 409, they were redored, in fome nieafure, 
to the enjoyment of peace and fudenaiice. A more re¬ 
gular difeipline than could have been expeded, was 
maintained in the camp of Alaric ; and the wife barba¬ 
rian judified his regard for the faith of treaties, by the 
feverity with which he chadifed a party of licentious 
Goths, who had infulted Ibme Roman citizens on the 
road to Oltia. His army, enriched by the contributions 
of the capital, dowly advanced into the fair and fruitful 
province of Tufeany, where he propofed to edablilh his 
winter-quarters; and the Gothic dandard became the 
refuge of forty thoufand barbarian (laves, who had broke 
their chains, and afpired, under the command of their 
deliverer, to revenge the injuries, atid the difgrace, of 
their former fervitude. About the fame time, he re¬ 
ceived a reinforcement of Goths and Huns, who had cut 
their way through fuperior mimbers of the imperial 
troops; and Alaric now found himfelf at the head of 
an hundred thoufand fighting men. 
Alaric was confcioiis, perhaps, of fome fecret weak¬ 
nefs, Ibme internal defect; or perhaps the moderation 
wJiich he difplayedj was intended only to deceive and 
I difarm 
k 
