7C0 GO T 
difavm the creilulity Oi’ the miiilfters of Honoiiiis. The 
king of tlte Goth^. repeatedly declared, that it was his 
dclire to be conlidered as the friend of peace, and of the 
Romans. Three feuators, at his reqiielt, were fent am- 
bali'.it.iors. to tite court of Ravenna, to folicit tlie ex¬ 
change of hoftages, and the conclufion of the treaty ; 
aiid tiie propolals, which Ite more clearly expreifed 
during tlie cotir'e of the negcciations, could only infpire 
a doubt of his fmccrity, as they might (eeni inadequate 
to the (late of his fortune. Tlie barbarian lliU afpired 
to the rank of mafter-gener.il of the armies of the weft ; 
lie ftipulatcd an annual fubiidy of corn and money ; and 
lie dicfc'the provinces of Dalmatia, Noricum, and Ve- 
netia, for tite feat of liis new kingdom, wdiich would 
have commanded the important communication between 
Italy and the Danube. If thefe terms Ihould he rejcitted, 
Alaric Ihewcd a difpo/ition to relinquilh his pecuniary 
tlcmands, and even to content liimfelf with tlie pollenion 
of Noricum; an Cxhaufted and impoverilhed country, 
perpetually ex poled to tite inroads of the barbadians of 
Germany. But tlie hopes of peace were difappoimed 
by tlie obftinacy, or interefted views, of tlie mimfter 
Olyinpius. Without liftening to the falutary jemon- 
Itrances of the fenate, he dilmiifed tlieir ambalTudors 
under the conduct of a military efcort, too numerous 
jbr a retinue of honour, and too feeble for an army of 
defence. Six tlioufand Dalmatians, the flower of the 
imperial legions, were ordered to march from Ravenna 
to Rome, througli an open country, which was occupied 
by liie formidable myriads of tlie barbarians. Thefe 
brave legionaries, encompalled and betrayed, fell a fa- 
ediftee to minifterial folly; their general, Valens, with 
an Imndred (oldiers, elcaped from the field of battle; 
and one of the ambalfadors, u lio could no longer claim 
the protection of the law of nations, was obliged to 
purdiafc his freedom with a ranlbm of thirty thculand 
piiece.> of gold. Yet Alaric, inftead of relenting this 
act of hoftility, in vain renewed his propofals of peace. 
Wliilc the emperor and his court enjoyed the (ecunty 
of the marfties and fortifications of Ravenna, they^ftill 
ab.iadoned Rome to the refentment of Alaric. Yet fucli 
was the moderation whicli he ati'edled to preferve, that, 
as he moved with liis army along the Flaminiaii way, 
he fucceliively dii'patched the bifhops of the towns of 
Italy to reiterate his offers of peace, and to conjure the 
emperor, that he would lave the city and its inhabitants 
fiom tlic hoftile fire, and liie fword of the barbaiians. 
Tiiel'e impending calamities were however averted, not 
indeed by the wil'dom of Monorius, but by the prudence 
or humanity of the Gothic king; who employed a milder, 
tliougli not lei's effectual, method of conqueft. Inftead 
of aliaultiiig the capital, he directed his efibrts againft 
tue commanding port or'Oftia, one of the molt ftupend- 
cus vvoiks of Roman magnificence. As foon as Alaric 
was in polfeirioi! of that important place, he fummoned 
the city to hirre'nder at dilcretion ; and his demands were 
enforced by tlie pofitive declaration, that a refulal, or 
even a deljy, Ihould be inftantly followed by tlie de- 
ftrifCtion of the magazines, on which the life of the Ro¬ 
man people depended. 'I'he terror of famine lubdued 
tl'.e pride of the fenate; they lubniitted, and liftened, 
wiriioiit reiubtance, to tlie propofal of placing a new 
emperor on the liirone of Konorius; and the I'uft'rage of 
the Gofliic conqueror bellowed the purple on /Attains, 
praefeCt of the city. But the oftentatious folly and ca¬ 
price of tills mock emperor, rendered his reign as ridi- 
fulous as it was fleeting and temporary. The releiit- 
meiit of the Gothic king was exafperated againft him by 
his weaknels and folly: and in a large plain near Rimini, 
sit tije prefence of an iniuunerable multitude of Romans 
aod barbarians, the wretched Attains was publicly tie- 
fpoiied of the diadem and purple; and thole enligns of 
royalty were now lent by Alaric, as tlie pledge of peace 
and frieiidlliip, to the Ion of 'riicodolius, witiiia the 
ifli'cing liold «I Ravenna, The ofiicess wiio returned to 
H S. 
their duty, were reinftated in their former employments, 
and Alaric advanced witliin three mil s of Ravenna,'' to 
prels the treaty for peace. But Ills indignation was 
kindled by the report, that a rival chieftain, Sarus, the 
hereditary toe of the houfe of Balti, had been received 
into the palace ; and at tlie head of three hundred fol¬ 
lowers, th'at fearlcfs barbarian f.dlied from the gates of 
Rvveiina, lurprlfed and cut in pieces a confiderable body 
of G nils, re-entered the city in triumph ; and tiien in- 
fulted his adverfary by the voice of .i lierald, who pub- 
iiciy declared that the guilt of Alaric had for ever ex. 
eluded him from the frieiidlliip and alliance of Hoiiorius. 
l iie folly of the court of Ravenna as expiated, a third 
time, by the fall of Rome. 1 lie angry king of the 
Goths, wlio no longer diffembled his appetite for plun¬ 
der, now meditated a defperate revenge. He appeared 
inarms under the walls of Rome; and the trembling 
fenate, without any hopes of relief, prepared, by a dei'- 
perate rcriftance,.to delay the ruin of their country. But 
they were unable to guard againft the (ecret confpiracy 
of their flaves and domeftics; who, e’.tlier from birth or 
intereft, were attached to the caufe of the enemy. At 
the iiour of midnight, tlie Salarian gate was filently 
opened, and the inhabitants were awakened by the tre¬ 
mendous found of tlie Gothic trumpets. Eleven hun¬ 
dred and fixty-three years after the foundation of Rome, 
the .imperial city, which had (ubdued and civililed fis 
confiderable a part of mankind, was delivered to the li¬ 
centious fury of tlie Gotlis, on the 24th ofAuguft4io, 
The proclamation of Alaric, wium he foiced his en¬ 
trance into tlie vanqtiiflied city, difeovered lome regard 
for the laws of humanity and religion, which, however, 
were not fo pioully imitated by Genieric at tlie head of 
his Vandals, wl'.en, in 455, he became, in the hands of 
Providence, a fiiiiilar fcourge to this proud capital gf the 
weitern world. Alaric encouraged liis troops boldly to 
feize the rewards of valour, and to enrich theinfel ves with 
thefpoilsof a wealthy and eflemiiiaie people; but he ex¬ 
horted them to fpare the lives of the unrelifting citizens, 
and to refpebt the churches of the apollles St. Peter and 
St. Paul, as holy and inviolable I'aiictuaries. TheGoths 
had received, under the indefatigable zeal of their bifliop 
Ulphilas, the ligiit and trutJi ot the Golpel, in the year 
3(10, which evidently influenced their conduct on this 
memorable occafion. Amidll the horrors of a nofttirnal 
tiiniult, feveral of the Cliriltian Goths dilplayed the fer¬ 
vour ol their recent converfion ; and foiiie inftances of 
their uncommon piety and moderation -are related with 
zeal by the eccleliaftical writers. While the barbarians 
roamed through, the city in queft of } rey, the humble 
dwelling of an aged virgin, who had devoted her life 
to the fervice of the altar, was forced open by one of 
the powerful Goths, lie immediately demanded, though 
in civil language, all the gold afid (ilver in her pollef- 
fion ; and was aftoiiiflied at the readinefs with which llie 
conducted him to a fplendid hoard of mafly plate, of 
the richeft materials, and the molt curious workmanlliip. 
The barbarian viewed with wonder and deliglu tiiis va¬ 
luable acquilition, till he was interrupted by a I'erious 
admonition, addrefl'ed to him in the following words : 
“ Phele,” faid (he, “ are the confecrated velfels belong¬ 
ing to St. Peter; if you preiunie to touch them, the ia- 
crilegious deed will remain on your confcieiice. For 
my part, I dare not keep what I am unable to defend.” 
Ihe Gotliic captain, ftruck with reverential awe, dif- 
patched a ineU'eiiger to inform the king of the treafure 
which he had dilcovered ; and received a peremptory 
order from Alaric, that all tlie confecrated plate and 
ornaments (hould be tranfported, wiihour damage or de¬ 
lay, to the eliurch of the apoltle. From the extremity 
of the Qiiirinal hill tothediftai.t quarter of the Vatican, 
a numerous detachment of Gotiis, marching in order 
of battle througli tite principal llreets, protected, with 
glittering arms, the long train of their devout compa¬ 
nions, wiio bore aloft, on their heads, the faered veli'els 
