722 G O 
the mofi- favage breafls, was treated with cruel and 
wanton infult. The daughter of the emperor Theodo- 
fius, confounded among a crowd of vulgar captives, was 
compelled to march on foot above twelve miles, before 
the horfe of a barbarian, the aCTallin of her hutband, 
rj'hom Placidia moll tenderly loved, and whofe fate, 
with her own, iTie had now mofl bitterly to deplore. 
But Placidia contrived tiie means of a defperate reta¬ 
liation on the head of the guilty tyrant: he was alTaffi- 
nated on the feventh day of his ufurpation ; and the 
choice of tlie nation beftowed the Gothic fceptre on 
''iVallia, whofe warlike and ambitious temper appeared 
bell fuited to the martial difpofition of the barbarians. 
Ke marched in arms from Barcelona to the fhores of the 
Atlantic, which the ancients revered as the boundary of 
the world. But when he reached the foulliern promon¬ 
tory of Spain, and, from the rock now covered by the 
fortrefs of Gibraltar, contemplated the neighbouring 
and fertile coalt of Africa, Wallia refumed the defigns 
of conqueft, which had been broken by the death of 
Alaric : but the winds and waves again difappointed the 
enterprife of the Goths; and the minds of a fuperfti- 
tious people were deeply affedled by the repeated dif- 
afters of dorms and Ihipwrecks. In this difpofition, the 
fuccellbr of Adolpiuis no longer refilled to liflen to a 
Homan ambalfidor, whofe propofals were enforced by 
the dreaded approach of a numerous army under the 
conduct of Condantius. In 418, a folenm treaty was 
ffipulated, and Placidia was honourably redored to her 
b.rother ; dx hundred thoufand meafures of wheat vve^e 
delivered to the hungry Goths; and Wallia engaged to 
draw his fword in the Isrvice of the empire. A bloody 
v/ar was indantly excited among the barbarians of Spain ; 
and the contending princes are faid to have addred'ed 
their letters, their ambaliadors, and their hodages, to 
the throne of the wedern emperor, exhorting him to re¬ 
main a tranquil fpedfator of their conted ; tlie events of 
which mud be favourable to the Romans, by the mu¬ 
tual daughter of their common enemies. The Spanilh 
war was obdinately fiipported during three campaigns 
witli defperate valour, and the martial atchievements of 
Wallia ditfiifed through the empire the fuperior renown 
of the Gothic hero. He exterminated the Silingi, who 
had delblatcd the province of Bcetica. He dew, in bat¬ 
tle, the king of the Alani ; and the remains of thole 
Scythian wanderers, who elcaped from the field, indead 
of choofing a new leader, fought a refuge under the 
dandard of the Vandals, v/ith whom they were ever af¬ 
terwards confounded. The Vandals themfelves, and 
the Suevi, yielded to tlie fuperiority of the invincible 
Goths. ■ ■ 
The triumph and viifories of Wallia were now to be 
rewarded by a rich and fe tile edablifhnient. His vic¬ 
torious Goths, forty-three years after they had palfed 
the Danube, were fixed, according to the faith of'trea¬ 
ties, ill tlie polfcdion of the fecond Aquitain, a mari¬ 
time province between the Garonne and the Loire, un¬ 
der the civil and eccleliadical jurifdidtion of Bourdeaux. 
That metropolis, advantageoully fituated for-the trade 
of the ocean, was built in a regular and elegant form ; 
and its numerous iiiliabitants were dilfinguilhed among 
the Gauls by their wealtli, their learning, and the po- 
litenefs of their manners. The adjacent province, which 
has been compared to the garden of Eden, is bleffed 
with a fruitful foil, and a temperate climate ; the face 
of the country difplayed the arts and the rewards of in- 
diifh y ; and the Goths, afte.r their martial toils, were 
deftined luxurioufly to exhauft tlie rich vineyards of 
Aquitain. Tlie Gothic limits were enlarged by the ad¬ 
ditional gift of forae neighbouring dioceles ; and the 
fuccelTors of Alaric fixed their royal refideiice at Thou- 
loufe, which included five populous quarters within 
the fpaeuuis circuit ol it-s walls. About the fame time, 
and ill the laft years of the reign of Honorius, the Goths, 
r II s. 
the Burgundians, and tlie Franks, obtained unitedly a 
permanent feat and dominion in the province^ of Gaul. 
The kingdom thus eftablillied by the Vifigoths in the 
fouthern provinces of Gaul, gradually acquired ftrength 
and maturity. After the death of Wallia, the Gothic 
fceptre devolved to Theodoric, the fon of the great 
Alaric; and his profperous reign of more than thirty 
years over a turbulent people, may be allov/ed to prove, 
that his prudence was fupported by uncommon vigour 
both of mind and body. Impatient of his narrow limits, 
Theodoric afpired to the pofleffion of Arles, the wealthy 
feat of government and commerce; but the city was 
faved by the timely approach of the conful or patrician 
^tius; and the Gothic king, who had raifed the fiege 
with fome lofs and difgrace, was perfuaded, for an ad"- 
quate fubfidy, to divert the ni?,rtial valour of his fub- 
jects in a Spanifii war. Yet Theodoric watched, and 
eagerly feized, the favourable moment of renewing his 
lioftile attempts. The Goths, in 435, befieged Nar- 
boniie; vyhile the Belgic provinces were invaded by the 
Burgundians; and the public fafety was threatened on 
every fide by the apparent union of tlie enemies of 
Rome. On every fide the adfivity of .<®tius oppofed a 
firm and fuccefsful refifiance. Twenty thoufand Bur¬ 
gundians were flain in battle; and the remains of the 
nation humbly accepted a dependent feat in the moun¬ 
tains of Savoy. The walls of Narbonne had been fhaken 
by the battering engines, and the inhabitants had en¬ 
dured the laft extremities of famine, when count Lito- 
torius, approaching in filence, and directing each horfe- 
man to carry behind him two facks of flour, cut his way 
through the intrenchraents of the hefiegers. The fietre 
was immediately raifed ; and the more decifive vidtory, 
which is aferibed to the pcrfonal conduct of j^Ltius, was 
niarked with the blood of eight thoufand Goths. ’BiU 
in the abfence of the patrician, who was haftily funi- 
moned to Italy, count Litorius fucceeded to the com¬ 
mand ; and his prefumption foon difeovered, tJiat far 
different talents were wanting to diredt the operations 
of an important war. At the head of an army of Huns, 
he raflily advanced to the gates of Thouloufe, full of 
contempt for an enemy whom he had jufter reafon to 
fear. The predidtioiis of the augurs had infpired Lito¬ 
rius with tiie confidence, that lie lliould enter the 
Gothic capital in triumph ; and the truft wliicii he re- 
pofed in his pagan allies, encouraged him to rejedt the 
conditions of peace which were propofed by the bifhops 
in the name of Theodoric. The king of the Goths ex¬ 
hibited in his diftrefs the edifying contrail of Chriftian 
piety and moderation; nor did he lay afide his fackcloth. 
and afhes till he was prepared to arm for the combat. 
His loldiers, animated with martial and religious enthu- 
fiafm, affaulted the camp of Litorius. The conflidt was 
obflinate ; tlie flaiighter was mutual. The Roman ve_ 
neral, after a total defeat, which could be imputed only 
to his unfleilful raflinefs, was adlually led tliroimh the 
flreets of Thouloufe in hoftile triumph; and the°mifery 
which he experienced, in a long and ignominious capti¬ 
vity, excited at length the compaflion of tlie barbarians 
themfelves. Such a lofs, in a country whofe fpirit and 
finances were long fince exliaufled, could not eafily b.e 
repaired; and the Goths, alluming, in their turn, the 
fentiments of ambition and revenge, would have planted 
their vidborious Itandards on the banks of the Rhone if 
the prelence of ./Etius had not reftored new Ilrength and 
difcipliiie to the Roman.'. The two armies expedted 
the iignal of a decifive adtion ; but the generals, who- 
were confeious of each otlier’s force, and doubtful of 
their oyvn fuperiority, prudently fheatlied their fwords 
in the field of battle; and their reconciliation became 
permanent and fincere. Theodoric appears to have de~ 
ferved the regard of his fubjedls, the confidence of his 
allies, and the efleem of mankind. His throne was fur- 
rounded by fix valiant fons, who were educated in the 
exereifes 
