GOTH S. 
ter, and rcqneflcd, t!mt on a day, the inofl ilhiftrious of 
his life, they would adorn him with the rich garments 
which they had worked with their own liands. “Our 
glory,” laid he, “is mutual and infeparable. You arc 
known to the world as the mother of Theodoric ; and 
it becomes me to prove, that 1 am the genuine offspring 
of thofe heroes from whom I claim my del'cent.” The 
wife or concubine of Theodemir was infpired with the 
fpirit of the Gertnan matrons, wlio cfleemcd their fons’ 
honour far above their ffifety : and it is alferted by Se- 
gonius, tom. i. p. 580, that in a defperate acfion, when 
Theodoric himfelf was hurried along by the torrent ofa 
flying crowd, llie boldly met them at the entrance of 
the camp, and, by- her Hern reproaches, drove them back 
on the fwords of the enemy. 
From the Alps to the extremity of Calabria, Theodo¬ 
ric reigned by the right of conqueft : the Vandal am- 
balladors furrendered the illand of Sicily as a lawful ap¬ 
pendage of his kingdom ; and he was accepted as the 
deliverer of Rome by the fenatc ar.d people, who had Unit 
their gates againll the flying uftirper. Ravenna alone, 
fecure in her fortifications, fuftained a liege of almoft 
three yeais; and the daringfallies of Odoaccr frequent, 
ly carried (laughter and diimay into the Gothic camp. 
At length, deditute of provifions and Itopelefs of relief, 
that unfortunate monarch yielded to the groans of his 
I'libje^ts and the clamours of his I'oldiers. A treaty of 
peace was negotiated by the bilhop of Ravenna ; the 
Offrogoths were admitted into the city, and the hoftile 
kings confented, under the fandlion of an oath, to rule 
with eqiial and undivided ;\uthority the provinces of 
Italy., 'i he event of fuch an agreement may be ealjly 
forefeen. After I'ome days had been devoted to the 
femblance of joy and friendfhip, Odoacer, in the midff 
of a Iblcnin banquet, was ffabbed by the command of 
his rival, on the 3d of March 493. Secret and effectual 
orders had been previoully dilpatclied ; the faithlefs 
and rapacious mercenaries, at the fame moment, and 
without reliffance, W’ere univerfally malfacred ; and the 
royalty of Theodoric was proclaimed by the Goths, 
with the rcluiffant and ambiguous confent of the empe¬ 
ror of the Eaft. 
The firli act of the reign of Theodoric, was the par¬ 
tition of the lands of Italy, of which he ailigned the 
third part to his foldiers; a grant which has been ar¬ 
raigned as the foie injuftice of his life. Yet even this 
acf has been juftified by the example of Odoacer, the 
rights of conqued:, the true intereff of the Italians, and 
the facred, duty of fubfifting a whole peo]de, who, on 
the faith of his promifes, had tranfported ihemfelyes 
into a diltant land. Under the reign of Theodoric, and 
in the prolific climate of Italy, tire Goths foon multi¬ 
plied to a formidable hoff of two hundred thoufand 
men, and the whole amount of their families may be 
computed by the ordinary addition of w-omen and chil¬ 
dren. Their invafion of property was difguifed by the 
name of hojpitality ; thele unwelcome guclis were irregu¬ 
larly difperled over the face of Italy, and the lot of 
each barbarian was adequate to his birth and office, the 
number of his followers, and fhe ruffic wealth which he 
poUelled in (laves and cattle. The diltinCtions of noble 
and plebeian were acknowledged ; but the lands of 
every freeman were exempt from taxes, and he enjoyed 
the ineltimable privilege of being fubjebt only to the 
laws of his country. Falbion, and even convenience, 
foon perfuaded the conquerors to alfume the more ele¬ 
gant drefs of the natives, but they (till perlifted in rh.e 
jife of their mother-tongue ; and tlieir contempt for the 
Latin fchools was applauded by Theodoric himfelf, 
who gratific'd their prejudices by declaring, that the 
child who had trembled at a rod would never dare to 
look upon a (word. Diffrefs might fometimes provoke 
the indigent Roman to alfume the ferocious manners 
which were infenlibly relinquilhed by the vitfforious 
barbarian : but thefe mutual conversions were not en- 
Vox.. VTIl. No. J39, 
7i29 
couraged by the policy of a monarch who ffudied the 
ieparation of tlio Italians and Goths; referving the for¬ 
mer for the arts of peace, and tlie latter for the I'ervice 
of war. To accomplifii this detign, he was anxious to 
pfotecl his induffrious fubje^ls, as well as to moderate 
the violence without enervating the valour of his fol- 
d-ers, who were maintained for the public defence. Tiiey 
held their hinds and benefices as a military ftipend : at 
tile found of the trumpet, they were prepared to march 
under the conduct of their provincial officers; and the 
witole extent of Italy was dilfributed into the feveral 
quarters ofa well-regulated camp. The fervice of the 
palace and of the iVontiers was performed by choice or 
by rotation ; and each extraordinary fatigue was recoiu- 
penfed by an increafe of pay and occafionai donatives. 
Tlieodoric had convinced his brave companions, that 
empire muff be acquired and defended by the fame arts. 
After his example, they (trove to excel in the ufe, not 
only of the lance and fwprd, tlie indruments of their 
victories, but of the mifiile weapons, which they were 
too nuicl) inclined to neglect ; and tlie lively image of 
war was difplayed in the daily exercile and annua! re¬ 
views of the Gothic cavalry. A (inn thougli geiitre 
difeipline impofed the habits of modefty, obedience, and 
tempciance ; and the Goths were at length inllructed 
to (pare the people, to reverence the laws, to under, 
(land the duties of civil fociety, and to difclaim the bar¬ 
barous licenfe of judicial combat and private revenge. 
Among the barbarians of the Welt, the victory of 
Theodoric had fpread a general alarm. But as foon as 
it appeared that he was fatisfied with conqueft and de¬ 
li rous of peace, terror was changed into refpedt, and 
they fubmitted to a powerful mediation, which was ■ 
uniformly employed for the beft purpofes of reconciling 
their quarrels and civilizing their manners. The am- 
baffadors wjio reforted to Ravenna from the mod dif- 
tant countries of Europe, admired his wifdom, magni¬ 
ficence, and courtefy. Idis domeftic alliances, a wife, 
two daugliters, a filler, and a niece, united the ffjmily 
of Theodoric with the kings of the Franks, the Burgun¬ 
dians, the Vifigolhs, the Vandals, and the Thuringians; 
and contributed to maintain the harmony, or at leaft 
the balance, of the great republic of tlie Well. 
1 1 is difficult in the darkforefts of Germany and Poland 
to-purfue the emigrations of theHeruli, a fierce people 
whodifdained the ufe of .innoiir,and who condemned their 
widow’s and aged parents not to furvive the lofs ot their 
hufhands, or the decay of their ftrength. The king of 
tliefe favage warriors folicited tlie friendfliip of The¬ 
odoric, and was elevated to the rank of his Ion, accord, 
ing to the barbaric rites of a military adoption. I'l'cm 
the iliores of the Baltic, the 7 £fliaiis or Livonians laid 
their offerings of native amber at the feet of a prince, 
whofe fame had excited them to unuertake an unknown 
and dangerous journey of fifteen hundred miles. With, 
tlie country from whence the Gotliic nation derived tlieir 
origin, .he maintained a frequent and friendly correfpon- 
dence ; tlie Italians were clothed in the rich fables of 
Sweden ; and one of its fovereigns, after a voluntary 
abdication, found an hofpitable retreat in the palace of 
Ravenna. 
The life of Theodoric reprefents the rare and merito¬ 
rious example of a barbarian, who flieathcd his.lword 
in the pride of victory and the vigour of his age. A 
reign of thirty-three years was conlecrated to the duties 
of civil government ; and the holtilities inwhich hewas 
fometimes involved, were fpeedily terminated by the 
conduct of his lieutenants, the difeipline of his troops, 
the arras of his allies, and even by the ten or of his name, 
He reduced, under a ffrong and regular government, 
the countries of Rhsetia, Noricum, Dalmatia, and Paiw 
noiiia, from tlie fource of the Danube and tJie territory 
of the Bavarians, to the petty kingdom erected by the 
Ge.pida; on the ruins of Sirmiuin. His prudence could 
not fately entruff the bulwark of Italy to fuch turbu- 
