H U 
snd the patience of the barbarian king was exhaufted by 
the ceremonies of a banquet, which confilled of eight 
courfes of meat, and of nine folemn pieces of mufic. But 
he performed, on his knees, the duty of a refpectful ho¬ 
mage to the emperor of China; pronounced in his own 
name, and in the name of his fucceffors, a perpetual oath 
of'fidelity; and gratefully accepted a leal, which was 
bellowed as the emblem of his regal dependancel After 
this humiliating fubmifiion, the Tanjous fometimes de¬ 
parted from their allegiance, and Seized. the favourable 
moments of war and rapine; but the monarchy of the 
Huns gradually declined, till, in the year of Clirift 4-8, it 
was broken, by civil diffenfion, into two hoftile and fepa- 
rate kingdoms. One of the princes of the nation was 
urged, by fear and ambition, to retire towards the fouth 
with eight herds, which compofed between forty and fifty 
thoufand families. He obtained, with the title of Tanjou, 
a convenient territory on the verge of the Chinefe pro¬ 
vinces ; and his conitant attachment to the fervjce of the 
empire, w'as fecured by weaknefs, and the defire of re¬ 
venge. From the time of this fatal fchifm, the Huns of 
the north continued to languilh about fifty years, till 
they were opprefled on every fide by their foreign and do- 
meltic enemies. The proud infeription of a column, 
ereCled on a lofty mountain, announced to pofterity, that 
a Chinefe army had marched feven hundred miles into 
the heart of their country. The Sienpi, a tribe of orien¬ 
tal Tartars, retaliated the injuries which they had for¬ 
merly fuftained; and the power of the Tanjous, after a 
reign of thirteen hundred years, w'as utterly dellroyed be¬ 
fore the end of the firll century of the Chriftian sera. 
The fate of the vanquilhed Huns was diverfified by the 
various influence of character and fituation. Above one 
hundred thoufand perfons, the pooreft indeed, and the 
moll pufillanimous of the people, were contented to re¬ 
main in their native country, to renounce their peculiar 
name and origin, andfto mingle with the victorious nation 
of the Sienpi. Fifty-eight hords, about two hundred 
thoufand men, ambitious of a more honourable lervitude, 
retired towards the fouth; implored the protection of the 
emperors of China; and were permitted to inhabit, and 
to guard, the extreme frontiers of the province of Chanfi 
and the territory of Ortous. But the moil warlike and 
powerful tribes of the Huns maintained, in their adverfe 
fortune, the undaunted Ipirit of their anceltors. The 
weftern world was open to their valour; and they refolved, 
under the conduit of their hereditary chieftains, to dif- 
ccver and fubdue fonte remote country, which was Hill 
inaccelfible to the arms of the Sienpi, and to the laws of 
China. The courfeof their emigration foon carried them 
beyond the mountains of Imaus, and the limits of the 
Chinefe geography; but we are able to diltinguilh the two 
great divifions of thefe formidable exiles, which directed 
their march towards the Oxus, and towards the Volga. 
The firll of thefe colonies ellablilhed their dominion in 
the fruitful and extenfive plains of Sogdiana, on the eall- 
ern fide of the Cafpian, where they preferred the name 
of Huns, with the epithet of Euthalites, or Nepthalites. 
Their manners were foftened, and even, their features 
were infenfi’oly improved, by the mildnefs of the climate, 
and their long refidence in a flourilhing province, which 
might full retain a faint imprelfion of the arts of Greece. 
The white Huns, a name which they derived from the 
change of their complexions, foon abandoned the palloral 
life of Scythia. Gorgo, which, under the appellation of 
Carizme, has fince enjoyed a temporary fplendour, was 
the refidence of the king, who exercifed a legal authority 
over an obedient people. Their luxury was maintained 
by the labour of the Sogdians ; and the only vellige of 
their ancient barbarifm, was the cullom which obiiged all 
the companions, perhaps to the number of twenty, who 
had lhared the liberality of a wealthy lord, to be buried 
alive in the fame grave. The vicinity of the Huns to the 
provinces of Perfia, involved them in frequent and bloody 
contells.with the power of that.monarchy. But they ye- 
N S. _ 471 
fpefled, in peace, the faith of treaties; in war, the dic¬ 
tates of humanity ; and their memorable victory over Pe- 
rofes, or Firuz, difplayed the moderation, as well as the 
valour, of the barbarians. The fecond divifion of their 
countrymen, the Huns, who gradually advanced towards 
the north-well, were exercifed by the hardfhips of a colder 
climate, and a more laborious march. Necelfity compel¬ 
led them to exchange the filks of China for the furs and 
country of Siberia. Their independent Ipirit foon re-. 
jeCled the hereditary fucceflion of the Tanjous; and, 
while each hord was governed by its peculiar murfa, 
their tumultuary council directed the public meafures of 
the whole nation. As late as the thirteenth century, 
their tranfient refidence on the eallern banks of the Volga, 
w'as attefted by the name of Great Hungary. In the win¬ 
ter, they defeended with their flocks and herds towards 
the mouth of that mighty river; and their fummer excur- 
fions reached ps high as the latitude of Saratoif, or per¬ 
haps the conflux of the Kama. Such at leaft were the re¬ 
cent limits of the black Calmucks, who remained about 
a century under the protection of Ruflia ; and who have 
fince returned to their native feats on the frontiers of the 
Chinefe empire. The march and the return of thofe 
wandering Tartars, whole united camp confilts of.fifty 
thoufand tents or families, illullrate the dillant emigra¬ 
tions of the ancient Huns. 
It is impoflible to fill the dark interval of time which 
elapled, after the Huns of the Volga were loll in the eyes 
of the Chinefe, and before they Ihowed tliemfelves to 
thofe of the Romans. There is fome reafon, however, to 
apprehend, that the fame force which had driven them 
from their native feats llill continued to impel their 
march towards the frontiers of Europe. The power of 
the Sienp.i, their implacable enemies, which extended above, 
three thoufand miles from eall to weft, mull have gradu¬ 
ally opprefled them by the weight and terror of a formi¬ 
dable neighbourhood; and the flight of the tribes of Scy¬ 
thia would inevitably tend to increafe the llrength, or to 
contraCl the territories, of the Huns. The harlh and ob- 
lcure appellations of thofe tribes would offend the. ear,, 
without informing the underftanding, of the reader ; but 
it is natural to luppofe that the Huns of the north de¬ 
rived a confiderable reinforcement from the ruin of the 
dynally of the fouth, which, in the courfe of the third 
century, lubmitted to the dominion of China ; that the 
bravell warriors marched away in fearch of their free and 
adventurous countrymen ; and that, as they had been di¬ 
vided by profperity, they were eafily re-united by the 
common hardfhips of their adverfe fortune. The Huns,. 
with their flocks and herds, their wives and children,. 
their dependents and allies, were tranfported to the well 
of the Volga ; and they boldly advanced to invade the . 
country of the Alani, a palloral people who occupied an. 
extenfive traCl of the deferts of Scythia. The plains be¬ 
tween the Volga^and the Tanais were covered with the; 
tents of the Alani, but their name and manners were dif¬ 
fused over the wide extent of their conquells ; and the 
painted tribes of the Agathyrfi and Geloni were con¬ 
founded among their vaflals. Towards the north, they 
penetrated into the frozen regions of Siberia, among the 
lavages who were accuftomed, in their rage or hunger, to. 
the talle of human flelh; and their fouthern inroads were 
pufhed as far as the confines of Perfia and India. The 
mixture of Sarmatic and German blood had contributed 
to improve the features of the Alani, to whiten their- 
fwarthy complexions, and to tinge their hair with a yel- 
lowilh caff, which is leldom found in the Tartar race.. 
They were le/s deformed in their perfons, lefs brutilh in 
their manners, than the Huns ; but they did not yield to 
thofe formidable barbarians in tljeir martial and independent 
fpivit; in the love of freedom, which rejected even the 
ufe of domeftic Haves; and in the love of arms, which 
confidered war and rapine as the pleafure and the glory 
of mankind. A naked cimeter, fixed in the ground,. 
was the only objeCl of their religious worlhip ; the fcal.ps’. 
of 
