474 H U 
who had yielded either a voluntary or relu&ant fubmif- 
fion to his authority. From this principle he concluded, 
and the conclutions of Attila were irrevocable laws, that 
the Huns who had been taken prifoners in war fhouldbe 
releafed without delay, and without ranfom; that every 
Roman captive who had prefumed to efcape, ffiould pur- 
chafe his right to freedom at the price of twelve pieces of 
gold 5 and that all the barbarians who had deferted the 
iiandard of Attila fhould be delivered up without any 
promife or ftipulation of pardon. In the execution of 
this cruel and ignominious treaty, the imperial officers 
were forced to maffacre feveral loyal and noble deferters 
•who refufed to devote themfelves to certain death ; and 
the Romans forfeited all reafonable claims to the friend- 
ihip of any Scythian people by this public confeffion, 
that they were deftitute either of faith or power to pro- 
teft the fuppliants who had embraced the throne of 
Theodofius. 
The Byzantine court was now to be infulted by five or 
fix fucceffive embaffies, and the fears and alarms of Theo¬ 
dofius kept conftantly awake by the dread of further 
hoflilities. The minifters of Attila were uniformly in- 
itrufted to prefs the immediate execution of the laft treaty; 
to produce the names of fugitives and deferters who were 
ftil! protefied by the empire; and to declare, with feem- 
ing moderation, that, unlefs their fovereign obtained com¬ 
plete fatifaftion, it would be impoffible for him, were it 
even his wifh, to check the refentment of his warlike 
tribes. Befides the motives of pride and intereft which 
might prompt the king of the Huns to continue this train 
of negociation, he was influenced by the lefs honourable 
view of enriching his favourites at the expence of his 
enemies. The imperial treafury was exhaufted to pro¬ 
cure the friendly offices of the ambafladors and their 
principal attendants, whofe favourable report might con¬ 
duce to the maintenance of peace. The barbarian monarch 
was flattered by the liberal reception of his minifters ; 
and he condefcended to promife that he would advance 
as far as Sardica to receive any minifters to adjuft their 
differences, who had been invelted with the confular dig¬ 
nity. Maximin, whofe abilities had been long exercifed 
in civil and military employments, accepted with reluc¬ 
tance the troublefome commiffion. His friend, the hifto- 
rian Pril'cus, alfo embraced the opportunity of obferving 
the barbarian hero in the domeftic feenes of life; but the 
fecret of the embaffy, a fatal and guilty fecret, was en- 
trufted only to'the interpreter Vigilius. The two laft 
ambaffadors of the Huns, Oreftes', a noble fubjeft of the 
Pannonian province, and Edecon, a valiant chieftain of 
the tribe of the Scyrii, returned at the fame time from 
Conftantinople to the royal camp. Their oblcure names 
were afterwards illuftrated by the extraordinary fortune 
and the contraft of their fons; the two fervants of Attila 
became the fathers of the laftFcoman emperor of the Weft, 
and of the firft barbarian king of Italy. 
The ambaffadors of Theodofius’ entered upon their em- 
baffy A. D. 448, and made their firft halt at Sardica, at 
the diftance of three hundred and fifty miles, or thirteen 
days journey, from Conftantinople ; but the king of the 
Huns condefcended not to meet them. They travelled next 
about one hundred miles, from Sardica to Naiffus. That 
flourifliing city, which had given birth to the great Con- 
Itantine, was levelled with the ground, the inhabitants 
were deftroyed or difperfed, and the appearance of fome 
lick perfons, who were ftill permitted to exift among the 
ruins of the churches, ferved only to increafe the horror 
of the profpect. The furface of the country was covered 
with the bones of the (Vain; and the ambaffadors, who 
directed their courfe to the north-weft, were obliged to 
pals the hills of modern Servia before they defeended 
into the flat and marfhy grounds which are terminated 
by the Danube. The minifters of Theodofius were fafeiy 
landed on the oppolite bank ; and their barbarian affoei- 
ates immediately haftened to- the camp of Attila, which 
was equally prepared for the amufements of hunting or 
N S. 
of war. No fooner had Maximin advanced about two- 
miles from the Danube, than he began to experience the 
faftidious infolence of the conqueror. He was fternly 
forbid to pitch his tents in a pleafant valley, left he ffiouid 
infringe the diftant awe that was due to the royal man- 
fion. The minifters of Attila preffed him to communi¬ 
cate tile bufinelV and the inftruftior.s which he referved 
for the ear of their fovereign. When Maximin tempe¬ 
rately urged the contrary practice of nations, he was ftill 
more confounded to find that the refolutions of the fa- 
cred confiftory at Conftantinople had been treacheroufly 
dif’clofed to the public enemy. On his refufal to comply 
with fuch ignominious terms, the imperial envoy was 
commanded inftantly to depart; the order was recalled; 
it was again repeated ; and the Huns renewed their inef- 
feiftual attempts to liibdue the patient firmnefs of Maxi¬ 
min. At length, by the interceffion of Scotta the brother 
of Onegefius, whofe friendfhip had been purchafed by a 
liberal gift, he was admitted to the royal prefence ; but, 
inftead of obtaining a decifive anfwer, he was compelled 
to undertake a remote journey towards the north, that 
Attila might enjoy the proud fatisfaftion of reqeiving in 
the fame camp the ambaffadors of the eaftern and weftern 
empires. His journey was regulated by the guides, who 
obliged him to halt, to haften his march, or to deviate 
from the common road, as it beft fuited the ccnveninence 
of the king. The Romans, who thus traverfed' the plains 
of Hungary, fuppole that they paffed feveral navigable ri¬ 
vers either in canoes or portable boats ; but there is rea- 
Ton to fufpecT: that the winding ftream of the Teyfs, or 
Tibifcus, might preient itfelf in different places under 
different names. From the contiguous villages they re¬ 
ceived a plentiful and regular fupply of provifions, and 
were relieved by the gentleneis and hofpitality of the 
fame barbarians fo terrible and fo mercilefs in war. The 
ambaffadors had encamped on the edge of a large morafs- 
A violent tempeft of wind and rain, - of thunder and 
lightning, overturned their tents, immerfed their baggage 
and furniture in the water, and fcattered their retinue,, 
who wandered in the darknefs of the night, uncertain of 
their road, and apprehenfive of fome unknown danger, 
till they awakened by their cries the inhabitants of a 
neighbouring village, the property of the widow of the 
late king Bleda. A bright illumination, and, in a few 
moments, a comfortable fire of reeds, was kindled by 
their officious benevolence; the wants and even the de— 
lires of the Romans were liberally fatisfied ; and they 
feem to have been embarraffed by the lingular politenel's 
of Bleda’s widow, who added to her other favours the 
gift, or at leaft the loan, of a f ufficient number of beau¬ 
tiful and obfequious damfels. The funfhine of the f'uc- 
ceeding day was dedicated to repof’e ; to colleri: and dry 
the baggage, and to the refrefhment of the rrien and 
horfes; but, in the evening before they purfued then- 
journey, the ambaffadors expreifed‘their gratitude to the 
bounteous lady of the village by a very acceptable pre- 
fent of filver cups, red fleeces, dried fruits, and Indian 
pepper. Soon after this adventure, they rejoined the 
march of Attila, from whom they had been feparated 
about fix days; and flowly proceeded to the capital of an 
empire which did not contain, in the f'pace of feveral 
thoufand miles, a Angle city. / 
As far as we may afeertain the vague and obfeure geo¬ 
graphy of Prifcus, this capital appears to have been feated 
between the Danube, the Teyfs, and the Carpathian hills, 
in the plains of Upper Hungary, and moft probably in the 
neighbourhood of Jazberin, Agria, or Tokay. Irj its 
origin it could be no more than an accidental camp, 
which, by the long and frequent refidence of Attila, had 
infeniibly fwelled into a huge village for the reception 
of his court, of the troops who followed his perfon, and 
of the various multitude of idle or induftrious flaves and 
retainers. The baths were the only edifices of ftone; the 
materials had been tranfported from Pannonia ; and, fince 
the adjacent country was deftitute even of large timber, 
i it 
