H U 
it may be prefumed that the meaner habitations of the 
royal village confifted of ftraw, of mud, or of canvas. 
The wooden houfes of the more illuftrious Huns were 
built and adorned with rude magnificence, according to 
the rank, the fortune, or the tafte, of the proprietors. 
They feem to have been diftributed with fome degree of 
order and fymmetry; and each fpot became more ho¬ 
nourable as it approached the perfon of the fovereign. 
The palace of Attila, which furpaffed all other houfes in 
his dominions, was built entirely of wood, and covered 
an ample fpace of ground. The outward enclofure was a 
lofty wall or pallifade of fmooth fquare timber, inter¬ 
fered with high towers, but intended rather for ornament 
than defence. This wall, which feems to have encircled 
the declivity of a hill, comprehended a great variety of 
wooden edifices adapted to the ufes of royalty. A fepa- 
rate houfe was affigned to each of the numerous wives of 
Attila ; and, inftead of the rigid and illiberal confinement 
impofed by Afiatic jealoufy, they politely admitted the 
Roman ambafl'adors to their prefence, their table, and 
even to the freedom of an innocent embrace. When 
Maximin offered his prefents to Cerca, the principal queen, 
l;e admired the Angular architecture of her manfipn, the 
height of the round columns, the fize and beauty of the 
wood, which was curioufly fhaped, or turned, or polifhed, 
or carved; and his attentive eye was able to difcove'r fome 
tafte in the ornaments, and fome regularity in the propor¬ 
tions. After pafling through the guards who watched be¬ 
fore the gate, the ambaffadors were introduced into the 
private apartment of Cerca. The wife of Attila received 
their vifit fitting, or rather lying, on a foft couch; the 
floor was covered with a carpet; the domeftics formed a 
circle round the queen ; and her damfels, featea on the 
ground, were employed in working the variegated em¬ 
broidery which adorned the drefsof the barbaric warriors. 
The Huns were ambitious of difplaying thofe riches which 
were the fruit and evidence of their victories; the trap¬ 
pings of their horfes, their fwords, and even their fhoes, 
were lludded with gold and precious Hones; and their 
tables were profufely fpread with plates, and goblets, 
and vafes, of gold and filver, which had been fafhioned 
by the labour of Grecian artifts. The monarch alone af- 
fumed the fuperior pride of ftill adhering to the fimplicity 
of his Scythian anceftors. The drefs of Attila, his arms, 
and the furniture of his horfe, were plain, without orna¬ 
ment,-and of a fingle colour. The royal table was ferved 
in wooden cups and platters ; flelh was his only food ; 
’and the conqueror of the north never tafted the luxury 
of bread. 
When Attila firft gave audience to the Roman ambaf¬ 
fadors on the banks of the Danube, his tent was encom- 
palfed with a formidable guard. The monarch himfelf 
was feated in a wooden chair. His ftern countenance, 
angry geftures, and impatient tone, aftoniflied the firm- 
nefs of Maximin ; but Vigilius had more reafon to trem¬ 
ble, fince he diftinCHy underftood the menace, that, if At¬ 
tila did not refpeCf the law of nations, he would nail the 
deceitful interpreter to a crofs, and leave his body to the 
vultures. The barbarian condefcended, by producing 
an accurate lift, to expofe the bold falfeliood of Vigilius, 
who had affirmed that no more than feventeen delerters 
could be found. But he arrogantly declared, that he ap¬ 
prehended only the difgrace of contending witli his fugi¬ 
tive flaves ; fince he delpifed tlieir impotent efforts to de¬ 
fend the provinces which Theodofius had entrulted to 
their arms. For what fortrefs (added Attila), “what city 
in the wide extent of the Roman empire, can hope to 
exift fecure and impregnable, if it is our plealure that it 
fhould be erazed from the earth ? ,? He dimilfed, however, 
the interpreter, who returned to Conftantinople with his 
pereniptory demand of more complete reflitution and a 
more fplendid embafly. His anger gradually fubfided; 
and his domeftic fatisfaftion, in a marriage which he ce- ' 
lebrated on the road with the daughter of Edam, might 
perhaps contribute to mollify the native fierce,nets of his 
N 8 . 475 
temper. The entrance of Attila into the royal village 
was marked by a very Angular ceremoW. A numerous 
troop of women came out to meet their hero and their 
king. They marched before him, diftributed into long 
and regular file’s; the intervals between the files were filled 
by white veils of thin linen, which the women on either 
fide bore aloft in their hands, and which formed a canopy 
for a chorus of young virgins, who chaunted hymns and 
fongs in the Scythian language. The wife of his favou¬ 
rite Onegefius, with a train of female attendants, faluted 
Attila at the door of her own houfe on his way to the 
palace; and offered, according to the cuftom of the coun¬ 
try, her refpeffful homage by intreating him to tafte the 
wine and meat which die had prepared for his reception. 
As foon'as the monarch had gracioudy accepted her hof- 
pitable gift, his domeftics lifted a fmall filver table to a 
convenient height as he fat on horfeback; and Attila, 
when he had touched the goblet with his lips, again fa- 
luted the wife of Onegefius, and continued his march. 
During his refidence at the feat of empire, his hours were 
not wafted in the reclufe idlenefs of a feraglio; and the 
king of the Huns could maintain his fuperior dignity 
without Concealing his perfon from the public view. Re 
frequently aflembled his council, and gave audience to 
the ambafladors of the nations'; and his people might ap¬ 
peal to the fupreme tribunal which he held at ftated times,, 
and according to the eaftern cuftom, before the principal 
gate of his wooden palace. 
The Romans, both of the eaft and weft, were twice in¬ 
vited to the banquets where Attila feafted with the princes 
and nobles of Scythia. Maximin and his colleagues were 
flopped on the thrediold, till they had made a devout li¬ 
bation to the health and profperity of the king of the 
Huns ; and were conduced after this ceremony to their 
refpeftive feats in a fpacious hall. The royal table and 
couch, covered with carpets and fine linen, was raifed by 
feveral fteps in the midft of the hall; and a fon, an uncle, 
or perhaps a favourite king, were admitted to diare the 
Ample and homely repaft of Attila. Two lines of fmall 
tables, each of which contained three or four guefts, were 
ranged in order on either hand : the right was efteemed 
the mod: honourable, but the Romans ingenuoudy confel’s 
that they were placed on the left; and that Beric, an un¬ 
known chieftain, moft probably of the Gothic race, pre¬ 
ceded the reprefentatives of Theodofius and Valentinian. 
The barbarian monarch received from his cup-bearer a 
goblet filled with wine, and courteoudy drank to the health 
of the moll diftinguifhed gueft, who rofe from his feat, 
and expreded in the fame manner his loyal and refpeffful 
vows. This ceremony was fuccedively performed for all, 
or at lead: for the illuftrious performs of the adembly; and 
a confiderable time mult have been comfumed, fince it was 
repeated as each courfe of fervice was placed on the ta¬ 
ble. But the wine ftill remained after the meat had been 
removed; and the Huns continued to indulge their in¬ 
temperance long after the lober and decent ambadadors 
of the two empires had withdrawn themfelves from the 
nocturnal banquet. Yet before they retired they en¬ 
joyed a fingular opportunity of obferving the manners of 
the nation in their convivial amufements. Two Scy¬ 
thians ltood before the couch of Attila, and recited tire 
verfes which they had compofed to celebrate his valour 
and his victories. A profound filence prevailed in the 
hall; and the attention of the guefts was captivated by 
the vocal harmony which revived and perpetuated the 
memory of their own exploits ; a martial ardour fladied 
from the eyes of the warriors, who were impatient for 
battle; and the tears of the old men exprefled their gene¬ 
rous defpair that they could no longer partake the danger 
and glory of the field. This entertainment, which might 
be confidered as a fclicol of military virtue, was fucceeded 
by a farce that debated the dignity of human nature. A 
Mooriffi and a Scythian buffoon fuccedively excited the 
mirth of the rude fpeffators by tlieir deformed figure, ri¬ 
diculous drefs, antic geftures, abfurd fpeevhes., and the 
ftrangs. 
