478 HU 
the equeftrian rank, nruft have amounted at the drifted 
computation to one million feven hundred thoufand 
pounds. Many families of Aquileia, Padua, and the' ad¬ 
jacent towns, who fled from the (word of the Huns, found 
a fa-fe though obfcure refuge in the neighbouring iflands. 
At the extremity of the Gulf where the Adriatic feebly 
imitates the tides of the ocean, near a hundred final! 
iflands are feparated by (hallow water from the continent, 
and protected from the waves by feveral long flips of 
land wdrich admit the entrance of veflels through fome 
lecret and narrow channels. Till the middle of the fifth 
century thefe fequeltered fpots remained without cultiva¬ 
tion, and almoft w’ithout a name. But the manners of 
the Venetian fugitives, their arts and their government, 
were gradually formed by their new fituation ; from which 
they were compared to water-fowl who had fixed their- 
nefts on the bofom of the -waves. Thus, was formed the 
once-famous republic of Venice, during the period of the 
Oftrogoth kingdom of Italy. 
Amidft the general confterriation ./Etius alone was in¬ 
capable of fear ; but it was impoflible that he fliould 
achieve alone and unaflifted any military exploits worthy 
of his former renown. The barbarians who had aflifted 
him in defending Gaul refufed to march to the relief of 
Italy ; and the fuccours promifed by the eaftern emperor 
were diftant and doubtful. Since Astius at the head of 
his domeftic troops ftill maintained the field, and harafl’ed 
or retarded the march of Attila, he never (bowed himfelf 
more truly great than at the time when his conduct was 
blamed by an ignorant and ungrateful people. If the 
mind of the emperor Valentinian had been fufceptible of 
any generous fentiments, he would have chofen fuch a 
general for his example and his guide But the timid 
grandfon of Theodolius, irdtead of fharing the dangers, 
efcaped from the found, of war : and his hally retreat from 
Ravenna to Rome, from an impregnable fortrefs to an 
open capital, betrayed his fecret intention of abandoning 
Italy as foon as the danger fliould approach his imperial 
perfon. This (hameful abdication was fufpended how¬ 
ever by the fpirit of doubt and delay, which commonly 
adheres to pufillanimous counfels, and fometimes correfts 
their pernicious tendency. The weftern emperor, with 
the fenate and people of Rome, embraced the more falu- 
tary refolution of deprecating, by a foiemn and fuppliant 
embalfy, the wrath of Attila. This important commiflion 
was accepted by Avienus, who from his birth and riches, 
his confular dignity, and perfonal abilities, held the firft 
rank in the Roman fenate. The fpecious character of 
Avienus was admirably qualified to conduct a negocia- 
tion either of public or private rintereft 5 his colleague 
Trigetius had exercifed the Prsetorian prrcfeftureof Italy ; 
and Leo, bifliop of Rome, contented to expofe his life for 
the lafety of his flock. The Roman ambafladors were in¬ 
troduced to the tent of Attila as he lay encamped at the 
place where the flow-winding Mincius is loft in the foam¬ 
ing waves of the lake Benacus, and trampled with his 
Scythian cavalry the farms of Catullus and Virgil. The 
barbarian monarch aliened with favourable and even re- 
(peftful attention; and the deliverance of Italy was pur- 
chafed by the immenfe ranfom or dowry of the princefs 
Honoria. The ftate of his army might facilitate the 
treaty, and haften his retreat. Their martial fpirit was 
relaxed by the wealth and indolence of a warm'climate. 
The fnepherds of the north, whofe ordinary food confided 
of milk and raw flelh, indulged themfelves too freely in 
the ufe of wine; and the progrefs of difeafe revenged in 
fome meafure the injuries of the Italians. When Attila 
declared his refolution of carrying his victorious arms to 
the gates of Rome, he was admoniihed by his friends, as 
well as by his enemies, that Alaric had not long liirvived 
.the conqueft of the eternal city. His mind, luperior to 
real danger,-was aflaulted by imaginary terrors ; nor could 
he efcape the influence of fuperllition, which had fo often 
been lubfervient to his defigns. The prefling eloquence 
of Leo, his majeftic afpeft, and facerdotal robes, excited 
the veneration of Attila for the Ipiritual father of the 
N S. 
Chriftians. But, before the king of the Huns evacuated 
Italy, he threatened to return more dreadful and more 
implacable, if his bride, the princefs ITonoria, were not 
delivered to his ambafladors within the term ftipulated by 
the treaty. Yet in the mean wdiile Attiia relieved his 
tender anxiety by adding a beautiful maid, whofe name 
was Ildico, to the lift of his innumerable wives. Their 
marriage was celebrated with barbaric pomp and feftivity 
at his wooden palace beyond the Danube ; and the mo¬ 
narch, opprefled with wine and deep, retired at a late hour 
from the banquet to the nuptial bed. His attendants con¬ 
tinued to refpcft his pleafures or his repofe the greateft 
part of the enfuing day, till the unufual filence alarmed 
their fears and fufpicions ; and, after attempting to awaken 
Attila by loud and repeated cries, they at length broke into 
the royal apartment. They found the trembling bride fit¬ 
ting by the bed-fide hidinglher face with her veil, and la¬ 
menting her own danger as well as the death of the king, 
who had expired during the night. An artery had fud- 
denly burft; and, as Attila lay in a fupine pollure, he was 
fufFocated by a torrent of blood, which, inftead of finding 
a paflage through the noftrils, regurgitated into the lungs 
and (lomach. This memorable event happened in the 
year of Chrift 453. His body was folemnly expofed in 
the mid ft of the plain under a filken pavilion ; and the 
chofen fquadrons of the Huns, wheeling round in mea- 
fured evolutions, chaunted a funeral long to the memory 
of a hero, glorious in his life, invincible in his death, the 
father of his people, the fcourge of his enemies, and the 
terror of the world. According to their national cuftom, 
the barbarians cut off a part of their hair, galhed their 
faces with unfeemly wounds, and bewailed their valiant 
leader as he deferved, not with the tears of women, but 
with the blood of warriors. The remains of Attila were 
inclofed within three coffins, of gold, of filver, and of iron, 
and privately buried in the night; the fpoils of nations 
were thrown into his grave, the captives who had opened 
the ground were inhumanly maflacred, and the fame Huns 
who had indulged fuch exceffive grief feafted with diffo- 
lute and intemperate mirth a'a out the recent fepulchre oF 
the king. For the_ charafter of this Angular and cele¬ 
brated barbarian chief, as drawn K y ivtr. Gibbon, fee the 
article Attila, vol. ii. p. 548. 
The revolution which now quickly fubverted the em¬ 
pire of the Huns, ferved the more to eftabliffi the fame of 
Attila, whofe genius alone could fuftain the huge and 
disjointed fabric. After his death the bolded chieftains 
afpired to the rank of kings 5 the molt powerful.kings re¬ 
futed to acknowledge a fuperior ; and the numerous'”fons, 
■whom fo many various mothers bore to the deceafed mo¬ 
narch, divided and difputed like a private inheritance 
the fovereign command of the nations of Germany and 
Scythia. The bold Ardaric felt and reprefented the dis¬ 
grace of this fervile partition; and his fubjefts, the war¬ 
like Gepidas, with the Oftrogoths under the conduct of 
three valiant brothers, encouraged their allies to vindicate 
the rights of freedom and royalty. In a bloody and de- 
cifive conflift on the banks of the river Netad, in Panno- 
nia, the lance of the Gepidse, the fword of the Goths, the 
arrows of the Huns, the Suevic infantry, the light arms of 
the Heruli, and the heavy' iveapons of the Alani, violently 
encountered each other to (hare or defend the fpoils; and 
the victory of Ardaric was accompanied with the (laugh¬ 
ter of thirty thouAmd of his enemies. Ellac, the elded 
fon of Attila, loft his life and crown in the memorable 
battle of Netad; his early valour had railed him to the 
throne of the Acatzires, a Scythian people whom he fub- 
dued ; and his father, who loved the fuperior merit, would 
have envied the death, of Ellac. His brother Dengifich, 
with an army of Huns ftill formidable in their flight 
and ruin, maintained his ground on the banks of the Da¬ 
nube 5 arid the fettlements of the tribes who had fo brave¬ 
ly aflerted their native freedom, were irregularly diftri- 
buted according to the meafure of their refpective (trength. 
Surrounded and opprefled by the multitude of his father’s 
(laves, the kingdom of Dengifich was confined to the cir¬ 
cle 
