pofition, was now ungovernable. Having no enemies to wreak his refentment upon, he turned it against his own commanders. He put many of his generals to death, as if the city had held out through their neglect or incapacity, while famine made great depredations upon the reft of his army.

He was foon after flain in his tent, after a reign of three years and a few days. His fon, whom he had affociated in his power fhared the fame fate. The gates of Aquileia were thrown open to his deftroyers, and the head of Maximin on a fpear was borne in triumph through the streets.

His affiduity, when in a humble ftation, and his cruelty, when in power, ferve to evince, that there are fome men, whofe virtues are fitted for obfcurity; as there are others, whe only fhew themselves great when placed in an exalted ftation.

Pupienus and Balbinus, as well as Gordian, came to an untimely end; and the last mentioned Emperor fell by the hands of one to whom he had been a benefactor. His appointment of Philip, by birth an Arab, and by profeffion a robber, to the præfecture, proved fatal to the life and power of Gordian. The boldness of the new præfect afpired to the throne; the minds of the foldiers were irritated by artificial fcarcity, and the arms, which ought to have defended, were turned against their mafter. By a fentence of the foldiers, he was ffript and led away to death, and a small monument on the banks of the river Aboras, attefted the spot of his execution, after a reign of scarce

fix years,

A. D, 244

Philip caufed the fecular games to be celebrated, with a magnificence fuperior to any of his predeceffors, it being juft a thousand years from the building of the city. At this time, we are told, both Philip and his fon were converted to Chriftianity. A murderer, however, and an ungrateful ufurper, does no great honour to whatever opinion he may happen to embrace.

The army, foon after, revolting in favour of Decius, one of the fentinels, at a blow, cut off Philip's head, in the fortyfifth year of his age, and after a reign of about five years.

СНАР.

CHAP. XLVIII.

Decius.-The Chriftians are perfecuted.-Invafion of the Goths and Vandals. Decius lofes his Life in a Quagmire.-Gallus agrees to pay Tribute to the Goths.-Valerian defeated by the Perfians, and taken Prifoner.- Various Character of Galienus. His reign is marked by accumulated Calamities.--Claudius defeats the Goths.---Remark of one of the Gothic Generals refpecting Books.---Character of Claudius.Aurelian defeats Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra and the Eaft.-His Vow.-Longinus put to death.-Aurelian affaffinated.

A. D. 248.

P

HILIP having met with the fate he deserved, Decius was univerfally acknowledged as his fucceffor, whofe activity feemed, in fome meafure, to ftop the haftening decline of the Roman empire. Nothing, however, could now prevent the approaching downfal of the ftate. The obftinate difputes between the Pagans and the Chriftians within the empire, and the unceafing irruptions of barbarous nations from without, enfeebled it beyond the power of a remedy. To stop these, a perfecution of the Chriftians, now the moft numerous body of the people, was impoliticly, as well as unjustly, begun; in which thousands were put to death, and all the arts of cruelty tried in vain to leffen their growing numbers.

This perfecution was fucceeded by dreadful devastation from the Goths, particularly in Thrace and Mæfia, where they had been moft fuccefsful. Thefe barbarians deduced their origin from the vaft ifland, or peninfula, of Scandinavia; and the name of the Goths is now loft in that of the Swedes.

In the Edda, a fyftem of mythology compiled in Iceland, about the thirteenth century, we diftinguifh two perfons confounded under the name of Odin, the god of war, and the great legiflator of Scandinavia. The latter inftituted a reli`gion adapted to the climate and people, and fubdued numerous tribes on either fide the Baltic. But though fome faint tradition is preserved f a Scandinavian origin, we muft not expect any strict account of the time and circumftances of their emigration. To crofs the Baltic, the inhabitants of Sweden. poffeffed fufficient veffels, and the diftance from Carlferoon to the neareft ports of Pruffia and Pomerania exceeds not an hundred miles. From the commencement of the Christan æra to the age of the Antonines, the Goths were established towards the mouth of the Viftula. Weftward of the Goths, the numerous tribes of Vandals spread along the banks of the Oder; and a refemblance of manners and language feems to indicate

indicate that the Vandals and the Goths were originally one people. About the reign of Alexander Severus, the province of Dacia experienced the deftructive fury of the Goths in their inroads, whofe arms were turned against the milder regions of the fouth; and the march of the barbarians encreased. their numbers with the braveft warriors of the Vandalic ftates.

The Goths were now in poffeffion of the Ukraine, a country of confiderable extent and uncommon fertility. The fize of the cattle, the temperature of the air, the aptness of the foil for every species of grain, and the luxuriancy of the vegetation, all displayed the liberality of nature, and tempted the induftry of man; but the Goths withftood all these temptations, and ftill adhered to a life of poverty and rapine.

The Scythian hords towards the eaft, prefented the doubtful chance of unprofitable victory; the Roman territories were far more alluring. Bursting through the province of Dacia, the barbarians extorted a confiderable 'ranfom from Marcianopolis, the capital of the fecond Mafia. The invaders retreated with their booty, to return with double force. Thefe irruptions Decius went to oppofe in perfon, and coming to an engagement with them flew thirty thousand of these barbarians in one battle. Being refolved however, to purfue his victory, he was by the treachery of Gallus, his own general, led into a defile, where the king of the Goths had fecret information to attack him: In this difadvantageous fituation," Decius first faw his fon killed with an arrow, and foon after his whole army totally put to the rout. Wherefore, refolving not to furvive the lofs, he put fpurs to his horse, and inftantly plunging into a quagmire, was fwallowed and his body could never be found.

up,

Gallus, who had thus betrayed the Roman army, had addrefs enough to get himself declared A. D. 251: Emperor by that part of it which survived the

defeat. He was the firft who bought a difhonourable peace, from the enemies of the ftate, agreeing to pay a confiderable" annual tribute to the Goths, whom it was his duty to reprefs. Having thus purchased a fhort relaxation from war, by the difgrace of his country, he returned to Rome, and followed his pleasures, regardless of the wretched fituation of the empire.

The ftate of the Roman provinces, at that time, was very deplorable. The Goths, and other barbarous nations, not fatisfied with their late bribes to continue in peace, broke in like a torrent, upon the caftern parts of Europe. On the other fide, the Perfians and Scythians committed unheard of ravages in Mefopotamia and Syria. The Emperor, regard

lefs

lefs of every national calamity, was loft in fenfuality at home; and the Pagans were allowed a power of perfecuting the Christians through all parts of the ftate.

Emilianus Gallus's general, having gained a victory over the Goths, was proclaimed Emperor by his conquering army. Upon hearing this, Gallus, being roufed from the intoxication of pleasure, prepared to oppofe his dangerous rival. Both armies met in Mæfia, and a battle enfued in which Æmilianus was victorious, and the profligate Gallus was flain. His death was merited, and his vices were such, as to deserve the deteftation of pofterity.

The fenate having refufed to acknowledge A. D. 253 Emilianus as Emperor, an army that was ftationed near the Alps, chofe Valerian, their own commander, to fucceed to the throne, who set about reforming the state with a spirit that feemed to mark a good heart and a vigorous mind. But reformation was then grown almost impracticable. The difputes between the Pagans and Chriftians divided the empire as before, and a dreadful perfecution of the latter enfued. The northern nations over-ran the Roman dominions in a more formidable manner than ever, and the empire began to be ufurped by a multitude of petty leaders, each of whom neglecting the general interest of the ftate, fet up for himself. To add to thefe calamities, the Perfians, under their king Sapor, invaded Syria, and coming into Mefopotamia, took the unfortunate Valerian prifoner, as he was making preparations to oppose them. Nothing can exceed the indignities, as well as the cruelties, which were practifed upon this unhappy monarch, thus fallen into the hands of his enemies. Sapor, we are told, always used him as a foot-ftool for mounting his horfe; he added the bitterness of ridicule to his infults, and ufually obferved, that an attitude like that to which Valerian was reduced, was the best statue that could be erected in honour of his victory.

In this abject fituation he lived for fome years; and when he died, his body, by Sapor's order, was flayed, and preserved in falt. His fkin was dreffed, dyed red, and exposed in a temple, where, to the eternal ignominy of the Roman name, it was shown to all foreign princes and ambaffadors, as a monument of the power of the Perfian monarch.

When Valerian was taken prifoner, his fon, Galienus, promifing to revenge the infult, was chofen Emperor; but he foon discovered, that he fought rather the fplendour than the toils of empire. It is not eafy to defcribe the various character of this prince; he was a ready orator; an elegant poet, a fkilful gardener, an excellent cook, and a moft contemptible fovereign. When the reigns government were

held

held by fo weak a hand, it is not furprifing that a crowd of ufurpers fhould diftract the provinces; but the revival of the thirty tyrants of Athens, in the ftate of Rome, is rather the child of an ingenious fancy, than the offspring of truth.

But the provinces of Rome were not only doomed to experience the invafions of barbarians, and the ufurpations of tyrants; the reign of Galienus is marked by accumulated calamities. In Sicily, troops of banditti, and a licentious crowd of flaves and peasants, reigned over the plundered country, and intercepted the revenue of the capital. In Alexandria, the inhabitants, abandoned to the rage of their paffions, maintained a civil war within the city; and for twelve fucceffive years, every ftrect was polluted with blood, and every building of ftrength was converted into a citadel. A long and general famine, the confequence of rapine and oppreffion, depopulated the provinces and citics of Rome; and a furious. plague, which commenced in the year two hundred and fifty, and continued for fifteen years to rage throughout the whole extent of the Roman empire, cafts an additional gloom over this period of difgrace and calamity.

Galienus, having led an army to befiege the city of Milan, which had been taken by one of the ufurping tyrants, was there flain by his own foldiers, Martian one of his generals having confpired against him.

The origin of Claudius, who was nominated.

to fucceed Galienus, was obfcure, but his merit A. D. 268. had attracted the favour of Decius. He was a

man of great valour and conduct, equally remarkable for the trength of his body and the vigour of his mind. He was chaíte and temperate, a rewarder of the good, and a fevere punisher of fuch as tranfgreffed the laws. Thus endowed, therefore, he in fome measure put a stop to the precipitate decline of the empire, and, once more, feemed to reftore the glory of Rome.

The firft 1. bour of Claudius was to revive in his troops a fenfe of order and obedience; and after painting to them the exhausted state of the empire, and the mifchiefs arifing from their own lawless caprice, he declared, he intended to point the first effort of their arms againft the hoftile powers of the rapacious barbarians.

Thefe barbarians had made their principal and moft fuccessful irruptions into Thrace and Macedonia. They fwarmed over all Greece, and had pillaged the famous city of Athens, which had long been the fchool of all the polite arts to the Romans. The Goths, however, had no veneration for these embellifhments, which tend to foften and humanize the mind, but deftroyed all monuments of tafte and learning with the moft favage alacrity. It was upon one of thefe occafions, that VOL. I. having

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