had already pillaged and impoverished the provinces; and, while the expences of the governinent increased, the revenues of the empire were diminished.

To augment the revenues, Caraccalla extended the freedom of the city to the whole Roman world. While Rome and Italy were reprefented as the centre of government, a national character was preferved. The higher offices in the army were filled by men, who, rifing by regular steps through the fucceffion of civil and military honours, poffeffed influence in the legions, and preserved order in the commonwealth. But, when Caraccalla conferred the freedom of Rome on all the fubjects of the empire, the national fpirit and the Roman character became extinct. The legions were compofed of peafants and barbarians, who knew no country but their camp. Rome was no longer the city of Romans. The army were no more the fol diers of their country, but lawless banditti, infatiable of prey. They expofed the empire by public auction to the highest bidder. They elected Emperors, to extort vaft fums. of money, and dethroned them, to extort equal fums from their fucceffors. In fifty years from the death of Severus, more than fifty emperors were created or murdered, to gratify the avarice or infolence of this military mob.

When Italy and the adjacent provinces were fo exhaufted that little hopes of plunder remained to the foldiers, ambitious candidates found it more and more difficult to amafs fufficient treafure to bribe the legions. The empe rors availing themselves of this difpofition of the troops, divided the imperial power, to preferve the fovereign authority. Marcus Aurelius had given the example of asso◄ ciating a partner to the throne. This cuftom was followed by feveral of his fucceffors; and Dioclefian at laft ordained, that two Emperors fhould govern conjointly, and two Cæfars be appointed their lieutenants and fuccef fors.

By this arrangement of Dioclefian, the military anarchy was deftroyed; and the armies, commanded by princes who were united in one intereft, obeyed.

The tyranny was now transferred from the legions to the prince. Safe from confpirators, and feated on their thrones, the Emperors imitated the pomp and the luxury of an Afiatic court, and committed the government of the empire to favourites, and to women.

The Roman empire was now governed by four princes, who commanded four great armies. The uncommon ge mius of one man, or the more uncommon concord of the first fovereigns, might give a temporary ftability to fuch VOL. I.

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a form

a form of government. But, in the ufual courfe of hu man affairs, fuch an heterogeneous body muft foon be rent afunder, and fall in pieces. The partition of fupreme power creates jealoufies and fufpicions; and, prefenting a conftant object to the paffions, paves the way for revolu tions.

The abdication of Dioclefian fhewed that he was the victim of his own policy. His colleague alfo refigning, the two Cæfars, Galerius, and Conftantius, affumed the purple. Thefe fellow-fovereigns foon fufpected each other, and broke off all communication, the one governing the Eaft, and the other the Weft. Two co-ordinate powers, independent of each other, were now established. Hence the origin of the Eastern and the Western empires.

Rome, ceafing to be the feat of empire, was no longer the centre of riches; and Italy, robbed of its wealth,__its armies and inhabitants, funk into a ftate of languor. Recruits to fupply the legions were not now to be found. When the armies difpofed of the imperial dignity, the military rank was an object of ambition as well as of avarice. Numerous candidates offered to embrace a profeffion which led to opulence and power. Hence the empire feemed to refume new ftrength, under the reigns of Claudius, Aurelian, and Probus.

But when the arrangement of Dioclefian took place, the foldiers had it no longer in their power to difpofe the emperors, to plunder the people, or to extort donations from their mafters. Their confequence was loft, the military rank was debased, and few were willing to wield the fword.

Galienus had made a law, prohibiting the fenators from ferving in the army; and from this time the citizens most diftinguished by their birth, confined their ambition to civil

officers.

- From the corruption and effeminacy of the age, the people preferred the fecure indolence of poverty to the dangers and fatigues of war. The armies were now filled with peafants and provincials, who were dragged from their families, or bribed into fervice. Thus the depreffion of the martial fpirit concurred with the decline of the military discipline.

In this feeble and defenceless state, the emperors entered into a treaty with fome of the barbarians; on whom they bestowed lands within their own territories, in quality of auxiliaries, and opposed them, as a bulwark, to other barbarians. Without thefe foreign aids, the Emperors, who fucceeded Dioclefian, could form no extenfive enterprize.

By

.

By this means the barbarians learned the difcipline of the Romans, and knew the advantage of a folid establishment. An empire founded by arms must be fupported by arins. Accordingly, it was the great ftudy of the Romans, in the glowing periods of the Republic, to animate the valour, and perfect the difcipline of the legions. When the fpirit, which had rendered the legions of the Republic invincible, no longer animated the mercenary fubjects of a defpotic prince, regulations were made to fupply that defect; and laudable arts used to improve the valour and docility of those armies, by which the imperial dominions were to be protected or extended.

When the prætorian bands had affumed the right to difpofe of the throne, they created and dethroned emperors at pleafure, and a military anarchy was established. To diminish the military power, Dioclefian and his fucceffors depreffed the fpirit and corrupted the difcipline, which had rendered the army formidable to the fovereign, as well as to his enemies. The vigour of the military government was now diffolved, and the barbarian forces were fuperior in the military art, as well as in courage, to the Roman

armies.

The Romans had fubdued the neighbouring nations, and obtained univerfal monarchy, not only by the art of war, but by their enthufiafm, their policy, their paffion for glory, and the love of their country. When thefe virtues had difappeared under the emperors, and the military art alone furvived, this alone, notwithstanding the weaknefs or tyranny of thefe princes, enabled them to preferve their dominion. But, when the army were corrupted, and military difcipline loft, the palladium of Rome was withdrawn, and the empire expofed a prey to all the nations around.

Various caufes have been affigned for the immenfe irruption of barbarians, which poured from the north at this period of time. The decline of the Roman Empire which was now vifible, and felt among the barbarous nations, was the true caufe of the invafion of the Roman territories. The weft and north of Europe, as well as the north of Afia, had always been the feat of roving and martial tribes, who were ready on every occafion to fhift their abodes, from the defire of more inviting fettlements, or the hope of plunder and of glory. The defeat and deftruction of the Cimbri by Marius, who, on this account, was ftiled the third Founder of Rome; the terror of the Roman name, occafioned by a long feries of victories, and the

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egions which guarded the frontiers, repreffed for a while, the fury of the unconquered nations, and drove to a different direction the torrent of the north. Still, however, a fagacious obferver of human affairs might have looked to thefe regions with anxious forebodings for his country. The philofophical eye of a celebrated hiftorian faw, from a-far, the nations that were to revenge the cause of mankind, and marked, on the German frontier, the cloud that was to burft in thunder on Rome.

*

CHAP LIII.

The Deftruction of the Roman Empire, after the Death of Conftantine, and the Events which haftened its Catastrophe.

HTT

ITHERTO the characters of the Roman emperors have been intimately connected with the hiftory of the ftate and its rife or decline might have been faid to depend on the virtues and vices, the wifdom or the indolence, of thofe who governed it. But from this dreary period its recovery was become defperate; no wifdom could obviate its fall, no courage oppofe the evils that furrounded it on every fide. Inftead therefore of entering into a minute account of the characters of its fucceeding emperors, it will at prefent fuffice to take a general furvey of this part of the hiftory, and rather defcribe the caufes by which the state was brought down to nothing, than the perfons who neither could haften nor prevent its decline. Indeed if we were to enter into a detail concerning the characters of the princes of thofe times, it fhould be thofe of the conquerors, not the conquered; of thofe Gothic chiefs who led a more virtuous and more courageous people to the conquests of nations, corrupted by vice and enervated by luxury.

Thefe barbarians were at firft unknown to the Romans, and for fome time after had been only incommodious to them. But they were now become formidable, and arose in fuch numbers, that the earth feemed to produce a new race of mankind, to complete the empire's deftruction. They had been increafing in their deferts, amidst regions covered with fnow, and had long only waited the opportunity of

*Tacitus:

pofleffa

poffeffing a more favourable climate. Against fuch an enemy, no courage could avail, no abilities be fuccessful. A victory only cut off numbers without an habitation; and tribes foon to be fucceeded by others equally defperate and obfcure.

The emperors who were deftined to contend with this people, were feldom furnished with a fufficient degree of courage or conduct to oppofe them. Afia feemed to enervate their manners, and produced a defire to be adored like the monarchs of the Eaft. Sunk in foftnefs, they fhewed themselves with lefs frequency to the foldiers, they became more indolent, fonder of domeftic pleafures, and more abftracted from the empire. Conftantius, who reigned thirty-eight years, was weak, timid, and unfuccefsful; governed by his eunuchs and his wives; and unfit to prop the falling empire.

Julian, his fucceffor, furnamed the Apoftate,

upon account of his relapfing into Paganifm, A. D. 361. was, notwithstanding, a very good and a very

valiant prince, By his wifdom, conduct, and economy, he chafed the barbarians, who had taken fifty towns upon the Rhine, out of their new fettlements, and his name was a terror to them during his reign, which lafted but two years.

The

Jovian and Valentinian had virtue and ftrength fufficient to preferve the empire from immediately falling under its enemies. No prince faw the neceffity of restoring the ancient plan of the empire more than Valentinian. former emperors had drained all the frontier garrifons, merely to ftrengthen their own power at home; but his whole life was employed in fortifying the banks of the Rhine, making levies, raifing caftles, placing troops in proper ftations, and furnishing them with fubfiftence for their fupport. An event however, which fome difcerning politicians had forefeen, brought a new enemy to affift in the univerfal deftruction.

A. D.

452

That tract of land which lies between the Palus Mæotis the mountains of Caucafus, and the Cafpian Sea, was inhabited by a numerous favage people, who went by the name of the Huns and Alans. Their foil was fertile, and the inhabitants fond of robbery and plunder. The invafion of the Huns impelled the Gothic nation on the provinces of the Weft. The original principle of motion was concealed in the remote countries of the north; and the latent caufes of thefe emigrations may be illuftrated, by confidering the tribes of hunters and fhepherds, who, in every age, have inhabited the immenfe plains of Scythia or Tar

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