346
CONSTANTIUS.
day. Alarlc marched southward as far as Rhegium1 wanting
to cross over to Sicily, but he turned hack. Two years after
the taking of Rome, he died at Cosenza.1 The command of
his army was given to Athaulf, his brother-in-law : he was dif-
ferent from Alaric, aud feeling an attachment to the Romans,
he left Italy, and went to Languedoc. He ruled as an inde-
pendent prince, and as an ally of Rome, Overacountryonboth
sides of the Pyrenees, comprising a part of Languedoc and
Catalonia. He married PIacidia, the sister of Honorius, who
had been carried away a prisoner, and who now drew the
bond of union between her husband and brother so closely, that
it became an actual friendship. Athaulf had already led his
troops to Spain, where he conquered the Vandals, Suevi, and
Alani, and drove them into Asturia, Gallicia, and Lusitania;
the provinces which he did not occupy himself, he restored to
the Roman empire. He likewise did good service against a
usurper, Jovinus, and his brother Sebastianus.
LECTURE CXXXVII.
While Alaric was in Italy, an officer of the name of Constan-
tine had been pιoclaimed Augustus by the soldiers in Britain,
and had been recognised in Gaul. Another usurper, Gcrontius,
who had raised his friend Maximus to the throne, rose against
him. An army of Honorius, under the command of Constan-
tius, marched into Gaul, apparently to assist Constantine, which
was very good policy. Constantius compelled Gerontius and
Maximus, who were besieging Arles, to make away with them-
selves : in like manner, he afterwards continued the war against
Constantine, and thus restored Gaul and Spain to the Romans.
After Athaulfs death, he was rewarded for this service with
the hand of Galla PIacidia. The friendly relations between the
Visigoths and Romans once more ceased, Singeric and Wallia
having turned against the Romans; for the Visigoths were very
jealous of their independence, and they now returned to their
l This is referred to in the excellent poem of Count Von Platen, entitled
“ Das Grab ιm Busento ”—N.
Valentinian ш—placidia—bonifacius—aëtws. 347
former condition. From this time forward, down to the in-
vasion of Attila, Italy enjoyed peace, if we except the plunder-
i∏o∙ devastation of the sea-coast by Genseric; but Wemayeasily
imagine how slow its progress towards recovery must have
been. Honorius died in A.D. 423.
Placidia had borne two children to Constantius—Placidus
Valentinian and Justa Grata Honoria, both of whom proved
to be misfortunes for the empire. Constantius had forced
Honorius to raise him to the rank of Augustus; but he died
immediately afterwards, and even before Honorius. His son
was only four years old at the time of Honorius’ death, and
accordingly could not succeed to the throne. Arcadius had
previously died ; and the government was nominally in the hands
of his very youthful son, Theodosius II, who throughout his
life remained in a state of dependence, his sister Pulcheria,-in
reality, holding the reins of government, which was a misfor-
tune for the East. Galla Placidia fled with her children to Con-
stantinople; but before succour came from that quarter, a
usurper, John, the first emperor bearing a Christian name8, took
possession of the government, and ruled for two years. Theo-
dosius, however, gave the crown to his cousin, the boy Valen-
tinian HI, and sent two armies to Italy under the command of
two Isaurians, Ardaburius and Aspar. This undertaking did
not at once succeed, the fleet being dispersed by a storm ; but
Aspar penetrated, without any difficulty, through Illyricum,
which seems to have come again under the sovereignty of the
emperor. John was abandoned by his troops, and Placidus3
Valentinian proclaimed emperor.
His mother Placidia now ruled over the W est, not indeed
in such a manner as to deserve great praise; but after her
death, about the middle of the century, when her son stood alone,
matters became much worse. Eome was then richer in great
men than in the times of the better emperors ; we must mention
in particular Bonifacius and Aetius, neither of whom could
supplant the other, without bringing about the downfall of the
empire. The personal character of Bonifacius is little known,
but he appears to have been an Italian; Aetius was a Scythian,
2 John, however, is not altogether a Christian name, for Johannes Lyduswas
certainly a pagan.
3 The form Placidius is not supported by as good authority: Oncoinsand
monuments, we generally find Placidus.