to have him sent from the palace more quickly, just as she was, holding her children in each arm, she approaches her husband; and both wailing and at the same time holding forth the infants, she shed streams of tears, and did all the other things which a passionate woman by feminine artifice might do to draw her husband toward a more emotional state. And pity for the children entered Arcadius, as they whimpered out of sympathy for their mother, and anger was kindled. And indeed then, in both his anger and the resulting gravity of his words, Arcadius was an emperor. Wherefore he immediately strips Eutropius of all honor, takes away his wealth, and exiles him to the island of Cyprus. Not long after, when some brought an indictment against him, that when he had become consul he had used ornaments which no one else was permitted to use, only the emperor, he is summoned back from Cyprus. And a council having been convened at the place called Pantichion (and Aurelian the prefect and other distinguished magistrates among the authorities were examining the accusations), Eutropius, being convicted on the charges, is beheaded. But Philostorgius says these things about Eutropius; but others relate other reasons both for his removal from power and his exile and indeed also for his death. 11.7 "That," he says, "in the times that have occurred up to my own, there has been such a destruction of men as no age from eternity has known," and that the sword-shaped star signified this. For not only was the fighting population consumed, as of old in previous wars, nor were the sufferings confined to one part of the earth; but all races were being destroyed, and all of Europe has perished, and no small portion of Asia was destroyed along with it, but also most of Libya, and especially as much of it as is subject to the Romans. For the barbarian sword worked the great part of the destruction, and famines and plagues and herds of wild beasts also attacked, and extraordinary earthquakes, tearing up cities and houses from their foundations, launched them into the most inescapable ruin. And chasms of the earth, breaking open in some places under the inhabitants, were a ready-made tomb, and deluges of water from the air, and in other places fiery droughts, and fiery whirlwinds falling upon some, made the terror both varied and unbearable. Indeed, hail larger than a stone fell in many parts of the earth; for it was seen to fall weighing as much as eight of the so-called pounds. And an abundance of snow and extremes of frost, seizing upon those whom another plague had not carried off before, drove them from life, and clearly proclaimed the divine indignation. To go through each one of these would be beyond all human power. 11.8 That of the Huns, he says, some, having first subdued and ravaged most of Scythia on this side of the Ister, then crossed the frozen river, burst all at once into Roman territory, and spreading over all Thrace, plundered the whole of Europe; while others, crossing the river Tanais toward the rising sun and pouring into the East, broke through Greater Armenia into the so-called Melitene. And from there they attacked Euphratensis and drove as far as Coele-Syria, and overrunning Cilicia, they wrought a slaughter of men beyond telling. But not only these, but also the Mazices and Auxoriani (these dwell between Libya and the Africans), in their eastern region desolated Libya, and destroyed no small part of Egypt along with it, and attacking the Africans in the west, they did similar things. But in addition to all these, Tribigild also, a man, a Scythian by race of those now called Goths (for there are very many and different tribes of these Scythians), this man, having a barbarian force and being settled in Nacoleia in Phrygia and holding the rank of comes, having broken from friendship into enmity with the Romans, beginning from Nacoleia itself, took very many cities of Phrygia and wrought great slaughter of men. Against whom the general Gainas was sent out (and he himself was a barbarian), betrayed the victory, he himself

ἐπενεγκεῖν τῶν βασιλείων θᾶττον ἀποπέμψασθαι, ὡς εἶχεν ἀγκαλισαμένη τὰ παιδία διὰ χειρὸς ἑκατέρας προσέρχεται τῷ ἀνδρί· καὶ κωκύουσά τε ἅμα καὶ τὰ βρέφη προτεινομένη, δακρύων ἠφίει λιβάδας, καὶ τἆλλα ἐποίει ὅσα γυνὴ φλεγμαίνουσα γυναικείᾳ τέχνῃ πρὸς τὸ παθητικώτερον ἐφελκύσαιτο τὸν ἄνδρα. Τῷ δὲ Ἀρκαδίῳ οἶκτός τε τῶν παίδων εἰσῄει, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὴν μητέρα συμπαθείας βραυκανομένων, καὶ ὀργὴ ἀνήφθη. καὶ δὴ τότε τοῖς τε θυμοῖς καὶ τῇ δι' αὐτῶν ἐμβριθείᾳ τῶν λόγων ὁ Ἀρκάδιος βασιλεὺς ἦν. ὅθεν αὐτίκα τὸν Εὐτρόπιον τιμῆς τε ἁπάσης περιδύει καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον ἀφαιρεῖται καὶ εἰς Κύπρον τὴν νῆσον φυγαδεύει. Μετ' οὐ πολὺ δέ τινων ἀπενεγκάντων κατ' αὐτοῦ γραφήν, ὡς ὁπόταν ὕπατος ἐγεγόνει κοσμήμασιν ἀπεχρήσατο, οἷς οὐδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐξῆν μὴ ὅτι γε μόνῳ βασιλεῖ, μετάπεμπτος ἀπὸ Κύπρου γίνεται. καὶ συνεδρίου κατὰ τὸ καλούμενον Παντιχῖον καθεσθέντος (Αὐριλιανὸς δ' ὁ ὕπαρχος καὶ ἕτεροι τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἐπιφανῶν ἀρχόντων διεσκόπουν τὰ κατηγορούμενα), αἰτίαις ὁ Εὐτρόπιος ἁλοὺς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀφαιρεῖται. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Φιλοστόργιος ταῦτα περὶ Εὐτροπίου λέγει· ἕτεροι δὲ ἄλλας αἰτίας καὶ τοῦ παραλυθῆναι τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς ὑπερορίας καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦ θανάτου ἀνιστοροῦσιν. 11.7 «Ὅτι, φησίν, κατὰ τοὺς ἐπ' ἐμὲ γεγενημένους χρόνους τοσαύτη φθορὰ γέγονεν ἀνθρώπων, ὅση οὐδεὶς χρόνος ἐξ αἰῶνος ἔγνω,» καὶ ταύτην ἄρα καὶ τὸν ξιφίαν σημαίνειν ἀστέρα. οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὸ μάχιμον ὥσπερ πάλαι κατὰ τοὺς ἔμπροσθεν πολέμους ἀπανηλώθη, οὐδ' ἐν μέρει γῆς τὰ πάθη συνέστη· ἀλλὰ πάντα μὲν διεφθείρετο γένη, πᾶσα δ' ἀπόλωλεν ἡ Εὐρώπη, καὶ τῆς Ἀσίας οὐκ ὀλίγη μοῖρα συνδιεφθάρη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς Λιβύης ἡ πολλὴ καὶ μάλιστά γε ὅση Ῥωμαίοις ὑποτελεῖ. βαρβαρικὴ μὲν γὰρ τὸ τῆς φθορᾶς πλῆθος εἰργάζετο μάχαιρα, λιμοὶ δὲ καὶ λοιμοὶ καὶ θηρίων ἀγρίων ἀγέλαι συνεπετίθεντο, σεισμοί τε ἐξαίσιοι πόλεις καὶ οἰκίας ἀνασπῶντες ἐκ βάθρων εἰς τὸ ἀφυκτότατον τὸν ὄλεθρον ἐναφίεσαν. καὶ χάσματα δὲ γῆς ἐνιαχόθι τοῖς οἰκήτορσιν ὑπορρηγνυμένης τάφος ἦν αὐτοσχέδιος, ἐπικλυσμοί τε τῶν ἐξ ἀέρος ὑδάτων καὶ κατ' ἄλλους αὐχμοὶ φλογώδεις, πρηστῆρές τε ἔστιν οἷς ἐμβαλλόμενοι ποικίλον τε τὸ δεινὸν ἐποίουν καὶ ἀφόρητον. ναὶ δὴ καὶ χάλαζα μείζων ἢ κατὰ χερμάδα πολλαχοῦ γῆς κατεφέρετο· ἄχρι γὰρ καὶ ὀκτὼ τῶν λεγομένων λιτρῶν ἕλκουσα βάρος ὤφθη κατασκήψασα. χιόνος δὲ πλῆθος καὶ κρυμῶν ὑπερβολαί, οὓς ἄλλη πληγὴ οὐ προανήρπασεν, τούτους καταλαμβάνουσαι τοῦ βίου ἐξήλαυνον, καὶ σαφῶς τὴν θείαν ἀνεκήρυττον ἀγανάκτησιν. οὗ καθ' ἕκαστον ἐπεξελθεῖν ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἀνθρωπίνην ἂν εἴη δύναμιν. 11.8 Ὅτι τῶν Οὔννων, φησίν, οἱ μὲν τῆς ἐντὸς Ἴστρου Σκυθίας τὴν πολλὴν χειρωσάμενοι καὶ διαφθείραντες πρότερον, ἔπειτα παγέντα τὸν ποταμὸν διαβάντες, ἀθρόως εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην εἰσήλασαν, καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀναχθέντες τὴν Θρᾴκην, ὅλην τὴν Εὐρώπην ἐληΐσαντο· οἱ δὲ πρὸς ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα τὸν Τάναϊν ποταμὸν διαβάντες καὶ τῇ Ἑῴᾳ ἐπεισρυέντες, δι' Ἀρμενίας τῆς μεγάλης εἰς τὴν καλουμένην Μελιτινὴν κατερράγησαν. ἐκ ταύτης δὲ Εὐφρατησίαν τε ἐπέθεσαν καὶ μέχρι τῆς κοίλης Συρίας ἤλασαν, καὶ τὴν Κιλικίαν καταδραμόντες φόνον ἀνθρώπων εἰργάσαντο ἀνιστόρητον. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ Μάζικες καὶ Αὐξωριανοὶ (μεταξὺ δὲ Λιβύης καὶ Ἄφρων οὗτοι νέμονται) κατὰ μὲν τὸ ἑωθινὸν αὐτῶν κλίμα τὴν Λιβύην ἐξηρήμωσαν, καὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου μοῖραν οὐκ ἐλαχίστην συνδιώλεσαν, Ἄφροις τε ἐμβαλόντες κατὰ δυόμενον ἥλιον τὰ παραπλήσια ἔδρασαν. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶσι καὶ Τριγίβιλδος, ἀνὴρ Σκύθης μὲν γένος τῶν νῦν ἐπικαλουμένων Γότθων (πλεῖστα γὰρ καὶ διάφορα τούτων ἐστὶν τῶν Σκυθῶν γένη), οὗτος δὴ δύναμιν βαρβαρικὴν ἔχων καὶ τῆς Φρυγίας ἐν τῇ Νακωλείᾳ καθεζόμενος καὶ κόμητος ἔχων τιμήν, ἐκ φιλίας εἰς ἔχθραν Ῥωμαίων ἀπορραγείς, ἀπ' αὐτῆς Νακωλείας ἀρξάμενος, πλείστας τε πόλεις τῆς Φρυγίας εἷλεν καὶ πολὺν φόνον ἀνθρώπων εἰργάσατο. ἐφ' ὃν Γαϊνᾶς ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐκπεμφθεὶς (βάρβαρος δ' ἦν καὶ αὐτὸς) προὔδωκε τὴν νίκην, τὰ ἴσα καὶ αὐτὸς