72

having his sword. Therefore he was shown to be an open enemy to the Roman rule; and Valentinian wanted to ride out immediately to Theodosius. But the barbarian, intensifying his movement against him, while he was staying at a certain small Italian town, called Berna, and was being rather negligent concerning the guard of the little town, fell upon him and, finding him unguarded, dispatched him with a sword. Thus, then, Valentinian the younger, having lived 20 years, and having reigned for 8 years, ended his life. But Arbogastes, Eugenius who sat upon the sophist's throne, and was renowned for his eloquence, his uncle Richomeres had appointed, when he was brought before Theodosius in the eastern palace after the victory over Maximus. And Richomeres, his body having failed, died in Constantinople; but the barbarian, having declared Eugenius emperor of the west, placed the insignia upon him, though he was unwilling. Who immediately sent an embassy to Theodosius, trying to see if he would acknowledge him as a friend and accept him as emperor. Whom indeed Theodosius, having put them off with various words, and having enticed them with humane replies, sent away. But he himself, taking Timasius the Roman, Gainas the Scythian, and Saul of the Alans as leaders of the armies, and at the same time also placing Stilicho over the forces (who was himself also from the beginning of the Scythian race, and with the emperor's sister Serena having been madly in love with him, he was in no way inferior to the emperor), and having stirred up many of the Thracian Huns, along with the accompanying chieftains, he began the march towards Italy, so that he might catch Eugenius, expecting nothing, unprepared. But as he was leaving the court, the empress died. And when he approached the borders of Italy, at the unexpected swiftness and the speed of the indescribable advance Eugenius was terrified, a man inexperienced in war and trumpet-calls. But Arbogastes raged in response, desiring war and battle and slaughter, and fighting for much of the day; during which the sun became invisible to men around the middle hour of the day, so that even stars appeared, and fighting as if by night all were consumed, being utterly destroyed by swords. So then until about the third watch of the night the affairs of the armies were in this state. But when Theodosius, having then withdrawn and supplicated God, on the next day falls upon the sleeping enemy, the greater part in their beds, and those rising, being stripped of their weapons, he slaughtered, and having taken Eugenius himself alive, he cuts off his head, and having fixed it on a long spear, paraded it through all the borders of Italy; so that the entire multitude of the enemy went over to the victor, and obeyed his commands. But Arbogastes in this, having demonstrated the madness of his barbarian nature, perished by his own hand, falling upon his own sword. And upon these things triumphs were held in Rome; and it seemed that the land of the subjects everywhere wore garlands, and celebrated at the overthrow of the tyrant. 188 Exc. De virt.: That the guardians of Arcadius and Honorius, Rufinus and Stilicho, both plundered everyone's possessions, placing their power in wealth. And no one had anything of his own unless it seemed good to Rufinus and Stilicho; and all lawsuits were judged by these men; and there was a great crowd of those running around to see if anyone somewhere had a very beautiful piece of land; and the owner was immediately plundered. And each of them eyed the imperial power. 189 Ibid.: That Eutropius, the chamberlain of Arcadius, left nothing terrible undone, selling offices publicly, and slandering those who had any power, subjecting the great men to exile, and inflicting every outrage on the members of the senate. But he did not even refrain from alliance with the barbarians, as he himself hoped to ascend to the dignity of emperor. And once, wishing to arrest those who had taken refuge in the churches, he put forth a law permitting even those to be dragged away from the altars. And the law was written, but justice

72

ἔχων τὸ ξίφος. Πολέμιος τοίνυν ἀπεδείχθη φανερὸς τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ· καὶ ὁ μὲν Οὐαλεντινιανὸς ἐβούλετο παραχρῆμα πρὸς τὸν Θεοδόσιον ἐξιππεύσασθαι. Ὁ δὲ βάρβαρος, τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ κίνησιν ἐπιτείνας, πρός τι πολισμάτιον Ἰταλικὸν, Βέρναν λεγόμενον, διατρίβοντι καὶ ῥᾳθυμότερον περὶ τὴν τοῦ πολιχνίου φρουρὰν διαγενομένῳ προσπεσὼν καὶ ἀφύλακτον τοῦτον εὑρὼν, ξίφει διεχρήσατο. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν Οὐαλεντινιανὸς ὁ νέος βιώσας ἔτη κʹ, βασιλεύσας δὲ ἔτη ηʹ, καταστρέφει τὸν βίον. Ὁ δὲ Ἀρβογάστης, Εὐγένιον αὐτῷ ἐπὶ σοφιστικὸν ἐγκαθήμενον θρόνον, καὶ ὑπὸ γλώττης εὐδοκιμοῦντα, ὁ θεῖος ἐπέστησε Ῥιχομήριος, ἡνίκα παρὰ τὸν Θεοδόσιον μετὰ τὴν Μαξίμου νίκην ἐν τοῖς ἑῴοις βασιλείοις ἀπήγετο. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ῥιχομήριος τὸ σῶμα καμὼν ἐτελεύτα κατὰ τὴν Κωνσταντίνου· τὸν δὲ Εὐγένιον ὁ βάρβαρος βασιλέα τῶν ἑσπερίων ἀποδείξας, ἄκοντί γε περιτίθησι τὸ σχῆμα. Ὅστις εὐθέως πρεσβείαν πρὸς τὸν Θεοδόσιον ἔστειλε, πειρώμενος εἰ ὁμολογοίη φίλος εἶναι, καὶ δέχοιτο αὐτὸν βασιλεύοντα. Οὓς δὴ ὁ Θεοδόσιος ποικίλοις διακρουσάμενος λόγοις, καὶ φιλανθρώποις ἀποκρίσεσι δελεάσας, ἀπεπέμψατο. Αὐτὸς δὲ Ῥωμαϊκὸν μὲν Τιμάσιον, Σκυθικὸν δὲ τὸν Γαϊνὰν, ἐξ Ἀλανῶν δὲ τὸν Σαοὺλ, ἄρχοντας τῶν στρατοπέδων παραλαβὼν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ Στιλίχωνα τοῖς στρατεύμασιν ἐπιστήσας (ὃς ἦν μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνέκαθεν τοῦ Σκυθικοῦ γένους, τῆς δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφῆς Σερήνης αὐτῷ προσμανείσης, βασιλέως οὐδὲν ἀπελείπετο), πολλούς τε τῶν Θρᾳκῶν Οὔννων, σὺν τοῖς παρεπομένοις φυλάρχοις διαναστήσας, εἴχετο τῆς πρὸς τὴν Ἰταλίαν πορείας, ὡς ἂν τὸν Εὐγένιον, μηδέν τι προσδοκῶντα, ἀπαράσκευον καταλάβοι. Ἐξιόντι δὲ αὐτῷ τῆς αὐλῆς ἡ βασίλισσα τελευτᾷ. Ὁπηνίκα δὲ τοῖς τῆς Ἰταλίας προσῆλθεν ὅροις, τῷ παραλόγῳ τῆς ὀξύτητος καὶ τῷ τάχει τῆς ἀφράστου διαδρομῆς ὁ Εὐγένιος ἔπτηξεν, ἀνὴρ ἄπειρος πολέμου καὶ σάλπιγγος. Ὁ δὲ Ἀρβογάστης ἀντεμάνη, ἐπιθυμῶν πολέμου καὶ μάχης καὶ φόνων, καὶ πολὺ τῆς ἡμέρας διαγωνισάμενος· καθ' ἣν ὁ ἥλιος ἀφανὴς ἐγένετο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις περὶ μέσην τῆς ἡμέρας ὥραν, ὥστε καὶ ἀστέρας φανῆναι, καὶ νυκτομαχοῦντες ἅπαντες ἀνηλίσκοντο συνδαπανώμενοι ξίφεσιν. Ἄχρι μὲν οὖν περὶ τρίτην φυλακὴν τῆς νυκτὸς ἐν τούτοις τὰ τῶν στρατοπέδων ὑπῆρχεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ Θεοδόσιος, τότε μὲν ὑπαναχωρήσας, τὸν δὲ Θεὸν ἱκετεύσας, καθεύδουσι τῇ ἑξῆς τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐπιπίπτει, τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον ἐν ταῖς εὐναῖς, τὸ δὲ ἀνιστάμενον τῶν ὅπλων γεγυμνωμένον διεχειρίζετο, αὐτόν τε τὸν Εὐγένιον ζωγρήσας, τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀποτέμνει, καὶ μακρῷ δόρατι περιπήξας, ἐν ὅλοις τοῖς τῆς Ἰταλίας ὅροις διεπόμπευσεν· ὡς ἅπαν τὸ τῶν πολεμίων πλῆθος πρὸς τὸν νενικηκότα χωρεῖν, καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ πείθεσθαι διατάγμασιν. Ὁ δὲ Ἀρβογάστης ἐν τούτῳ τε τὸ μανικὸν τῆς βαρβάρου φύσεως ἀποδείξας, αὐτοχειρίᾳ διεφθάρη, τῷ σφετέρῳ περιπεσὼν ξίφει. Ἐπὶ τούτοις τε θρίαμβοι κατὰ τὴν Ῥώμην ἐγένοντο· καὶ στεφανηφορεῖν τὴν ἁπανταχοῦ τῶν ὑπηκόων γῆν ἐδόκει, καὶ πανηγυρίζειν ἐπὶ τῇ καθαιρέσει τοῦ τυράννου. 188 Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι οἱ ἐπίτροποι Ἀρκαδίου καὶ Ὁνωρίου Ῥουφῖνος καὶ Στελίχων ἄμφω τὰ πάντων συνήρπαζον, ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ τὸ κράτος τιθέμενοι. Καὶ οὐδεὶς εἶχεν ἴδιον οὐδὲν εἰ μὴ Ῥουφίνῳ καὶ Στελίχωνι ἔδοξε· δίκαι τε ἅπασαι πρὸς τούτων ἐκρίνοντο· καὶ πολὺς ἦν ὄχλος τῶν περιθεόντων εἴ πού τινι χωρίον κάλλιστον ἦν· καὶ ὁ δεσπότης εὐθὺς συνηρπάζετο. Ἑκάτερός τε αὐτῶν τὴν βασιλείαν περιεσκόπει. 189 Ibid.: Ὅτι Εὐτρόπιος ὁ τοῦ Ἀρκαδίου πρόκοιτος οὐδὲν τῶν δεινῶν ἀπελίμπανε, τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς δημοσίᾳ πιπράσκων, καὶ τούς τι δυναμένους συκοφαντῶν, ἐξορίαις τε τοὺς μεγιστᾶνας ὑποβάλλων, καὶ πᾶσαν ὕβριν τοῖς τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς ἐπάγων. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῆς τῶν βαρβάρων ἀπείχετο συμμαχίας, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸς ἐλπίζων εἰς τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως μεταβαίνειν ἀξίαν. Καί ποτε καὶ τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις πεφευγότας συλλαμβάνειν βουλόμενος νόμον προὔθηκεν ἐπιτρέποντα καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν θυσιαστηρίων ἀφέλκεσθαι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν νόμος ἐγέγραπτο, δίκη δὲ