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they should become as soon as possible, showing much gentleness and moderation, to serve eagerly in all things which 3.2.17 might be imposed upon them by their owners; then, not much later and on an appointed day at about midday, when all who were to receive them were already taking their sleep after their meal, as was likely, all were to be at the gate called the Salarian, and to kill the guards, who suspected nothing, in a sudden attack 3.2.18 and to open the gates as quickly as possible. Having announced these things to the young men, Alaric immediately sent ambassadors to the members of the senate, declaring that he admired them for their loyalty to their own emperor, and would no longer trouble them, on account of their virtue and faithfulness, which they were so manifestly eager to claim as their own, and that so memorials of him might be preserved among men both noble and good, he wished to present to each of them 3.2.19 certain slaves. Having indicated this and dispatched the young men not long after, he ordered the barbarians to prepare for departure, and gave the Romans 3.2.20 the impression of this. And they, hearing his words with pleasure and receiving the gifts, were in great contentment, 3.2.21 being very far from the barbarian's plot. For the young men, by being more obedient to their owners, averted suspicion, and of the army some were seen already breaking up and dissolving the siege, while others were expected to do the same thing 3.2.22 at any moment. But when the appointed day came, Alaric, having armed his entire force, held it in readiness for the assault very near the Salarian Gate; for it was there that he had happened to be encamped at the beginning of the siege. 3.2.23 And all the young men, arriving at this very gate at the agreed upon time of day, fell upon the guards suddenly and killed them, and throwing open the gates they admitted Alaric 3.2.24 and the army into the city at their pleasure. They set fire to the houses which were nearest the gate. Among which was also that of Sallust, who long ago wrote the history for the Romans, the greater part of which stands half-burnt even to my time. And having plundered the whole city and destroyed most of the Romans, they went forward. 3.2.25 At that time, they say, in Ravenna, one of the eunuchs, evidently a poultry-keeper, announced to the emperor Honorius that Rome had perished. And he cried out and said, "And yet 3.2.26 "just now it has eaten from my hands." For he had an exceedingly large cock, Rome by name; and the eunuch, understanding his words, said that the city of Rome had perished at the hands of Alaric, and the emperor, recovering himself, replied, "But I, my friend, thought that my bird Rome "had perished." With such great stupidity, they say, was this emperor possessed. 3.2.27 But some say that Rome was not captured by Alaric in this way, but that a woman, Proba, who was especially prominent in the Roman senate for her wealth and reputation, took pity on the Romans who were perishing from famine and other hardship, who indeed were already tasting of one another; and seeing that all good hope had failed them, since both the river and the harbor were held by the enemy, she ordered her servants to open the gates 3.2.28 at night. And when Alaric was about to depart from Rome, 3.2.28 he proclaimed Attalus, one of the nobles, emperor of the Romans, putting upon him both the diadem and the purple robe and whatever else pertains to the imperial dignity. He did these things with the intention of deposing Honorius from the empire and handing over the entire western 3.2.29 power to Attalus. With such an intention, both Attalus and Alaric marched on Ravenna with a large army. But this Attalus was neither capable of understanding anything himself nor of being persuaded by anyone who spoke well. 3.2.30 For instance, although Alaric strongly disapproved, he sent commanders to Libya without an army. So these things were done in this way. 3.2.31 But the island of Britannia revolted from the Romans, and the soldiers there chose for themselves an emperor, Constantine, a man of no obscure station. Who indeed, immediately gathering a fleet of ships and an army of consequence, to Spain and

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τάχιστα γένωνται, πρᾳότητα πολλὴν καὶ σωφροσύνην ἐνδεικνυμένους ἅπαντα προθύμως ὑπηρετεῖν, ἅπερ ἂν 3.2.17 αὐτοῖς πρὸς τῶν κεκτημένων ἐπικείμενα ᾖ· ἔπειτα οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τακτῇ ἀμφὶ ἡμέραν μάλιστα μέσην, ἁπάντων ἤδη τῶν αὐτοὺς ληψομένων ὕπνον, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, μετὰ τὰ σιτία αἱρουμένων, ἐν πύλῃ ἅπαντας τῇ Σαλαρίᾳ καλουμένῃ γενέσθαι, καὶ τούς τε φύλακας οὐδὲν προαισθομένους ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς 3.2.18 κτεῖναι τάς τε πύλας ἀνοιγνύναι ὡς τάχιστα. ταῦτα ἐπαγγείλας Ἀλάριχος τοῖς νεανίαις, πρέσβεις αὐτίκα πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ βουλῆς ἔπεμψε, δηλῶν ὅτι ἀγασθείη μὲν αὐτοὺς τῆς ἐς τὸν σφῶν βασιλέα εὐνοίας, οὐκέτι δὲ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐνοχλήσει, τῆς τε ἀρετῆς καὶ πίστεως ἕνεκα, ἧς ἐς ἄγαν μεταποιεῖσθαί εἰσιν ἔνδηλοι, ὅπως τε αὐτοῦ μνημεῖα παρ' ἀνδράσι καλοῖς τε καὶ ἀγαθοῖς σώζοιτο, οἰκέταις τισὶ δωρεῖσθαι βούλοιτο αὐτῶν 3.2.19 ἕκαστον. ταῦτα σημήνας καὶ τοὺς νεανίας οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν στείλας, συσκευάζεσθαι ἐς τὴν ἄφοδον τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐκέλευε, τούτου τε αἴσθησιν Ῥωμαίοις 3.2.20 παρεῖχεν. οἳ δὴ τούς τε λόγους ἄσμενοι ἤκουσαν καὶ τὰ δῶρα δεξάμενοι ἐν πολλῇ εὐπαθείᾳ ἐγένοντο, 3.2.21 ἑκαστάτω τῆς τοῦ βαρβάρου ἐπιβουλῆς ὄντες. οἵ τε γὰρ νέοι τῷ εὐπειθέστεροι τοῖς κεκτημένοις εἶναι τὸ ὕποπτον ἀπεκρούοντο, τοῦ τε στρατοπέδου οἱ μὲν ἤδη ἐξανιστάμενοί τε καὶ διαλύοντες τὴν προσεδρείαν ἐφαίνοντο, οἱ δὲ ὅσον οὔπω ταὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιήσειν 3.2.22 ἐπίδοξοι ἦσαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ κυρία παρῆν, Ἀλάριχος μὲν ἅπαν ἐξοπλίσας τὸ στράτευμα ὡς ἐς τὴν ἔφοδον ἐν παρασκευῇ εἶχεν ἄγχιστα πύλης τῆς Σαλαρίας· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενος τῆς πολιορκίας κατ' ἀρχὰς 3.2.23 ἔτυχε. ξύμπαντες δὲ οἱ νεανίαι καιρῷ τῆς ἡμέρας τῷ ξυγκειμένῳ ἐς ταύτην δὴ τὴν πύλην γενόμενοι τούς τε φύλακας ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ἐπελθόντες ἀπέκτειναν, τάς τε πύλας ἀνακλίναντες κατ' ἐξουσίαν Ἀλάριχόν 3.2.24 τε καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν τῇ πόλει ἐδέξαντο. οἱ δὲ τάς τε οἰκίας ἐνέπρησαν, αἳ τῆς πύλης ἄγχιστα ἦσαν. ἐν αἷς ἦν καὶ ἡ Σαλουστίου, τοῦ Ῥωμαίοις τὸ παλαιὸν τὴν ἱστορίαν γράψαντος, ἧς δὴ τὰ πλεῖστα ἡμίκαυτα καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ ἕστηκε. τήν τε πόλιν ὅλην ληισάμενοι καὶ Ῥωμαίων τοὺς πλείστους διαφθείραντες πρόσω ἐχώρουν. 3.2.25 τότε λέγουσιν ἐν Ῥαβέννῃ Ὁνωρίῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν τινα εὐνούχων δηλονότι ὀρνιθοκόμον ἀγγεῖλαι ὅτι δὴ Ῥώμη ἀπόλωλε. καὶ τὸν ἀναβοήσαντα φάναι «Καίτοι 3.2.26 «ἔναγχος ἐδήδοκεν ἐκ χειρῶν τῶν ἐμῶν.» εἶναι γάρ οἱ ἀλεκτρυόνα ὑπερμεγέθη, Ῥώμην ὄνομα, καὶ τὸν μὲν εὐνοῦχον ξυνέντα τοῦ λόγου εἰπεῖν Ῥώμην τὴν πόλιν πρὸς Ἀλαρίχου ἀπολωλέναι, ἀνενεγκόντα δὲ τὸν βασιλέα ὑπολαβεῖν «Ἀλλ' ἔγωγε, ὦ ἑταῖρε, Ῥώμην μοι «ἀπολωλέναι τὴν ὄρνιν ᾠήθην.» τοσαύτῃ ἀμαθίᾳ τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτον ἔχεσθαι λέγουσι. 3.2.27 Τινὲς δὲ οὐχ οὕτω Ῥώμην Ἀλαρίχῳ ἁλῶναί φασιν, ἀλλὰ Πρόβην γυναῖκα, πλούτῳ τε καὶ δόξῃ ἔν γε τῇ Ῥωμαίων βουλῇ ἐπιφανεστάτην μάλιστα οὖσαν οἰκτεῖραι μὲν λιμῷ τε καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ κακοπαθείᾳ διαφθειρομένους Ῥωμαίους, οἵ γε καὶ ἀλλήλων ἤδη ἐγεύοντο· ὁρῶσαν δὲ ὡς πᾶσα αὐτοὺς ἐλπὶς ἀγαθὴ ἐπιλελοίπει, τοῦ τε ποταμοῦ καὶ τοῦ λιμένος ἐχομένου πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων, τοῖς οἰκέταις ἐγκελεύσασθαι νύκτωρ ἀνοιγνύναι τὰς 3.2.28 πύλας. ἐπειδὴ δὲ Ἀλάριχος ἐκ Ῥώμης ἐξανίστασθαι 3.2.28 ἔμελλεν, Ἄτταλον τῶν τινα εὐπατριδῶν βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων ἀνεῖπε, περιθέμενος αὐτῷ τό τε διάδημα καὶ τὴν ἁλουργίδα καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο ἐς βασιλικὸν ἀξίωμα ἥκει. ἔπρασσε δὲ ταῦτα ὡς παραλύσων μὲν τῆς βασιλείας Ὁνώριον, παραδώσων δὲ ἅπαν Ἀττάλῳ τὸ ἑσπέριον 3.2.29 κράτος. τοιαύτῃ μὲν γνώμῃ Ἄτταλός τε καὶ Ἀλάριχος ἐπὶ Ῥάβενναν στρατῷ πολλῷ ᾔεσαν. ἦν δὲ ὁ Ἄτταλος οὗτος οὔτε αὐτός τι νοεῖν ἱκανὸς οὔτε τῳ εὖ εἰπόντι 3.2.30 πεισθῆναι. Ἀλαρίχου γοῦν ἥκιστα ἐπαινοῦντος ἐς Λιβύην στρατιᾶς χωρὶς ἄρχοντας ἔπεμψε. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπράσσετο τῇδε. 3.2.31 Βρεττανία δὲ ἡ νῆσος Ῥωμαίων ἀπέστη, οἵ τε ἐκείνῃ στρατιῶται βασιλέα σφίσι Κωνσταντῖνον εἵλοντο, οὐκ ἀφανῆ ἄνδρα. ὃς δὴ αὐτίκα στόλον τε ἀγείρας νηῶν καὶ στρατιὰν λόγου ἀξίαν ἐς Ἱσπανίαν τε καὶ