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having conquered and displayed a foresight worthy of narration, 3.4.13 he made his good fortune as secure as possible. For, fearing, if an army should again come against him from both Rome and Byzantium, that the Vandals might not be able to employ the same strength and fortune, since human affairs are wont to be tripped up by divine powers and to be weakened in their bodies, not being elated by his successes, but being moderate because of his fears, he made a treaty with the emperor Valentinian on the condition that he would bring tribute each year from Libya to the emperor, and he handed over one of his sons, Honoric, as a hostage on this very agreement. 3.4.14 Gizeric, then, both proved himself a brave man in battle and guarded his victory as securely as possible and, as their friendship advanced greatly, 3.4.15 he got back his son Honoric. But in Rome, Placidia died first, and then Valentinian her son, without male issue, though two daughters were born to him by Eudoxia, the child of Theodosius. I am now about to tell in what manner Valentinian died. 3.4.16 There was a certain Maximus, a Roman man from the senate, from the house of that Maximus whom the elder Theodosius deposed and killed while he was acting as a usurper; on whose account the Romans also hold an annual festival named for the defeat of Maxi- 3.4.17 mus. This younger Maximus was married to a woman who was both chaste in her character and exceedingly renowned for her beauty. Therefore a certain desire came upon Valentinian to go to bed 3.4.18 with her. And since it was impossible for him, though he wished it, to have intercourse with her, he planned 3.4.19 unholy deeds and brought them to completion. For having summoned Maximus to the palace, he sat down with him to play draughts, and a specified amount of gold was appointed 3.4.20 as the penalty for the one who was defeated; and the emperor, having won at this game and having received Maximus' ring as a pledge according to the agreement, sends it to his house, instructing them to tell his wife that Maximus bids her come as quickly as possible to the palace to greet the 3.4.21 empress Eudoxia. And she, inferring from the ring that the message was from Maximus, got into 3.4.22 her litter and is brought to the emperor's court. And those to whom this service from the emperor was assigned, taking her, lead her into a certain chamber of the women's quarters far off, where Valentinian met her and 3.4.23 violates her against her will. And she, after the outrage, having come to her husband's house in tears and grieving exceedingly at the misfortune, cast many curses upon Maximus, as having provided the cause for what had been done. 3.4.24 Maximus, therefore, becoming greatly distressed at what had happened, immediately began to plot against the emperor, but when he saw that Aetius was very powerful, who had just recently conquered Attila when he invaded the Roman dominion with a great army of Massagetae and the other Scythians, it occurred to him 3.4.25 that Aetius would be an obstacle to his plans. And as he was considering these things, it seemed better to him to get Aetius out of the way first, making nothing of the fact that on 3.4.26 him rested the entire hope of the Romans. And since the eunuchs of the emperor's service were well-disposed towards him, he persuaded the emperor by their contrivances that Aetius was attempting 3.4.27 revolutionary activities. Valentinian, using nothing other than the power and valour of Aetius as proof that the accusation was sound, kills the man. 3.4.28 At which time a certain Roman also gained renown by a saying. For when the emperor asked him if the death of Aetius had been well accomplished for him, he answered, saying that he could not know whether this had been done well for him or otherwise, but that he did know very well that he had cut off his own right hand with the other hand. 3.4.29 Aetius, at any rate, having died, Attila, with no one opposing him, plundered all of Europe with no trouble and held both empires subject to the payment of tribute. For tribute was sent to him by the emperors 3.4.30 every year. At that time, when Attila was besieging the city of Aquileia, a great and genuinely populous city, which was on the coast, but outside the Ionian Gulf, 3.4.31 they say that the following piece of good fortune occurred. They say

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νικήσας πρόνοιάν τε ἐπιδειξάμενος ἀφηγήσεως ἀξίαν, 3.4.13 τὴν εὐτυχίαν ὡς μάλιστα ἐκρατύνατο. δείσας γὰρ, ἢν καὶ αὖθις ἔκ τε Ῥώμης καὶ Βυζαντίου στρατὸς ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἴοι, μὴ οὐχ οἷοί τε ὦσιν οἱ Βανδίλοι τῇ τε ῥώμῃ καὶ τῇ τύχῃ ὁμοίᾳ χρῆσθαι, ἐπεὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπεια τοῖς τε θείοις σφάλλεσθαι καὶ τοῖς σώμασι φιλεῖ ἐλασσοῦσθαι, οὐχ οἷς εὐημέρησεν ἐπηρμένος, ἀλλ' οἷς ἔδεισε μέτριος γεγονὼς, σπονδὰς πρὸς βασιλέα Βαλεντινιανὸν ποιεῖται ἐφ' ᾧ ἐς ἕκαστον ἔτος δασμοὺς ἐκ Λιβύης βασιλεῖ φέρειν, ἕνα τε τῶν παίδων Ὁνώριχον ἐν ὁμήρου μοίρᾳ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ δὴ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ παρέδωκε. 3.4.14 Γιζέριχος μὲν οὖν ἔν τε τῇ μάχῃ ἐγένετο ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ τὴν νίκην ὡς ἀσφαλέστατα διεφύλαξε καὶ Ὁνώριχον τὸν παῖδα τῆς φιλίας αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ μέγα χωρούσης 3.4.15 ἀπέλαβεν. ἐν δὲ δὴ Ῥώμῃ Πλακιδία μὲν πρότερον ἐτελεύτα, ἔπειτα δὲ Βαλεντινιανὸς ὁ ταύτης υἱὸς, ἄπαις ἀρσενογόνου, θυγατέρε μέντοι αὐτῷ δύο ἐξ Εὐδοξίας τῆς Θεοδοσίου παιδὸς ἐγενέσθην. ὅτῳ δὲ τρόπῳ Βαλεντινιανὸς ἐτελεύτα, λέξων ἔρχομαι. 3.4.16 Μάξιμός τις ἦν ἐκ γερουσίας ἀνὴρ Ῥωμαῖος, ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνου Μαξίμου οἰκίας, ὃν ὁ πρεσβύτερος Θεοδόσιος τυραννοῦντα καθελὼν ἔκτεινεν· ὑπὲρ οὗ δὴ καὶ τὴν ἐνιαύσιον ἑορτὴν ἄγουσι Ῥωμαῖοι τῆς τοῦ Μαξί3.4.17 μου ἥσσης ἐπώνυμον. οὗτος ὁ νεώτερος Μάξιμος γυναικὶ ξυνῴκει σώφρονί τε τὸν τρόπον καὶ τὸ κάλλος διαβοήτῳ ἐς ἄγαν οὔσῃ. διὸ δὴ αὐτῇ ἐς κοίτην ἐλ3.4.18 θεῖν Βαλεντινιανῷ τις ἐπιθυμία ἐγένετο. καὶ ἐπεὶ βουλομένῳ αὐτῇ ξυγγενέσθαι ἀμήχανα ἦν, ἐβούλευσέ 3.4.19 τε ἀνόσια ἔργα καὶ ἐπιτελῆ ταῦτα ἐποίησε. μεταπεμψάμενος γὰρ τὸν Μάξιμον ἐς παλάτιον ξὺν αὐτῷ ἐς τὸ πεττεύειν καθίστατο, καὶ χρυσίον ῥητὸν ἐτέτακτο 3.4.20 ἡ ζημία τῷ ἡσσηθέντι· νενικηκὼς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἔργῳ καὶ τὸν Μαξίμου δακτύλιον ἐνέχυρον τῷ ξυγκειμένῳ κεκομισμένος ἐς τὴν ἐκείνου οἰκίαν πέμπει, εἰπεῖν ἐπιστείλας τῇ γυναικὶ ὅτι δὴ αὐτὴν κελεύει Μάξιμος ὡς τάχιστα ἐς παλάτιον ἥκειν τὴν 3.4.21 βασιλίδα Εὐδοξίαν ἀσπασομένην. καὶ ἡ μὲν τὸν λόγον τῷ δακτυλίῳ τεκμηραμένη Μαξίμου εἶναι ἐσβᾶσα εἰς 3.4.22 τὸ φορεῖον κομίζεται ἐς τὴν βασιλέως αὐλήν. λαβόντες δὲ αὐτὴν οἷς δὴ αὕτη ἐκ βασιλέως ἡ ὑπουργία ἐπέκειτο, εἰσάγουσιν εἴς τι δωμάτιον τῆς γυναικωνίτιδος μακρὰν ἄποθεν, οὗ δὴ αὐτῇ ὁ Βαλεντινιανὸς ἐντυχὼν 3.4.23 οὔτι ἑκουσίαν βιάζεται. ἡ δὲ μετὰ τὴν ὕβριν ἐς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν οἰκίαν ἐλθοῦσα δεδακρυμένη τε καὶ τῇ συμφορᾷ ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα περιαλγοῦσα πολλὰς ἐπέβαλε τῷ Μαξίμῳ ἀρὰς, ἅτε τοῖς πεπραγμένοις τὴν αἰτίαν 3.4.24 παρασχομένῳ. περιώδυνος τοίνυν ὁ Μάξιμος τοῖς ξυμπεσοῦσι γενόμενος αὐτίκα μὲν εἰς ἐπιβουλὴν τοῦ βασιλέως καθίστατο, ὡς δὲ τὸν Ἀέτιον ἑώρα μέγα δυνάμενον, ὃς καὶ Ἀττίλαν ἄρτι ἐνενικήκει στρατῷ μεγάλῳ Μασσαγετῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Σκυθῶν ἐς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ἐσβαλόντα, ἐνθύμιόν οἱ ἐγένετο 3.4.25 ὥς οἱ Ἀέτιος ἐς τὰ πρασσόμενα ἐμπόδιος ἔσται. ταῦτά τε διανοουμένῳ ἄμεινον ἔδοξεν εἶναι τὸν Ἀέτιον ἐκποδὼν ποιήσασθαι πρότερον, οὐδὲν ποιησαμένῳ ὅτι ἐς 3.4.26 αὐτὸν περιέστηκε πᾶσα ἡ Ῥωμαίων ἐλπίς. τῶν δὲ ἀμφὶ τὴν βασιλέως θεραπείαν εὐνούχων εὐνοϊκῶς οἱ ἐχόντων, ἀνέπεισε ταῖς αὐτῶν μηχαναῖς βασιλέα ὡς 3.4.27 νεωτέροις πράγμασιν ἐγχειροίη Ἀέτιος. Βαλεντινιανὸς δὲ ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ὅτι μὴ τῇ Ἀετίου δυνάμει τε καὶ ἀρετῇ τεκμηριώσας τὸν λόγον ὑγιᾶ εἶναι κτείνει τὸν ἄνδρα. 3.4.28 ὅτε δὴ καὶ Ῥωμαίων τις ἔπος εἰπὼν ηὐδοκίμησεν. ἐρομένου γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλέως εἴ οἱ καλῶς ὁ τοῦ Ἀετίου θάνατος ἐργασθείη, ἀπεκρίνατο λέγων οὐκ ἔχειν μὲν εἰδέναι τοῦτο εἴτε εὖ εἴτε πη ἄλλῃ αὐτῷ εἴργασται, ἐκεῖνο μέντοι ὡς ἄριστα ἐξεπίστασθαι ὅτι αὑτοῦ τὴν δεξιὰν τῇ ἑτέρᾳ χειρὶ ἀποτεμὼν εἴη. 3.4.29 Ἀετίου γοῦν τελευτήσαντος Ἀττίλας, οὐδενός οἱ ἀντιπάλου ὄντος, Εὐρώπην τε ξύμπασαν πόνῳ οὐδενὶ ἐληίζετο καὶ βασιλείαν ἑκατέραν ἐπακούουσαν ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγὴν ἔσχε. δασμοὶ γὰρ αὐτῷ πρὸς τῶν βασιλέων 3.4.30 ἐπέμποντο ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος. τότε τῷ Ἀττίλᾳ πόλιν Ἀκυληίαν πολιορκοῦντι μεγάλην τε καὶ ἀτεχνῶς πολυάνθρωπον, παραλίαν μὲν, ἐκτὸς δὲ κόλπου τοῦ Ἰονίου 3.4.31 οὖσαν, τοιόνδε φασὶν εὐτύχημα ξυνενεχθῆναι. λέγουσι