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Having taken Mysia by treachery, from there he was overrunning the rest of Thrace, and out of arrogance he did not deign to make a treaty with the Romans. And when the commander of the Thracian troops was discussing peace with him, pointing to the rising sun, he said it was not difficult for him, if he wished, to subjugate all the land it shines upon. .5.3 And while he was making such boasts and imposing as much tribute as he wished, and on these terms offering the Romans either to have peace or to await war, and while the situation was hopeless, God showed the providence which he has for the .5.4 present reign. For not long after, talks took place with Uldin's kinsmen and captains about the Roman state and the benevolence of the emperor, and of what kind and how many rewards he deems worthy for the best and good men. And not without divine intervention, having come to desire these things, they went over to the Romans, and encamped with them along with those stationed under .5.5 them. But Uldin barely escaped to the other side of the river, having lost many men, and utterly the so-called Sciri (a barbarian tribe sufficiently populous before it met with such a disaster); for having been left behind in the flight, some of them were slain, while others were taken alive and sent as prisoners .5.6 to Constantinople. And it seemed good to the rulers to distribute them, lest, being a multitude, they should cause a revolt; some they sold for small prices, and others they handed over to many to serve without pay, on the condition that they not set foot in Constantinople or any part of Europe and that they be separated by the .5.7 sea from the places known to them. And of these a remaining unsold multitude were assigned to live in different places; and I have seen many in Bithynia near the so-called Mount Olympus living scattered about and cultivating the foothills and hills there. .6.1 The eastern parts of the empire, therefore, were freed from enemies and were governed with great order, contrary to everyone's expectation; for the ruler was still young. But the .6.2 western parts were in disorder with many tyrants rising up; at which time, after the death of Stilicho, Alaric, the leader of the Goths, having sent an embassy concerning peace to Honorius, failed; and having reached Rome, he besieged it, stationing many barbarians at the Tiber river, so that provisions could not be brought into the city from the Port (for thus .6.3 they call the harbor of the Romans). And as the siege became lengthy, and famine and pestilence were pressing the city, and many slaves, especially those of barbarian race, were deserting to Alaric, it seemed necessary to the paganizing members of the senate to sacrifice in the Capitol and the other .6.4 temples. For some Tuscans, having been summoned for this purpose by the prefect of the city, promised to drive away the barbarians with thunderbolts and lightning; and they boasted that such a thing had been accomplished by them also around the city of Narnia in Tuscany, .6.5 which Alaric, when passing by on his way to Rome, did not take. But the outcome showed that these things would be of no benefit to the city. For to the prudent, it seemed that these things were happening to the Romans by the wrath of God, as punishment for what previously, due to great ease and licentiousness, they had unjustly and .6.6 impiously sinned against citizens and strangers. At any rate, it is said that a certain good monk in Italy advised Alaric, as he was hastening to Rome, to spare the city and not to become the cause of such great evils; and that he said that he was not undertaking these things willingly, but that someone was continually troubling and compelling him and commanding him to sack Rome; .6.7 which indeed at last he did. And while he was besieging it, having received very many gifts, he lifted the siege for a time, with the Romans agreeing to persuade the emperor to accept him into a state of peace. .7.1 But when an embassy was made concerning this, those acting in opposition to Alaric in the palace hindered the peace. And after this, when Innocent, the bishop of the Romans, served as an ambassador, Alaric, having been summoned by letters from the emperor, came to

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Μυσίας προδοσίᾳ ἑλὼν ἐντεῦθεν τὴν ἄλλην Θρᾴκην κατέτρεχε καὶ σπονδὰς θέσθαι πρὸς ῾Ρωμαίους ὑπὸ ἀλαζονείας οὐκ ἠνείχετο. διαλεγομένου τε αὐτῷ περὶ εἰρήνης τοῦ ὑπάρχου τῶν Θρᾳκίων στρατευμάτων, ἀνίσχοντα τὸν ἥλιον ἐπιδείξας οὐ χαλεπὸν αὐτῷ ἔφη, ἢν βούληται, πᾶσαν ἣν ἐφορᾷ γῆν καταστρέψασθαι. .5.3 τερατευομένου δὲ τοιάδε καὶ δασμὸν ὅσον ἐβούλετο ἐπιτάττοντος καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις συντίθεσθαι ῾Ρωμαίοις εἰρήνην ἔχειν ἢ πόλεμον περιμένειν, ἀμηχάνου τε τοῦ πράγματος ὄντος, ἐπέδειξεν ὁ θεὸς ἣν ἔχει προμήθειαν περὶ τὴν .5.4 παροῦσαν βασιλείαν. οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν γὰρ λόγοι πρὸς τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Οὔλδην οἰκείους καὶ λοχαγοὺς ἐγένοντο περὶ τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων πολιτείας καὶ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως φιλανθρωπίας, ὁποίων τε καὶ ὅσων ἀξιοῖ γερῶν τοὺς ἀρίστους καὶ ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας. οὐκ ἀθεεὶ δὲ τούτων εἰς ἔρωτα καταστάντες ῾Ρωμαίοις προσεχώρησαν, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο ἅμα τοῖς ὑπ' .5.5 αὐτοὺς τεταγμένοις. ὁ δὲ Οὔλδης πρὸς τὸ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ μόλις διεσώθη πολλοὺς ἀποβαλών, ἄρδην δὲ τοὺς καλουμένους Σκιρούς (ἔθνος δὲ τοῦτο βάρβαρον ἱκανῶς πολυάνθρωπον πρὶν τοιᾷδε περιπεσεῖν συμφορᾷ)· ὑστερήσαντες γὰρ ἐν τῇ φυγῇ οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν ἀνῃρέθησαν, οἱ δὲ ζωγρηθέντες .5.6 δέσμιοι ἐπὶ τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἐξεπέμφθησαν. δόξαν δὲ τοῖς ἄρχουσι διανεῖμαι τούτους, μή τι πλῆθος ὄντες νεωτερίσωσι, τοὺς μὲν ἐπ' ὀλίγοις τιμήμασιν ἀπέδοντο, τοὺς δὲ πολλοῖς προῖκα δουλεύειν παρέδοσαν, ἐπὶ τῷ μήτε Κωνσταντινουπόλεως μήτε πάσης Εὐρώπης ἐπιβαίνειν καὶ τῇ μέσῃ .5.7 θαλάσσῃ χωρίζεσθαι τῶν ἐγνωσμένων αὐτοῖς τόπων. ἐκ τούτων τε πλῆθος ἄπρατον περιλειφθὲν ἄλλοι ἀλλαχῇ διατρίβειν ἐτάχθησαν· πολλοὺς δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς Βιθυνίας τεθέαμαι πρὸς τῷ καλουμένῳ ᾿Ολύμπῳ ὄρει σποράδην οἰκοῦντας καὶ τὰς αὐτόθι ὑπωρείας καὶ λόφους γεωργοῦντας. .6.1 Τὰ μὲν οὖν πρὸς ἕω τῆς ἀρχομένης πολεμίων ἀπήλλακτο καὶ σὺν κόσμῳ πολλῷ ἰθύνετο παρὰ τὴν πάντων δόξαν· ἦν γὰρ ἔτι νέος ὁ κρατῶν. τὰ δὲ .6.2 πρὸς δύσιν ἐν ἀταξίαις ἦν πολλῶν ἐπανισταμένων τυράννων· ἡνίκα δὴ μετὰ τὴν Στελίχωνος ἀναίρεσιν ᾿Αλάριχος ὁ τῶν Γότθων ἡγούμενος πρεσβευσάμενος περὶ εἰρήνης πρὸς ᾿Ονώριον ἀπέτυχε· καὶ καταλαβὼν τὴν ῾Ρώμην ἐπολιόρκει πολλοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπιστήσας Θύβριδι τῷ ποταμῷ, ὥστε μὴ εἰσκομίζεσθαι τὰ ἐπιτήδεια τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει ἀπὸ τοῦ Πόρτου (ὧδε γὰρ .6.3 ὀνομάζουσι τὸ ῾Ρωμαίων ἐπίνειον). χρονίας δὲ γενομένης τῆς πολιορκίας λιμοῦ τε καὶ λοιμοῦ τὴν πόλιν πιέζοντος δούλων τε πολλῶν καὶ μάλιστα βαρβάρων τῷ γένει πρὸς τὸν ᾿Αλάριχον αὐτομολούντων, ἀναγκαῖον ἐδόκει τοῖς ἑλληνίζουσι τῆς συγκλήτου θύειν ἐν τῷ Καπιτωλίῳ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις .6.4 ναοῖς. Θοῦσκοι γάρ τινες ἐπὶ τοῦτο μετακληθέντες παρὰ τοῦ ὑπάρχου τῆς πόλεως ὑπισχνοῦντο σκηπτοῖς καὶ βρονταῖς ἀπελάσειν τοὺς βαρβάρους· ηὔχουν δὲ τοιοῦτον αὐτοῖς εἰργάσθαι καὶ περὶ Λαρνίαν πόλιν τῆς Θουσκίας, .6.5 ἣν παριὼν ᾿Αλάριχος ἐπὶ τὴν ῾Ρώμην οὐχ εἷλεν. ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν ὄφελος ἔσεσθαι τῇ πόλει ἡ ἀπόβασις ἔδειξεν. τοῖς γὰρ εὖ φρονοῦσιν ὑπὸ θεομηνίας κατεφαίνετο ταῦτα συμβαίνειν ῾Ρωμαίοις κατὰ ποινὴν ὧν πρὸ τοῦ ὑπὸ πολλῆς ῥᾳστώνης καὶ ἀκολασίας εἰς ἀστοὺς καὶ ξένους ἀδίκως καὶ .6.6 ἀσεβῶς ἥμαρτον. λέγεται γοῦν ἀγαθός τις τῶν ἐν ᾿Ιταλίᾳ μοναχῶν σπεύδοντι ἐπὶ ῾Ρώμην ᾿Αλαρίχῳ παραινέσαι φείσασθαι τῆς πόλεως μηδὲ τηλι-κούτων αἴτιον γενέσθαι κακῶν· τὸν δὲ φάναι ὡς οὐχ ἑκὼν τάδε ἐπιχειρεῖ, ἀλλά τις συνεχῶς ἐνοχλῶν αὐτὸν βιάζεται καὶ ἐπιτάττει τὴν ῾Ρώμην πορθεῖν· .6.7 ὃ δὴ τελευτῶν ἐποίησεν. ἐν ᾧ δὲ ἐπολιόρκει, πλεῖστα δῶρα λαβὼν ἐπὶ χρόνον τινὰ τὴν πολιορκίαν ἔλυσε, συνθεμένων ῾Ρωμαίων τὸν βασιλέα πείσειν εἰς εἰρήνην αὐτὸν δέχεσθαι. .7.1 Γενομένης δὲ περὶ τούτου πρεσβείας οἱ τὰ ἐναντία πράττοντες ᾿Αλαρίχῳ ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐνεπόδιζον τῇ εἰρήνῃ. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πρεσβευσαμένου ᾿Ιννοκεντίου τοῦ ῾Ρωμαίων ἐπισκόπου μετακληθεὶς ᾿Αλάριχος γράμμασι τοῦ βασιλέως ἧκεν εἰς