ianople and
Constantinople, but, ignorant of the art of attacking fortified
places, they were easily repelled; but they however succeeded in
forcing their way through the Thracian mountains, and spread
themselves over the provinces to the west, as far as the Adriatic sea
and the confines of Italy. The march of the emperor Gratian had been
delayed by the hostility of the Alleman'ni, whom he subdued in two
bloody engagements; but as he advanced towards Adrianople, fame
brought the news of his uncle's defeat and death, which he found
himself unable to revenge.

21. Feeling that the affairs of the East required the direction of a
mind more energetic than his own, he determined to invest with the
imperial purple, Theodo'sius, the son of that general who had rescued
Britain from the barbarians. How great must have been his confidence
in the fidelity of his new associate, who had a father's death to
revenge; for the elder Theodo'sius, notwithstanding his splendid
services, had fallen a victim to the jealous suspicions of the
emperor!

22. The reign of Theodo'sius in the East lasted nearly sixteen years,
and was marked by a display of unusual vigour and ability. He broke
the power of the Goths by many severe defeats, and disunited their
leading tribes by crafty negociations. But the continued drain on the
population, caused by the late destructive wars, compelled him to
recruit his forces among the tribes of the barbarians, and a change
was thus made in the character and discipline of the Roman army, which
in a later age produced the most calamitous consequences. The
exuberant zeal, which led him to persecute the Arians and the pagans,
occasioned some terrible convulsions, which distracted the empire, and
were not quelled without bloodshed. He, however, preserved the
integrity of the empire, and not a province was lost during his
administration.

23. The valour which Gratian had displayed in the early part of his
life, rendered the indolence and luxury to which he abandoned himself,
after the appointment of Theodo'sius, more glaring. The general
discontent of the army induced Max'imus, the governor of Britain, to
raise the standard of revolt, and, passing over to the continent, he
was joined by the greater part of the Gallic legions. When this
rebellion broke out Gratian was enjoying the sports of the field in
the neighbourhood of Paris, and did not discover his danger until it
was too late to escape. He attempted to save