actised philosophy and were mindful of
justice in a manner surpassed by no other men, relieving the destitution
of both citizens and strangers by generous gifts of money, they attained
great fame and thus led men of the basest sort to envy them. Now such
persons slandered them to Theoderic, and he, believing their slanders,
put these two men to death, on the ground that they were setting about a
revolution, and made their property confiscate to the public treasury.
And a few days later, while he was dining, the servants set before him
the head of a great fish. This seemed to Theoderic to be the head of
Symmachus newly slain. Indeed, with its teeth set in its lower lip and
its eyes looking at him with a grim and insane stare, it did resemble
exceedingly a person threatening him. And becoming greatly frightened at
the extraordinary prodigy and shivering excessively, he retired running
to his own chamber, and bidding them place many covers upon him,
remained quiet. But afterwards he disclosed to his physician Elpidius
all that had happened and wept for the wrong he had done Symmachus and
Boetius. Then, having lamented and grieved exceedingly over the
unfortunate occurrence, he died not long afterward. This was the first
and last act of injustice which he committed toward his subjects, and
the cause of it was that he had not made a thorough investigation, as he
was accustomed to do, before passing judgment on the two men.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Book III. ii. 7 ff., iv. 29 ff.

[2] Odoacer was defeated and shut up in Ravenna by Theoderic in 489,
surrendered to him in 493, and was put to death in the same year. His
independent rule ([Greek: tyrannis]) therefore lasted thirteen years.

[3] Meaning the whole Adriatic; cf. chap. xv. 16, note.

[4] Modern Cesena.

[5] He means that an estuary ([Greek: porthmos]) is formed by the rising
tide in the morning, and the water flows out again as the tide falls in
the evening.

[6] From the first until the third quarter.

[7] See note in Bury's edition of Gibbon, Vol. IV. p. 180, for an
interesting account of this event.

[8] This is a general observation; the title "rex" was current among the
barbarians to indicate a position inferior to that of a [Greek:
basileus] or "imperator"; cf. VI. xiv. 38.

[9] Probably a reminiscence of the "princeps senatus" of classical
times.

II

After his death[G] the kingdom was taken over by Atalaric, the son of
Theoderic's daughter; he