ects which were produced by the battle of Hadrianople on the minds
of the Barbarians and of the Romans, extended the victory of the former,
and the defeat of the latter, far beyond the limits of a single day. A
Gothic chief was heard to declare, with insolent moderation, that, for
his own part, he was fatigued with slaughter: but that he was astonished
how a people, who fled before him like a flock of sheep, could still
presume to dispute the possession of their treasures and provinces.
The same terrors which the name of the Huns had spread among the Gothic
tribes, were inspired, by the formidable name of the Goths, among
the subjects and soldiers of the Roman empire. If Theodosius, hastily
collecting his scattered forces, had led them into the field to
encounter a victorious enemy, his army would have been vanquished by
their own fears; and his rashness could not have been excused by
the chance of success. But the great Theodosius, an epithet which he
honorably deserved on this momentous occasion, conducted himself as the
firm and faithful guardian of the republic. He fixed his head-quarters
at Thessalonica, the capital of the Macedonian diocese; from whence
he could watch the irregular motions of the Barbarians, and direct the
operations of his lieutenants, from the gates of Constantinople to the
shores of the Hadriatic. The fortifications and garrisons of the cities
were strengthened; and the troops, among whom a sense of order and
discipline was revived, were insensibly emboldened by the confidence of
their own safety. From these secure stations, they were encouraged
to make frequent sallies on the Barbarians, who infested the adjacent
country; and, as they were seldom allowed to engage, without some
decisive superiority, either of ground or of numbers, their enterprises
were, for the most part, successful; and they were soon convinced, by
their own experience, of the possibility of vanquishing their invincible
enemies. The detachments of these separate garrisons were generally
united into small armies; the same cautious measures were pursued,
according to an extensive and well-concerted plan of operations; the
events of each day added strength and spirit to the Roman arms; and
the artful diligence of the emperor, who circulated the most favorable
reports of the success of the war, contributed to subdue the pride of
the Barbarians, and to animate the hopes and courage of his subjects.
If, instead of this faint and imp