17 or 418, and _Curopalates_ to
_John_ about the end of the year 423. Whence 'tis probable that he became
hostage to the _Hunns_ about the year 412 or 413, when _Honorius_ made
leagues with almost all the barbarous nations, and granted them seats: but
I had rather say with _Sigonius_, that _AEtius_ became hostage to _Alaric_
A.C. 403. It is further manifest out of _Prosper_, that the _Hunns_ were in
quiet possession of _Pannonia_ in the year 432. For in the first book of
_Eusebius_'s Chronicle _Prosper_ writes: _Anno decimo post obitum Honorii,
cum ad Chunnorum gentem cui tunc Rugila praeerat, post praelium cum Bonifacio
se AEtius contulisset, impetrato auxilio ad Romanorum solum regreditur._ And
in the second book: _AEtio & Valerio Coss. AEtius deposita potestate profugus
ad Hunnos in Pannonia pervenit, quorum amicitia auxilioque usus, pacem
principum interpellatae potestatis obtinuit._ Hereby it appears that at this
time _Rugila_, or as _Maximus_ calls him, _Rechilla_, reigned over the
_Hunns_ in _Pannonia_; and that _Pannonia_ was not now so much as accounted
within the soil of the Empire, being formerly granted away to the _Hunns_;
and that these were the very same body of _Hunns_ with which _AEtius_ had,
in the time of his being an hostage, contracted friendship: by virtue of
which, as he sollicited them before to the aid of _John_ the Tyrant A.C.
424, so now he procured their intercession for himself with the Emperor.
_Octar_ died A.C. 430; for _Socrates_ tells us, that about that time the
_Burgundians_ having been newly vext by the _Hunns_, upon intelligence of
_Octar_'s death, seeing them without a leader, set upon them suddenly with
so much vigour, that 3000 _Burgundians_ slew 10000 _Hunns_. Of _Rugila_'s
being now King in _Pannonia_ you have heard already. He died A.C. 433, and
was succeeded by _Bleda_, as _Prosper_ and _Maximus_ inform us. This
_Bleda_ with his brother _Attila_ were before this time Kings of the
_Hunns_ beyond the _Danube_, their father _Munzuc_'s kingdom being divided
between them; and now they united the kingdom _Pannonia_ to their own.
Whence _Paulus Diaconus_ saith, they did _regnum intra Pannoniam Daciamque
gerere_. In the year 441, they began to invade the Empire afresh, adding to
the _Pannonian_ forces new and great armies from _Scythia_. But this war
was presently composed, and then _Attila_, seeing _Bleda_ inclined to
peace, slew him, A.C. 444, inherited his dominions, and invaded the Em