ey of the Roman position. It was, and always will be, a
most important point. It might be the centre of a great kingdom. The
nation which has it ought to spend its last bullet in defending it.

The Teutons did cross the Danube, as you know, in 376, and had a great
victory, of which nothing came but moral force. They waited long in
Moesia before they found out the important step which they had made. The
genius of Alaric first discovered the key of the Roman position, and
discovered that it was in his own hands.

I do not say that no Germans had crossed the Laybach pass before him. On
the contrary, Markmen, Quadi, Vandals, seem to have come over it as early
as 180, and appeared under the walls of Aquileia. Of course, some one
must have gone first, or Alaric would not have known of it. There were
no maps then, at least among our race. Their great generals had to feel
their way foot by foot, trusting to hearsays of old adventurers,
deserters, and what not, as to whether a fruitful country or an
impassable alp, a great city or the world's end, was twenty miles a-head
of them. Yes, they had great generals among them, and Alaric, perhaps,
the greatest.

If you consider Alaric's campaigns, from A.D. 400 to A.D. 415, you will
see that the eye of a genius planned them. He wanted Rome, as all
Teutons did. He was close to Italy, in the angle of which I just spoke;
but instead of going hither, he resolved to go south, and destroy Greece,
and he did it. Thereby, if you will consider, he cut the Roman Empire in
two. He paralysed and destroyed the right wing of its forces, which
might, if he had marched straight for Italy, have come up from Greece and
Turkey, to take him in flank and rear. He prevented their doing that; he
prevented also their succouring Italy by sea by the same destruction. And
then he was free to move on Rome, knowing that he leaves no strong place
on his left flank, save Constantinople itself; and that the Ostrogoths,
and other tribes left behind, would mask it for him. Then he moved into
Italy over the Carnic Alps, and was repulsed the first time at Pollentia.
He was not disheartened; he retired upon Hungary, waited five years,
tried it again, and succeeded, after a campaign of two years.

Yes. He was a great general. To be able to move vast masses of men
safely through a hostile country and in face of an enemy's army (beside
women and children) requires an amount of talent bestowed on few. Al