When this became known, at headlong speed two legions were sent to meet them in battle, the Pannonica and the Moesiaca, a strong combination for fighting, which, if they had acted in harmony, would undoubtedly have come off victorious. But while they were hastening to attack the bands of plunderers separately, they were made ineffective by quarrels that broke out between them, and contended for honour and prestige.

When the Sarmatians, who were very keen-witted, learned of this, without waiting for the usual signal for battle, they attacked the Moesiaca first; and while the soldiers were somewhat slow in getting their arms ready because of the confusion, they killed a great number of them, and then with increased confidence broke through the line of the Pannonica. They thus threw the whole army into disorder, and with repeated attacks would almost have annihilated it, had not speedy flight saved some from the danger of death.

At the time of these losses due to a harsher fortune, Theodosius the younger, general in Moesia, a young man whose beard was then only just beginning to appear, afterwards a most glorious emperor,379—395. wore out by frequent engagements, drove back and defeated the Free Sarmatians (so called to distinguish them from their rebellious slavesThe Limigantes; cf. xvii. 13, 1; xix. 11, 1. ) who were invading our territories from the other side, crushing them in densely packed conflicts; and so thoroughly did he overwhelm the hordes which converged in floods and resisted most bravely, that he sated the birds and beasts of prey with a veritable feast of many slain.For sagina, cf. xxii. 12, 6. On this victory see also Zos. iv. 16.

Therefore, the remainder, their arrogance now cooling down, feared lest the same leader, a man of ready valour (as was evident), on his first entrance into their territories should lay low or put to flight the invading hordes, or should lay ambuscades for them in the dark woods; so, after making many vain attempts from time to time to break through, they lost their confidence for battle and begged for indulgence and pardon for the past. And after being thus conquered for the time, they did nothing in violation of the conditions of the peace that was granted them, being especially struck with fear because a strong force of Gallic troops had been added to the defence of Illyricum.374 ff. A.D.

At the time when these storms, so many and so terrible, were causing constant disturbances, while Claudius was governing the Eternal City,As prefect of the city, in 374. the Tiber, which cuts through the midst of our walled town and, with many drains and streams pouring into it, mingles with the Tyrrenian Sea, was swollen by an excessive rainfall, and extending beyond the appearance of a river, covered almost the whole place.Floods of the Tiber were frequent; cf. Plin., , iii. 55.

While all the remaining quarters of the city, which extend down to a gentler level,Cf. xvi. 10, 14; intra septem montium culmina. . . posita urbis membra. were under water, the mountains alone, and such buildingsI.e., blocks of houses. as were especially high, were protected from present danger. And since the height of the waters prevented movement anywhere on foot, a supply of food was furnished in abundance by boats and skiffs, for fear that many people might starve to death. But, in fact, when the stormy weather moderated, and the river, which had broken its bonds,Cf. xxiv. 1, 11; Livy, xxvii, 28, 10 (Wagner). returned to its usual course, all fear was dispelled and no further trouble was looked for.