When report, that spiteful nurse of rumours, spread abroad what had happened, the whole nation of the Theruingi was fired with ardour for battle, and amid many fearful scenes, portentous of extreme dangers, after the standards had been raised according to their custom and the doleful sound of the trumpets had been heard, predatory bands were already rushing about, pillaging and burning the country-houses and making whatever places they could find a confusion of awful devastation.

Against them Lupicinus mustered all his soldiers in tumultuous speed, and advancing with more haste than discretion, halted nine miles from the city, ready to join battle. On seeing this the barbarians rushed recklesslyincauti seems to mean without regard for their lives; incautos, off their guard (see crit. note) would apparently contradict paratus ad decernendum, in the preceding sentence. on crowds of our men, dashed their shield’s upon opponents’ bodies,The exact meaning is perhaps not clear; it seems to mean that the barbarians dashed the Romans’ shields against their bodies, so that they could not use them, and then slew them. Wagner refers it to the shields of the barbarians, which they pressed close to their own bodies, but this does not seem to suit illidendo. and with lance and sword ran through those who opposed them. And in the press of mad and bloody strife the tribunes and the greater part of the army perished, with the loss of their standards, except for their ill-omened leader, who, intent only upon saving himself by flight while the others were fighting, made for the town in hot haste. After this the enemy put on the Romans’ arms and ranged about, devastating sundry places without opposition.

And since after many events the narrative has reached this point, I earnestly entreat my readers (if I ever have any) not to demand of me a strictly accurate account of what happened or the exact number of the slain, which there was no way of finding out. For it will be enough to describe simply the main points of events, without concealing the truth through any false statement, since faithful honesty is ever a requisite in giving an historical account.

Those who are unacquainted with ancient records say that the state was never before overspread by such a dark cloud of misfortune, but they are deceived by the horror of the recent ills which have overwhelmed them. For if they study earlier times or those which have recently passed, these will show that such dire disturbances have often happened.

The§§ 12–17 are a digression on great disasters which Rome had suffered from invading barbarians. Teutones with the Cimbri, coming from unknown parts of the ocean, suddenly overflowed Italy, but after inflicting enormous disasters on our country, in the final battles they were overcome by our great generals, and being destroyed root and branch, they learned from the uttermost perils what warlike might combined with prudent discipline can accomplish.

Again, when Marcus was ruling the empire, the united madness of different tribes, after endless alarms of war, after the woes of captured and plundered cities, after the destruction of forces shaken by the death of their able leader,Macrinus Vindex, praetorian prefect of Marcus Aurelius; see Dio, lxxi. 3. would have left only a small part of them unscathed.Text and exact meaning are uncertain; for the events referred to, see Dio, lxxi. ff.; Eutrop. viii. 13; Orosius, vii. 15, 6 ff.

But after calamitous losses the state was presently restored to its former condition, because the temperance of old times was not yet infected by the effeminacy of a more licentious mode of life, and did not crave extravagant feasts or shameful gains; but high and low alike with united ardour and in agreement hastened to a noble death for their country, as if to some quiet and peaceful haven.

Swarms of the Scythian peoples with two thousand shipsTreb. Poll., 8, 2, gives this figure: Zos. i. 42, 6000. broke through the Bosporus and the shores of the Propontis, and after crossing inflicted bitter losses by land and sea; but they lost the greater part of their number and were obliged to retreat.

Emperor Decius and Decius his son fell in battle with the barbarians.The chronology is at fault; cf. Aur. Vict., 29, 5. The cities of Pamphylia were beleaguered,Cf. Treb. Poll., , 13, 6. very many islands laid waste,Crete, Cyprus, and Rhodes; cf. Treb. Poll., 12, 1; Zos. i. 46. all Macedonia was given to the flames; for a long time the horde laid siege to ThessalonicaUnder Valerian and Claudius; see note 1, above. and to Cyzicus as well. Anchialos was taken, and at the same time Nicopolis, which the emperor Trajan founded to commemorate his victory over the Dacians.

After many disasters had been suffered and many cruel calamities had been inflicted, Philippopolis was destroyedIn the time of Decius; Zos. i. 24. and a hundred thousand people (unless the histories are false) were butchered within her walls. Foreign foes roamed at will over Epirus, Thessaly and the whole of Greece; but after the illustrious general Claudius became emperor and after he had been snatched from us by a noble death,According to Pseud.-Aur. Vict., 34, 3, he sacrificed himself in battle. Others say that he died a natural death. they were driven out by Aurelian,Cf. Rufius Festus, 8. a vigorous man and a severe avenger of their sins, and remained quiet for long ages, except that afterwards single bands of robbers made raids into the neighbouring regions, but very rarely and to their own destruction. But let me go on with the narrative from which I digressed.

When this series of events was noised abroad by one message coming after another, Sueridus and Colias, Gothic chieftains, who had long since been received with their peoples and assigned to keep winter quartersCf. hiberna curantem, xix. 11, 1. at Hadrianopolis, considering their own welfare the most important thing of all, looked with indifference on all that took place.

But when on a sudden a letter came from the emperor, in which they were ordered to cross to Hellespontus,The province; see Index to this volume. I.e., the duumvir. without any arrogance they asked for money for the journey, food, and a postponement of two days. At this the chief magistrate of the cityThere was a large munitions factory in Hadrianopolis. was vexed—for he was incensed at them besides, because of the pillaging of his own property in his suburban villa; so he brought out and armed for their destruction all the lowest of the populace, along with the Armourers, of whom there is a large force there,There was a large munitions factory in Hadrianopolis. and ordering the horns to sound the alarm, threatened them all with the utmost punishment, if they did not leave at once, as had been ordered.

The Goths, shocked by this unexpected ill-treatment, and alarmed by the attack of the citizens, rather excited than well-considered, remained immovable; but when they were finally driven desperate by curses and abuse, and a few missiles were hurled at them, they broke out into open rebellion. They slew very many citizens, whom their too impudent attack had entrapped, and put to flight the rest, wounding them with various kinds of weapons. Then, plundering the dead bodies and arming themselves in the Roman equipment, they joined forces with Fritigern, whom they saw to be near at hand, as compliant allies, and beleaguered the city. visiting it with all the horrors of a siege. Remaining in this difficult situation for some time, they made scattered and promiscuous attacks; the conspicuous audacity of some perished unavenged, and many lost their lives from arrows or from stones whirled from slings.

Then Fritigern, seeing that his men, being inexperienced in conducting a siege, were carrying on the struggle with such loss of life, left a sufficient force there and persuaded the rest to go away without finishing the task; he reminded them that he kept peace with walls and advised them to attack and devastate the rich and fruitful parts of the country, which were still without protectors and could be pillaged without any danger.