The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 6Bell and Bradfute, Peter Hill, Silvester Doig and A. Stirling, and John Ogle., 1811 - Byzantine Empire |
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Ętius Africa Alani alliance ambassadors ancient Anthemius apud Arian arms army arts Attila Augustin Avitus barbarians battle bishop Boniface Burgundians captives Carthage catholics century CHAP Christian Chronicle church clergy Clovis command conqueror conquest Constantinople danger Danube death desert dignity disgrace dominions Dubos Eccles ecclesiastical emperor enemy epist Etius excited exile faith father favour formidable Franks Gaul Genseric Gothic Goths Greek Gregory of Tours Hist historian honourable hundred Huns Idatius imperial Italy Jornandes king labour laws Majorian Marcellinus Merovingian military monarch monasteries monks nations noble Odoacer oppressed Ostrogoths palace Panegyr patrician Patrum peace perhaps persecution Placidia possessed prince Priscus Procopius provinces reign Ricimer Roman Rome royal ruin savage Saxons Scythian senate Sidonius soldiers soon Spain spirit subjects success Suevi Theodoric Theodosius throne Tillemont tion troops Valentinian valour Vandals Victor Vitensis victory virtue Visigoths West western empire XXXIV XXXV XXXVI zeal
Popular passages
Page 229 - Augustulus was made the instrument of his own disgrace ; he signified his resignation to the senate ; and that assembly, in their last act of obedience to a Roman prince, still affected the spirit of freedom and the forms of the constitution.
Page 229 - Italy; since, in their opinion, the majesty of a sole monarch is sufficient to pervade and protect, at the same time, both the East and the West. In their own name, and in the name of the people, they consent that the seat of universal empire shall be transferred from Rome to Constantinople...
Page 126 - After this dreadful chastisement, Attila pursued his march; and, as he passed, the cities of Altinum, Concordia, and Padua, were reduced into heaps of stones and ashes. The inland towns, Vicenza, Verona, and Bergamo, were exposed to the rapacious cruelty of the Huns. Milan and Pavia submitted, without resistance, to the loss of their wealth; and applauded the unusual clemency, which preserved from the flames the public, as well as private, buildings; and spared the lives of the captive multitude.
Page 417 - The abuses of tyranny are restrained by the mutual influence of fear and shame; republics have acquired order and stability; monarchies have imbibed the principles of freedom, or, at least, of moderation; and some sense of honour and justice is introduced into the most defective constitutions by the general manners of the times. In peace, the progress of knowledge and industry is accelerated by the emulation of so many active rivals: in war, the European forces are exercised by temperate and undecisive...
Page 409 - But the decline of Rome was the natural 274 and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay; the causes of destruction multiplied with the extent of conquest; and as soon as time or accident had removed the artificial supports, the stupendous fabric yielded to the pressure of its own weight. The...
Page 43 - Gothic historian, bore the stamp of his national origin; and the portrait of Attila exhibits the genuine deformity of a modern Calmuk; a large head, a swarthy complexion, small, deep-seated eyes, a flat nose, a few hairs in the place of a beard, broad shoulders, and a short square body, of nervous strength, though of a disproportioned form.
Page 38 - But if the interval between two memorable eras could be instantly annihilated ; if it were possible, after a momentary slumber of two hundred years, to display the new world to the eyes of a spectator who still retained a lively and recent impression of the old, his surprise and his reflections would furnish the pleasing subject of a philosophical romance."* Prejudices arising from our peculiar position as inhabitants of the land.
Page 416 - ... firmly established by the singular and perfect coalition of its members. The subject nations, resigning the hope, and even the wish, of independence, embraced the character of Roman citizens; and the provinces of the West were reluctantly torn by the Barbarians from the bosom of their mother country. But this union was purchased...
Page 419 - Cannon and fortifications now form an impregnable barrier against the Tartar horse; and Europe is secure from any future irruption of Barbarians; since, before they can conquer, they must cease to be barbarous.