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 Chap, xxxvi] OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE 47 he instigated and assisted the fury of hostile nations ? Shall I now accept his perfidious friendship ? Can I hope that he will respect the engagements of a treaty, who has already violated the duties of a son?" But the anger of Anthemius evapor- ated in these passionate exclamations ; he insensibly yielded to the proposals of Epiphanius ; and the bishop returned to his diocese with the satisfaction of restoring the peace of Italy, by a reconciliation, 114 of which the sincerity and continuance might be reasonably suspected. The clemency of the emperor was extorted from his weakness ; and Ricimer suspended his ambitious designs, till he had secretly prepared the engines with which he resolved to subvert the throne of Anthemius. The mask of peace and moderation was then thrown aside. The army of Ricimer was fortified by a numerous reinforce- ment of Burgundians and Oriental Suevi ; he disclaimed all allegiance to the Greek emperor, marched from Milan to the gates of Rome, and, fixing his camp on the banks of the Anio, impatiently expected the arrival of Olybrius, his Imperial candidate. The senator Olybrius, of the Anician family, might esteem oiytmus, himself the lawful heir of the Western empire. He had the west, married Placidia, the younger daughter of Valentinian, after March 23 she was restored by Genseric; who still detained her sister Eudoxia, as the wife, or rather as the captive, of his son. The king of the Vandals supported, by threats and solicitations, the fair pretensions of his Roman ally ; and assigned, as one of the motives of the war, the refusal of the senate and people to acknowledge their lawful prince, and the unworthy preference which they had given to a stranger. 115 The friendship of the public enemy might render Olybrius still more unpopular to the Italians ; but, when Ricimer meditated the ruin of the emperor Anthemius, he tempted with the offer of a diadem the candidate who could justify his rebellion by an illustrious name and a royal alliance. The husband of Placidia, who, like most of his ancestors, had been invested with the consular 114 Ennodius (p. 1659-1664) has related this embassy of Epiphanius ; and his narrative, verbose and turgid as it must appear, illustrates some curious passages in the fall of the Western empire. [P. 90-93, ed. Vogel.] 115 Priscus, Excerpt. Legation, p. 74 [fr. 29]. Procopius de Bell. Vandal. 1. i. c. 6, p. 191. Eudoxia and her daughter were restored after the death of Majorian. Perhaps the consulship of Olybrius (a.d. 464) was bestowed as a nuptial present.