Page:Constantinople by Brodribb.djvu/72

 nople, he was pressed by the ignorant and clamorous populace to lead his army instantly against the barbarians who had dared to intrude themselves into Roman territory. One is not surprised to hear that these silly, bragging townspeople, who cared for nothing but the amusements of the circus, assured him that if only arms were put into their hands, they would drive the Goths back to their settlements on the other side of the Danube. Provoked by all this popular clamour, and possibly, too, by some jealousy of Gratian, Valens took the rash resolution of at once encountering the enemy. He advanced on Adrianople, and encamped near the city, strengthening his position in the usual Roman fashion with a fosse and rampart. Even now, had he listened to the prudent counsels of one of his generals, all would have been well. Gratian was advancing by rapid marches, and the two armies, it may be presumed, would have overpowered the Goths. But Valens was eager to snatch a victory, and on the ninth day of August, in the year 378 A.D., as black a day in the Roman calendar as that of Allia or Cannæ, he marched to attack the enemy, who was now about twelve miles from the city. His troops, weary and exhausted by exposure for several hours to a burning sun, must have been unfit for battle; and though they seem to have fought bravely, they must have fought at a great disadvantage. The cavalry of the Goths, numerous and well mounted, cooped them into narrow limits, within which the Roman legionaries could not use with effect their formidable javelins or manœuvre in their accustomed manner. The battle seems somewhat