Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1827) Vol 2.djvu/411

 XIX. OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 393 consented, for the first time, to dispense with the an- CHAP, cient law which commanded them to conquer or to die. The Caesar immediately sent his captives to the court of Constantius, who, accepting them as a valuable pre- sent'", rejoiced in the opportunity of adding so many heroes to the choicest troops of his domestic guards. The obstinate resistance of this handful of Franks, ap- prised Julian of the difficulties of the expedition which he meditated for the ensuing spring, against the whole body of the nation. His rapid diligence surprised and astonished the active barbarians. Ordering his soldiers to provide themselves with biscuit for twenty days, he suddenly pitched his camp near Tongres, while the enemy still supposed him in his winter quarters of Paris, expecting the slow arrival of his convoys from Aquitain. Without allowing the Franks to unite or to deliberate, he skilfully spread his legions from Cologne to the ocean ; and by the terror as well as by the suc- cess of his arms, soon reduced the suppliant tribes to implore the clemency, and to obey the commands, of their conqueror. The Chamavians submissively re- tired to their former habitations beyond the Rhine : but the Salians were permitted to possess their new estabUshment of Toxandria, as the subjects and aux- iliaries of the Roman empire ". The treaty was rati- fied by solemn oaths ; and perpetual inspectors were appointed to reside among the Franks, with the autho- rity of enforcing the strict observance of the condi- tions. An incident is related, interesting enough in itself, and by no means repugnant to the character of >" Julian, ad S. P. Q. Athen. p. 280; Libanius, Oral. x. p. 278. Ac- cording to the expresion of Libanius, the emperor dwpa i)v6fia'Ci, which la Bleterie understands (Vie de Julien, p. 118.) as an honest confession, and Valesius (ad Ainmian. xvii. 2.) as a mean evasion, of the truth. Dom. liouquet, (Historiens de France, torn. i. p. 733.) b_v substituting another word, fci'6jui(T£, would suppress both the difficulty and the spirit of this pas- sage. » Ammian. xvii. 8 ; Zosimus, 1. iii. p. 146 — 150. (his narrative is dark- ened by a mixture of fable;) and Julian, ad S. P. Q. Athen. p. 280. His expression, inztCi^dfiiiv fxiv noipav tov Sa'Xiwv iGvovs, Xufiul^ovQ C)) i^ilXarra. This difference of treatment confirms the opinion, that the Salian Franks were permitted to retain the settlements in Toxandria.