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 348 THE DECLINE AND FALL to march on foot above twelve miles, before the horse of a Barbarian, the assassin of a luisband whom Placidia loved and lamented. ^'^" The Goths But Placidia soon obtained the pleasure of revenge ; and the conquer and . r ^ • • • a* • • i_ i. • i • i^ restore Spain, view ot her ignomniious suitenngs might rouse an nidignant .418-418 pgQpig against the tyrant who was assassinated on the seventh day of his usurpation. After the death of Singeric, the free choice of the nation bestowed the Gothic sceptre on Wallia ; whose warlike and ambitious temper appeared in the beginning of his reign extremely hostile to the republic. He marched in arms from Barcelona to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, which the ancients revered and dreaded as the boundary of the world. But, when he reached the southern promontory of Spain, ^''^ and, from the rock now covered by the fortress of Gibraltar, contem- plated the neighbouring and fertile coast of Africa, Wallia re- sumed the designs of conquest which had been inteiTupted by the death of Alaric. The winds and waves again disappointed the enterprise of the Goths, and the minds of a superstitious people were deeply affected by the repeated disasters of storms and shipwrecks. In this disposition, the successor of Adolphus no longer refused to listen to a Roman ambassador, whose ])ro- posals were enfoi'ced by the real, or supposed, approach of a numerous army under the conduct of the brave Constantius. A solemn treaty was stipulated and observed : Placidia was honour- ably restored to her brother ; six hundred thousand measures of wheat were delivered to the hungry Goths ; ^•5'" and Wallia en- gaged to draw his sword in the service of the empire. A bloody war was instantly excited among the Barbarians of Spain ; and the contending princes are said to have addressed their lettei-s, their ambassadors, and their hostages, to the throne of the Western emperor, exhorting him to remain a tranquil spectator of their contest ; the events of which must be favourable to the 167 The death of Adolphus was celebrated at Constantinople with illuminations and Circensian games. (See Chron. Alexandrin.) It may seem doubtful whether the Greeks were actuated, on this occasion, by their hatred of the Barbarians or of the Latins. 168 Quod Tartessiacis avus hujus Vallia ierris Vandalicas turmas, et juncti Martis Alanos Stravit, et occiduam texere cadavera Calpen. Sidon. Apollinar. in Paneg)'r. Anthem. 363. p. 300, edit. Sirmond. 169 This supply was very acceptable : the Goths were insulted by the Vandals of Spain with the epithet of Tj-uli, because, in their extreme distress, they had given a piece of gold for a trula, or about half a pound of flour. Olympiod. apud Phot, p. 189. [A trula held somewhat less than ^rd of a pint.]