Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 3 (1897).djvu/65

 OF THE EOMAN EMPIRE 45 military commanders of the province had been surprised and cut off by the Barbarians. Severus, count of the domestics, was hastily dispatched, and as suddenly recalled, by the court of Treves. The representations of Jovinus served only to indicate the greatness of the evil ; and after a long and serious consulta- tion, the defence, or rather the recovery, of Britain was intrusted to the abilities of the brave Theodosius. The exploits of that general, the father of a line of emperors, have been celebrated, with peculiar complacency, by the Avriters of the age : but his real merit deserved their applause ; and his nomination was received, by the army and province, as a sure presage of ap- proaching victory. He seized the favourable moment of navi- gation, and securely landed the numerous and veteran bands of the Heruli and Batavians, the Jovians and the Victors. In his march from Sandwich to London, Theodosius defeated several parties of the barbarians, released a multitude of captives, and, after distributing to his soldiers a small portion of the spoil, established the fame of disinterested justice by the restitution of the remainder to the rightful proprietors. The citizens of London, who had almost despaired of their safety, threw open their gates ; and, as soon as Theodosius had obtained from the court of Treves the important aid of a military lieutenant and a civil governor, he executed, with wisdom and vigour, the labo- rious task of the deliverance of Britain. ^^^ The vagrant soldiers were recalled to their standard ; an edict of amnesty dispelled the public apprehensions ; and his cheerful example alleviated the rigour of 'martial discipline. The scattered and desultory warfare of the Barbarians, who infested the land and sea, de- prived him of the glory of a signal victory ; but the prudent spirit and consummate art of the Roman general were displayed anS's^ in the operations of two campaigns, which successively rescued every part of the province from the hands of a cruel and rapacious enemy. The splendour of the cities and the secui'ity of the fortifications were diligently restored by the paternal care of Theodosius : who with a strong hand confined the trembling Caledonians to the northern angle of the island ; and perpetu- ated, by the name and settlement of the new province of Valentia, the glories of the reign of Valentinian.^22 The voice 121 [Theodosius had the task too of suppressing a tyrant, Valentinus ; Amm. xxxviii. 3.] i22Ammianus has concisely represented (xx. i, xxvi. 4, xxvii. 8, xxviii. 3) the whole series of the British war. [It is generally said that the name Valentia was in honour of Valentinian. But would it not, in that case, be Valentiniana ? It seems more likely that it was a compliment to Valens on the part of his brother.]