Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 4 (1897).djvu/24

 4 THE DECLINE AND FALL daughter of the late emperor might tend to estabhsh the here- ditary succession of his family ; but the violence which he offered to the empress Eudoxia could proceed only from the blind impulse of lust or revenge. His own wife, the cause of these tragic events, had been seasonably removed by death ; and the widow of V^alentinian was compelled to violate her decent mourning, perhaps her real grief, and to submit to the embraces of a presumptuous usurper, whom she suspected as the assassin of her deceased husband. These suspicions were soon justified by the indiscreet confession of Maximus himself; and he wantonly provoked the hatred of his reluctant bride, who was still conscious that she descended from a line of emperors. From the East, however, Eudoxia could not hope to obtain any effectual assistance ; her father and her aunt Pulcheria were dead ; her mother languished at Jerusalem in disgrace and exile ; and the sceptre of Constantinople was in the hands of a stranger. She directed her eyes towards Carthage ; secretly implored the aid of the king of the Vandals ; and persuaded Genseric to improve the fair opportunity of disguising his rapacious designs by the specious names of honour, justice, and compassion.*' Whatever abilities Maximus might have shown in a subordinate station, he was found incapable of administering an empire ; and, though he might easily have been informed of the naval pre- parations which were made on the opposite shores of Africa, he expected with supine indifference the approach of the enemy, without adopting any measures of defence, of negotiation, or of a timely retreat. When the Vandals disembarked at the mouth of the Tiber, the emperor was suddenly roused from his lethargy by the clamours of a trembling and exasperated multitude. The only hope which presented itself to his astonished mind was that of a precipitate flight, and he exhorted the senators to imitate the example of their prince. But no sooner did Maxi- mus appear in the streets than he was assaulted by a shower of stones ; a Roman, or a Burgundian, soldier claimed the honour of the first wound ; his mangled body was ignominiously cast into the Tiber ; the Roman people rejoiced in the punishment which they had inflicted on the author of the public calamities ; 'J Notwithstanding the evidence of Procopius, Evagrius, Idatius, Marcellinus, &c. , the learned Muratori (Annali d'ltalia, torn. iv. p. 249) doubts the reality of this invitation, and observes, with great truth, " Xon si pu6 dir quanto sia facile il popolo a sognare e spacciar voci false". But his argument, from the interval of time and place, is extremely feeble. The figs which grew near Carthage were produced to the senate of Rome on the tliird day. [John Malalas places the invitation in the reign of Theodosius.]