Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/1220

Rh 1208 VALENTINIANUS. to the officers when they misconducted themselves; and of enriching himself by arbitrary means, though the same authorities say that he endeavoured to al- leviate the sufferings of the people. The truth is that the character of a man, who possesses supreme power, may be made to appear almost anything, according to a writer's temper and -judgment. Many instances of the severity, and even of the cruelty of Valentinian are recorded ; and Gibbon, following chiefly the authority of Ammianus, has made him a monster of cruelty. Yet Valentinian had feelings of compassion, when he was not in an angry mood, and he promulgated a constitution against the exposure of children (Cod. Just. 8. tit. 51. (52.) s. 2. A. D. 374) ; and he encouraged learning, though he was illiterate, by the founda- tion of schools. (Cod. Theod. 14. tit. 9.) Valentinian, after being declared emperor on the 26th of February, moved to Nicomedia on the 1st of March, where he conferred on his brother Valens the dignity of Constable, that is, he made him chief of the stable ; and on the 28th of March, being then at Constantinople, he declared him Augustus in the Hebdomon, or field of Mars, in the neighbourhood of that city. The two brothers confirmed to the town of Nicaea, when Valentinian Avas declared emperor, the title of Metropolis, and raised it to equal rank with Nicomedia. In the early part of this year the two emperors left Con- stantinople, and passed through Iladrianople, Phi- lippopolis, and Sardica, to Naesus in Dacia, in the neighbourhood of which they remained some days to arrange the affairs of the empire. Valentinian kept Jovinus general of the troops in Gaul (ma- gister armorum), to whicb rank he had been pro- moted by Julian, and Dagalaephus (militiae rector), who owed his promotion to Jovian. Victor and Arinthaeus were attached to the service of Valens. Zosimus, indeed, states (iv. 2) that the two em- perors were hostile to all the friends of Julian, and that all those who had been promoted by Julian were deprived of their offices, except Arin- thaeus and Victor ; but Zosimus may be mistaken here, as in other cases. The provinces of the empire were also distributed between the two brothers. Valens had the East, comprising Asia, Egypt, and Thrace ; Valentinian had the West, comprising Illyricum, Italy, the Gauls, Britain, Spain, and Africa. After this partition Valens set out for Constantinople to govern the East, of which he knew not even the language, and Va- lentinian for Italy. Valentinian went to Milan, where he arrived some time in November, and he stayed there till the beginning of a. d. 365. Volusianus, prefect of Rome, was succeeded in this year by Symmachus, the ftither of the orator, to whom some constitutions of Valentinian are addressed, by which the emperor endeavoured to secure the provisioning of Rome, and provided for the repair of the buildings. A constitution of this year enacted that the governors of provinces must not sit in judgment in matters civil or criminal, in private, but that judicial proceedings must be held with open doors. The nations on the Roman frontiers were dis- turbing the provinces, and the vigilance of Va- lentinian was required to protect his empire. Romanus, who had been made comes of Africa luider Jovian (a.d. 363), instead of protecting the country, which he was sent to govern, plundered VALENTINIANUS. the people worse than the border tribes. On tlie accession of Valentinian, the people of Leptis sent their presents to the new emperor, and at the same time represented to him the wretched condition of their country. In the mean time, a barbarous tribe, called Austuriani, were threatening Leptis and plundering the country, and Valentinian sent Palladius to inquire into the state of affairs in the province of Africa. But Palladius, who was cor- rupted by Romanus, reported that the people of Leptis and the rest of the province had nothing to complain of. The result was, that those who had complained of Romanus were punished (Amm. Marc, xxviii. 6). It appears from various constitutions, that Va- lentinian visited several places in North Italy during the year A. d. 365. A constitution of this year appears to be the earliest in which the Defen- sores are spoken of, and it is addressed to " Seneca Defensor " (Cod. Just. i. tit. 55). In the month of October Valentinian left Italy for Gaul, and he was at Paris about the end of the month. His presence was required by an irruption of the Allemanni, who had ravaged the country west of the Rhine. Valentinian sent Dagalaephus against them, and he went himself as far as Rheims ; but the Allemanni had retired, and Valentinian re- turned to Paris, where he appears to have re- mained the following year a. d. 366. In the be- ginning of A.D. 366 the Allemanni again entered Gaul during a severe winter, defeated the Roman troops and killed Charietto, who was comes of the Two Germanics. Dagalaephus, who was sent against the Allemanni by the emperor, was tardy in his movements, and he was replaced by Jovinus the master of the horse (magister equitum), who defeated the Allemanni in several engagements. One battle was fought at Scarponna between Metz and Toul, and another in the neighbourhood of Chalons-sur-Marne with a body of Allemanni which had penetrated as far as this place. Jovinus announced his victory to the emperor at Paris, who at the same time received the head of the usurper Procopius, which had been sent to him by his bro- ther Valens. Valentinian appears to have passed the close of the year and the winter at Rheims. At this time he built forts on the Rhine to stop the incursions of the Germans, and he recruited his armies for the defence of this frontier. His mea- sures secured tranquillity on that side of the empire during the rest of his reign. The residence of Valentinian at Rheims to the month of June A. d. 367, is proved by the consti- tutions which he promulgated. One of the 18th of August is dated from Amiens, and addressed to Praetextatus, praefect of Rome. During this time he was suffering so much from illness that there was talk about his successor ; but Valentinian re- covered, and, on the 24th of August, his son Gra- tianus, then little more than eight years of age, was declared Augustus at Amiens in presence of the army. About this time Valentinian divorced his wife Severa or Valeria Severa, and married Justina, a Sicilian woman, by whom he became the father of Valentinian II. and of three daugh- ters, one of whom, Galla, was afterwards the wife of Theodosius 1. Justina was an Arian, but she concealed her heresy as long as her husband lived. At the close of a. d. 367 the Allemanni, under Randon, surprised and pillaged Moguntiacum (Mainz) during a festival which the Christiana