Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 2.djvu/353

 1094 HUNNI. Golthes, Etta, TfaividoA, Inazungis, Vasinas, Brovo- neas, Merens, Mordeoa, Bemniscans, Bogans, Tad- gans, Athaol, Nayego, Bubegeoas, Coldas" (c. 23). The little that can be made oat of this may be seen in Zeoss (y. Ott/Umen). Morden$ is the most satis- factory identification, and then ifereiussthe Mord* wa (Mordians) of Nestor, and the Mirri of Adam of Bremen (Meija of Nestor). The Mordinn coontiy is in the governments of Simbirsk and Saratov. The seqnel in Jomandes tells ns something more, viz. that the Herali, Veneti, Antes, ScUvi, and Haesti were redaoed ; a list that giyes Hermanric all the country between the VistoJa and the Sea of Azov; since the Haesti are the Aestyii of Tacitos, or the occupants of amber country, East Prussian. Now, allow all this to Hermanric, and then trans- fer it to the Huns, and any amount of area will be the result. But was it so transferred ? The Huns that conquered the Goths of Hennanric are said to have moved from the Maeotis tothe Danube as quickly as they could. Who believes that they consolidated such dependences as Courland, Livonia, East Prussia, Poland, &c en route f But our reasonable doubts go further still. The magnitude of Hermanric's empire is problematicaL Ammianus (his contem- porary), besides giving an account of his death different from that of Jomandes, merely writes that when the Alans and Huns had coalesced, ** ooofi- dentius Ermenrici, late patentee et nberes pagos repentino impetu perruperunt, bellicosissimi regis, et per multa variaque ^rtiter facta vicimus nationi- bus formidati '* (zzxL 3. § 1). It is submitted that the words late patentee by no means denote vast dominions. Take the geography of the coon- tries into consideration, and they mean the wide open plains of the Ukinune. Gibbon clearly saw this discrepancy; but, nevertheless, he preferred Jomandes, who^e ^ concise account of tJie rugn and conquest of Hermanric seems to be one of the valuable firagments which Jomandes borrowed from the Gothic histories of Cassiodorus and Ablavins." (Chap. XXV. 5. note j.) The text of Jomandes indicates the contrary of this. AbUvius is quoted specially and by name for one particular fiict, vis. the origin of the Heruli ; the inference from wiiich is, that the other parts are not from him. We have seen how they differ from Ammianus. The indefinitude of the term Seythia gave other exaggeration: and the king of the Huns was often called the king of Seythia, So he was — but only of European Seythia. For further dementi of confusion, see Sctthia* One, in addition, however, still stands over. When the Donee of Denmark took their place in hutory, they had not long been known under that name, before they were attributed to Attila ; and Scandi- navia became a part of Hundom. Why? Be* cause the Dad were more or less Hun; and because, as early as the time of Procopius, we iind them called Dani^ the Dani (in after-times) being called DaeL The Herali were undoubtedly Hun, in politics if not in blood. Now, both Jor- nandes and Procopius bring the Hemli and Dani (not Dad) in contact. There was a confusion here. How it arose is a complex question. Its effect was to carry Attila's power beyond all reasonable limits northwards. Jomandes and Procopius give ns the chief elo- ments of those errors in ethnology and geography, which carry the Hun power unduly nor^wards. .UUNNL How they got earned unduly eoshnids imj }m teea in Gibbon (chap. 26). Gibbon (chapi 20) has thos been tempted to connect an invasioD of Fmnoe wiih movements iu the north of China, the battle of Cha- lons with the history of the Sienpt ; Do GaigDes having suggested and worked out the ooDnectiuo. Thus — Many centuries befbn our era then were Hubs on the north-western frontier of China tawjiimiis. About B. a 100 one of the more warlike dmiec emperors subdued thto. They fled weatwacda. A tribe of Sibeia or Central Asia, named Sienpi, ha- rassed them. They divided into 3 portioos. One amalgamated with the Sienpi; one settled in Qa- rismia, and became the White Huns (see below) rf the Persian frontier ; the third, preaaed ftrwmid ky the Sienpi, pressed forward the Goths. ^'Whilst Italy rejoiced in her delivenmce from the Gotha, a furious tempest was excited amongst the nar tioDS of Germany, who yielded to the trresstiUe impulse that appeai'B to have been gradnayj can- municated from the eastern extremity of Asia. The Chinese annals, as they have been iaterpRted by the learned indnstry of the present age, may be usefully applied to reveal the secrat and re- mote causes of the &11 of the Roman empire* (chap. 30). The details are, that the Sieepi grew in strength, called themselves Topa (martwa of the earth), conquered China, and threw off an oAet called Geougen, who were robben ; and the descend- ants of Moko, a slave of Toulun, one of Make's de- scendants, achieved the independence of these Geongs, and effected conquests from the Cocea to the Iitidi| and beyond. To the north of the Caspian he con- quered the Huns. These, of course, moved westwaid^ but the Huns, who conquered the Alans, and the Thervings, and who are mentioned by Ammianm, had already occupied the parts between the Don and Danube, — ** the countries towards the Euzine woe already" (a. d. 405 is the date for tki§ migraikai) flight, which they soon converted into a bold atta^ would more naturally be directed towards the ikh and level plains through which the Yjstnla gently flows into the Baltic 1^ The north must offain have been alarmed and agitated by the invaaon of lution of discharging their superfluous nombeis oo the provinces of Uie Boman empire. About 4 yean after the victorious Tonlen had assumed the title of Khan of the Geougen, the haughty Rhodogast, er Radagaisua, marched from the noithera extremity of Germany almost to the gates of Rome," See. la a note it is remarked that ** Procopius (de BeR, Fond. i. 3) has observed an emigretion from the Pains Maeotis to the north of G^manjr, which he ascribes to famine. But his views of ancient histofy are strangely darkened by ignonnce and error.* The criticism of this extension of the Hun power in the direction of China, will be found in the notice of the Cidante Huns, towards the end of this articfe. It is on the authority of Jomandes that the mur- der of his brother is attribnted to Attila : Gibboa follows it; the Comte de Bust demon to it. Probably it must stand as we find it, subject only to being invalidated by the slightest amount of opposing evidence, in case the care and criticisa of future inquiren elicit any. As a conqueror, Attila seems to have been stio n ge r as the head of a confederation than as a sovcreiga He acted, too, more as a poUtican than a waniar.
 * ^ habebftt** (Hennanric) *^ siqtddem qnos domiiflnit
 * ' occupied by these kindred tribes ; and thar hasty
 * the Huns, — ^the inhabitants might embrace the rcsiH