Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/127

 THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS they went to another, but even their leaders seem seldomto have had any settled plans, and least of all any intention of destroying the Roman Empire. Two writers of the time tell of men who prefer to flee to the barbarians and live under their rule rather than endure the misery and oppression which is their lot within the Empire ; but the German chief- tains had no objection to receiving offices and titles from che emperor or lands within the Roman frontiers. They wanted grain and gold, or lands to live on and a chance to fight frequently. They fought as readily and fiercely with j one another as with the imperial armies, and were willing to fight for the Empire if they were well paid. A skillful imperial diplomat by a not too great expenditure could j play them off against one another with success for a long I time. Moreover, while the invaders ravaged the country- side easily enough, they found it hard to besiege or storm ! the walled towns. When they did take one, they soon passed on with their plunder, since it was some time before they i reconciled themselves to city life. We are told that the dis- tricts through which the Alani, Suevi, and Vandals swept j on their way across Gaul to Spain were prosperous again
 * within a generation. But unfortunately there were parts of

! the Empire to which invading armies did not leave that length of time for recovery, and what one section suffered
 * in life and property the rest of the Empire had to make up

for in part by increased taxes. Whatever the actual amount of damage that can be directly charged up to the invaders, it is certain that the decline of ancient civilization went on apace and Continued that the age was one of great misery for the and^ial j Roman world. Lawlessness and brigandage were decline a natural result of the invasions and disorder. Tombs were robbed, parents sold their children into slavery, slaves ran ! away from their masters and were probably guilty of worse ! acts of rapine and cruelty than the barbarians. In 458 the legislation of the Emperor Majorian tells the same story as the earlier Theodosian Code, of things going wrong gen- erally, of oppression and corruption by officials, of wretched-