which came in every year from the
provinces, a vast treasure of gold might be accumulated in his coffers.

Full of this hope, he sent forth several officers to bring this
ferocious people and their wagons into our territory. And such great
pains were taken to gratify this nation which was destined to overthrow
the Empire of Rome, that not one was left behind, not even of those who
were stricken with mortal disease. Moreover, having obtained permission
of the Emperor to cross the Danube and to cultivate some districts in
Thrace, they crossed the stream day and night, without ceasing,
embarking in troops on board ships and rafts, and canoes made of the
hollow trunks of trees, in which enterprise, as the Danube is the most
difficult of all rivers to navigate, and was at that time swollen with
continual rains, a great many were drowned, who, because they were too
numerous for the vessels, tried to swim across, and in spite of all
their exertions were swept away by the stream.

In this way, through the turbulent zeal of violent people, the ruin of
the Roman Empire was brought on. This, at all events, is neither obscure
nor uncertain that the unhappy officers who were intrusted with the
charge of conducting the multitude of the barbarians across the river,
though they repeatedly endeavored to calculate their numbers, at last
abandoned the attempt as hopeless; and the man who would wish to
ascertain the number might as well--as the most illustrious of poets
says--attempt to count the waves in the African Sea, or the grains of
sand tossed about by the zephyrs.

Let, however, the ancient annals be accredited which record that the
Persian host which was led into Greece was, while encamped on the shores
of the Hellespont, and making a new and artificial sea, numbered in
battalions at Doriscus; a computation which has been unanimously
regarded by all posterity as fabulous.

But after the innumerable multitudes of different nations, diffused over
all our provinces and spreading themselves over the vast expanses of our
plains, who filled all the champaign country and all the mountain
ranges, are considered, the credibility of the ancient accounts is
confirmed by this modern instance. And first of all Tritigernus was
received with Alavivus, and the Emperor assigned them a temporary
provision for their immediate support, and ordered lands to be assigned
them to cultivate.

At that time the defences of our provinces were much expos