zenith of his fame, the
father-in-law of the Emperor and the hero of the Gildonic war did not
make some attempt to carry out his favorite project of interfering with
the government of the eastern provinces. But there are two
considerations which may help to explain this.

In the first place Stilicho himself was not the man of indomitable will
who forms a project and carries it through; he was a man rather of that
ambitious but hesitating character which Mommsen attributes to Pompey.
He was half a Roman and half a barbarian; he was half strong and half
weak; he was half patriotic and half selfish. His intentions were
unscrupulous, but he was almost afraid of them. Besides this, his wife,
Serena, probably endeavored to check his policy of discord and maintain
unity in the Theodosian house. In the second place, it is sufficiently
probable that he was in constant communication with Gainas, the German
general of the eastern armies and chief representative of the German
interests in the realm of Arcadius, and that Gainas was awaiting his
time for an outbreak, by which Stilicho hoped to profit and execute his
designs. He had no excuse for interference, and he was willing to wait.
His inactive policy of the next two years must not be taken to indicate
that he cherished no ambitious projects.

The Germans looked up to Stilicho as the most important German in the
empire; their natural protector and friend, while there was a large
Roman faction opposed to him as a foreigner. But as yet this faction was
not strong enough to overpower him. It is remarkable that his fall was
finally brought about by the influence of a palace official (A.D. 408),
while the fall of his rival Eutropius, which occurred far sooner (A.D.
399), was brought about by the compulsion of a German general. These
facts indicate that the two dangers to which I have already called
attention--the preponderating influence of chamberlains and
eunuchs--were mutually checks on each other.

CHRONOLOGY OF UNIVERSAL HISTORY

EMBRACING THE PERIOD COVERED IN THIS VOLUME

A.D. 13-409

JOHN RUDD, LL. D.

CHRONOLOGY OF UNIVERSAL HISTORY

EMBRACING THE PERIOD COVERED IN THIS VOLUME

A.D. 13-409

JOHN RUDD, LL.D.

Events treated at length are here indicated in large type; the numerals
following give volume and page.

Separate chronologies of the various nations, and of the careers of
famous persons, will be found in the INDEX VOLUME, with volume and