led in the lands they had invaded, and the Western empire was
completely dismembered.

(M1184) In Italy were the Ostrogoths, who established a powerful kingdom,
afterward assailed by Belisarius and Narses, the generals of Justinian,
the Eastern emperor, and also by the Lombards, under Alboin, who secured a
footing in the north of Italy. Gaul was divided among the Franks,
Burgundians, and Visigoths, among whom were perpetual wars. Britain was
possessed by the Saxons. Spain became the inheritance of Vandals, Suevi,
and Visigoths. The Vandals retained Africa. The Eastern empire, with the
exception of Constantinople, finally fell into the hands of the Saracens.

(M1185) It would be interesting to trace the various fortunes of the
Teutonic nations in their new settlements, but this belongs to mediaeval
history. The real drama of the fall of Rome was ended when Alaric gained
possession of the imperial city. "The empire fell," says Guizot, "because
no one would belong to it." At the period of barbaric invasion it had lost
all real vigor, and was kept together by mechanism--the mechanism of
government which had been one thousand years perfecting. It was energy,
patriotism, patience, and a genius for government which built up the
empire. But prosperity led to luxury, self-exaggeration, and enervating
vices. Society was steeped in sensuality, frivolity, and selfishness. The
empire was rotten to the core, and must become the prey of barbarians, who
had courage and vitality. Three centuries earlier, the empire might have
withstood the shock of external enemies, and the barbarians might have
been annihilated. But they invaded the provinces when central power was
weak, when public virtue had fled, when the middle classes were extinct,
when slavery, demoralizing pleasures, and disproportionate fortunes
destroyed elevation of sentiment, and all manly energies. A noble line of
martial emperors for a time arrested ruin, but ruin was inevitable.
Natural law asserted its dignity. The penalty of sin must be paid. Nothing
could save the empire. No conservative influences were sufficiently
strong--neither literature, nor art, nor science, nor philosophy, nor even
Christianity. Society retrograded as the new religion triumphed, a
mysterious fact, but easily understood when we remember that vices were
universal before a remedy could be applied. The victories of Christianity
came not too late for the human race, but too late for the salvation of