FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   >>  
nt further off to the bleak shores of the Black Sea, and on the journey he died, his last words being, "Glory be to God in all things." [Illustration: ROMAN CLOCK.] Arcadius died in 408, leaving a young son, called Theodosius II., in the care of his elder sister Pulcheria, under whom the Eastern Empire lay at peace, while the miseries of the Western went on increasing. New Emperors were set up by the legions in the distant provinces, but were soon overthrown, while Honorius only remained at Ravenna by the support of the kings of the Teuton tribes; and as he never trusted them or kept faith with them, he was always offending them and being punished by fresh attacks on some part of his empire, for which he did not greatly care so long as they let him alone. Ataulf died in Spain, and Placidia came back to Ravenna, where Honorius gave her in marriage to a Roman general named Constantius, and she had a son named Valentinian, who, when his uncle died after thirty-seven years of a wretched reign, became Emperor in his stead, under his mother's guardianship, in 423. Two great generals who were really able men were her chief supporters--Boniface, Count or Commander of Africa; and Aetius, who is sometimes called the last of the Romans, though he was not by birth a Roman at all, but a Scythian. He gained the ear of the Empress Placidia, and persuaded her that Boniface wanted to set himself up in Africa as Emperor, so that she sent to recall him, and evil friends assured him that she meant to put him to death as soon as he arrived. He was very much enraged, and though St. Augustine, now an old man, who had long been Bishop of Hippo, advised him to restrain his anger, he called on Genseric, the chief of the Vandals, to come and help him to defend his province. [Illustration: SPANISH COAST.] The Vandals were another tribe of Teutons--tall, strong, fair-haired, and much like the Goths, and, like them, they were Arians. They had marauded in Italy, and then had followed the Goths to Spain, where they had established themselves in the South, in the country called from them Vandalusia, or Andalusia. Their chief was only too glad to obey the summons of Boniface, but before he came the Roman had found out his mistake; Placidia had apologized to him, and all was right between them. But it was now too late; Genseric and his Vandals were on the way, and there was nothing for it but to fight his best against them. He could not s
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   >>  



Top keywords:
called
 

Boniface

 

Placidia

 
Vandals
 

Honorius

 

Ravenna

 

Genseric

 

Africa

 

Emperor

 

Illustration


Bishop

 
Augustine
 

advised

 
SPANISH
 
things
 

province

 

defend

 

restrain

 

persuaded

 

Arcadius


wanted

 

Empress

 

Scythian

 

gained

 

recall

 
arrived
 

friends

 

assured

 

enraged

 

mistake


apologized

 

summons

 
Andalusia
 

haired

 

Arians

 

strong

 

Teutons

 

marauded

 

country

 

Vandalusia


established
 
attacks
 

punished

 

offending

 

empire

 
Western
 

greatly

 
miseries
 
journey
 

overthrown