lting triumph of the Romans, by strangling himself
in the night. His dead body, the only present which Igmazen could offer
to the conqueror, was carelessly thrown upon a camel; and Theodosius,
leading back his victorious troops to Sitifi, was saluted by the warmest
acclamations of joy and loyalty. [123]

[Footnote 122: The Chronology of Ammianus is loose and obscure; and
Orosius (i. vii. c. 33, p. 551, edit. Havercamp) seems to place the
revolt of Firmus after the deaths of Valentinian and Valens. Tillemont
(Hist. des. Emp. tom. v. p. 691) endeavors to pick his way. The patient
and sure-foot mule of the Alps may be trusted in the most slippery
paths.]

[Footnote 122a: The war was longer protracted than this sentence would
lead us to suppose: it was not till defeated more than once that Igmazen
yielded Amm. xxix. 5.--M]

[Footnote 123: Ammian xxix. 5. The text of this long chapter (fifteen
quarto pages) is broken and corrupted; and the narrative is perplexed by
the want of chronological and geographical landmarks.]

Africa had been lost by the vices of Romanus; it was restored by the
virtues of Theodosius; and our curiosity may be usefully directed to the
inquiry of the respective treatment which the two generals received from
the Imperial court. The authority of Count Romanus had been suspended
by the master-general of the cavalry; and he was committed to safe and
honorable custody till the end of the war. His crimes were proved by the
most authentic evidence; and the public expected, with some impatience,
the decree of severe justice. But the partial and powerful favor of
Mellobaudes encouraged him to challenge his legal judges, to obtain
repeated delays for the purpose of procuring a crowd of friendly
witnesses, and, finally, to cover his guilty conduct, by the additional
guilt of fraud and forgery. About the same time, the restorer of
Britain and Africa, on a vague suspicion that his name and services
were superior to the rank of a subject, was ignominiously beheaded at
Carthage. Valentinian no longer reigned; and the death of Theodosius,
as well as the impunity of Romanus, may justly be imputed to the arts of
the ministers, who abused the confidence, and deceived the inexperienced
youth, of his sons. [124]

[Footnote 124: Ammian xxviii. 4. Orosius, l. vii. c. 33, p. 551, 552.
Jerom. in Chron. p. 187.]

If the geographical accuracy of Ammianus had been fortunately bestowed
on the British exploits of Theodosius