ered himself to be fatally
deceived by the perfidious governor of the Lyonnese province. Gratian
was amused by protestations of doubtful fidelity, and the hopes of a
support, which could not be effectual; till the arrival of Andragathius,
the general of the cavalry of Maximus, put an end to his suspense. That
resolute officer executed, without remorse, the orders or the intention
of the usurper. Gratian, as he rose from supper, was delivered into the
hands of the assassin: and his body was denied to the pious and pressing
entreaties of his brother Valentinian. [14] The death of the emperor was
followed by that of his powerful general Mellobaudes, the king of the
Franks; who maintained, to the last moment of his life, the ambiguous
reputation, which is the just recompense of obscure and subtle policy.
[15] These executions might be necessary to the public safety: but the
successful usurper, whose power was acknowledged by all the provinces of
the West, had the merit, and the satisfaction, of boasting, that, except
those who had perished by the chance of war, his triumph was not stained
by the blood of the Romans. [16]

[Footnote 13: Archbishop Usher (Antiquat. Britan. Eccles. p. 107, 108)
has diligently collected the legends of the island, and the continent.
The whole emigration consisted of 30,000 soldiers, and 100,000
plebeians, who settled in Bretagne. Their destined brides, St. Ursula
with 11,000 noble, and 60,000 plebeian, virgins, mistook their way;
landed at Cologne, and were all most cruelly murdered by the Huns. But
the plebeian sisters have been defrauded of their equal honors; and what
is still harder, John Trithemius presumes to mention the children of
these British virgins.]

[Footnote 14: Zosimus (l. iv. p. 248, 249) has transported the death
of Gratian from Lugdunum in Gaul (Lyons) to Singidunum in Moesia. Some
hints may be extracted from the Chronicles; some lies may be detected in
Sozomen (l. vii. c. 13) and Socrates, (l. v. c. 11.) Ambrose is our
most authentic evidence, (tom. i. Enarrat. in Psalm lxi. p. 961, tom ii.
epist. xxiv. p. 888 &c., and de Obitu Valentinian Consolat. Ner. 28, p.
1182.)]

[Footnote 15: Pacatus (xii. 28) celebrates his fidelity; while his
treachery is marked in Prosper's Chronicle, as the cause of the ruin of
Gratian. Ambrose, who has occasion to exculpate himself, only condemns
the death of Vallio, a faithful servant of Gratian, (tom. ii. epist.
xxiv. p. 891, edit. Benedict.