Honorius; but, while she was
exposed to the disgrace of following round Italy the motions of a Gothic
camp, she experienced, however, a decent and respectful treatment. The
authority of Jornandes, who praises the beauty of Placidia, may perhaps
be counterbalanced by the silence, the expressive silence, of her
flatterers: yet the splendor of her birth, the bloom of youth,
the elegance of manners, and the dexterous insinuation which she
condescended to employ, made a deep impression on the mind of Adolphus;
and the Gothic king aspired to call himself the brother of the emperor.
The ministers of Honorius rejected with disdain the proposal of an
alliance so injurious to every sentiment of Roman pride; and repeatedly
urged the restitution of Placidia, as an indispensable condition of
the treaty of peace. But the daughter of Theodosius submitted, without
reluctance, to the desires of the conqueror, a young and valiant prince,
who yielded to Alaric in loftiness of stature, but who excelled in the
more attractive qualities of grace and beauty. The marriage of Adolphus
and Placidia [136] was consummated before the Goths retired from Italy;
and the solemn, perhaps the anniversary day of their nuptials was
afterwards celebrated in the house of Ingenuus, one of the most
illustrious citizens of Narbonne in Gaul. The bride, attired and adorned
like a Roman empress, was placed on a throne of state; and the king of
the Goths, who assumed, on this occasion, the Roman habit, contented
himself with a less honorable seat by her side. The nuptial gift, which,
according to the custom of his nation, [137] was offered to Placidia,
consisted of the rare and magnificent spoils of her country. Fifty
beautiful youths, in silken robes, carried a basin in each hand; and one
of these basins was filled with pieces of gold, the other with precious
stones of an inestimable value. Attalus, so long the sport of fortune,
and of the Goths, was appointed to lead the chorus of the Hymeneal
song; and the degraded emperor might aspire to the praise of a skilful
musician. The Barbarians enjoyed the insolence of their triumph; and
the provincials rejoiced in this alliance, which tempered, by the mild
influence of love and reason, the fierce spirit of their Gothic lord.
[138]

[Footnote 133: See an account of Placidia in Ducange Fam. Byzant. p. 72;
and Tillemont, Hist. des Empereurs, tom. v. p. 260, 386, &c. tom. vi. p.
240.]

[Footnote 134: Zosim. l. v. p. 350