he authentic materials for the history of Attila, may be
found in Jornandes (de Rebus Geticis, c. 34-50, p. 668-688, edit. Grot.)
and Priscus (Excerpta de Legationibus, p. 33-76, Paris, 1648.) I have
not seen the Lives of Attila, composed by Juvencus Caelius Calanus
Dalmatinus, in the twelfth century, or by Nicholas Olahus, archbishop
of Gran, in the sixteenth. See Mascou's History of the Germans, ix., and
Maffei Osservazioni Litterarie, tom. i. p. 88, 89. Whatever the modern
Hungarians have added must be fabulous; and they do not seem to have
excelled in the art of fiction. They suppose, that when Attila invaded
Gaul and Italy, married innumerable wives, &c., he was one hundred and
twenty years of age. Thewrocz Chron. c. i. p. 22, in Script. Hunger.
tom. i. p. 76.]

In the tide of emigration which impetuously rolled from the confines
of China to those of Germany, the most powerful and populous tribes may
commonly be found on the verge of the Roman provinces. The accumulated
weight was sustained for a while by artificial barriers; and the easy
condescension of the emperors invited, without satisfying, the insolent
demands of the Barbarians, who had acquired an eager appetite for the
luxuries of civilized life. The Hungarians, who ambitiously insert the
name of Attila among their native kings, may affirm with truth that the
hordes, which were subject to his uncle Roas, or Rugilas, had formed
their encampments within the limits of modern Hungary, [2] in a fertile
country, which liberally supplied the wants of a nation of hunters and
shepherds. In this advantageous situation, Rugilas, and his valiant
brothers, who continually added to their power and reputation, commanded
the alternative of peace or war with the two empires. His alliance with
the Romans of the West was cemented by his personal friendship for the
great Aetius; who was always secure of finding, in the Barbarian camp, a
hospitable reception and a powerful support. At his solicitation, and
in the name of John the usurper, sixty thousand Huns advanced to the
confines of Italy; their march and their retreat were alike expensive to
the state; and the grateful policy of Aetius abandoned the possession of
Pannonia to his faithful confederates. The Romans of the East were
not less apprehensive of the arms of Rugilas, which threatened the
provinces, or even the capital. Some ecclesiastical historians have
destroyed the Barbarians with lightning and pestilence; [3] but