ere conducted, after this ceremony, to their respective seats
in a spacious hall. The royal table and couch, covered with carpets and
fine linen, was raised by several steps in the midst of the hall; and
a son, an uncle, or perhaps a favorite king, were admitted to share the
simple and homely repast of Attila. Two lines of small tables, each of
which contained three or four guests, were ranged in order on either
hand; the right was esteemed the most honorable, but the Romans
ingenuously confess, that they were placed on the left; and that Beric,
an unknown chieftain, most probably of the Gothic race, preceded the
representatives of Theodosius and Valentinian. The Barbarian monarch
received from his cup-bearer a goblet filled with wine, and courteously
drank to the health of the most distinguished guest; who rose from his
seat, and expressed, in the same manner, his loyal and respectful vows.
This ceremony was successively performed for all, or at least for the
illustrious persons of the assembly; and a considerable time must have
been consumed, since it was thrice repeated as each course or service
was placed on the table. But the wine still remained after the meat had
been removed; and the Huns continued to indulge their intemperance long
after the sober and decent ambassadors of the two empires had withdrawn
themselves from the nocturnal banquet. Yet before they retired, they
enjoyed a singular opportunity of observing the manners of the nation
in their convivial amusements. Two Scythians stood before the couch of
Attila, and recited the verses which they had composed, to celebrate
his valor and his victories. [4512] A profound silence prevailed in
the hall; and the attention of the guests was captivated by the vocal
harmony, which revived and perpetuated the memory of their own exploits;
a martial ardor flashed from the eyes of the warriors, who were
impatient for battle; and the tears of the old men expressed their
generous despair, that they could no longer partake the danger and glory
of the field. [46] This entertainment, which might be considered as a
school of military virtue, was succeeded by a farce, that debased
the dignity of human nature. A Moorish and a Scythian buffcon [4611]
successively excited the mirth of the rude spectators, by their deformed
figure, ridiculous dress, antic gestures, absurd speeches, and the
strange, unintelligible confusion of the Latin, the Gothic, and the
Hunnic languages; and the