sensible that these military orations are usually
composed by the historian; yet the old Ostrogoths, who had served under
Attila, might repeat his discourse to Cassiodorus; the ideas, and even
the expressions, have an original Scythian cast; and I doubt, whether an
Italian of the sixth century would have thought of the hujus certaminis
gaudia.]

The discipline and tactics of the Greeks and Romans form an interesting
part of their national manners. The attentive study of the military
operations of Xenophon, or Caesar, or Frederic, when they are described
by the same genius which conceived and executed them, may tend to
improve (if such improvement can be wished) the art of destroying the
human species. But the battle of Chalons can only excite our curiosity
by the magnitude of the object; since it was decided by the blind
impetuosity of Barbarians, and has been related by partial writers,
whose civil or ecclesiastical profession secluded them from the
knowledge of military affairs. Cassiolorus, however, had familiarly
conversed with many Gothic warriors, who served in that memorable
engagement; "a conflict," as they informed him, "fierce, various,
obstinate, and bloody; such as could not be paralleled either in the
present or in past ages." The number of the slain amounted to one
hundred and sixty-two thousand, or, according to another account,
three hundred thousand persons; [44] and these incredible exaggerations
suppose a real and effective loss sufficient to justify the historian's
remark, that whole generations may be swept away by the madness of
kings, in the space of a single hour. After the mutual and repeated
discharge of missile weapons, in which the archers of Scythia might
signalize their superior dexterity, the cavalry and infantry of the two
armies were furiously mingled in closer combat. The Huns, who fought
under the eyes of their king pierced through the feeble and doubtful
centre of the allies, separated their wings from each other, and
wheeling, with a rapid effort, to the left, directed their whole force
against the Visigoths. As Theodoric rode along the ranks, to animate his
troops, he received a mortal stroke from the javelin of Andages, a noble
Ostrogoth, and immediately fell from his horse. The wounded king was
oppressed in the general disorder, and trampled under the feet of his
own cavalry; and this important death served to explain the ambiguous
prophecy of the haruspices. Attila already exult