moved his army in another; for in the
midst of these preparations he turned his face toward the
Visigoths who had yet to feel his vengeance. But here 226
he had not the same success as against the Romans.
Hastening back by a different way than before, he decided
to reduce to his sway that part of the Alani which
was settled across the river Loire, in order that by attacking
them, and thus changing the aspect of the war, he
might become a more terrible menace to the Visigoths.
Accordingly he started from the provinces of Dacia and
Pannonia, where the Huns were then dwelling with various
subject peoples, and moved his array against the
Alani. But Thorismud, king of the Visigoths, with like 227
quickness of thought perceived Attila's trick. By forced
marches he came to the Alani before him, and was well
prepared to check the advance of Attila when he came
after him. They joined battle in almost the same way as
before at the Catalaunian Plains, and Thorismud dashed
his hopes of victory, for he routed him and drove him
from the land without a triumph, compelling him to flee
to his own country. Thus while Attila, the famous leader
and lord of many victories, sought to blot out the fame
of his destroyer and in this way to annul what he had
suffered at the hands of the Visigoths, he met a second
defeat and retreated ingloriously. Now after the bands 228
of the Huns had been repulsed by the Alani, without any
hurt to his own men, Thorismud departed for Tolosa.
There he established a settled peace for his people and in
the third year of his reign fell sick. While letting blood
from a vein, he was betrayed to his death by Ascalc, a
client, who told his foes that his weapons were out of
reach. Yet grasping a foot-stool in the one hand he had
free, he became the avenger of his own blood by slaying
several of those that were lying in wait for him.

[Sidenote: THE REIGN OF KING THEODORID II 453-466]

[Sidenote: Battle near the Ulbius 456]

XLIV After his death, his brother Theodorid succeeded 229
to the kingdom of the Visigoths and soon found
that Riciarius his kinsman, the king of the Suavi, was
hostile to him. For Riciarius, presuming on his relationship
to Theodorid, believed that he might seize almost the
whole of Spain, thinking the disturbed beginning of
Theodorid's reign made the time opportune for his trick.
The Suavi formerly occupied as their country Galicia and 230
Lusitania, which extend on t