hem.

[Sidenote: STILICHO'S TREACHEROUS ATTACK 402]

[Sidenote: ALARIC I SACKS ROME A.D. 410]

When they had gone away without doing any harm 154
in Italy, Stilicho, the Patrician and father-in-law of
the Emperor Honorius,--for the Emperor had married
both his daughters, Maria and Thermantia, in succession,
but God called both from this world in their virgin
purity--this Stilicho, I say, treacherously hurried
to Pollentia, a city in the Cottian Alps. There he fell
upon the unsuspecting Goths in battle, to the ruin of all
Italy and his own disgrace. When the Goths suddenly 155
beheld him, at first they were terrified. Soon regaining
their courage and arousing each other by brave shouting,
as is their custom, they turned to flight the entire army
of Stilicho and almost exterminated it. Then forsaking
the journey they had undertaken, the Goths with hearts
full of rage returned again to Liguria whence they
had set out. When they had plundered and spoiled it,
they also laid waste Aemilia, and then hastened toward
the city of Rome along the Flaminian Way, which runs
between Picenum and Tuscia, taking as booty whatever 156
they found on either hand. When they finally entered
Rome, by Alaric's express command they merely
sacked it and did not set the city on fire, as wild peoples
usually do, nor did they permit serious damage to be done
to the holy places. Thence they departed to bring like
ruin upon Campania and Lucania, and then came to
Bruttii. Here they remained a long time and planned to
go to Sicily and thence to the countries of Africa.

[Sidenote: DEATH OF ALARIC I A.D. 410]

[Sidenote: Athavulf 410-415]

Now the land of the Bruttii is at the extreme southern
bound of Italy, and a corner of it marks the beginning of
the Apennine mountains. It stretches out like a tongue
into the Adriatic Sea and separates it from the Tyrrhenian
waters. It chanced to receive its name in ancient times
from a Queen Bruttia. To this place came Alaric, king of 157
Visigoths, with the wealth of all Italy which he had
taken as spoil, and from there, as we have said, he intended
to cross over by way of Sicily to the quiet land of
Africa. But since man is not free to do anything he
wishes without the will of God, that dread strait sunk several
of his ships and threw all into confusion. Alaric was
cast down by his reverse and, while deliberating what he
should do, was suddenly overtaken by an untimely death
and depa