Chapter 42

It is[752]said the city of[753]Venice[754]owes its[755]origin to that[756]inroad of the Barbarians, most of the Italians,[757]especially those of[758]Patavium,[759]flying from the[760]fire and[761]ruins of their cities to some[762]rocks and[763]desert[764]islands in the[765]sea for[766]refuge.

Valentinian, upon the death of his mother Placidia,[767]let loose the[768]reins of[769]power and[770]abused his[771]authority, for the[772]gratification of his[773]baseness and[774]cruelty. He[775]seduced the[776]wife of Maximus the senator,[777]put Ætius to death, after Maximus had by his[778]crafty[779]contrivances[780]rendered him[781]suspected, in the year 454; and the year following, by the contrivance of the same Maximus, he was[782]stabbed by Ætius’s[783]life-guard in the[784]field of[785]Mars, being thirty-six years of age, and in the 31st of his reign.[786]Eudoxia, the[787]consort of Valentinian, to[788]revenge the death of her[789]husband,[790]sent for Gensericus out of Africa, into Italy. Maximus, upon his[791]arrival,[792]endeavoured to[793]save himself by[794]flight, but was[795]torn in pieces by his own men, and[796]thrown into the[797]Tiber, after a[798]reign of[799]hardly two[800]months. Gensericus, after he had[801]taken the city, was so[802]affected by an[803]address of[804]Pope Leo’s, that he did not[805]set it on fire, or[806]put any to the sword; but[807]made plunder of all the[808]wealth of the[809]place, both[810]sacred and[811]profane, for fourteen days together; and[812]carried off Eudoxia, with her two daughters, Eudocia and Placidia, into Africa: the[813]former of which he[814]married to his son[815]Hunericus.

In the mean time,[816]Avitus Gallus being proclaimed emperor by the[817]Gallic[818]army at Thoulouse,made peace with the Goths; at whose[819]persuasion, Theodoric[820]entering Spain,[821]conquered the Suevi, and[822]killed their king[823]Richiarius in the year 456.

After him,[824]Majorianus[825]took the[826]government upon him at Ravenna; a[827]prince of a[828]great[829]soul, who being[830]desirous to[831]recover Africa, was going to Gensericus, under the[832]title of[833]ambassador; but being[834]seized by Ricimer at Dertona, and[835]obliged to[836]resign, was[837]put to death in the year 461, after a reign of four years and four months.

Ricimer[838]raised Severus for emperor,[839]according to an[840]agreement between them, and[841]poisoned him in the fourth year of his reign.

After this, there was an[842]interregnum of a year, and some months, till Anthemius was[843]sent into the West by[844]Leo, emperor of the[845]East, between whom and[846]Ricimer, it had been[847]agreed he should be[848]declared emperor, and his daughter should[849]marry Ricimer. Thus the barbarian being[850]made Anthemius’s[851]son-in-law, with his[852]wonted[853]treachery, first[854]raised a civil war against him, and then[855]put him to death at Rome, after he had[856]reigned five years and some months.

[857]Olybrius was then[858]put up in the[859]room of Anthemius by Ricimer, who[860]died forty days after Anthemius’s death: nor[861]was he long survived byOlybrius, for he died the same year, about seven months after his[862]promotion.

[863]He was followed by[864]Glycerius, who[865]took the[866]government upon himself at Ravenna, in the year 473, and reigned a year and four months. He was[867]succeeded by[868]Julius Nepos, who was[869]killed about five years after his[870]advancement.

[871]Momyllus, who was[872]likewise[873]called[874]Augustulus, was[875]set up by his father[876]Orestes, being the[877]last of all the emperors in the[878]West; for[879]Odouacer, king of the[880]Turcilingans, with the[881]Scyrans, and[882]Herulans,[883]seized Italy, and after having[884]slain Orestes and his brother[885]Paul,[886]banished Augustus into Campania. Thus[887]ended the[888]empire of the West. In the year of[889]Christ 476.

[1]godúto

[2]dignità

[3]pretendere

[4]moríre

[5]affábile

[6]civíle

[7]natura

[8]permettere

[9]ricerche

[10]Cristiáno

[11]preferíre

[12]servitóre

[13]sapére

[14]professióne

[15]altro

[16]principiáre

[17]regno

[18]nato

[19]Élena

[20]autóre

[21]legíttimo

[22]moglie

[23]basso

[24]nascita

[25]Massénzio

[26]Ercúlio

[27]proclamáto

[28]pretoriáno

[29]guardia

[30]guadagnáre

[31]pópolo

[32]parére

[33]favoreggiáre

[34]Cristiáno

[35]poco dopo

[36]voltolársi

[37]sorte

[38]dissolutézza

[39]crudeltà

[40]mandáre

[41]abbandonáto

[42]fuggire

[43]marciáre

[44]armáta

[45]pariménte

[46]Illírico

[47]fare

[48]speráre

[49]ricuperáre

[50]lasciáto

[51]voglia

[52]ritornáre

[53]consigliáre

[54]Diocleziáno

[55]dimoráre

[56]léttera

[57]fare

[58]ricusáre

[59]adescáre

[60]spergiúro

[61]uccídere

[62]fare una congiúra

[63]forzáto

[64]fuggíre

[65]dare

[66]matrimónio

[67]entráto

[68]cattivo

[69]diségno

[70]género

[71]scopérto

[72]rifugiársi

[73]Marsíglia

[74]soffríre

[75]castígo

[76]tradiménto

[77]moríre

[78]annoveráre

[79]nume

[80]Costantíno

[81]marciáre

[82]Massénzio

[83]incorraggíto

[84]prodígio

[85]croce

[86]vedére

[87]ciélo

[88]traversáto

[89]Alpi

[90]sconfítto

[91]méttere in rotta

[92]fuggíre

[93]ponte

[94]messo

[95]Tévere

[96]rompérsi

Back to Index Next