Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol 4 | Page 8

the prudence
of delays. No sooner had Theodoric gained a short repose and
refreshment to his wearied cavalry, than he boldly attacked the
fortifications of the enemy; the Ostrogoths showed more ardor to
acquire, than the mercenaries to defend, the lands of Italy; and the
reward of the first victory was the possession of the Venetian province
as far as the walls of Verona. In the neighborhood of that city, on the
steep banks of the rapid Adige, he was opposed by a new army,
reenforced in its numbers, and not impaired in its courage: the contest
was more obstinate, but the event was still more decisive; Odoacer fled

to Ravenna, Theodoric advanced to Milan, and the vanquished troops
saluted their conqueror with loud acclamations of respect and fidelity.
But their want either of constancy or of faith soon exposed him to the
most imminent danger; his vanguard, with several Gothic counts,
which had been rashly intrusted to a deserter, was betrayed and
destroyed near Faenza by his double treachery; Odoacer again appeared
master of the field, and the invader, strongly intrenched in his camp of
Pavia, was reduced to solicit the aid of a kindred nation, the Visigoths
of Gaul. In the course of this History, the most voracious appetite for
war will be abundantly satiated; nor can I much lament that our dark
and imperfect materials do not afford a more ample narrative of the
distress of Italy, and of the fierce conflict, which was finally decided by
the abilities, experience, and valor of the Gothic king. Immediately
before the battle of Verona, he visited the tent of his mother ^19 and
sister, and requested, that on a day, the most illustrious festival of his
life, they would adorn him with the rich garments which they had
worked with their own hands. "Our glory," said he, "is mutual and
inseparable. You are known to the world as the mother of Theodoric;
and it becomes me to prove, that I am the genuine offspring of those
heroes from whom I claim my descent." The wife or concubine of
Theodemir was inspired with the spirit of the German matrons, who
esteemed their sons' honor far above their safety; and it is reported, that
in a desperate action, when Theodoric himself was hurried along by the
torrent of a flying crowd, she boldly met them at the entrance of the
camp, and, by her generous reproaches, drove them back on the swords
of the enemy. ^20
[Footnote 18: Tot reges, &c., (Ennodius, p. 1602.) We must recollect
how much the royal title was multiplied and degraded, and that the
mercenaries of Italy were the fragments of many tribes and nations.]
[Footnote 19: See Ennodius, p. 1603, 1604. Since the orator, in the
king's presence, could mention and praise his mother, we may conclude
that the magnanimity of Theodoric was not hurt by the vulgar
reproaches of concubine and bastard.
Note: Gibbon here assumes that the mother of Theodoric was the

concubine of Theodemir, which he leaves doubtful in the text. - M.]
[Footnote 20: This anecdote is related on the modern but respectable
authority of Sigonius, (Op. tom. i. p. 580. De Occident. Impl. l. xv.:)
his words are curious: "Would you return?" &c. She presented and
almost displayed the original recess.
Note: The authority of Sigonius would scarcely have weighed with
Gibboa except for an indecent anecdote. I have a recollection of a
similar story in some of the Italian wars. - M.]]
From the Alps to the extremity of Calabria, Theodoric reigned by the
right of conquest; the Vandal ambassadors surrendered the Island of
Sicily, as a lawful appendage of his kingdom; and he was accepted as
the deliverer of Rome by the senate and people, who had shut their
gates against the flying usurper. ^21 Ravenna alone, secure in the
fortifications of art and nature, still sustained a siege of almost three
years; and the daring sallies of Odoacer carried slaughter and dismay
into the Gothic camp. At length, destitute of provisions and hopeless of
relief, that unfortunate monarch yielded to the groans of his subjects
and the clamors of his soldiers. A treaty of peace was negotiated by the
bishop of Ravenna; the Ostrogoths were admitted into the city, and the
hostile kings consented, under the sanction of an oath, to rule with
equal and undivided authority the provinces of Italy. The event of such
an agreement may be easily foreseen. After some days had been
devoted to the semblance of joy and friendship, Odoacer, in the midst
of a solemn banquet, was stabbed by the hand, or at least by the
command, of his rival. Secret and effectual orders had been previously
despatched; the faithless and rapacious mercenaries, at the same
moment, and without resistance, were universally massacred;