Stelle Interea comes Stilico, Vandalorum i...; (Historiarum adversum paganos libri VII (417 - 418), Lib. 7, Cap. 38, 1-7 (Vol. III, pp. 112-13, trans. Fear, pp. 400-1)) [2225]

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ID 2225
Text Historiarum adversum paganos libri VII (417 - 418) Orosius
Quotation Interea comes Stilico, Vandalorum inbellis auarae perfidae et dolosae gentis genere editus, parui pendens quod sub imperatore imperabat, Eucherium filium suum, sicut a plerisque traditur, iam inde Christianorum persecutionem a puero priuatoque meditantem, in imperium quoquo modo substituere nitebatur. Quamobrem Alaricum cunctamque Gothorum gentem, pro pace optima et quibuscumque sedibus suppliciter ac simpliciter orantem, occulto foedere fouens, publice autem et belli et pacis copia negata, ad terendam terrendamque rempublicam reseruauit. Praeterea gentes alias copiis uiribusque intolerabiles, quibus nunc Galliarum Hispaniarumque prouinciae premuntur, hoc est Alanorum, Sueuorum, Vandalorum, ipsoque simul motu inpulsorum Burgundionum, ultro in arma sollicitans, deterso semel Romani nominis metu suscitauit. Eas interim ripas Rheni quatere et pulsare Gallias uoluit, sperans miser sub hac necessitatis circumstantia quia et extorquere imperium genero posset in filium, et barbarae gentes tam facile comprimi quam commoueri ualerent. Itaque ubi imperatori Honorio exercituique Romano haec tantorum scelerum scaena patefacta est, commoto iustissime exercitu occisus est Stilico qui, ut unum puerum purpuram indueret, totius generis humani sanguinem dedidit; occisus Eucherius, qui ad conciliandum sibi fauorem paganorum restitutione templorum et euersione ecclesiarum inbuturum se regni primordia minabatur, paucique cum isdem satellites tantarum molitionum puniti sunt. Itaque post haec tanta augmenta blasphemiarum nullamque paenitentiam ultima illa diuque suspensa urbem poena consequitur.
Translation 1. Meanwhile Count Stilicho, offspring of that effete, greedy, treacherous, and sorrow-bringing race, the Vandals, thought it was not enough to rule under a ruler and strove by all means possible to substitute as ruler his own son Eucherius, whom, most historians say even then, while he was a young boy and held no official post, was planning how to persecute Christians. 2. It was for this reason that he held Alaric and the entire Gothic race in reserve to worry and wear down the state, courting him with a secret treaty, but in public refusing to countenance either war or peace. In fact, Alaric was humbly pleading for no more than peace on good terms and somewhere to settle. 3 Moreover, other nations irresistible in numbers and might who are now oppressing the provinces of Gaul and Spain (namely, the Alans, Suebi, and Vandals, as well as the Burgundians who were driven on by the same movement) were induced by Stilicho to take arms on their own initiative and were aroused when once their fear of Rome was removed. 4 Stilicho's plan was to batter the Rhine frontier and strike against the two Gauls. This wretched man hoped that in this dangerous situation he could thereby wrest the imperial dignity from his son-in-law and give it to his son, and that it would be as easy to repress the barbarian nations as it was to arouse them. 5 When the character of these crimes was openly revealed to the emperor Honorius and to the Roman army, the soldiers very properly mutinied and killed Stilicho, who, in order to clothe one boy with the royal purple, had imperilled the blood of the whole human race. 6 Eucherius was also slain, who for the sake of gaining the favour of the pagans had threatened that he would celebrate the beginning of his reign by the restoration of the temples and by the overthrow of the churches. Several accomplices also were punished for their wicked plots. 7. However, after such an increase in blasphemy and no sign of repentance, the long-postponed punishment of the City finally arrived.
Quotation source Lib. 7, Cap. 38, 1-7 (Vol. III, pp. 112-13, trans. Fear, pp. 400-1)
Temporal Coverage 407 - 408
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