Happy our emperor in his choice; he judges and the world agrees; he is the first to value what we all see. Ay, for he has allied to his children and to his palace one who never preferred ease to war nor the pleasures of peace to danger, nor yet his life to his honour. Who but he could have driven back the savage Visigoths to their wagons or overwhelmed in one huge slaughter the Bastarnae puffed up with the slaying of Promotus[186]? Aeneas avenged the slaughter of Pallas with the death of Turnus, Hector, dragged behind the chariot-wheels, was to wrathful Achilles either revenge or gain; thou dost not carry off in mad chariot dead bodies for ransom nor plot idle savagery against a single corpse; thou slayest at thy friend’s tomb whole [186] Promotus, who had rescued Theodosius from an ambush in his war against the Visigoths in 390, lost his life in the same war the year after. Stilicho succeeded to his command. * * * * * Page 372 hostilesque globos tumulo prosternis amici; inferiis gens tota datur. nec Mulciber auctor mendacis clipei fabricataque vatibus arma 105 conatus iuvere tuos: tot barbara solus milia iam pridem miseram vastantia Thracen finibus exiguae vallis conclusa tenebas. nec te terrisonus stridor venientis Alani nec vaga Chunorum feritas, non falce Gelonus, 110 non arcu pepulere Getae, non Sarmata conto. extinctique forent penitus, ni more maligno falleret Augustas occultus proditor aures obstrueretque moras strictumque reconderet ensem, solveret obsessos, praeberet foedera captis. 115 Adsiduus castris aderat, rarissimus urbi, si quando trepida princeps pietate vocaret; vixque salutatis Laribus, vix coniuge visa, deterso necdum repetebat sanguine campum. nec stetit Eucherii dum carperet oscula saltem 120 per galeam. patris stimulos ignisque mariti vicit cura ducis. quotiens sub pellibus egit Edonas hiemes et tardi flabra Bootae sub divo Riphaca tulit! cumque igne propinquo frigora vix ferrent alii, tunc iste rigentem 125 Danuvium calcabat eques nivibusque profundum scandebat cristatus Athon lateque corusco curvatas glacie silvas umbone ruebat. nunc prope Cimmerii tendebat litora Ponti, * * * * * Page 373