Attalus had fallen into disgrace with the Gothic chief, Honorius again broke off the negociations, and Alaric returned for the third time to Rome. On the 24th August, 410, was that awful burning of Rome which is still so famous in the world’s history, the Salarian gate, which is yet standing, having been opened to the Goths by treachery. Although Rome had to suffer many of the horrors of a town taken by storm, little blood was shed: many were led away as prisoners. The lust and rapine of the Goths hardly knew any bounds: the inhabitants were racked to make them show where they had hidden their treasures. The churches only were not plundered. After a pillage of three days, the evacuation began, which was completed by the sixth day. Alaric marched to Rhegium, intending to go also to Sicily; but he turned back. Two years after the taking of Rome, he died in Cosenza. (To this refers the beautiful poem of Count Platen, “The Tomb at Busento.”) The command of the army fell to his brother-in-law Adolphus, who, quite unlike Alaric, had a fondness for the Romans: he left Italy and marched to Languedoc. On both sides of the Pyrenees, over part of Languedoc and Catalonia, he reigned as an independent prince, the ally of the Romans. There he married Placidia, Honorius’ sister, who had been led away as a captive, and who now so closely knit the alliance, that it changed into real friendship. Adolphus, who had already led his troops into Spain, where he conquered the Vandals, Sueves, and Alans, and drove them into Asturias, Galicia, and Lusitania; gave back to the Roman empire the provinces which he did not occupy himself. He also did very good service against Jovinus, a usurper, and his brother Sebastianus. In Britain, whilst Alaric was in Italy, an officer of the name of Constantine had been proclaimed Augustus by the soldiers, and had been favourably received in Gaul. Against him arose Gerontius, another usurper, who placed Maximus, a friend of his, on the throne; but in Gaul there came forth an army of Honorius under Constantius, ostensibly to the assistance of Constantine, which was quite a sound policy. Constantius compelled Gerontius and Maximus, who were besieging Arles, to put an end to their own lives; then he afterwards went on with the war against Constantine, and thus regained Gaul and Spain for the Romans. For this, after the death of Adolphus, he was rewarded with the hand of Galla Placidia. The friendship between the Western Goths and the Romans now ceased again: Singeric and Wallia broke off with them, and the Visigoths, who were very jealous of their independence, returned to their former attitude towards them. Thenceforth, except that her coasts were pillaged by Genseric, Italy had peace until the invasion of Attila: yet we may easily imagine how little she was able to recover herself. Honorius died in 423.