A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

M14 HONORIUS. HONORIUS.
laws was employed to hasten. the downfal of the due to Honorius himself, and the populace of Rome
corrupt and worn-out system of paganism; and perhaps sacrificed their own inclination, in hope of
under Honorius the prohibition was-completed by se- propitiating his favour, and securing his abode
veral laws, especially by one very stringent ordinance among them. The people of Milan were anxious
(Cod. Theod. 16. tit. 10. s. 19), dated from Rome, for his return to that city; but Honorius had been
and addressed to the praetorian praefect of Italy, too thoroughly alarmed by the Gothic invasion to
confiscating the revenues (annonae) of the temples fix his permanent residence any where but in the
for the support of the army, ordaining that all impregnable fortress of Rlavenna.
statues yet remaining in the temples. and to which He soon had to congratulate himself on the choice
any religious worship was paid, should be thrown he had made. Italy was, devastated by a new host
down, all altars pulled down, the temples them- of barbarians from Germany, under the pagan Goth
selves, if the property of the crown, converted to Radagaisus, or Rhadagaisuis, or Rhodogaisus ('Popublic uses; or, if private property, to be pulled 6oya'Yaos). His army, according to Orosius, con*down by their owners; and all heathen rites abo- sisted. of 200,000 Goths: the other nations swelled.
lished. To the discontent caused by this sup- the amount, if we may trust Zosimus, to 400,000.
pression of all the ordinances of the old religion It was divided into three parts: that which Radamay perhaps be ascribed the frequent revolts of the gaisus in person commanded was stopped at Florence
following years, and which might have been by the valiant resistance of the townsmen, and
avoided, had the now triumphant Christians been driven into the Apennines above Fesulae (Fiezole),
content to trust to the native power of truth in its and starved into a surrender by the generalship of
conflict with heathen error. Stilicho. Of the remainder of the barbarian host,
The years 400-403 were marked by the ravage part probably (see Gibbon) constituted the force
of the northern part of Italy by the Visi-Goths, which (A. D. 407) ravaged Gaul; and some were
under Alaric. Tillemont doubts whether this in- perhaps, as Zosimus states, driven across the Davasion was made by Alaric as an independent nube, and surprised and cut to pieces by Stilicho
prince, or as an officer of the Eastern emperor Ar- on their native soil. The defeat of Radagaisus is.
cadius, who had appointed him praefect of Eastern placed by Prosper Aquitanicus and Tillemont, in
Illyricum. Honorius had never been on good terms A. D. 405; by Marcellinus and by Gibbon in A. D.
with his brother since the death of Theodosius; or 406. Possibly he invaded Italy in A. D. 405, and
rather, the two divisions of the empire were con- was defeated in 406.
tinually embroiled by the intrigues or hostilities of The interval of peace in Italy which followed the
their rival ministers, Stilicho in the West, and Ru- defeat of Radagaisus, was occupied by Honorius in
finns and Eutropius in the East. It is probable interceding for Chrysostom, then at variance with
that his invasion of Italy.was on his own account, the court of Constantinople; and by Stilicho in
as independent king of the Visi-Goths. Jornandes negotiations with Alaric to deprive the Eastern
ascribes his hostility to the diminution or with- empire of that part of Illyricum which belonged to
holding of the subsidies paid to the Goths, the sons it, and incorporate it with the Western empire.
of Theodosius wasting in luxury the revenues ap- Meanwhile, Gaul was ravaged by a promiscuous
plicable to this purpose. Whether Alaric con- multitude, consisting for the most part of Vandals,
tinued in Italy during the whole of the three Suevi, and Alans, which Orosius, Marcellinus, and
years 400-402, or whether, as is more likely, Prosper Tiro, and apparently Jerome, state to have
he was compelled or induced for a time to recross been excited by Stilicho: and while the tide of barthe Julian Alps, is not quite clear. In 400, ap- barian invasion yet rolled over that province, the
parently near the end of the year, he ravaged the troops in Britain revolted, and after electing and
neighbourhood of Aquileia; and besieged that city; murdering two emperors in succession, crossed over
and in 402 he ravaged Venetia and Liguria. Rome into Gaul, under the guidance of Constantine, the
was alarmed, and the ancient walls of the city were third usurper whom they had invested with the
repaired, in apprehension of the approach of the purple. Some successes against the German inlGoths; and Honorius, if we may trust Claudian, vaders aided apparently in obtaining his recognition
was contemplating a flight into Gaul, or, which is by the provincials; and establishing himself in
more likely, had actually secured himself within Gaul, he sent his son Constans to secure Spain.
the walls of Ravenna. The forces of the West Stilicho sent Sarus, a Goth, to attack him, but
were chiefly engaged in Rhaetia, but the diligence Sarus was compelled to retreat. Meanwhile, alienof Stilicho collected a force with which he defeated ation was taking place between Honorius and
the Visi-Goths at Pollentia (Polenza, on the Ta- Stilicho. The ambition of Stilicho appears to have
naro, in Piedmont, on or about the 29th March, led him to aspire to the direction of affairs in the
403), and compelled them to retreat into Pannonia. Eastern empire, when, by the death of Arcadius,
Honorius remained during the greater part of the the crown devolved about this time to Theodosius
year 403 at Ravenna (which, from this alarming II., a child of seven years. But Serena, anxious
crisis, became his ordinary residence); but during to maintain the peace between the two empires,
several months of the year 404, which was the year did not co-operate with her husband; and Stilicho,
of his sixth consulship (his fifth was in A. D. 402), by her opposition, lost much of the benefit of his
he was at Rome. The abolition of the gladiatorial connection with the imperial family. Another
combats, which the edicts of Constantine had not cause of estrangement existed: Maria was dead,
been able to suppress, is ascribed to this year; and and Honorius wished to marry her sister, Therthe incident which gave immediate occasion to it, mantia. Serena was favourable to his wish; but
by working on the feelings of the young emperor Stilicho, if we may judge from the mutilated text
[TELEMACHUS, the AscETIc], is simply told by of Zosimus, was opposed to it. The marriage,
Theodoret in his Ecclesiastical Hist. ( v. 26).. The however, took place. The intrigues of Olympius,
progress of Christianity had prepared the way for an officer of-the imperial household, who, according
this act, but much of the credit of it seems to be to Zosimus, concealed his great malignity under a