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

1204 VALENS. VALENS.
Theodosiolus or Theodosius, a grandee of Spain, over the country on the borders of the Danube.
and it seems that he must mean Tllheodosius, the Their chiefs were Alavif and Fritigern.
father of the emperor Theodosius, who was exe- Valens was still at Antioch (A. D. 377). It was
cuted at Carthage, A. D. 376. However, many the policy of the Romans to draw away the Goths
persons were executed who had dealt in magic; from the immediate banks of the Danube, who
Maximus, once the teacher of the emperor Julian, had not moved off, because they were not supplied
Simonides, Hilarius and others. Books of magic with provisions, as the emperor had ordered. Luwere diligently sought after, and all that could be picinus, Comes of Thrace and Maximus, who held
found were burnt. Chrysostom, then a young man, the rank of Dux, are accused of irritating the barwho by chance found a book of magic, expected barians by their treatment, and of driving them to
and feared to share the fate of those who had dealt arms. Lupicinus attempted to make the Goths
in this wicked art. leave the Danube, and employed for that purpose
The same year in which Gabinius in the West the soldiers who were stationed on the river; but
fell a victim to IRoman treachery (A. i. 374), Parn as soon as the Greuthingi, under Saphrax and
perished by the same shameful means. Para, it Alatheus, saw the banks unprotected, they crossed
appears, was established orl the throne of Armenia, over, having previously been refused permission.
but Valens was for some reason dissatisfied with The Greuthingi joined Fritigern and his Goths at
him, and sent for him to Tarsus under some pre- Marcianopolis. Lupicinus invited Alavif and Fritext, leaving him to wait there, until Parn, sus- tigern to a feast, but instead of a reconciliation, this
pecting that it was intended to keep him prisoner, brought about a quarrel, and a battle, in which
made his escape to Armenia. Valens commissioned Lupicinus was defeated. Some Goths, who were
Comes Trajanmts, the commander of the Roman already encamped near Hadrianople, were ordered
forces in Armenia, to put him to death, and Tra- to cross the Hellespont, but they asked for two
janus executed the order by inviting Para to a days' delay and supplies for the journey. The
banquet and assassinating him. chief magistrate of the city, being irritated at some
Negotiations for peace were still going on with damage done by the Goths to a country-house of
Sapor (A. D. 375), but they resulted in nothing. his, attacked them, and had the worst in the conlThe emperor spent this year at Antioch, taking bat. These Goths soon joined Fritigern, who had
little care of the administration, and allowing his advanced as far as Hadrianople, and they besieged
ministers to enrich themselves by lunjust means. the city. They could not take Hadrianople, but
Ammianus (xxx. 4) has a chapter on these mat- they were masters of all the country, which they
ters. The pretext for these odious inquisitions was pillaged.
the vague charge of treason against the emperor. Valens was at Antioch when he heard this news,
The events of A. D. 376.were unimportant. and he sent forward ProfuturLis and Trajanus with
Valens was consul for the fifth time with Valen- the legions from Armenia to bring the Goths to
tinianus, junior, who with his elder brother Gra- obedience. These two generals were joined by
tianius had succeeded their father Valentinianus I., Ricimler, who brought some help from Gratian.
who died at the close of A. D. 375. Valens was The Romans found the main body of the Goths at
preparing for war agaiunst the Persians, and he as- a place called Salices or the Willows, supposed to
scmbled a great force, but there is no record of be in the tract called Scythia Parva between the
what was the result of all this preparation. Sapor lower course of the Danube and the sea, where a
madecoclquests in Iberia and Armeinia, which Valens great battle was fought, apparently with no adcould not prevent. Valens sent Victor to Persia to vantage to the Romans, for they returned to Marcome to terlls with the Persian kinlg, and peace cianopolis. The further operations of this campaign
was made on termis, as it appears, not advantageous led to no decisive result, and there was loss on both
to the Inomnls. sides. The Goths appear to have spread themAt this time the Romans became acquainted selves all over the country between the Danube
with the name of the Huns. The Huns, after at- and the Archipelago, and to have advanced even to
tacking various tribes anld the Alans, who in- the suburbs of Constantinople. Valens reached
habited the banks of the Tanais, fell upon the Constantinople on the 30th of May, A. D. 378. He
Goths called Greuthingi or Eastern Goths, and so deprived Trajanus of the command of the infantry,
alarmed them that Ermenric, their king, killed which he gave to Sebastianus, to whom he entrusted
himself. Vithimis, his successor, fell in battle the conduct of the war. " It was," says Tillemolt,
against the Huns, and. Alatheus and Saphrax, the " worthy of an Arian emperor to entrust his troops
guardians of his son Vitheric, retreated before this to a Manichaean. It was he who with the emformidable enemy, to the country between the peror determined on the unfortunate battle where
Borysthenes and the Danube. Athanaric and his they perished, against the advice of the most prunGoths attempted a useless resistanrce to the Huns dent, and principally Victor, general of the cavalhy,
on the banks of the Dniester. The Goths, and a man altogether Catholic." Valens left Conamong them were some of the people of Athanaric, stantinople on the 11th of June, with evil omens. A
to the number of about 200,000, appeared on the solitary named Isaac, whose cell was near Constanbanks of the Danube and asked for permission to tinople, threatened him with the vengeance of God.
enter the Roman territories. Valens was then at " Restore," he said," to the flocks their holy pusAnrtiochb, and the Goths sent a deputation to him tors, and you will gain a victory without trouble:
at the head of which was their bishop Ulphilas. if you fight before you have done it, you will lose
Valens granted the request of the Goths, but your army and you will never return."
ordered that their children should be carried over The emnperor encamnlped with a powerful army
to Asia as hostages, and that the Goths should ulear Iadrianmople. Trajanus, it appears, was renot bring their armis with them; but the last part stored to his commauud, or held some commaud;
of the order was ismperfectly executed. Accordingly but the advice of' Sebastiauus prevailed with the
the Goths were rec:ived into Thrace and spread eor'peror over that of Victor and the other generals,