OF THE EOMAN EMPIRE 431 of Imperial magnificence or Christian charity. The immediate supplies had been exhausted by the unforeseen necessity of military' preparations. A personal contribution, rigorously, but capriciously, imposed on the members of the senatorian order, was the only expedient that could disarm, without loss of time, the impatient avarice of Attila ; but the poverty of the nobles compelled them to adopt the scandalous resource of exposing to public auction the jewels of their wives and the hereditary ornaments of their palaces.^^ m^ Xhe king of the Huns appears to have established, as a principle of national juris- prudence, that he could never lose the pi'operty which he had once acquired in the persons who had yielded either a voluntaiy or reluctant submission to his authority. From this principle he concluded, and the conclusions of Attila were irrevocable laws, that the Huns who had been taken prisoners in war should be released without delay and without ransom ; that everj' Ro- man captive who had presumed to escape should purchase his right to fi'eedom at the price of twelve pieces of gold ; and that [£7] all the Barbarians who had deserted the standard of Attila should be restored, without any promise, or stipulation, of pardon. In the execution of this cruel and ignominious treaty, the Imperial officers were forced to massacre several loyal and noble deserters, who refused to devote themselves to certain death ; and the Romans forfeited all reasonable claims to the friendship of any Scythian people, by this public confession that they were destitute either of faith or power to protect the suppliants who had embraced the throne of Theodosius.^*^ The firmness of a single town, so obscui'e that, except on this spirit of the ~ ' 111 Azlmuntlnes occasion, it has never been mentioned by any historian or geographer, exposed the disgrace of the emperor and empire. Azimus, or Azimuntium, a small city of Thrace on the Illyrian [Asemua] borders, 3 had been distinguished by the martial spirit of its 35 According to the description or rather invective of Chrysostom, an auction of Byzantine luxury must have been very productive. Every wealthy house pos- sessed a semicircular table of massy silver, such as two men could scarcely lift, a vase of solid gold of the weight of forty pounds, cups, dishes of the same metal. 36 The articles of the treaty, expressed without much order or precision, may be found in Priscus (p. 34, 35, 36, 37, 53, [&c. fr. 2-4, and fr. 8, p. 81]). Count Marcellinus dispenses some comfort by observing, ist. That Attila himself solicited the peace and presents which he had formerly refused ; and, 2dly, TAaf, about the same time, the ambassadors of India presented a fine large tame tiger to the emperor Theodosius. 37 Priscus, p. 35, 36 [fr. 5] . Among the hundred and eighty-two forts, or castles, of Thrace, enumerated by Procopius (de Aedificiis, 1. iv. c. xi. torn. ii. p. 92, edit.
