Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 3 (1897).djvu/440

420 THE DECLINE AND FALL the point of an ancient sword, which he du^ out of the ^ound and presented to Attila. That matjnanimous, or rather that artful, prince accepted, with pious gratitude, this celestial favour ; and, as the rightful possessor of the xivnrd o/"3/(7r.y, asserted his divine and indefeasible claim to the dominion of the earth.^ If the rights of Scythia were practised on this solemn occasion, a lofty altar or rather pile of faggots, three hundred yards in length and in breadth, was raised in a spacious plain ; and the sword of Mars was placed erect on the summit of this rustic altar, which was annually consecrated by the blood of sheep, horses, and of the hundredth captive. i*^ Whether human sacrifices formed any part of the worship of Attila, or whether he propitiated the god of war with the victims which he continually offered in the field of battle, the favourite of Mars soon acquired a sacred character, which rendered his conquests more easy, and more permanent ; and the Barbarian princes confessed, in the language of devotion and flattery, that they could not presume to gaze, with a steady eye, on the divine majesty of the king of the Huns.^^ His [AD. 445] brother Bleda, who reigned over a considerable part of the nation, was compelled to resign his sceptre and his life. Yet even this cruel act was attributed to a supernatural impulse; and the vigour with which Attila wielded the sword of Mars convinced the world that it had been resened alone for his in- vincible arm.^- But the extent of his empire affords the only re- maining evidence of the number and importance of his victories ; ajid the Scythian monarch, however ignorant of the value of science and philosophv, might, perhaps, lament that his illiterate subjects were destitute of the art which could perpetuate the memory of his exploits, and acquires If a line of Separation Were drawn between the civilized and 8c^a^d°'the savage climates of the globe ; between the inhabitants of Qermany 9 Priscus relates this remarkable story, both in his own text (p. 65 [p. 90]) and in the quotation made by Jornandes (c. 35, p. 662). He might have explained the tradi- tion, or fable, which characterized this famous sword, and the name as well as attributes of the Scjthian deity, whom he has translated into the Mars of the Greeks and Romans. 10 Herodot. 1. iv. c. 62. For the sake of economy, I have calculated by the smallest stadium. In the human sacrifices, they cut off the shoulder and arm of the victim, which they threw up into the air, and drew omens and presages from the manner of their falling on the pile. " Priscus, p. 155 [F. H. G. iv. p. 83]. A more civilized hero, Augustus himself, was pleased if the person on whom he fixed his eyes seemed unable to support their divine lustre, Sueton. in .August, c. 79. 12 The count de Buat (Hist, des Peuples de I'Europe, torn. vii. p. 428, 429) attempts to clear Attila from the murder of his brother ; and is almost inclined to reject the concurrent testimony of Jornandes and the contemporary Chronicles.