The history of the decline and fall of the Roman empire . the city; andhe dismissed the patrician with his best advice, either to bribethe Lombard chiefs or to purchase the aid of the kings ofFrance. Notwithstandmg this weak invention, Italy was still [ 579] afflicted, Eome was again besieged, and the suburb of Classe,only three miles from Ravenna, was pillaged and occupied bythe troops of a simple duke of Spoleto. Maurice gave audienceto a second deputation of priests and senators; the duties andthe menaces of rehgion were forcibly urged in the letters of theRoman pontiff; and his nuncio,
The history of the decline and fall of the Roman empire . the city; andhe dismissed the patrician with his best advice, either to bribethe Lombard chiefs or to purchase the aid of the kings ofFrance. Notwithstandmg this weak invention, Italy was still [ 579] afflicted, Eome was again besieged, and the suburb of Classe,only three miles from Ravenna, was pillaged and occupied bythe troops of a simple duke of Spoleto. Maurice gave audienceto a second deputation of priests and senators; the duties andthe menaces of rehgion were forcibly urged in the letters of theRoman pontiff; and his nuncio, the deacon Gregory, was alikequalified to solicit the powers either of heaven or of the emperor adopted, with stronger effect, the measures ofhis predecessor; some formidable chiefs were persuaded to em-brace the friendship of the Romans, and one of them, a mildand faithful barbarian, lived and died in the service of theexarch; the passes of the Alps were delivered to the Franks;and the pope encouraged them to violate, without scruple, their. GOLD CROSS OF A(;, KINO OF THE , EARLV SEVENTH CENTURY(treasury of the cathedral of .monza) Chap, xlv] OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE 23 oaths and engagements to the misbelievers. Childebert, ]great-grandson of Clovis, was persuaded to invade Italy by thepayment of fifty thousand pieces; but, as he had viewed with [£3o,ooo]delight some Byzantine coin of the weight of one pound ofgold, the king of Austrasia might stipulate that the gift shouldbe rendered more worthy of his acceptance by a proper mixtmeof these respectable medals. The dukes of the Lombards had [ 568-provoked by frequent inroads their powerful neighbours of soon as they were apprehensive of a just retaliation, theyrenounced their feeble and disorderly independence; the ad-vantages of regal government, union, secrecy, and vigour, wereunanimously confessed; and Autharis, the son of Clepho, had Autbaris,already attained the strength and rep
Size: 1246px × 2005px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorburyjbjohnbagnell1861, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900
