82

A.D. 35,

The city of Murfa, or Effek, celebrated in mo- CHAP. dern times for a bridge of boats five miles in XVIII. length, over the river Drave, and the adjacent Battle of moraffes $2, has been always confidered as a place Murfa, of importance in the wars of Hungary. Mag- Sept. 28. nentius directing his march towards Murfa, fet fire to the gates, and, by a fudden affault, had almoft fcaled the walls of the town. The vigilance of the garrifon extinguifhed the flames; the approach of Constantius left him no time to continue the operations of the fiege; and the emperor foon removed the only obftacle that could embarrass his motions, by forcing a body of troops which had taken poft in an adjoining amphitheatre. The field of battle round Murfa was a naked and level plain on this ground the army of Conftantius formed, with the Drave on their right; while their left, either from the nature of their difpofition, or from the fuperiority of their cavalry, extended far beyond the right flank of Magnentius. The troops on both fides remained under arms in anxious expectation during the greatest part of the morning; and the fon of Conftantine, after animating his foldiers by an eloquent fpeech, retired into a church at fome distance from the field of battle, and committed

82 This remarkable bridge, which is flinked with towers, anil
Supported on large wooden piles, was constructed, A.D. 1566, hy
Sultan Soliman, to faciliate the march of his armies into Hungary.
See Browne's Travels, and Busching's System of Geography, vol. ii.
p. 90.

8 This pofition, and the fubfequent evolutions, are clearly,
though concisely, defcribed by Juliau, Orat, i. p. 36.
7

to

CHAP. to his generals the conduct of this decifive day . XVII. They deferved his confidence by the valour and military fkill which they exerted. They wifely began the action upon the left; and advancing their whole wing of cavalry in an oblique line, they fuddenly wheeled it on the right flank of the enemy, which was unprepared to refift the impetuofity of their charge. But the Romans of the Weft foon rallied, by the habits of difcipline; and the Barbarians of Germany fupported the renown of their national bravery. The engage

ment foon became general; was maintained with various and fingular turns of fortune; and fcarcely ended with the darknefs of the night. The fignal victory which Conftantius obtained is attributed to the arms of his cavalry. His cuiraffiers are defcribed as fo many maffy ftatues of steel, glittering with their fcaly armour, and breaking with their ponderous lances the firm array of the Gallic legions. As foon as the legions gave way, the lighter and more active fquadrons of the fecond line rode fword in hand into the intervals, and completed the diforder. In the mean while, the huge bodies of the Germans were expofed almoft naked to the dexterity of the oriental archers; and whole troops of thofe Barbarians were urged

84 Sulpicius Severus, I. ii. p. 405. The emperor paffed the day in prayer with Valens, the Arian bishop of Murfa, who gained his confidence by announcing the fuccefs of the battle. M. de Tillemont (Hift. des Empereurs, tom. iv. p. 1110.) very properly remarks the filence of Julian with regard to the perfonal prowefs of Conftantius in the battle of Murfa. The filence of flattery is fometimes equal to the molt pofitive and authentic evidence.

XVIII.

by anguish and defpair to precipitate themselves CHA P.
into the broad and rapid ftream of the Drave 85.
The number of the flain was computed at fifty-
four thousand men, and the flaughter of the con-
querors was more confiderable than that of the

86

vanquished ; a circumftance which proves the
obftinacy of the conteft, and juftifies the obfer-
vation of an ancient writer, that the forces of the
empire were confumed in the fatal battle of
Murfa, by the lofs of a veteran army, fufficient
to defend the frontiers, or to add new triumphs
to the glory of Rome $7. Notwithstanding the
invectives of a fervile orator, there is not the
leaft reafon to believe that the tyrant deserted his
own standard in the beginning of the engage-
ment. He seems to have difplayed the virtues of
a general and of a foldier till the day was irreco-
verably lost, and his camp in the poffeffion of the
Magnentius then confulted his fafety,

enemy.

85 Julian, Orat. i. p. 36, 37; and Orat. ii. p. 59, 60. Zonaras. tom. ii. 1. xiii. p. 17. Zofimus, I. ii. p. 130—133.. The laft of thefe celebrates the dexterity of the archer Menelaus, who could difcharge three arrows at the fame time; an advantage which, according to his apprehenfion of military affairs, materially contributed to the victory of Conftantius.

86 According to Zonaras, Conftantius, out of 80,000 men, loft 30,000; and Magnentius loft 24,000 out of 36,000. The other articles of this account feem probable and authentic, but the num. bers of the tyrant's army must have been mistaken, either by the au thor or his tranfcribers. Magnentius had collected the whole force of the Weft, Romans and Barbarians, into one formidable body, which cannot fairly be eftimated at less than 100,000 men. Julian. Orat. i. p. 34, 35.

87 Ingentes R. I. vires eâ dimicatione confumptæ funt, ad quælibet bella externa idoneæ, quæ multum triumphorum poffent fecuritatifque conferre. Eutropius, x. 13. The younger Victor expreffes himself to the same effect.

VOL. III.

M

and

L

CHA P. and throwing away the Imperial ornaments, escaped XVIII. with fome difficulty from the purfuit of the light horse, who inceffantly followed his rapid

of Italy, A.D. 352.

flight from the banks of the Drave to the foot of the Julian Alps 99.

83

Conqueft The approach of winter fupplied the indolence of Conftantius with fpecious reafons for deferring the profecution of the war till the enfuing spring. Magnentius had fixed his refidence in the city of Aquileia, and fhewed a feeming refolution to dispute the paffage of the mountains and moraffes which fortified the confines of the Venetian province. The furprifal of a castle in the Alps by the fecret march of the Imperialifts, could scarcely have determined him to relinquish the poffeffion of Italy, if the inclinations of the people had fupported the cause of their tyrant. But the memory of the cruelties exercifed by his minifters, after the unfuccessful revolt of Nepotian, had left a deep impreffion of horror and refentment on the minds of the Romans. That rafh youth, the fon of the princess Eutropia, and the nephew of Constantine, had seen with indignation the fceptre of the Weft ufurped by a perfidious barbarian.

88 On this occafion, we must prefer the unfufpected testimony of Zofimus and Zonāras to the flattering affertions of Julian. The younger Victor paints the character of Magnentius in a fingular light: Sermonis acer, animi tumidi, et immodicè timidus; artifex tamen ad occultandam audaciæ fpecie formidinem. Is it moft likely that in the battle of Murfa his behaviour was governed by nature or by art ? I should incline for the latter.

89 Julian. Orat. i. p. 38, 39. In that place, however, as well as in Oration ii. p. 97. he infinuates the general difpofition of the senate, the people, and the foldiers of Italy, towards the party of the emperor.

Arming a defperate troop of flaves and gladiators, CHA P.
he overpowered the feeble guard of the domeftic XVIII.
tranquillity of Rome, received the homage of the
fenate, and affuming the title of Auguftus, pre-
cariously reigned during a tumult of twenty-eight
days. The march of fome regular forces put an
end to his ambitious hopes: the rebellion was ex-
tinguished in the blood of Nepotian, of his mo-
ther Eutropia, and of his adherents; and the pro-
fcription was extended to all who had contracted
a fatal alliance with the name and family of Con-
stantine 9o. But as foon as Conftantius, after the
battle of Murfa, became master of the fea-coast
of Dalmatia, a band of noble exiles, who had ven-
tured to equip a fleet in fome harbour of the Ha-
driatic, fought protection and revenge in his vic-
torious camp.
By their fecret intelligence with
their countrymen, Rome and the Italian cities
were perfuaded to display the banners of Conftan-
tius on their walls. The grateful veterans, enrich-
ed by the liberality of the father, fignalized
their gratitude and loyalty to the fon. The ca-
valry, the legions, and the auxiliaries of Italy,
renewed their oath of allegiance to Conftantius;
and the ufurper, alarmed by the general defer-
tion, was compelled, with the remains of his
faithful troops, to retire beyond the Alps into the

90 The elder Victor describes in a pathetic manner the miferable condition of Rome: "Cujus ftolidum ingenium adeo P. R. patribufque exitio fuit, uti paffim domus, fora, viæ, templaque, cruore, cadaveribufque opplerentur buftorum modo.” Athanafius (tom. i. p. 677.) deplores the fate of several illuftrious victims, and Julian (Orat. ii. p. 58.) execrates the cruelty of Marcellinus, the impla cable enemy of the house of Constantine.