[Sidenote:  A.D. 364.]

10.  During ten days the Roman empire remained without a sovereign, but finally the soldiers elevated to the imperial purple, Valentinian, the son of count Gratian, an officer of distinguished merit.  He chose as his associate in the government his brother Valens, whose only claim seems to have rested on fraternal affection; to him he entrusted the rich prefecture of the East, while he himself assumed the administration of the western provinces, and fixed the seat of his government at Milan. 11.  Though in other respects cruel, Valentinian was remarkable for maintaining a system of religious toleration; but Valens was far from pursuing such a laudable course.  He had imbibed the errors of Arius, and bitterly persecuted all who remained faithful to the Catholic doctrines.  By this unwise conduct he provoked a formidable rebellion, which was headed by Proco’pius, an able general, whom unjust persecution had stimulated to revolt. 12.  The success of the usurper was at first so great, that Va’lens was ready to yield up his throne; but being dissuaded from this inglorious resolution, he entrusted the conduct of the war to the aged prefect Sallust, who had twice refused the imperial diadem.  The followers of Proco’pius soon deserted to those leaders whose names were endeared to their recollections by the remembrance of former glories; and the unfortunate leader, forsaken by all, was made prisoner and delivered to the executioner.

13.  In the mean time, Valenti’nian was engaged in a desperate warfare with the German and other barbarous nations, who had recovered from the losses which they had suffered under Ju’lian.  On every frontier of the western empire hordes of enemies appeared, eager for plunder, regardless of their own lives, and merciless to those of others. 14.  The Picts and Scots rushed from the mountains of Caledo’nia upon the colonies of North Britain, and devastated the country with fire and sword, almost to the walls of London.  The task of quelling these incursions was entrusted to the gallant Theodo’sius, and the event proved that Valentinian could not have made a better choice.  In the course of two campaigns, the invaders were driven back to their forests, and a Roman fleet sweeping the coasts of Britain, made them tremble for the safety of their own retreats.

15.  The success of the emperor against the Saxons, the Franks, the Alleman’ni[1], the Qua’di, and other tribes on the Rhine and Danube, was not less conspicuous than that of Theodo’sius in Britain. 16.  The Qua’di, humbled by a severe defeat, sent ambassadors to deprecate his displeasure; but while Valenti’nian was angrily upbraiding the deputies for their unprovoked hostility, he ruptured a blood-vessel and died almost instantaneously.  He was succeeded by his sons Gra’tian and Valenti’nian II.

17.  A much more important change took place in the eastern world; the first admission of the barbarian tribes into the empire, which they finally destroyed.