Justinian. The wily Emperor gave no direct answer: but sent his
ambassador to watch the course of events. The young prince died of
debauchery, and the Goths whispered that his mother had poisoned him.
Meanwhile Theodatus went on from bad to worse; accusations flowed in
to Amalasuentha of his lawless rapacity: but he was too strong for
her; and she, losing her head more and more, made the desperate
resolve of marrying him, as the only way to keep him quiet. He was
the last male heir of the royal Amalungs. The marriage would set him
right in the eyes of the Goths, while it would free her from the
suspicion of having murdered her son, in order to reign alone.
Theodatus meanwhile was to have the name of royalty; but she was to
keep the power and the money--a foolish, confused plan, which could
have but one ending. Theodatus married her of course, and then cast
her into prison, seized all her treasures, and threw himself into the
arms of that party among the Goths, who hated Amalasuentha for having
punished their oppressions. The end was swift and sad. By the time
that Justinian's ambassador landed, Amalasuentha was strangled in her
bath; and all that Peter the ambassador had to do was, to catch at
the cause of quarrel, and declare 'inexpiable war' on the part of
Justinian, as the avenger of the Queen.

And then began that dreadful East Goth war, which you may read for
yourselves in the pages of an eye-witness, Procopius;--a war which
destroyed utterly the civilization of Dietrich's long and prosperous
reign, left Italy a desert, and exterminated the Roman people.

That was the last woe: but of it I must tell you in my next Lecture.