their land. Lupicinus and Maximus, the two governors of Thrace
pocketed the funds which Valens sent, and starved the Goths. The
markets were full of carrion and dogs' flesh. Anything was good
enough for a barbarian. Their fringed carpets, their beautiful
linens, all went. A little wholesome meat cost 10 pounds of silver.
When all was gone, they had to sell their children. To establish a
slave-trade in the beautiful boys and girls was just what the wicked
Romans wanted.

At last the end came. They began to rise. Fridigern, their king,
kept them quiet till the time was ripe for revenge. The Romans,
trying to keep the West Goths down, got so confused, it seems, that
they let the whole nation of the East Goths (of whom we shall hear
more hereafter) dash across the Danube, and establish themselves in
the north of the present Turkey, to the east of the West Goths.

Then at Marcianopolis, the capital of Lower Moesia, Lupicinus asked
Fridigern and his chiefs to a feast. The starving Goths outside were
refused supplies from the market, and came to blows with the guards.
Lupicinus, half drunk, heard of it, and gave orders for a massacre.
Fridigern escaped from the palace, sword in hand. The smouldering
embers burst into flame, the war-cry was raised, and the villain
Lupicinus fled for his life.

Then began war south of the Danube. The Roman legions were defeated
by the Goths, who armed themselves with the weapons of the dead.
Moesia was overrun with fire and sword. Adrianople was attacked, but
in vain. The slaves in the gold mines were freed from their misery,
and shewed the Goths the mountain-passes and the stores of grain. As
they went on, the Goths recovered their children. The poor things