town of Asta, was there besieged until the arrival of the brave
Stilicho, who attacked the besiegers, and after a bloody fight utterly
routed them. In his retreat, Alaric attempted to attack Verona, but he
was again defeated, and escaped only by the fleetness of his horse.
Honorius returned home (404), and enjoyed a triumph.

Rome had scarcely time to congratulate herself upon her escape from
the Goths, when she was threatened by a new enemy.

The Huns, pushing westward, had dislodged the northern tribes of
Germany who dwelt on the Baltic. These were the Alans, Sueves,
Vandals, and Burgundians. Under the leadership of RADAGAISUS, these
tribes invaded Italy with about two hundred thousand men. They were
met near Florence by Stilicho, and totally defeated (406). Radagaisus
himself was killed. The survivors turned backward, burst into Gaul,
ravaged the lower portion of the country, and finally separated. One
portion, the Burgundians, remained on the frontier, and from their
descendants comes the name of Burgundy.

The Alans, Sueves, and Vandals pushed on into Spain, where they
established kingdoms. The Alans occupied the country at the foot of
the Pyrenees, but were soon after subdued by the Visigoths. The Sueves
settled in the northwest of Spain, but met the same fate as the Alans.
The Vandals occupied the southern part, and from there crossed over to
Africa, where they maintained themselves for nearly a century, and at
one time were powerful enough, as we shall see, to capture Rome
itself.

Rome was now for a time delivered from her enemies, and the Emperor,
no longer needing Stilicho, was easily persuaded that he was plotting