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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1896 edition. Excerpt:... Attila was defeated with great loss by the Roman allies; but the next year he led his army over the Alps and down into the fertile plains of Italy. Here Pope Le'o, the bishop of Rome, met Attila and induced him to spare Rome and leave Italy, upon condition that the sister of Valentinian should marry him. This marriage never took place, however, for Attila returned home and married a Gothic princess named Il'di-co. We are told that she murdered him, on her wedding night, to avenge the death of her family, whom Attila had slain; but some historians say that the king died from bursting a blood vessel. CII. END OF THE EMPIRE OF THE WEST. A FEW years after the death of the terrible Attila, /l Valentinian was murdered; and during the next twenty years nine emperors reigned, and there were troubles and wars without end. The people were very superstitious' in those times; and, as their troubles increased, some one suddenly remembered that Romulus, the founder of Rome, had seen twelve vultures. The report was soon spread all over the country that these twelve vultures represented as many centuries, and that, as Rome had been founded about twelve hundred years before, its rule would soon be at an end. In the course of these twenty years, Genseric, King of the Vandals, came over from Africa, captured Rome, and allowed his soldiers to sack it for fourteen days. As his men were very rough indeed, they destroyed many things which they could not carry away; and when they departed they took with them the widow of Valentinian, and her daughters, and reduced many noble Romans to slavery. Romulus Au-gus'tu-lus was the last of these nine emperors. Soon after his election, O-do-a'cer, the leader of a tribe of Germans, made himself king of Italy, deposed...