Decius, however, was firm, and made prodigious efforts to restore
the balance of power to its ancient condition. For the moment he had some
partial successes. He cut off several detachments of Goths, on their road
to reinforce the enemy; and he strengthened the fortresses and garrisons
of the Danube. But his last success was the means of his total ruin. He
came up with the Goths at Forum Terebronii, and, having surrounded their
position, their destruction seemed inevitable. A great battle ensued, and
a mighty victory to the Goths. Nothing is now known of the circumstances,
except that the third line of the Romans was entangled inextricably in a
morass (as had happened in the Persian expedition of Alexander). Decius
perished on this occasion--nor was it possible to find his dead body. This
great defeat naturally raised the authority of the senate, in the same
proportion as it depressed that of the army; and by the will of that body,
Hostilianus, a son of Decius, was raised to the empire; and ostensibly on
account of his youth, but really with a view to their standing policy of
restoring the consulate, and the whole machinery of the republic, Gallus,
an experienced commander, was associated in the empire.
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