It happened, from
the state of the empire, as we have sketched it above, that Tacitus really
_did_ succeed to the military plans of Aurelian. The Persian expedition
was ordained to go forward; and Tacitus began, as a preliminary step in
that expedition, to look about for his good allies the barbarians. Where
might they be, and how employed? Naturally, they had long been weary of
waiting. The Persian booty might be good after _its_ kind; but it was far
away; and, _en attendant_, Roman booty was doubtless good after _its_
kind. And so, throughout the provinces of Cappadocia, Pontus, &c., far as
the eye could stretch, nothing was to be seen but cities and villages in
flames. The Roman army hungered and thirsted to be unmuzzled and slipped
upon these false friends. But this, for the present, Tacitus would not
allow. He began by punctually fulfilling all the terms of Aurelian's
contract,--a measure which barbarians inevitably construed into the
language of fear. But then came the retribution. Having satisfied public
justice, the emperor now thought of vengeance: he unchained his legions: a
brief space of time sufficed for a long course of vengeance: and through
every outlet of Asia Minor the Alani fled from the wrath of the Roman
soldier.
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