r weapons, a by killing al led together tions. Th bors, with THESSAL sword of By C erate; and terror int-ONICA: A ROMAN STORY ere wresARLES BROCKDEN BROWN (1771-1810) THESSALON the w served it from it to be rich. populous an, he soICA, in consequence of its commercial situation, was Its fortifications and numerous garrison had preinhabitants was blood jury during the late commotions,* and the number of and cities. Its to spegreatly increased, at the expense of the defenseless districts Danube, was he and place, with relation to Dalmatia, the Peloponnesus, and the and no city inheric arly centrical. Its security had been uninterrupted for ages, its ancient pfs, or to the empire of Theodosius exhibited so many monuments of prince, and hismosperity. It had been, for many years, the residence of the had labored mits the bil the to render it impregnable, by erecting bulwarks, and guarding it with nues and e tu avest of his troops; he had endowed the citizens with new reve"privileges, had enhanced the frequency of their shows, and the Ence of their halls and avenues, and made it the seat of government magnifich iff, of Illyris die, fe Its o, and Greece. valor, ndeg officer! Ꮮ of jupi hat fur defense was entrusted to Botheric, whom he had selected for his fidelity, and moderation; and he commended, with equal zeal to this the defense of the city from external enemies, and the maintenance tice and order within its walls. quar he temper of Botheric was generous and impetuous. He was unacinted with civil forms, and refrained, as much as possible, from encroachon the functions of the magistrate. His education and genius were ilitary, and he conceived that his commission required from him nothing ut unwearied attention to his soldiers. His vigilance was bent to maintain order and obedience among them, and to prevent or to stifle dissentions between them and the citizens. For this end he multiplied their duties and exercises, so as to leave no room for intercourse with the people. Their time was constantly occupied with attendance at their stations, or performance of some personal duty in their quarters. By these means the empire of order was, for some time, maintained; but no diligence or moderation can fully restrain the passions of the multitude. Quarrels sometimes arose between the spectators at the theater and circus, and the sentinels who were planted in the avenues. The general was always resent at the public shows; clamor and riot instantly attracted his - attention, and if a soldier was a party in the fray he hasted to terminate the contest by examination and punishment. From The Monthly Magazine and American Review, May, 1799. * At the conclusion of the Gothic War, A.D. 390. IO ities are still fresh in the 1 REPRESENTATIVE AMERICÀa. honor have rendered" You need not be told that the populace o to say in this history a boundless passion for public shows. The balted mind, such as, h more acceptably exerted than in pecuniary dole of her worth, and he by making exhibitions more frequent and mag, notwithstanding the this people is proportioned, not to the efficacy o in many instances, alleviate cares, or diminish the price of provisions' state; though that i ness and cheapness of seats in a theater, or to the n and sentiments pre horses which are provided for the circus. iom, that to be goo The prince had manifested his attachment to thner or later a s manner. The finest horses were procured, at his expen Spain; new embellishments were added to the chariots, characters, distinguished by a crimson uniform, was add Once a month the people were amused by races at the sovereign. At one of these exhibitions a citizen, by name Macro, att a gate by which the senators passed to their seats. Order established distinctions in this respect, and every class of the their peculiar seats and entrances. Macro was therefore den by two soldiers stationed in the passage. He persisted in his eff and the soldiers persisted in their opposition, till, at length, a scu in which the citizen was slightly wounded. foc ed, ent es. The games not having begun, many from within and with attracted to the spot. The crowd insensibly increased, and the s seemed willing to discountenance the claims of Macro. The sigh blood, however, changed the tide in his favor. The soldiers were b to have proceeded to this extremity without necessity, and to have ex This their power wantonly. he rew 0 Clamors of disapprobation were succeeded by attempts to disa this sentinels, and conduct them before the tribunal of their general. Twn sa usually held in an upper porch of the edifice. Botheric was mondang expected, and the persons who urged the seizure of the culprits we Hi erned by pacific intentions. The soldiers were supposed to have translagge their duty, and redress was sought in a lawful manner. Botheric their only judge of their conduct, and confidence was placed in the equit by no decision. more The soldiers maintained the rectitude of their proceeding, and refipress resign their arms, or leave the post. Some endeavored to gain their poin expostulation and remonstrance. The greater number were enrag pres their menaces, being ineffectual, were quickly succeeded by violence interior passages were wide, but the entrance was narrow, and the rou profited by their situation to repel the assaults that were made upoi der The wounds which they inflicted in their own defense augmented t slip of their assailants. They fought with desperate resolution, and w. bl overpowered till they had killed five of the citizens. no At length the soldiers sought their safety in flight. The mob pour the passage. One of the fugitives was overtaken in a moment. Tin suers were unarmed, but the victim was dashed against the pavemer his limbs were torn from each other by the furious hands that were fi ir weapons, ded together and bleeding trunk was dragged along the THESSALE sword of ice to place, they met a soldier whom his officer By C ere wreste THENALON, the work no means appeased by these executions. Numbers sahe son The sight of the dead bodies of the citizens, imperfect sevad it from it to be nmors of the cruelty of the sentinels, the execrations and habitants was blood of ho had been leaders in the tumult, conspired to engage ad is. Its to spece outrages. Dambe, was ne land of the fugitive soldier did not slacken. The galleries and and no city in eric cured, and every place resounded with uproar and menace. i anaient pr or the seats of the senators were filled with a promiscuous crowd, pret, and is seized this opportunity of engrossing places more convenient had labored Wther. with the br The entrance was nues and magnifice ble, by reason of the crowd stationed without, and the numbers that of ruggling in the passages to gain the senatorial benches. In this the weaker were overpowered, and scores were trodden to death valor, focated. The general and his officers were no sooner known to be officed, than they were greeted on all hands by threatening gestures and ent clamors. The heads of the slaughtered soldiers were placed upon Is moment Botheric and his officers arrived. Its es. Botheric was compelled to gaze upon their gory visages, and listen the outcries for vengeance which ascended from a thousand mouths. This unwonted spectacle, and the confusion which surrounded him, rew him into temporary panic. It was requisite to ascertain the causes this tumult, to prevent its progress, and to punish its authors; but his wn safety was to be, in the first place, consulted. How far that was Endangered by the fury of the populace it was impossible to foresee. His retinue consisted of twenty officers, who were armed, as usual, with Haggers. Recovering from their first astonishment, they involuntarily drew heir weapons, and crowded round their general. This movement seemed by no means to intimidate the populace, whose outcries and menaces became As their numbers and fury increased, they more vehement than ever. pressed more closely and audaciously upon this slender band, whose weapons pointed at the bosoms of those who were nearest, and who could scarcely preserve themselves from being overwhelmed. Botheric's surprise quickly yielded to a just view of the perils that surrounded him. The cause of this tumult was unknown; but it was evident that the temper of the people was revengeful and sanguinary. The slightest incident was sufficient to set them free from restraint. The first blood that should be shed would be the signal for outrage, and neither he nor his officers could hope to escape with their lives. His first care, therefore, was to inculcate forbearance on his officers. This, indeed, would avail them but little, since the foremost of the crowd would be irresistibly impelled by those who were behit still fresh in the santly increased. In a moment they would be; and they har would be useless; and secret enemies, by whoming a sigh of regi this tumult had been excited, would seize that opp vengeance. 1 To escape to the neighboring portico was an olin this history, spec"> galleries, above and below, were already filled with nd, such as, hs corint. have rendered mi whose outcries and gesticulations prompted those be worth, and h of violence. His troops were either dispersed in their thstanding the on the walls. The few whose duty required their atteen instances, could afford no protection. Those at a distance coulas, ough that = apprised of the danger of their leader; and if they were addiments pr a loss, in the absence of their officers, in what manner to at to be go to restore tranquillity by persuasion or remonstrance was single voice could be heard amidst the uproar. later a In this part of the square there had formerly been erected statue of Constantius. It had been overthrown and broken to popular sedition. The pedestal still remained. The advantage station, for the sake of either defense or of being heard, was Botheric, and two of his officers, leaped upon it, and stretched for hands in an attitude commanding silence. DJ easy This station, by rendering the person of Botheric distinguishab distance, only enhanced his danger. A soldier, by name Eustace, who a few days before, been punished for some infraction of discipline, by st and ignominious dismission from the service, chanced to be one of those were gazing at the scene from the upper portico. The treatment he suffered could not fail to excite resentment, but the means of vengeance w undigested and impracticable. His cowardice and narrow understand; equally conspired to render his malice impotent. He intended, the ne day, to set out for his native country, Syria, and, meanwhile, mixed with t rabble which infested the circus. Botheric had extorted, by his equity and firmness, the esteem of th magistrates and better class of the people. The vile populace werd influenced by no sentiment but fear. Botheric had done nothing to excithi their hatred; and his person would have been uninjured till the alarm had reached the citadel, and the troops had hastened to his rescue, had not o Eustace unhappily espied him, as he stood upon the pedestal. The soldier had an heavy stone in his hand, with which he had armed, d himself, and a vague conception that it might be useful to his own defense. The person of his enemy was no sooner distinctly seen, than a sudden impulse to seize this opportunity for the gratification of his vengeance was felt by him. He threw the stone towards the spot where the general stood. Botheric was exerting his voice to obtain audience, when the stone struck upon his breast. The blood gushed from his mouth and nostrils, his speech and strength failed, and he sunk upon the ground. This outrage was observed with grief, rage and consternation by his retinue. Their own safety required the most desperate exertions. Two of them lifted the general in their arms, while the rest, with one accord, ir weapons, and rushed upon the crowd. They determined 'ded together in a narrow space, are bereft of all power over By C test was unequal, and a dreadful carnage ensued before the ere wrested from their owners. A thousand hands were eager to HESSALONT, the work of vengeance. The father had seen the death of his cus anthe son had witnessed the agonies of his father. The execution served it from to be needless and wanton; and the swords, after being stained haitants was blood of their kinsmen, were aimed at their own breasts. This was this. Its to speculate upon causes and consequences. All around them was Dank, was he and uproar, and passion was triumphant in all hearts. and to city neric and his train were thrown to the ground, mangled by numberless magnifice Its alor. cer 1 this passed in a few minutes. Few were acquainted with the cause e tumult. Still fewer were acquainted with the deplorable issue to it had led. The immediate actors and witnesses were fully occupied. distant crowd, whose numbers were increased by the arrival of those , from all quarters, were hastening to the circus, could only indulge their ider and panic, and make fruitless inquiries of their neighbors. In this state of things a rumor was hatched, and propagated with infinite Sidity, that the soldiers had received orders to massacre the people, and at the execution had already begun. All was commotion and flight. The rowd melted away in a moment. The avenues were crowded with the ugitives, who overturned those whom they met, or communicated to them their belief and their terror. Every one fled to his house, and imparted to This family the dreadful tidings. Distraction and lamentation seized upon the women and domestics. They barred their doors, and prepared to avoid or resist the fate which impended over them. Meanwhile, those who had rushed through the unguarded passages, and Occupied the senatorial seats, were alarmed, and prompted to return, by the continuance of the uproar without. In their haste to issue forth they incumbered and impeded each other, and the passage was choked. Some me appeared in an upper gallery, and called upon the people to provide for their safety, for that Botheric had directed a general massacre. This intelligence operated more destructively than a thousand swords. In the universal eagerness to escape, the avenues were made impassable, and numbers were overthrown and trampled to death. The magistrates had taken their places when the tumult began. Some were infected with the general panic, and made ineffectual efforts to escape. My duty, as chief magistrate, required me to apply all my endeavors to the checking of the evil. I waited, in anxious suspense, for information as to |