These things took place in 475; and in 476 the last emperor was desposed by his barbarian bear-leader, and the empire in the west came to an end.

As for Sidonius, the Goths imprisoned him for a time and before he could recover his estate he had to write a panegyric for King Euric (he who had written panegyrics for three Roman emperors).

It is clear that the old country house life went on as before, though the men who exchanged letters and epigrams were now under barbarian rule.

But in one letter shortly before his death there breaks from Sidonius a single line in which he unpacks his heart.

_O neccessitas abjecta nascendi, vivendi misera dura moriendi._ 'O humiliating necessity of birth, sad necessity of living, hard necessity of dying.' Shortly after 479 he died and within twenty years Clovis had embarked upon his career of conquest and Theodoric was ruler of Italy.
4.