228 The Imperial Government
riusandArcadius,comingtothethronein395,suddenlyabandonedtherole
ofcommanderinchiefinthefield,theEmpireenteredaperiodofmilitary
crisisfromwhichthewesternpartofitneverrecovered.Mysteriousasitis,
diplomacy,oritsabsence,isnotthemostmysteriousfeatureoftheRoman
Empire.