ABSTRACT

In the previous chapter we have seen how swarm after swarm of barbarians poured out of Asia into the civilised world. Let us now observe the same phenomena from the Asiatic side, and, looking westwards from the East, endeavour to form some idea of the course of these invasions and of the character of the invaders. The task, though interesting, is peculiarly difficult ; for, owing to the paucity of records, it is often hard to distinguish fact from legend or theory, and the loose employment of national designations by Easterns and Westerns alike is a constant source of error.