a period of almost continuous civil war. Meanwhile, the Roman upper class had become complacent and self-indulgent—preoccupied with personal status and political infighting. In short, the peak of Roman supremacy was also the cusp of decline. Augustine’s life would span the decline and fall of the Roman empire. On New Year’s Eve 406, a horde of Goths, Huns and Vandals would cross the frozen Rhine to sweep into Gaul and then across the Pyrenees into Spain. In 410, Rome itself would be overwhelmed and