XXII. careless of future dangers, pronounced the fatal CHAP. and irrevocable words, JULIAN AUGUSTUS! The prince, whose anxious fufpence was interrupted by their disorderly acclamations, fecured the doors against their intrusion; and, as long as it was in his power, fecluded his person and dignity from the accidents of a nocturnal tumult. At the dawn of day, the foldiers, whofe zeal was irritated by oppofition, forcibly entered the palace, feized, with respectful violence, the object of their choice, guarded Julian with drawn fwords through the ftreets of Paris, placed him on the tribunal, and with repeated fhouts faluted him as their emperor. Prudence, as well as loyalty, inculcated the propriety of refifting their treasonable defigns; and of preparing for his oppreffed virtue, the excufe of violence. Addreffing himself by turns to the multitude and to individuals, he fometimes implored their mercy, and fometimes expreffed his indignation;. conjured them not to fully the fame of their immortal victories; and ventured to promife, that if they would immediately return to their allegiance, he would undertake to obtain from the emperor, not only a free and gracious pardon, but even the revocation of the orders which had excited their refentment. But the foldiers, who were conscious of their guilt, chofe rather to depend on the gratitude of Julian, than on the clemency of the emperor. Their zeal was infenfibly turned into impatience, and their impatience into rage. The inflexible Cæfar fuf XXII. CHAP. tained till the third hour of the day, their prayers, their reproaches, and their menaces; nor did he yield, till he had been repeatedly affured, that if he wished to live, he must confent to reign. He was exalted on a fhield in the prefence, and amidst the unanimous acclamations, of the troops; a rich military collar, which was offered by chance, fupplied the want of a diadem; the ceremony was concluded by the promise of a moderate donative ; and the new emperor, overwhelmed with real or affected grief, retired into the most fecret receffes of his apartment 1o. His proteftations of innocence. 10 The grief of Julian could proceed only from his innocence; but his innocence muft appear extremely doubtful" in the eyes of thofe who have learned to fufpect the motives and the pro 8 Even in this tumultuous moment, Julian attended to the forms of fuperftitious ceremony; and obftinately refused the inaufpicious ufe of a female necklace, or a horse-collar, which the impatient foldiers would have employed in the room of a diadem. 9 An equal proportion of gold and filver, five pieces of the former, one pound of the latter; the whole amounting to about five pounds ten fhillings of our money. 10 For the whole narrative of this revolt, we may appeal to authentic and original materials; Julian himself (ad S. P. Q_Athenienfem, p. 282, 283, 284.), Libanius (Orat. Parental. c. 44-48. in Fabricius Bibliot. Græc. tom. vii. p. 269–273.), Ammianus (xx. 4.), and Zofimus (1. iii. p. 151, 152, 153.), who, in the reign of Julian, appears to follow the more refpectable authority of Eunapius. With fuch guides, we might neglect the abbreviators and ecclefiaftical hiftorians. 11 Eutropius, a refpectable witnefs, ufes a doubtful expreffion, "confenfu militum" (x. 15.). Gregory Nazianzen, whose ignorance might excuse his fanaticism, directly charges the apoftate with prefumption, madnefs, and impious rebellion, ada, avOLE arica. Orat. iii. p. 67. feffions XXII. feffions of princes. His lively and active mind CHAP. was fufceptible of the various impreffions of hope and fear, of gratitude and revenge, of duty and of ambition, of the love of fame and of the fear of reproach. But it is impoffible for us to calculate the refpective weight and operation of these sentiments; or to afcertain the principles of action, which might escape the obfervation, while they guided, or rather impelled, the steps of Julian himself. The difcontent of the troops was produced by the malice of his enemies; their tumult was the natural effect of interest and of paffion; and if Julian had tried to conceal a deep defign under the appearances of chance, he muft have employed the most confummate artifice without neceffity, and probably without fuccefs. He folemnly declares, in the prefence of Jupiter, of the Sun, of Mars, of Minerva, and of all the other deities, that, till the close of the evening which preceded his elevation, he was utterly ignorant of the defigns of the foldiers; and it may feem ungenerous to distrust the honour of a hero, and the truth of a philofopher. Yet the fuperftitious confidence that Conftantius was the enemy, and that he himself was the favourite, of the gods, might prompt him to defire, to folicit, and even to haften the aufpicious moment of his reign, which was predestined to restore the ancient religion of 12 Julian. ad S. P. Q. Athen. p. 284. The devout Abbé de la Bleterie (Vie de Julien, p. 159.) is almost inclined to respect the devout proteftations of a Pagan. 6 mankind. XXII. 13 CHAP. mankind. When Julian had received the intel ligence of the confpiracy, he refigned himself to a fhort flumber; and afterwards related to his friends, that he had seen the Genius of the empire waiting with fome impatience at his door, preffing for admittance, and reproaching his want of fpirit and ambition "3. Aftonifhed and perplexed, he addreffed his prayers to the great Jupiter; who immediately fignified, by a clear and manifest omen, that he should submit to the will of heaven and of the army. The conduct which disclaims the ordinary maxims of reafon, excites our fufpicion and eludes our inquiry. Whenever the fpirit of fanaticifm, at once fo credulous and fo crafty, has infinuated itself into a noble mind, it infenfibly corrodes the vital principles of virtue and veracity. His embaffy to Conftantius. To moderate the zeal of his party, to protect the perfons of his enemies **, to defeat and to despise the fecret enterprises which were formed against his life and dignity, were the cares which employed the first days of the reign of the new Emperor. Although he was firmly refolved to maintain the 13 Ammian. xx. 5. with the note of Lindenbrogius on the Genius of the empire. Julian himself, in a confidential letter to his friend and phyfician, Oribafian (Epift. xvii. p. 384.), mentions another dream, to which, before the event, he gave credit; of a stately tree thrown to the ground, of a small plant striking a deep root into the earth. Even in his fleep, the mind of the Cæfar must have been agitated by the hopes and fears of his fortune. Zofimus (1. iii p. 155.) relates a fubfequent dream. 14 The difficult fituation of the prince of a rebellious army is finely defcribed by Tacitus (Hift. 1. 80-85.). But Otho had much more guilt, and much lefs abilities, than Julian. ftation XXII. ftation which he had affumed, he was ftill de- CHAP. firous of faving his country from the calamities of civil war, of declining a conteft with the fuperior forces of Conftantius, and of preserving his own character from the reproach of perfidy and ingratitude. Adorned with the enfigns of military and Imperial pomp, Julian fhewed himfelf in the field of Mars to the foldiers, who glowed with ardent enthusiasm in the cause of their pupil, their leader, and their friend. He recapitulated their victories, lamented their fufferings, applauded their refolution, animated their hopes, and checked their impetuofity; nor did he dismiss the affembly, till he had obtained a folemn promise from the troops, that if the emperor of the Eaft would fubfcribe an equitable treaty, they would renounce any views of conqueft, and fatisfy themfelves with the tranquil poffeffion of the Gallic provinces. On this foundation he compofed, in his own name, and in that of the army, a fpecious and moderate epiftle ", which was delivered to Pentadius, his mafter of the offices, and to his chamberlain Eutherius; two ambaffadors whom he appointed to receive the anfwer, and obferve the difpofitions of Conftantius. This epiftle is infcribed with the modeft appellation of Cæfar; but Julian folicits in a peremptory, though respectful 15 To this oftenfible epistle he added, says Ammianus, private letters, objurgatorias et mordaces, which the historian had not feen, and would not have published. Perhaps they never existed. |