1 ge XXIV. The fo &c. A. D. Yet Antioch poffeffed one citizen, whofe CHAP. nius and virtues might atone, in the opinion of Julian, for the vice and folly of his country. phift LiThe fophift Libanius was born in the capital banius, of the Eaft; he publicly profeffed the arts of 314-390, rhetoric and declamation at Nice, Nicomedia, Conftantinople, Athens, and, during the remainder of his life, at Antioch. His fchool was affiduously frequented by the Grecian youth; his disciples, who fometimes exceeded the number of eighty, celebrated their incomparable master; and the jealousy of his rivals, who perfecuted him from one city to another, confirmed the favourable opinion which Libanius oftentatiously difplayed of his fuperior merit. The præceptors of Julian had extorted a rash but folemn affurance, that he would never attend the Jectures of their adverfary: the curiofity of the royal youth was checked and inflamed: he fecretly procured the writings of this dangerous fophift, and gradually furpaffed, in the perfect imitation of his ftyle, the most laborious of his domestic pupils 24. When Julian afcended the throne, he declared his impatience to embrace and reward the Syrian fophift, who had preferved, in a degenerate age, the Grecian purity of tafte, of manners, and of religion. The emperor's prepoffeffion was encreased and justified by the difcreet pride of his favourite. Inftead of preffing, with the foremost of the crowd, into 24 Libanius, Orat. Parent. c. vii. p. 230, 231. XXIV. CHAP. the palace of Conftantinople, Libanius calmly expected his arrival at Antioch; withdrew from court on the firft fymptoms of coldnefs and indifference; required a formal invitation for each vifit; and taught his fovereign an important leffon, that he might command the obedience of fubject, but that he must deserve the attachment of a friend. The fophifts of every age, defpifing, or affecting to defpife, the accidental diftinctions of birth and fortune 25, reserve their esteem for the fuperior qualities of the mind, with which they themselves are so plentifully endowed. Julian might difdain the acclamations of a venal court, who adored the Imperial purple; but he was deeply flattered by the praise, the admonition, the freedom, and the envy of an independent philofopher, who refufed his favours, loved his perfon, celebrated his fame, and protected his memory. The voluminous writings of Libanius ftill exift; for the most part they are the vain and idle compofitions of an orator, who cultivated the fcience of words ; the productions of a reclufe student, whose mind, regardless of his contemporaries, was inceffantly fixed on the Trojan war, and the Athenian commonwealth. Yet the fophift of Antioch fometimes defcended from this imaginary elevation; he entertained a various and elaborate 25 Eunapius reports, that Libanius refufed the honorary rank of Prætorian præfect, as lefs illuftrious than the title of Sophift (in Vit. Sophift. p. 135.). The critics have observed a similar sentiment in one of the epiftles (xviii. edit. Wolf.) of Libanius himfelf. eorre 26 27 correspondence ; he praised the virtues of his own times; he boldly arraigned the abufes of public and private life; and he eloquently pleaded the caufe of Antioch against the just refentment of Julian and Theodofius. It is the common calamity of old age ", to lofe whatever. might have rendered it defirable; but Libanius experienced the peculiar misfortune of surviving the religion and the sciences, to which he had confecrated his genius. The friend of Julian was an indignant fpectator of the triumph of Christianity; and his bigotry, which darkened the prospect of the visible world, did not inspire Libanius with any lively hopes of celestial glory and happiness 28. The martial impatience of Julian urged him to take the field in the beginning of the fpring; and he difmiffed, with contempt and reproach, the fenate of Antioch, who accompanied the 26 Near two thousand of his letters, a mode of compofition in which Libanius was thought to excel, are still extant, and already published. The critics may praise their subtle and elegant brevity; yet Dr. Bentley (Differtation upon Phalaris, p. 487.) might justly, though quaintly, observe, that "you feel by the emptiness and "deadness of them, that you converse with some dreaming pedant, "with his elbow on his desk." 27 His birth is affigned to the year 314. He mentions the seventyfixth year of his age (A. D. 390.), and seems to allude to fome events of a ftill later date. 28 Libanius has compofed the vain, prolix, but curious narrative of his own life (tom. ii. p. 1–84. edit. Morell.), of which Eunapius (p. 130-135.) has left a concife and unfavourable account. Among the moderns, Tillemont (Hift. des Empereurs, tom. iv. p. 571-576.), Fabricius (Bibliot. Græc. tom. vii. p. 378-414), and Lardner (Heathen Teftimonies, tom. iv. p. 127-163.), have illuftrated the character and writings of this famous fophift. en.peror CHAP. XXIV. March of Julian to the Euphrates, A. D. 363. March 5. CHAP. emperor beyond the limits of their own territory, to which he was refolved never to return. After a laborious march of two days", he halted on the third, at Berea, or Aleppo, where he had the mortification of finding a fenate almost entirely Chriftian; who received with cold and formal demonftrations of refpect, the eloquent fermon of the apoftle of paganifm. The fon of one of the most illuftrious citizens of Berea, who had embraced, either from interest or confcience, the religion of the emperor, was difinherited by his angry parent. The father and the fon were invited to the Imperial table. Julian, placing himself between them, attempted, without fuccefs, to inculcate the leffon and example of toleration; fupported, with affected calmnefs, the indiscreet zeal of the aged Christian, who seemed to forget the fentiments of nature, and the duty of a subject; and at 'length turning towards the afflicted youth, "Since you have loft a father," faid he, "for my fake, it is incumbent on me "to fupply his place "." The emperor was received in a manner much more agreeable to his wishes. at Batnæ, a fmall town pleasantly feated 30 29 From Antioch to Litarbe, on the territory of Chalcis, the road, over hills and through moraffes, was extremely bad; and the loofe ftones were cemented only with fand (Julian, epift. xxvii.). It is fingular enough, that the Romans fhould have neglected the great communication between Antioch and the Euphrates. See Weffeling. Itinerar. p. 190. Bergier, Hift. des Grands Chemins, tom. ii. p. 100.. 30 Julian alludes to this incident (epift. xxvii.), which is more diftinctly related by Theodoret (l. iii. c. 22.). The intolerant spirit of the father is applauded by Tillemont (Hift. des Empereurs, tom. iv. p. 534.), and even by La Bleterie (Vie de Julien, p. 413.). in XXIV. in a grove of cypreffes, about twenty miles from CHAP. the city of Hierapolis. The folemn rites of facrifice were decently prepared by the inhabitants of Batnæ, who feemed attached to the worfhip of their tutelar deities, Apollo and Jupiter; but the serious piety of Julian was offended by the tumult of their applause; and he too clearly discerned, that the smoke which arose from their altars was the incenfe of flattery, rather than of devotion. The ancient and magnificent temple, which had fanctified, for so many ages, the city of Hierapolis ", no longer fubfifted; and the confecrated wealth, which afforded a liberal maintenance to more than three hundred priests, might haften its downfall. Yet Julian enjoyed the fatisfaction of embracing a philofopher and a friend, whofe religious firmnefs had withstood the preffing and repeated folicitations of Conftantius and Gallus, as often as thofe princes lodged at his houfe, in their paffage through Hierapolis. In the hurry of military preparation, and the carelefs confidence of a familiar correspondence, the zeal of Julian appears to have been lively and uniform. He had now undertaken an important and difficult war; and the anxiety of the event rendered him ftill more attentive to observe and register the most trifling presages, from which, according to the rules of divination, any knowledge of futurity could be 31 See the curious treatife de Deâ Syriâ, inferted among the works of Lucian (tom. iii. p. 451–490. edit. Reitz.). The fin gular appellation of Ninus vetus (Ammian. xiv. 8.) might induce a fufpicion, that Hierapolis had been the royal feat of the Affyrians. derived, |