to express their loyal devotion for the new emperor. Themiftius expatiates on the clemency of the Divine Nature, the facility of human error, the rights of confcience, and the independence of the mind; and, with fome eloquence, inculcates the principles of philofophical toleration; whofe aid Superftition herself, in the hour of her diftrefs, is not afhamed to implore. He juftly obferves, that, in the recent changes, both religions had been alternately difgraced by the feeming acquifition of worthlefs profelytes, of thofe votaries of the reigning purple, who could pafs, without a reafon, and without a blufh, from the church to the temple, and from the altars of Jupiter to the facred table of the Chriftians ". 10 In the fpace of feven months, the Roman troops, who were now returned to Antioch, had performed a march of fifteen hundred miles; in which they had endured all the hardships of war, of famine, and of climate. Notwithstanding their fervices, their fatigues, and the approach of winter, the timid and impatient Jovian allowed only, to the men and horfes, a refpite of fix weeks. The emperor could not fuftain the indifcreet and malicious raillery of the people of 10 Themiftius, Orat. v. p. 63-71. edit. Harduin. Paris, 1684. The Abbé de la Bleterie judiciously remarks (Hift. de Jovien, tom.i. p. 199.), that. Sozomen has forgot the general toleration; and Themistius, the establishment of the Catholic religion. Each of them turned away from the object which he difliked; and wished to fupprefs the part of the edict, the leaft honourable, in his opinion, to the emperor Jovian. XXV. CHA P. Antioch ". He was impatient to poffefs the palace of Conftantinople; and to prevent the ambition of fome competitor, who might occupy the vacant allegiance of Europe. But he foon received the grateful intelligence, that his authority was acknowledged from the Thracian Bofphorus to the Atlantic ocean. By the first letters which he dispatched from the camp of Mefopotamia, he had delegated the military command of Gaul and Illyricum to Malarich, a brave and faithful officer of the nation of the Franks; and to his father-in-law, count Lucillian, who had formerly distinguished his courage and conduct in the defence of Nifibis. Malarich had declined an office to which he thought him elf unequal; and Lucillian was maffacred at Rheims, in an accidental mutiny of the Batavian cohorts 12. But the moderation of Jovinus, master-general of the cavalry, who forgave the intention of his difgrace, foon appeafed the tumult, and confirmed the uncertain minds of the foldiers. The oath of fidelity was adminiftered, and taken, with loyal acclamations; and the deputies of the Western armies "3 faluted their new fovereign as he defcended from Mount Taurus τι Οι δε Αντισχεις εχ ήδέως διέκειντο προς αυτόν : αλλ' επέσκωπτον ουτον sofaig nai magwdiaro, Hal т015 Xaheμsios pauwson; ( famofis libellis). Johan. Antiochen, in Excerpt. Valefian. p. 845. The libels of Antioch may be admitted on very flight evidence. 12 Compare Ammianus (xxv. 10.), who omits the name of the Batavians, with Zofimus (1. iii. p. 197.), who removes the scene of action from Rheims to Sirmium." 13 Quos capita fcholarum ordo caftrenfis appellat. Ammian. xxv. 10. and Valef. ad locum. to XXV. to the city of Tyana, in Cappadocia. From CHAP. Tyana he continued his hasty march to Ancyra, capital of the province of Galatia; where Jovian affumed, with his infant fon, the name and en figns of the confulfhip. Dadaftana", an ob- A. D. 364. fcure town, almost at an equl distance between January 1. Ancyra and Nice, was marked for the fatal term of his journey and his life. 16 14 Cujus vagitus, pertinaciter reluctantis, ne in curuli sellâ veheretur ex more, id quod mox accidit protendebat. Auguftus, and his fucceffors, refpectfully folicited a difpenfation of age for the fons or nephews, whom they raised to the confulship. But the curule chair of the first Brutus had never been dishonoured by an infant. 15 The Itinerary of Antoninus fixes Dadastanı 125 Roman miles from Nice; 117 from Ancyra (Weffeling, Itinerar. p. 142.). The pilgrim of Bourdeaux, by omitting fome ftages, reduces the whole space from 242 to 181 miles. Weffeling, p. 574. 16 See Ammianus (xxv. 10.), Eutropius (x. 18.), who might likewise be prefent; Jerom (tom. i. p. 26. ad Heliodorum), Orofius (vii. 31.), Sozomen (1. vi. c. 6.), Zozimus (1. iii. p. 197, 198.), and Zonaras (tom. ii. 1. xiii. p. 28, 29.). We cannot expect a perfect agreement, and we shall not difcufs minute differences. Death of Jovian, Feb. 17. of XXV. CHAP. of a prince, whofe reign and perfon were foon forgotten, appears to have been the only circumftance which countenanced the malicious whispers of poifon and domeftic guilt ". The body of Jovian was fent to Conftantinople, to be interred with his predeceffors; and the fad proceffion was met on the road by his wife Charito, the daughter of count Lucillian; who ftill wept the recent death of her father, and was haftening to dry her tears in the embraces of an Imperial hufband. Her disappointment and grief were embittered by the anxiety of maternal tenderness. Six weeks before the death of Jovian, his infant fon had been placed in the curule chair, adorned with the title of Nobiliffimus, and the vain enfigns of the confulship. Unconscious of his fortune, the royal youth, who, from his grandfather, affumed the name of Varronian, was reminded only by the jealoufy of the government, that he was the fon of an emperor. Sixteen years afterwards he was ftill alive, but he had already been deprived of an eye; and his afflicted mother expected, every hour, that the innocent victim would be torn from her arms, to appeafe, with his blood, the fufpicions of the reigning prince 13. 18 17 Ammianus, unmindful of his usual candour and good fenfe, compares the death of the harmless Jovian to that of the fecond Africanus, who had excited the fears and refentment of the popular faction. 18 Chryfoftom, tom. i. p. 336. 344. edit. Mountfaucon. The Christian orator attempts to comfort a widow by the examples of illuftrious misfortunes; and obferves,that of nine emperors (including the Cæfar Gallus), who had reigned in his time, only two (Conftantine and Conftantius) died a natural death. Such vague confolations have never wiped away a single tear. 19 After XXV. of the After the death of Jovian, the throne of the CHAP. Roman world remained ten days 19 without a mafter. The minifters and generals ftill con- Vacancy tinued to meet in council: to exercife their re- throne, Feb. 17fpe&ive functions; to maintain the public order; 26. and peaceably to conduct the army to the city of Nice, in Bithynia, which was chofen for the place of the election 20. In a folemn affembly of the civil and military powers of the empire, the diadem was again unanimoufly offered to the præfect Salluft. He enjoyed the glory of a se cond refusal: and when the virtues of the father were alleged in favour of his fon, the præfect, with the firmnefs of a difinterested patriot, declared to the electors, that the feeble age of the one, and the unexperienced youth of the other, were equally incapable of the laborious duties of government. Several candidates were propofed: and, after weighing the objections of character or fituation, they were fucceffively rejected: but, as foon as the name of Valentinian was pronounced, the merit of that officer united the fuffrages 19 Ten days appear fcarcely fufficient for the march and election. But it may be obferved: 1. That the generals might command the expeditious use of the public posts for themselves, their attendants, and meffengers. 2. That the troops, for the ease of the cities, marched in many divitions; and that the head of the column might arrive at Nice, when the rear halted at Ancyra. 20 Ammianus, xxvi. 1. Zofimus, 1. iii. p. 198. Philoftorgius, 1. viii. c. 8. and Godefroy, Differtat. p. 334. Philoftorgius, who appears to have obtained some curious and authentic intelligence, afcribes the choice of Valentinian to the præfe&t Salluft, the maftergeneral Arintheus, Dagalaiphus, count of the domestics, and the Patrician Datianus, whofe preffing recommendations from Ancyra had a weighty influence in the election. of |