XXII. CHAP. examination by their fudden departure; to spread the opinion of their strength, and the terror of his name; and to join their fovereign under the walls of Sirmium. For himself, Julian had referved a more difficult and extraordinary part. He felected three thousand brave and active volunteers, refolved, like their leader, to caft behind them every hope of a retreat at the head of this faithful band, he fearlessly plunged into the receffes of the Marcian, or black foreft, which conceals the fources of the Danube 29; and, for many days, the fate of Julian was unknown to the world. The fecrecy of his march, his diligence, and vigour, furmounted every obftacle; he forced his way over mountains and moraffes, occupied the bridges or fwam the rivers, purfued his direct courfe 30, without reflecting whether he traverfed the territory of the Romans or of the Barbarians, and at length emerged, between Ratisbon and Vienna, at the place where he defigned to embark his troops on the Danube. By a well-concerted ftratagem, he feized a fleet 29 This wood was a part of the great Hercynian foreft, which, in the time of Cæfar, ftretched away from the country of the Rauraci (Bafil) into the boundless regions of the North. See Cluver. Germania Antiqua, l. iii. c. 47. 30 Compare Libanius, Orat. Parent. c. 53. p. 278, 279, with Gregory Nazianzen, Orat. iii. p. 68. Even the faint admires the fpeed and fecrecy of this march. A modern divine might apply to the progrefs of Julian, the lines which were originally defigned for another apoftate : -So eagerly the fiend, O'er bog, or steep, through ftrait, rough, denfe, or rare, of XXII. of light brigantines ", as it lay at anchor; fecured, CHA P. a fupply of coarse provifions fufficient to fatisfy the indelicate, but voracious, appetite of a Gallic army; and boldly committed himself to the ftream of the Danube. The labours of his mariners, who plied their oars with inceffant diligence, and the fteady continuance of a favourable wind, carried his fleet above feven hundred miles in eleven days 32; and he had already difembarked his troops at Bononia, only nineteen miles from Sirmium, before his enemies could receive any certain intelligence that he had left the banks of the Rhine. In the course of this long and rapid navigation, the mind of Julian was fixed on the object of his enterprife; and though he accepted the deputation of fome cities, which haftened to claim the merit of an early fubmiffion, he paffed before the hoftile stations, which were placed along the river, without indulging the temptation of fignalizing an ufelefs and ill-timed valour. The banks of the Danube were crowded on either fide with spectators, who gazed on the military pomp, anticipated the importance of the event, and diffused through the adjacent country the fame of a young hero, who advanced with more 31 In that interval the Notitia places two or three fleets, the Lauriacenfis (at Lauriacum, or Lorch), the Arlapenfis, the Maginenfis; and mentions five legions, or cohorts, of Liburnarii, who should be a fort of marines. Sect. lviii. edit. Labb. 32 Zofimus alone (1. iii. p. 156.) has specified this interesting circumftance. Mamertinus (in Panegyr. Vet. xi. 6, 7, 8.), who accompanied Julian, as count of the facred largeffes, describes this voyage in a florid and picturesque manner, challenges Triptolemus and the Argonauts of Greece, &c. XXII. CHAP. than mortal speed at the head of the innumerable forces of the Weft. Lucilian, who, with the rank of general of the cavalry, commanded the military powers of Illyricum, was alarmed and perplexed by the doubtful reports, which he could neither reject nor believe. He had taken fome flow and irrefolute measures for the purpose of collecting his troops; when he was surprised by Dagalaiphus, an active officer, whom Julian, as foon as he landed at Bononia, had pushed forwards with fome light infantry. The captive general, uncertain of his life or death, was haftily thrown upon a horse, and conducted to the prefence of Julian; who kindly raised him from the ground, and difpelled the terror and amazement which feemed to ftupify his faculties. But Lucilian had no fooner recovered his spirits, than he betrayed his want of discretion, by prefuming to admonish his conqueror, that he had rafhly ventured, with a handful of men, to expofe his perfon in the midst of his enemies. "Referve "for master Conftantius these timid remonyour "ftrances," replied Julian, with a smile of contempt; "when I gave you my purple to kifs, "I received you not as a counsellor, but as a "fuppliant." Confcious that fuccefs alone could justify his attempt, and that boldness only could command success, he instantly advanced, at the head of three thoufand foldiers, to attack the strongest and most populous city of the Illyrian provinces. As he entered the long fuburb of Sirmium, he was received by the joyful acclamations of the army and people; who, crowned XXII. with flowers, and holding lighted tapers in their CHAP. hands, conducted their acknowledged fovereign to his Imperial refidence. Two days were devoted to the public joy, which was celebrated by the games of the Circus; but, early on the morning of the third day, Julian marched to occupy the narrow pafs of Succi, in the defiles of Mount Hamus; which, almoft in the mid-way between Sirmium and Conftantinople, feparates the provinces of Thrace and Dacia, by an abrupt descent towards the former, and a gentle declivity on the fide of the latter 33. The defence of this important poft was entrusted to the brave Nevitta; who, as well as the generals of the Italian division, successfully executed the plan of the march and junction which their mafter had fo ably conceived 34. his caufe The homage which Julian obtained, from the Hejuftifies fears or the inclination of the people, extended far beyond the immediate effect of his arms 35. The præfectures of Italy and Illyricum were adminiftered by Taurus and Florentius, who united that important office with the vain honours of the confulship; and as thofe magiftrates had retired 33 The description of Ammianus, which might be supported by collateral evidence, ascertains the precife fituation of the Anguftia Succorum, or paffes of Succi. M. d'Anville, from the trifling refemblance of names, has placed them between Sardica and Naissus. For my own justification, I am obliged to mention the only error which I have discovered in the maps or writings of that admirable geographer. 34 Whatever circumstances we may borrow elsewhere, Ammianus (xxi. 8, 9, 10.) ftill fupplies the feries of the narrative. 35 Ammian. xxi. 9, 10. Libanius, Orat. Parent. c. 54. P. 2792 289. Zofimus, 1. iii. p. 156, 157, XXII. CHAP. with precipitation to the court of Afia, Julian, who could not always reftrain the levity of his temper, ftigmatized their flight by adding, in all the Acts of the Year, the epithet of fugitive to the names of the two confuls. The provinces which had been deferted by their firft magiftrates acknowledged the authority of an emperor, who conciliating the qualities of a foldier with those of a philofopher, was equally admired in the camps of the Danube, and in the cities of Greece. From his palace, or, more properly, from his head-quarters of Sirmium and Naiffus, he diftributed to the principal cities of the empire, a laboured apology for his own conduct; published the fecret dispatches of Conftantius; and folicited the judgment of mankind between two competitors, the one of whom had expelled, and the other had invited, the Barbarians 36. Julian, whofe mind was deeply wounded by the reproach of ingratitude, afpired to maintain, by argument, as well as by arms, the fuperior merits of his caufe; and to excel, not only in the arts of war, but in thofe of compofition. His epiftle to the fenate and people of Athens " seems to have been dictated 36 Julian (ad S. P. Q. Athen. p. 286.) pofitively afferts, that he intercepted the letters of Conftantius to the Barbarians: and Libanius as positively affirms, that he read them on his march to the troops and the cities. Yet Ammianus (xxi. 4.) expreffes, himself with cool and candid hesitation, fi famæ folius admittenda eft fides. Ile specifies, however, an intercepted letter from Vadomair to Conftantius, which supposes an intimate correfpondence between them: "Cæfar tuus difciplinam non habet." 37 Zofimus mentions his epiftles to the Athenians, the Corin thians, and the Lacedæmonians. The fubftance was probably the fame, |