which darkened the prospect of the visible world, did not inspire Libanius with any lively hopes of celestial glory and happiness."

27

The martial impatience of Julian urged him to take the field in the beginning of the spring; and he dismissed (A.D. 363, March 5), with contempt and reproach, the senate of Antioch, who accompanied the emperor beyond the limits of their own territory, to which he was resolved 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 senate almost entirely Christian; who received, with cold and formal demonstrations of respect, the eloquent sermon of the apostle of Paganism. The son of one of the most illustrious citizens of Berea, who had embraced, either from interest or conscience, the religion of the emperor, was disinherited by his angry parent. The father and the son were invited to the Imperial table. Julian, placing himself between them, attempted without success to inculcate the lesson and example of toleration; supported with affected calmness the indiscreet zeal of the aged Christian, who seemed to forget the sentiments of nature and the duty of a subject; and at length turning toward the afflicted youth, "Since you have lost a father," said he, "for my sake, it is incumbent on me to supply his place."" The emperor was received in a manner much more agreeable to his wishes at Batnæ, a small town pleasantly seated in a grove of cypresses, about twenty miles from the city of

27 Libanius has composed the vain, prolix, but curious narrative of his own life (ii. 1-84, ed. Morell.), of which Eunap. (p. 130) has left a concise and unfavorable account. Among the moderns, Tillemont (Hist. des Emp. iv. 571), Fabric. (Biblio. Græc. vii. 378), and Lardner (Heath. Test. iv. 127), have illustrated the character and writings of this famous sophist.

28 From Antioch to Litarbe, on the territory of Chalcis, the road, over hills and through morasses, was extremely bad; and the loose stones were cemented only with sand (Julian, epist. xxvii.). It is singular enough that the Romans should have neglected the great communication between Antioch and the Euphrates. Wessel. Itin. p. 190. Bergier, Hist. des Grands Chemins, ii. 100.

29 Julian alludes to this incident (epist. xxvii.), which is more distinctly related by Theodor. (1. iii. c. 22). The intolerant spirit of the father is applauded by Tillemont (Hist. des Emp. iv. 534), and even by La Bleterie (Vie de Julien, p. 413).

Hierapolis. The solemn rites of sacrifice were decently prepared by the inhabitants of Batnæ, who seemed attached to the worship 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 incense of flattery, rather than of devotion. The ancient and magnificent temple, which had sanctified for so many ages the city of Hierapolis," no longer subsisted; and the consecrated wealth, which afforded a liberal maintenance to more than 300 priests, might hasten its downfall. Yet Julian enjoyed the satisfaction of embracing a philosopher and a friend, whose religious firmness had withstood the pressing and repeated solicitations of Constantius and Gallus, as often as those princes lodged at his house, in their passage through Hierapolis. In the hurry of military preparation, and the careless 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 still more attentive to observe and register the most trifling presages, from which, according to the rules of divination, any knowledge of futurity could be derived." He informed Libanius of his progress as far as Hierapolis, by an elegant epistle (Julian, Epist. xxvii. 399), which displays the facility of his genius, and his tender friendship for the sophist of Antioch.

82

Hierapolis, situate almost on the banks of the Euphrates,' had been appointed for the general rendezvous of the Roman troops, who immediately passed the great river on a bridge

30 Treatise de Deâ Syriâ, inserted among the works of Lucian (iii. 451, edit. Reitz). The singular appellation of Ninus vetus (Ammian. xiv. 8) might induce a suspicion that Hierapolis had been the royal seat of the Assyrians.

31 Julian (epist. xxviii.) kept a regular account of all the fortunate omens; but he suppresses the inauspicious signs, which Ammian. (xxiii. 2) has carefully

recorded.

32 I take the earliest opportunity of acknowledging my obligations to M. d'Anville, for his recent geography of the Euphrates and Tigris (Paris, 1780, 4to), which particularly illustrates the expedition of Julian.

VOL. II.-47

of boats which was previously constructed." If the inclinations of Julian had been similar to those of his predecessor, he might have wasted the active and important season of the year in the circus of Samosata, or in the churches of Edessa. But as the warlike emperor, instead of Constantius, had chosen Alexander for his model, he advanced without delay to Carrhæ," a very ancient city of Mesopotamia, at the distance of eighty miles from Hierapolis. The temple of the Moon attracted the devotion of Julian; but the halt of a few days was principally employed in completing the immense preparations of the Persian war. The secret of the expedition had hitherto remained in his own breast; but as Carrhæ is the point of separation of the two great roads, he could no longer conceal whether it was his design to attack the dominions of Sapor on the side of the Tigris, or on that of the Euphrates. The emperor detached an army of 30,000 men, under the command of his kinsman Procopius, and of Sebastian, who had been duke of Egypt. They were ordered to direct their march toward Nisibis, and to secure the frontier from the desultory incursions of the enemy, before they attempted the passage of the Tigris. Their subsequent operations were left to the discretion of the generals; but Julian expected that, after wasting with fire and sword the fertile districts of Media and Adiabene, they might arrive under the walls of Ctesiphon about the same time that he himself, advancing with equal steps along the banks of the Euphrates, should besiege the capital of the Persian monarchy. The success of this well-concerted plan depended in a great measure on the powerful and ready assistance of the king of Armenia, who, without exposing the safety of his own dominions, might detach an army of 4,000 horse and 20,000 foot

33 There are three passages within a few miles of each other: 1. Zeugma, celebrated by the ancients; 2. Bir, frequented by the moderns; and, 3. The bridge of Menbigz, or Hierapolis, at the distance of four parasangs from the city.

34 Haran, or Carrha, was the ancient residence of the Sabæans, and of Abraham. Index Geog. of Schultens (ad calcem Vit. Saladin.), a work from which I have obtained much Oriental knowledge concerning the ancient and modern geography of Syria and the adjacent countries.