[Footnote*:Julianhimselfsays,thattheytorehimtopieceslikedogs,Epist。x。—M。]
[Footnote121:Philostorgius,withcautiousmalice,insinuatestheirguilt,l。vii。c。ii。Godefroyp。267。]
[Footnote122:Cineresprojecitinmare,idmetuensutclamabat,ne,collectissupremis,aedesillisexstruerenturutreliquis,quideviareareligionecompulsi,pertulere,cruciabilespoenas,adusquegloriosammortemintemeratafideprogressi,etnuncMartyresappellantur。Ammian。xxii。11。EpiphaniusprovestotheArians,thatGeorgewasnotamartyr。]
[Footnote123:SomeDonatistsOptatusMilev。p。60,303,edit。
Dupin;andTillemont,Mem。Eccles。tom。vi。p。713,in4to。andPriscillianistsTillemont,Mem。Eccles。tom。viii。p。517,in4to。haveinlikemannerusurpedthehonorsoftheCatholicsaintsandmartyrs。]
[Footnote124:ThesaintsofCappadocia,Basil,andtheGregories,wereignorantoftheirholycompanion。PopeGelasius,A。D。494,thefirstCatholicwhoacknowledgesSt。George,placeshimamongthemartyrs\"quiDeomagisquamhominibusnotisunt。\"HerejectshisActsasthecompositionofheretics。Some,perhaps,nottheoldest,ofthespuriousActs,arestillextant;
and,throughacloudoffiction,wemayyetdistinguishthecombatwhichSt。GeorgeofCappadociasustained,inthepresenceofQueenAlexandria,againstthemagicianAfhanasius。]
[Footnote125:Thistransformationisnotgivenasabsolutelycertain,butasextremelyprobable。SeetheLongueruana,tom。i。
p。194。
Note:ThelateDr。MilnertheRomanCatholicbishopwroteatracttovindicatetheexistenceandtheorthodoxyofthetutelarsaintofEngland。Hesucceeds,Ithink,intracingtheworshipofSt。GeorgeuptoaperiodwhichmakesitimprobablethatsonotoriousanAriancouldbepalmedupontheCatholicchurchasasaintandamartyr。TheActsrejectedbyGelasiusmayhavebeenofArianorigin,anddesignedtoingraftthestoryoftheirheroontheobscureadventuresofsomeearliersaint。
SeeanHistoricalandCriticalInquiryintotheExistenceandCharacterofSaintGeorge,inalettertotheEarlofLeicester,bytheRev。J。Milner。F。S。A。London1792。—M。]
[Footnote126:AcurioushistoryoftheworshipofSt。George,fromthesixthcentury,whenhewasalreadyreveredinPalestine,inArmeniaatRome,andatTrevesinGaul,mightbeextractedfromDr。HeylinHistoryofSt。George,2dedition,London,1633,in4to。p。429andtheBollandists,Act。Ss。
Mens。April。tom。iii。p。100—163。HisfameandpopularityinEurope,andespeciallyinEngland,proceededfromtheCrusades。]
AboutthesametimethatJulianwasinformedofthetumultofAlexandria,hereceivedintelligencefromEdessa,thattheproudandwealthyfactionoftheArianshadinsultedtheweaknessoftheValentinians,andcommittedsuchdisordersasoughtnottobesufferedwithimpunityinawell—regulatedstate。Withoutexpectingtheslowformsofjustice,theexasperatedprincedirectedhismandatetothemagistratesofEdessa,^127bywhichheconfiscatedthewholepropertyofthechurch:themoneywasdistributedamongthesoldiers;thelandswereaddedtothedomain;andthisactofoppressionwasaggravatedbythemostungenerousirony。\"Ishowmyself,\"saysJulian,\"thetruefriendoftheGalilaeans。Theiradmirablelawhaspromisedthekingdomofheaventothepoor;andtheywilladvancewithmorediligenceinthepathsofvirtueandsalvation,whentheyarerelievedbymyassistancefromtheloadoftemporalpossessions。Takecare,\"
pursuedthemonarch,inamoreserioustone,\"takecarehowyouprovokemypatienceandhumanity。Ifthesedisorderscontinue,I
willrevengeonthemagistratesthecrimesofthepeople;andyouwillhavereasontodread,notonlyconfiscationandexile,butfireandthesword。\"ThetumultsofAlexandriaweredoubtlessofamorebloodyanddangerousnature:butaChristianbishophadfallenbythehandsofthePagans;andthepublicepistleofJulianaffordsaverylivelyproofofthepartialspiritofhisadministration。HisreproachestothecitizensofAlexandriaaremingledwithexpressionsofesteemandtenderness;andhelaments,that,onthisoccasion,theyshouldhavedepartedfromthegentleandgenerousmannerswhichattestedtheirGrecianextraction。Hegravelycensurestheoffencewhichtheyhadcommittedagainstthelawsofjusticeandhumanity;butherecapitulates,withvisiblecomplacency,theintolerableprovocationswhichtheyhadsolongenduredfromtheimpioustyrannyofGeorgeofCappadocia。Julianadmitstheprinciple,thatawiseandvigorousgovernmentshouldchastisetheinsolenceofthepeople;yet,inconsiderationoftheirfounderAlexander,andofSerapistheirtutelardeity,hegrantsafreeandgraciouspardontotheguiltycity,forwhichheagainfeelstheaffectionofabrother。^128
[Footnote127:Julian。Epist。xliii。]
[Footnote128:Julian。Epist。x。HeallowedhisfriendstoassuagehisangerAmmian。xxii。11。]
AfterthetumultofAlexandriahadsubsided,Athanasius,amidstthepublicacclamations,seatedhimselfonthethronefromwhencehisunworthycompetitorhadbeenprecipitated:andasthezealofthearchbishopwastemperedwithdiscretion,theexerciseofhisauthoritytendednottoinflame,buttoreconcile,themindsofthepeople。HispastorallaborswerenotconfinedtothenarrowlimitsofEgypt。ThestateoftheChristianworldwaspresenttohisactiveandcapaciousmind;andtheage,themerit,thereputationofAthanasius,enabledhimtoassume,inamomentofdanger,theofficeofEcclesiasticalDictator。^129ThreeyearswerenotyetelapsedsincethemajorityofthebishopsoftheWesthadignorantly,orreluctantly,subscribedtheConfessionofRimini。Theyrepented,theybelieved,buttheydreadedtheunseasonablerigoroftheirorthodoxbrethren;andiftheirpridewasstrongerthantheirfaith,theymightthrowthemselvesintothearmsoftheArians,toescapetheindignityofapublicpenance,whichmustdegradethemtotheconditionofobscurelaymen。Atthesametimethedomesticdifferencesconcerningtheunionanddistinctionofthedivinepersons,wereagitatedwithsomeheatamongtheCatholicdoctors;andtheprogressofthismetaphysicalcontroversyseemedtothreatenapublicandlastingdivisionoftheGreekandLatinchurches。Bythewisdomofaselectsynod,towhichthenameandpresenceofAthanasiusgavetheauthorityofageneralcouncil,thebishops,whohadunwarilydeviatedintoerror,wereadmittedtothecommunionofthechurch,ontheeasyconditionofsubscribingtheNiceneCreed;withoutanyformalacknowledgmentoftheirpastfault,oranyminutedefinitionoftheirscholasticopinions。
TheadviceoftheprimateofEgypthadalreadypreparedtheclergyofGaulandSpain,ofItalyandGreece,forthereceptionofthissalutarymeasure;and,notwithstandingtheoppositionofsomeardentspirits,^130thefearofthecommonenemypromotedthepeaceandharmonyoftheChristians。^131
[Footnote129:SeeAthanas。adRufin。tom。ii。p。40,41,andGreg。NazianzenOrat。iii。p。395,396;whojustlystatesthetemperatezealoftheprimate,asmuchmoremeritoriousthanhisprayers,hisfasts,hispersecutions,&c。]
[Footnote130:IhavenotleisuretofollowtheblindobstinacyofLuciferofCagliari。SeehisadventuresinTillemont,Mem。
Eccles。tom。vii。p。900—926;andobservehowthecolorofthenarrativeinsensiblychanges,astheconfessorbecomesaschismatic。]
[Footnote131:AssensusesthuicsententiaeOccidens,et,pertamnecessariumconilium,Satanaefaucibusmundusereptus。ThelivelyandartfuldialogueofJeromagainsttheLuciferianstom。
ii。p。135—155exhibitsanoriginalpictureoftheecclesiasticalpolicyofthetimes。]
TheskillanddiligenceoftheprimateofEgypthadimprovedtheseasonoftranquillity,beforeitwasinterruptedbythehostileedictsoftheemperor。^132Julian,whodespisedtheChristians,honoredAthanasiuswithhissincereandpeculiarhatred。Forhissakealone,heintroducedanarbitrarydistinction,repugnantatleasttothespiritofhisformerdeclarations。Hemaintained,thattheGalilaeans,whomhehadrecalledfromexile,werenotrestored,bythatgeneralindulgence,tothepossessionoftheirrespectivechurches;andheexpressedhisastonishment,thatacriminal,whohadbeenrepeatedlycondemnedbythejudgmentoftheemperors,shoulddaretoinsultthemajestyofthelaws,andinsolentlyusurpthearchiepiscopalthroneofAlexandria,withoutexpectingtheordersofhissovereign。Asapunishmentfortheimaginaryoffence,heagainbanishedAthanasiusfromthecity;andhewaspleasedtosuppose,thatthisactofjusticewouldbehighlyagreeabletohispioussubjects。Thepressingsolicitationsofthepeoplesoonconvincedhim,thatthemajorityoftheAlexandrianswereChristians;andthatthegreatestpartoftheChristianswerefirmlyattachedtothecauseoftheiroppressedprimate。Buttheknowledgeoftheirsentiments,insteadofpersuadinghimtorecallhisdecree,provokedhimtoextendtoallEgyptthetermoftheexileofAthanasius。ThezealofthemultituderenderedJulianstillmoreinexorable:hewasalarmedbythedangerofleavingattheheadofatumultuouscity,adaringandpopularleader;andthelanguageofhisresentmentdiscoverstheopinionwhichheentertainedofthecourageandabilitiesofAthanasius。
Theexecutionofthesentencewasstilldelayed,bythecautionornegligenceofEcdicius,praefectofEgypt,whowasatlengthawakenedfromhislethargybyaseverereprimand。\"Thoughyouneglect,\"saysJulian,\"towritetomeonanyothersubject,atleastitisyourdutytoinformmeofyourconducttowardsAthanasius,theenemyofthegods。Myintentionshavebeenlongsincecommunicatedtoyou。IswearbythegreatSerapis,thatunless,onthecalendsofDecember,AthanasiushasdepartedfromAlexandria,nay,fromEgypt,theofficersofyourgovernmentshallpayafineofonehundredpoundsofgold。Youknowmytemper:Iamslowtocondemn,butIamstillslowertoforgive。\"
Thisepistlewasenforcedbyashortpostscript,writtenwiththeemperor\'sownhand。\"Thecontemptthatisshownforallthegodsfillsmewithgriefandindignation。ThereisnothingthatI
shouldsee,nothingthatIshouldhear,withmorepleasure,thantheexpulsionofAthanasiusfromallEgypt。Theabominablewretch!Undermyreign,thebaptismofseveralGrecianladiesofthehighestrankhasbeentheeffectofhispersecutions。\"^133
ThedeathofAthanasiuswasnotexpresslycommanded;butthepraefectofEgyptunderstoodthatitwassaferforhimtoexceed,thantoneglect,theordersofanirritatedmaster。ThearchbishopprudentlyretiredtothemonasteriesoftheDesert;
eluded,withhisusualdexterity,thesnaresoftheenemy;andlivedtotriumphovertheashesofaprince,who,inwordsofformidableimport,haddeclaredhiswishthatthewholevenomoftheGalilaeanschoolwerecontainedinthesinglepersonofAthanasius。^134
[Footnote132:Tillemont,whosupposesthatGeorgewasmassacredinAugustcrowdstheactionsofAthanasiusintoanarrowspace,Mem。Eccles。tom。viii。p。360。Anoriginalfragment,publishedbytheMarquisMaffei,fromtheoldChapterlibraryofVerona,OsservazioniLetterarie,tom。iii。p。60—92,affordsmanyimportantdates,whichareauthenticatedbythecomputationofEgyptianmonths。]
[Footnote133:Ihavepreservedtheambiguoussenseofthelastword,theambiguityofatyrantwhowishedtofind,ortocreate,guilt。]
[Footnote134:ThethreeepistlesofJulian,whichexplainhisintentionsandconductwithregardtoAthanasius,shouldbedisposedinthefollowingchronologicalorder,xxvi。x。vi。*Seelikewise,Greg。Nazianzenxxi。p。393。Sozomen,l。v。c。15。
Socrates,l。iii。c。14。Theodoret,liii。c。9,andTillemont,Mem。Eccles。tom。viii。p。361—368,whohasusedsomematerialspreparedbytheBollandists。]
[Footnote*:ThesentenceinthetextisfromEpist。li。
addressedtothepeopleofAlexandria。—M。]
IhaveendeavoredfaithfullytorepresenttheartfulsystembywhichJulianproposedtoobtaintheeffects,withoutincurringtheguilt,orreproach,ofpersecution。Butifthedeadlyspiritoffanaticismpervertedtheheartandunderstandingofavirtuousprince,itmust,atthesametime,beconfessedthattherealsufferingsoftheChristianswereinflamedandmagnifiedbyhumanpassionsandreligiousenthusiasm。Themeeknessandresignationwhichhaddistinguishedtheprimitivedisciplesofthegospel,wastheobjectoftheapplause,ratherthanoftheimitationoftheirsuccessors。TheChristians,whohadnowpossessedabovefortyyearsthecivilandecclesiasticalgovernmentoftheempire,hadcontractedtheinsolentvicesofprosperity,^135andthehabitofbelievingthatthesaintsalonewereentitledtoreignovertheearth。AssoonastheenmityofJuliandeprivedtheclergyoftheprivilegeswhichhadbeenconferredbythefavorofConstantine,theycomplainedofthemostcrueloppression;andthefreetolerationofidolatersandhereticswasasubjectofgriefandscandaltotheorthodoxparty。^136Theactsofviolence,whichwerenolongercountenancedbythemagistrates,werestillcommittedbythezealofthepeople。AtPessinus,thealtarofCybelewasoverturnedalmostinthepresenceoftheemperor;andinthecityofCaesareainCappadocia,thetempleofFortune,thesoleplaceofworshipwhichhadbeenlefttothePagans,wasdestroyedbytherageofapopulartumult。Ontheseoccasions,aprince,whofeltforthehonorofthegods,wasnotdisposedtointerruptthecourseofjustice;andhismindwasstillmoredeeplyexasperated,whenhefoundthatthefanatics,whohaddeservedandsufferedthepunishmentofincendiaries,wererewardedwiththehonorsofmartyrdom。^137TheChristiansubjectsofJulianwereassuredofthehostiledesignsoftheirsovereign;and,totheirjealousapprehension,everycircumstanceofhisgovernmentmightaffordsomegroundsofdiscontentandsuspicion。Intheordinaryadministrationofthelaws,theChristians,whoformedsolargeapartofthepeople,mustfrequentlybecondemned:buttheirindulgentbrethren,withoutexaminingthemeritsofthecause,presumedtheirinnocence,allowedtheirclaims,andimputedtheseverityoftheirjudgetothepartialmaliceofreligiouspersecution。^138Thesepresenthardships,intolerableastheymightappear,wererepresentedasaslightpreludeoftheimpendingcalamities。TheChristiansconsideredJulianasacruelandcraftytyrant;whosuspendedtheexecutionofhisrevengetillheshouldreturnvictoriousfromthePersianwar。
Theyexpected,thatassoonashehadtriumphedovertheforeignenemiesofRome,hewouldlayasidetheirksomemaskofdissimulation;thattheamphitheatrewouldstreamwiththebloodofhermitsandbishops;andthattheChristianswhostillperseveredintheprofessionofthefaith,wouldbedeprivedofthecommonbenefitsofnatureandsociety。^139Everycalumny^140thatcouldwoundthereputationoftheApostate,wascredulouslyembracedbythefearsandhatredofhisadversaries;
andtheirindiscreetclamorsprovokedthetemperofasovereign,whomitwastheirdutytorespect,andtheirinteresttoflatter。
Theystillprotested,thatprayersandtearsweretheironlyweaponsagainsttheimpioustyrant,whoseheadtheydevotedtothejusticeofoffendedHeaven。Buttheyinsinuated,withsullenresolution,thattheirsubmissionwasnolongertheeffectofweakness;andthat,intheimperfectstateofhumanvirtue,thepatience,whichisfoundedonprinciple,maybeexhaustedbypersecution。ItisimpossibletodeterminehowfarthezealofJulianwouldhaveprevailedoverhisgoodsenseandhumanity;butifweseriouslyreflectonthestrengthandspiritofthechurch,weshallbeconvinced,thatbeforetheemperorcouldhaveextinguishedthereligionofChrist,hemusthaveinvolvedhiscountryinthehorrorsofacivilwar。^141
[Footnote135:SeethefairconfessionofGregory,Orat。iii。p。
61,62。]
[Footnote136:HearthefuriousandabsurdcomplaintofOptatus,deSchismatDenatist。l。ii。c。16,17。]
[Footnote137:Greg。Nazianzen,Orat。iii。p。91,iv。p。133。HepraisestheriotersofCaesarea。SeeSozomen,l。v。4,11。
TillemontMem。Eccles。tom。vii。p。649,650owns,thattheirbehaviorwasnotdansl\'ordrecommun:butheisperfectlysatisfied,asthegreatSt。Basilalwayscelebratedthefestivaloftheseblessedmartyrs。]
[Footnote138:JuliandeterminedalawsuitagainstthenewChristiancityatMaiuma,theportofGaza;andhissentence,thoughitmightbeimputedtobigotry,wasneverreversedbyhissuccessors。Sozomen,l。v。c。3。Reland,Palestin。tom。ii。p。
791。]
[Footnote139:GregoryOrat。iii。p。93,94,95。Orat。iv。p。
114pretendstospeakfromtheinformationofJulian\'sconfidants,whomOrosiusvii。30couldnothaveseen。]
[Footnote140:GregoryOrat。iii。p。91chargestheApostatewithsecretsacrificesofboysandgirls;andpositivelyaffirms,thatthedeadbodieswerethrownintotheOrontes。SeeTheodoret,l。iii。c。26,27;andtheequivocalcandoroftheAbbedelaBleterie,ViedeJulien,p。351,352。YetcontemporarymalicecouldnotimputetoJulianthetroopsofmartyrs,moreespeciallyintheWest,whichBaroniussogreedilyswallows,andTillemontsofaintlyrejects,Mem。Eccles。tom。vii。p。
1295—1315。]
[Footnote141:TheresignationofGregoryistrulyedifying,Orat。iv。p。123,124。Yet,whenanofficerofJulianattemptedtoseizethechurchofNazianzus,hewouldhavelosthislife,ifhehadnotyieldedtothezealofthebishopandpeople,Orat。
xix。p。308。SeethereflectionsofChrysostom,astheyareallegedbyTillemont,Mem。Eccles。tom。vii。p。575。]
ChapterXXIV:TheRetreatAndDeathOfJulian。