"In every age, the absence of genuine inspiration is supplied
by the strong illusions of enthusiasm, and the mimic arts of
imposture. If, in the time of Julian, these arts had been
practised only by the pagan priests, for the support of an
expiring cause, some indulgence might perhaps be allowed to the
interest and habits of the sacerdotal character. But it may
appear a subject of surprise and scandal, that the philosophers
themselves should have contributed to abuse the superstitious
credulity of mankind, and that the Grecian mysteries should
have been supported by the magic or theurgy of the modern
Platonists. They arrogantly pretended to control the order of
nature, to explore the secrets of futurity, to command the
service of the inferior daemons, to enjoy the view and
conversation of the superior gods, and by disengaging the soul
from her material bands, to reunite that immortal particle with
the Infinite and Divine Spirit."
"The neighbourhood of the capital of Persia
was adorned with three stately palaces, laboriously enriched with every
production that could gratify the luxury and pride of an Eastern monarch.
The pleasant situation of the gardens along the banks of the Tigris was
improved, according to the Persian taste, by the symmetry of flowers, fountains,
and shady walks: and spacious parks were enclosed for the reception of
the bears, lions, and wild boars, which were maintained at a considerable
expense for the pleasure of the royal chase. The park-walls were broke
down, the savage game was abandoned to the darts of the soldiers, and the
palaces of Sapor were reduced to ashes, by the command of the Roman emperor.
Julian, on this occasion, showed himself ignorant, or careless, of the
laws of civility, which the prudence and refinement of polished ages have
established between hostile princes. Yet these wanton ravages need not
excite in our breasts any vehement emotions of pity or resentment. A simple,
naked statue, finished by the hand of a Grecian artist, is of more genuine
value, than all these rude and costly monuments of Barbaric labour: and
if we are more deeply affected by the ruin of a palace than by the conflagration
of a cottage, our humanity must have formed a very erroneous estimate of
the miseries of human life."
"While Julian struggled with the almost insuperable difficulties of his
situation, the silent hours of the night were still devoted to study and
contemplation. Whenever he closed his eyes in short and interrupted
slumbers, his mind was agitated with painful anxiety; nor can it be
thought surprising, that the Genius of the empire should once more
appear before him, covering with a funeral veil his head, and his horn
of abundance, and slowly retiring from the Imperial tent. The monarch
started from his couch, and stepping forth to refresh his wearied
spirits with the coolness of the midnight air, he beheld a fiery meteor,
which shot athwart the sky, and suddenly vanished. Julian was convinced
that he had seen the menacing countenance of the god of war; the council which he summoned, of Tuscan Haruspices, unanimously pronounced that he should abstain from action; but on this
occasion, necessity and reason were more prevalent than superstition;
and the trumpets sounded at the break of day."
"Friends and fellow-soldiers, the seasonable period of my departure is
now arrived, and I discharge, with the cheerfulness of a ready debtor,
the demands of nature. I have learned from philosophy, how much the soul
is more excellent than the body; and that the separation of the nobler
substance should be the subject of joy, rather than of affliction. I
have learned from religion, that an early death has often been the
reward of piety; and I accept, as a favor of the gods, the mortal stroke that secures me
from the danger of disgracing a character, which has hitherto been
supported by virtue and fortitude. I die without remorse, as I have
lived without guilt. I am pleased to reflect on the innocence of my
private life; and I can affirm with confidence, that the supreme
authority, that emanation of the Divine Power, has been preserved in my
hands pure and immaculate. Detesting the corrupt and destructive maxims
of despotism, I have considered the happiness of the people as the end
of government. Submitting my actions to the laws of prudence, of
justice, and of moderation, I have trusted the event to the care of
Providence. Peace was the object of my counsels, as long as peace was
consistent with the public welfare; but when the imperious voice of my
country summoned me to arms, I exposed my person to the dangers of war,
with the clear foreknowledge (which I had acquired from the art of
divination) that I was destined to fall by the sword. I now offer my
tribute of gratitude to the Eternal Being, who has not suffered me to
perish by the cruelty of a tyrant, by the secret dagger of conspiracy,
or by the slow tortures of lingering disease. He has given me, in the
midst of an honorable career, a splendid and glorious departure from
this world; and I hold it equally absurd, equally base, to solicit, or
to decline, the stroke of fate."
"It was an ancient custom in the funerals, as well as in the triumphs, of the Romans, that the voice of praise should be corrected by that of satire and ridicule; and that, in the midst of the splendid pageants, which displayed the glory of the living or of the dead, their imperfections should not be concealed from the eyes of the world."
"It was an ancient custom in the funerals, as well as in the triumphs, of the Romans, that the voice of praise should be corrected by that of satire and ridicule; and that, in the midst of the splendid pageants, which displayed the glory of the living or of the dead, their imperfections should not be concealed from the eyes of the world."
