it again restored by Magnentius, and now taken away a second time, to the infinite grief and resentment of the Gentiles, who heavily complained of it, especially Symmachus, who raised no little stir and bustle about it afterwards. ' After a month's stay at Rome, the emperor returned back to Milan, where finding that notwithstanding all the provision he could make, the trade of divination still went on, and crept into his very court, to the hazard of his person and government, he published a most severe law the year following against this sort of men, setting forth, that although in any part of the world they were to be accounted enemies of mankind, yet when they presumed to intrude into his court or presence they offered a more immediate violence to majesty. If therefore any magician or diviner, or any practising that way, should be found either in his court, or in that of Cæsar, be he of what rank or condition soever, he should not escape being tortured, though in other cases the law exempted persons of honour and dignity from that penalty. And indeed it was but time for Constantius to look about him, both with respect to himself and Julian. As to himself, he had a fresh instance at hand. Barbatio, general of the foot, had a swarm of bees settled in his house; the man was infinitely concerned at the accident, and presently went to consult the soothsayers, who told him, it portended some extraordinary events, and gave him intimation of an advancement to the empire. This the man kept secret, and marched out with the army; but his wife, jealous of her own interest,

Vid. Symmach. Relat. lib. x. Ep. 54, p 538. 2 Lib. ix. C. Th. tit. xvi. 1. 6, p. 124.

wrote to him, to beg, that after Constantius's death, which was then at hand, and himself, according to his expectations, advanced to the empire, he would not despise her, nor prefer Eusebia, the queendowager that was to be, a woman of exquisite beauty, before her. A copy of this letter her maid carried privily to court, whereby the whole design came to light, for which both Barbatio and his wife died, and several others were racked as accomplices in the treason.1 And then for Julian, Constantius had for some time suspected him of hatching ill designs, and knew that his chief converse was with this sort of men, who, by all the little insinuations of their art, endeavoured to push forward his youthful ambition. He always kept a company of magicians about him, who went in the habit, and under the notion, of philosophers, and sent for a famous pagan priest out of Greece, with whom alone he used to spend some time, and transact some affairs in private, just before he broke out into an open rebellion against Constantius. These things every day more and more alarmed the emperor's suspicions, and awakened his severity against these men; especially after he understood that there was a mighty concourse to Abydus, a town in Thebais, famous for a temple of Bera, the topical God of that country, and much celebrated for his oracles; and those who could not come themselves, sent their questions in writing. This was represented to the emperor as a thing of dangerous consequence, who immediately dispatched away Paulus and some others into the east to examine the matter, and call persons to account. Among others, Simplicius

Am. Marcell. lib. xviii. p. 1522.

2

Ibid. lib. xix. p. 1555.

was accused for having put questions to the oracle about his obtaining the empire, and though commanded to be tortured, was only banished; many more were banished, or racked, or tormented, and their estates confiscated. And so rigorous were the proceedings, (if my author say true,) that if a man wore but an amulet about his neck for the cure of a quartan ague, or any other distemper, or walked but at night among the tombs and monuments, he was forthwith challenged for a conjuror, and as a person trading in necromancy, and was put to death as guilty of high-treason.

The last thing considerable that Constantius did, was a law (if not the last, the last of this nature) he made to exempt the clergy in every place, whether in city or country, from all civil offices, which he did the rather, he says, "because he rejoiced and gloried in nothing more, than in his munificence to the church, well knowing, that the empire was better preserved and kept in order by religion, than by any external offices, or corporal labours whatsoever." This law bears date March the 17th, ann. 361, at Antioch, whither he had retired from the Persian expedition for his winter-quarters, and whence he set out to go against Julian, but died in his march at Mopsucrenæ, October the 5th, others November the 3d, partly wearied out with troubles, partly heart-broken with the ingratitude and rebellion of his cousin Julian, wherein, now it was too late, he was sufficiently sensible of his error, it being one of the three things he solemnly repented of upon his death-bed, that he had taken him into a partnership of the empire.

say

1 C. Th. lib. xvi. tit. ii. 1. 16, p. 44.

SECTION III.

The State of Paganism under the reign of Julian.

JULIAN was the youngest of the three sons of Constantius, brother by the father's side to Constantine the Great. He was born at Constantinople, ann. 331. His mother Basilina died soon after, and his father was taken off in the first of Constantius. At seven years of age he was committed to the tutorage of Mardonius the eunuch, who read to him, and formed his tender years to a strict course of virtue;' and therefore it is a great mistake in Baronius, when, from Julian's account of his education under this man, he make him to have instilled into him the first principles of paganism.2 Libanius puts the case past adventure, when he tells us, this eunuch was an excellent guardian of temperance and sobriety, but withal, a bitter and open enemy to the gods. Under the conduct of this Mardonius he attended some other masters, famous professors at that time: Nicocles the Laconian for grammar, and for rhetoric Ecebolius the sophist. But Constantius thought it not safe to continue him in the imperial city, and therefore sent him and his brother Gallus to Macellus, a manor belonging to the crown, at the foot of the mountain Argæus, not far from Cæsarea in Cappa

Jul. Misop. p. 78, &c. Socr. lib. ii. c. 1, p. 165; Sozom. lib. v. c. 2, p. 593.

* Ad Ann. 337, N. lvii.

3 Epitaph. in Jul. nec. p. 262, 263.

docia, where there was a magnificent palace, pleasant gardens, adorned with baths and fountains, and other noble entertainments. Julian himself seems to speak of it under a worse character, and looked upon their confinement there as a better sort of imprisonment, not being allowed to go thence upon any occasion, and being restrained from all other company but that of their own ser vants. Six years they remained in this place, during which time they were educated in all arts and exercises suitable to their age and birth. After which, Gallus being called to court, Julian was suffered to return to Constantinople, where he frequented the schools of the most celebrated professors, and became so famous for his proficiency in learning, his plain garb, and familiar carriage, that he began to be talked of as a person fit to succeed in the empire. To silence the spreading of such rumours, Constantius removed him to Nicomedia, and recommended him to the care and superintendency of Eusebius, bishop of that place, who by the mother's side was somewhat of kin to him. The emperor began to suspect his inclinations, and therefore gave particular charge, that he should hold no correspondence with Labanius, a famous orator, but a professed zealous pagan, who having been forced to quit Constantinople, had opened a school at Nicomedia. But it is hard to chain up natural inclinations. Though the emperor had commanded, and his tutor Mardonius had engaged him by oaths to have nothing to do with Libanius, he could not wholly contain himself. He did not

Epist. ad Athen. Oper. part. i. p. 499.

2 Liban. Paneg. ad Jul. p. 175, in Jul. nec. p. 263; Socr. loc. cit. Vid. Am. Marc. lib. xxii. p. 1622.