OP THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 227

u and educate the youth, rather as a monument chap.“ of my own virtue, than as a pledge of your“ sincerity. Should you presume to violate the“ faith which you have sworn, the arms of the“ republic will avenge the perfidy, not on the in-“ nocent, but on the guilty.” The barbarianswithdrew from his presence, impressed withthe warmest sentiments of gratitude and admi-ration. m

It was not enough for Julian to have deliver- Make*ed the provinces of Gaul from the barbarians pcduiou*of Germany . He aspired to emulate the glory t b ^ e y K^ neof the first and most illustrious of the emperors; *; “-3^7,after whose example he composed his own com-mentaries of the Gallic war." Caesar has relat-ed, with conscious pride, the manner in whichhe twice passed the Rhine . Julian could boast,that before he assumed the title of Augustus ,he had carried the Roman eagles beyond thatgreat river in three successful expeditions.*

The consternation of the Germans , after thebattle of Strasburg, encouraged him to the firstattempt; and the reluctance of the troops soonyielded to the persuasive eloquence of a leader,who shared the fatigues and dangers which he

ra This interesting story, which Zosinms has abridged, is related byEunapms (in excerpt. Legationum, p. 15, 16, IT), with all the amplifi-cations of Grecian rhetoric : but the silence of Libanius , of Ainmianus,and of Julian himself, renders the truth of it extremely suspicious.

“ Libanius, the friend of Julian, clearly insinuates (Orat. iv, p. 178)that his hero had composed the history of his Gallic campaigns. ButZosimus (1. iii, p. 140) seems to have derived his information only fromthe Orations {koym) and the Epistles of Julian. The discourse whichis addressed to the Athenians contains an accurate, though geueral, ac-count of the war against the Germans .

° See Amraiau. xvii, 1-10, xviii, 2; and Zasim. I. iii a p. 144. JWian*ad i. p. Q. Athen. p. 280.