The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 4Bell and Bradfute, Peter Hill, Silvester Doig and A. Stirling, and John Ogle., 1811 |
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Abbé Alemanni Ammianus ancient Antioch Arian arms army arts Assyria Athanaric Athanasius barbarians bishop Bleterie Cæsar camp cavalry celebrated CHAP Christian church civil command conduct Constantinople Constantius Ctesiphon danger Danube death declared desert disgrace East Eccles ecclesiastical edit Empereurs emperor empire enemy Epist Eunapius Euphrates faith favour Fritigern Gaul glory gods Gothic Goths Gratian Gregory Nazianzen guilt Hist honour hostile Huns impatient imperial Jerom Jovian Jovinus Julian king labour laws legions Libanius magistrates merit miles military mind ministers Misopogon monarch nation oppressed Orat pagan palace Parent passions peace perhaps Persian philosopher prefect prince Procopius provinces rank reign religion Roman Rome royal Sallust Sapor Scythia Sextus Rufus soldiers soon sovereign Sozomen spirit success temple Themistius Theodosius thousand throne Tigris Tillemont tion treaty tribes troops Valens Valentinian valour victory virtues XXII XXIII XXIV XXVI zeal Zosimus
Popular passages
Page 110 - ... with frequent and reiterated attacks, rendered the place from time to time inaccessible to the scorched and blasted workmen; and the victorious element continuing in this manner obstinately and resolutely bent, as it were, to drive them to a distance, the undertaking was abandoned."* " Such authority should satisfy a believing, and must astonish an incredulous mind," acknowledges even the sceptical Gibbon.
Page 110 - Whilst Alypius, assisted by the governor of the province, urged with vigour and diligence the execution of the work, horrible balls of fire breaking out near the foundations with frequent and reiterated attacks, rendered the place, from time to time, inaccessible to the scorched and blasted workmen; and, the victorious element continuing in this manner obstinately and resolutely bent, as it were, to drive them to a distance, the undertaking was abandoned.
Page 194 - ... avarice of the natives. But on the approach of the Romans this rich and smiling prospect was instantly blasted. Wherever they moved, the inhabitants deserted the open villages and took shelter in the fortified towns; the cattle was driven away; the grass and ripe corn were consumed with fire; and, as soon as the flames had subsided which interrupted the march of Julian, he beheld the melancholy face of a smoking and naked desert.
Page 78 - ... supplied, at his own desire, the place of their aged master. These philosophers seem to have prepared and distributed their respective parts; and they artfully contrived, by dark hints and affected disputes, to excite the impatient hopes of the aspirant, till they delivered him into the hands of their associate Maximus, the boldest and most skilful master of the theurgic science. By his hands Julian was secretly initiated at Ephesus, in the twentieth year of his age. His residence at Athens confirmed...
Page 198 - 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...
Page 113 - The motives alleged by the emperor to justify this partial and oppressive measure might command, during his lifetime, the silence of slaves and the applause of flatterers. Julian abuses the ambiguous meaning of a word which might be indifferently applied to the language and the religion of the Greeks: he contemptuously observes that the men who exalt the merit of implicit faith are unfit to claim or to enjoy the advantages of science; and he vainly contends that, if they refuse to adore the gods...
Page 87 - Hear me! the Franks have heard me, and the Alemanni;" but he soon discovered that he was now engaged with more obstinate and implacable enemies; and though he exerted the powers of oratory to persuade them to live in concord, or at least in peace, he was perfectly satisfied, before he dismissed them from his presence, that he had nothing to dread from the union of the Christians. The impartial Ammianus has ascribed this affected clemency to the desire of fomenting the intestine divisions of the church,...
Page 230 - ... bestowed on the pious successor of Julian; but they were still ignorant what creed or what synod he would choose for the standard of orthodoxy, and the peace of the church immediately revived those eager disputes which had been suspended during the season of persecution. The episcopal leaders of the contending sects, convinced from experience how much their fate would depend on the earliest impressions that were made on the mind of an untutored soldier, hastened to the court of Edessa, or Antioch....
Page 38 - ... and the cities of Thrace. When he reached Heraclea, at the distance of sixty miles, all Constantinople was poured forth to receive him, and he made his triumphal entry amidst the dutiful acclamations of the soldiers, the people, and the senate. An innumerable multitude pressed around him with eager respect, and were perhaps disappointed when they beheld the small stature and simple garb of a hero, whose...
Page 347 - Tartars, afford a sure and increasing supply of flesh and milk ; in the far greater part of the uncultivated waste, the vegetation of the grass is quick and luxuriant ; and there are few places so extremely barren, that the hardy cattle of the north cannot find some tolerable pasture. The supply is multiplied and prolonged by the undistinguishing appetite, and patient abstinence of the Tartars.