διενοούμην· μάρτυρες δὲ αὐτοί· πᾶσαν ἀπορρίψας τὴν βασιλικὴν πολυτέλειαν
καὶ παρασκευὴν ἡσυχάζειν, πράττειν δὲ οὐδὲν ὅλως. ἀνέμενον δὲ Φλωρέντιον
παραγενέσθαι καὶ τὸν Λουππικῖνον· ἦν γὰρ ὁ μὲν περὶ τὴν Βίενναν, ὁ δὲ ἐν
ταῖς Βρεττανίαις. ἐν τούτῳ θόρυβος πολὺς [B] ἦν περὶ πάντας τοὺς ἰδιώτας
καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας, καὶ γράφει τις ἀνώνυμον γραμματεῖον(478) εἰς τὴν
ἀστυγείτονά μοι πόλιν πρὸς τοὺς Πετουλάντας τουτουσὶ καὶ Κελτούς·
ὀνομάζεται δὲ οὕτω τὰ τάγματα· ἐν ᾧ πολλὰ μὲν ἐγέγραπτο κατ᾽ ἐκείνου,
πολλοὶ δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς Γαλλιῶν προδοσίας ὀδυρμοί· καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν
ἀτιμίαν ὁ τὸ γραμματεῖον συγγράψας ἀπωδύρετο. τοῦτο κομισθὲν ἐκίνησε
πάντας, οἳ τὰ Κωνσταντίου μάλιστα ἐφρόνουν, [C] ἐπιθέσθαι μοι κατὰ τὸ
καρτερώτατον, ὅπως ἤδη τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐκπέμψαιμι, πρὶν καὶ εἰς τοὺς
ἄλλους ἀριθμοὺς ὅμοια ῥιφῆναι. καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ ἄλλος τις παρῆν τῶν δοκούντων
εὔνως ἔχειν ἐμοί, Νεβρίδιος δέ, Πεντάδιος, Δεκέντιος, ὁ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ
πεμφθεὶς ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸ τοῦτο Κωνσταντίου. λέγοντος δέ μου χρῆναι περιμένειν ἔτι
Λουππικῖνον καὶ Φλωρέντιον, οὐδεὶς ἤκουσεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἔλεγον πάντες τοὐναντίον
ὅτι δεῖ Ποιεῖν, εἰ μὴ βούλομαι ταῖς προλαβούσαις ὑποψίαις ὥσπερ ἀπόδειξιν
[D] καὶ τεκμήριον τοῦτο προσθεῖναι. εἶτα προσέθεσαν ὡς Νῦν μὲν
ἐκπεμφθέντων αὐτὼν σόν ἐστι τὸ ἔργον, ἀφικομένων δὲ τούτων οὐ σοὶ τοῦτο,
ἀλλ᾽ ἐκείνοις λογιεῖται Κωνστάντιος, σὺ δὲ ἐν αἰτίᾳ γενήσῃ. γράψαι δή(479)
με ἔπεισαν αὐτῷ, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐβιάσαντο· πείθεται μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, ᾧπερ
ἔξεστι καὶ μὴ πεισθῆναι, βιάζεσθαι δὲ οἷς ἂν ἐξῇ, τοῦ πείθειν οὐδὲν
προσδέονται· οὔκουν οὐδὲ οἱ βιασθέντες τῶν πεπεισμένων εἰσίν, ἀλλὰ τῶν
ἀναγκασθέντων. ἐσκοποῦμεν ἐνταῦθα, [284] ποίαν ὁδὸν αὐτοὺς χρὴ βαδίζειν,
διττῆς οὔσης. ἐγὼ μὲν ἠξίουν ἑτέραν τραπῆναι, οἱ δὲ αὖθις ἀναγκάζουσιν
ἐκείνην ἰέναι, μὴ τοῦτο αὐτὸ γενόμενον ὥσπερ ἀφορμήν τινα στάσεως τοῖς
στρατιώταις παράσχῃ καὶ ταραχῆς τινος αἴτιον γένηται, εἶτα στασιάζειν ἅπαξ
ἀρξάμενοι πάντα ἀθρόως ταράξωσιν. ἐδόκει τὸ δέος οὐ παντάπασιν ἄλογον
εἶναι τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
(And now in what terms shall I describe to you the work of the gods? It
was my intention, as they will bear me witness, to divest myself of all
imperial splendour and state and remain in peace, taking no part whatever
in affairs. But I waited for Florentius and Lupicinus to arrive; for the
former was at Vienne, the latter in Britain. Meanwhile there was great
excitement among the civilians and the troops, and someone wrote an
anonymous letter to the town near where I was,(480) addressed to the
Petulantes and the Celts—those were the names of the legions—full of
invectives against Constantius and of lamentations about his betrayal of
the Gauls. Moreover the author of the letter lamented bitterly the
disgrace inflicted on myself. This letter when it arrived provoked all
those who were most definitely on the side of Constantius to urge me in
the strongest terms to send away the troops at once, before similar
letters could be scattered broadcast among the rest of the legions. And
indeed there was no one there belonging to the party supposed to be
friendly to me, but only Nebridius, Pentadius, and Decentius, the latter
of whom had been despatched for this very purpose by Constantius. And when
I replied that we ought to wait still longer for Lupicinus and Florentius,
no one listened to me, but they all declared that we ought to do the very
opposite, unless I wished to add this further proof and evidence for the
suspicions that were already entertained about me. And they added this
argument: “If you send away the troops now it will be regarded as your
measure, but when the others come Constantius will give them not you the
credit and you will be held to blame.” And so they persuaded or rather
compelled me to write to him. For he alone may be said to be persuaded who
has the power to refuse, but those who can use force have no need to
persuade as well;(481) then again where force is used there is no
persuasion, but a man is the victim of necessity. Thereupon we discussed
by which road, since there were two, the troops had better march. I
preferred that they should take one of these, but they immediately
compelled them to take the other, for fear that the other route if chosen
should give rise to mutiny among the troops and cause some disturbance,
and that then, when they had once begun to mutiny, they might throw all
into confusion. Indeed such apprehension on their part seemed not
altogether without grounds.)
Ἦλθε τὰ τάγματα, ὑπήντησα κατὰ τὸ νενομισμένον αὐτοῖς, [B] ἔχεσθαι τῆς
ὁδοῦ προύτρεψα· μίαν ἡμέραν ἐπέμεινεν, ἄχρις ἧς οὐδὲν ᾔδειν ἐγὼ τῶν
βεβουλευμένων αὐτοῖς· ἴστω Ζεύς, Ἥλιος, Ἄρης, Ἀθηνᾶ καὶ πάντες θεοί, ὡς
οὐδὲ ἐγγὺς ἀφίκετό μού τις τοιαύτη ὑπόνοια ἄχρι δείλης αὐτῆς· ὀψίας δὲ ἤδη
περὶ ἡλίου δυσμὰς ἐμηνύθη μοι, καὶ αὐτίκα τὰ βασίλεια περιείληπτο, καὶ
ἐβόων πάντες, ἔτι φροντίζοντός μου τί χρὴ ποιεῖν καὶ οὔπω σφόδρα
πιστεύοντος· [C] ὔτυχον γὰρ ἔτι τῆς γαμετῆς ζώσης μοι ἀναπαυσόμενος ἰδίᾳ
πρὸς τὸ πλησίον ὑπερῷον ἀνελθών. εἶτα ἐκεῖθεν· ἀνεπέπτατο γὰρ ὁ τοῖχος·
προσεκύνησα τὸν Δία. γενομένης δὲ ἔτι μείζονος τῆς βοῆς καὶ θορυβουμένων
πάντων ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, ᾐτέομεν τὸν θεὸν δοῦναι τέρας. αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ ἡμῖν
δεῖξε καὶ ἠνώγει πεισθῆναι καὶ μὴ προσεναντιοῦσθαι τοῦ στρατοπέδου τῇ
προθυμίᾳ. γενομένων ὅμως [D] ἐμοὶ καὶ τούτων τῶν σημείων, οὐκ εἶξα
ἑτοίμως, ἀλλ᾽ ἀντέσχον εἰς ὅσον ἠδυνάμην, καὶ οὔτε τὴν πρόσρησιν οὔτε τὸν
στέφανον προσιέμην. ἐπεὶ δὲ οὔτε εἷς ὢν(482) πολλῶν ἠδυνάμην κρατεῖν οἵ τε
τοῦτο βουλόμενοι γενέσθαι θεοὶ τοὺς μὲν παρώξυνον, ἐμοὶ δὲ ἔθελγον τὴν
γνώμην, ὥρᾳ που τρίτῃ σχεδὸν οὐκ οἶδα οὗτινός μοι στρατιώτου δόντος
μανιάκην περιεθέμην καὶ ἦλθον εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, ἔνδοθεν ἀπ᾽ αὐτῆς, ὡς
ἴσασιν οἱ θεοί, στένων τῆς καρδίας. [285] καίτοι χρῆν δήπουθεν πιστεύοντα
τῷ φήναντι θεῷ τὸ τέρας θαρρεῖν· ἀλλ᾽ ᾐσχυνόμην δεινῶς καὶ κατεδυόμην, εἰ
δόξαιμι μὴ πιστῶς ἄχρι τέλους ὑπακοῦσαι Κωνσταντίῳ.
(The legions arrived, and I, as was customary, went to meet them and
exhorted them to continue their march. For one day they halted, and till
that time I knew nothing whatever of what they had determined; I call to
witness Zeus, Helios, Ares, Athene, and all the other gods that no such
suspicion even entered my mind until that very evening. It was already
late, when about sunset the news was brought to me, and suddenly the
palace was surrounded and they all began to shout aloud, while I was still
considering what I ought to do and feeling by no means confident. My wife
was still alive and it happened, that in order to rest alone, I had gone
to the upper room near hers. Then from there through an opening in the
wall I prayed to Zeus. And when the shouting grew still louder and all was
in a tumult in the palace I entreated the god to give me a sign; and
thereupon he showed me a sign(483) and bade me yield and not oppose myself
to the will of the army. Nevertheless even after these tokens had been
vouchsafed to me I did not yield without reluctance, but resisted as long
as I could, and would not accept either the salutation(484) or the diadem.
But since I could not singlehanded control so many, and moreover the gods,
who willed that this should happen, spurred on the soldiers and gradually
softened my resolution, somewhere about the third hour some soldier or
other gave me the collar and I put it on my head and returned to the
palace, as the gods know groaning in my heart. And yet surely it was my
duty to feel confidence and to trust in the god after he had shown me the
sign; but I was terribly ashamed and ready to sink into the earth at the
thought of not seeming to obey Constantius faithfully to the last.)
Πολλῆς οὖν οὔσης περὶ τὰ βασίλεια κατηφείας, τοῦτον εὐθὺς οἱ Κωνσταντίου
φίλοι τὸν καιρὸν ἁρπάσαι διανοηθέντες ἐπιβουλήν μοι ῥάπτουσιν αὐτίκα καί
διένειμαν τοῖς στρατιώταις χρήματα, δυοῖν θάτερον προσδοκῶντες, ἢ
διαστήσειν ἀλλήλους ἢ [B] καὶ παντάπασιν ἐπιθήσεσθαι(485) μοι φανερῶς.
αἰσθόμενός τις τῶν ἐπιτεταγμένων τῇ προόδῳ τῆς ἐμῆς γαμετῆς λάθρᾳ
πραττόμενον αὐτὸ ἐμοὶ μὲν πρῶτον ἐμήνυσεν, ὡς δὲ ἑώρα με μηδὲν προσέχοντα,
παραφρονήσας ὥσπερ οἱ θεόληπτοι δημοσίᾳ βοᾶν ἤρξατο κατὰ τὴν ἀγοράν·
Ἄνδρες στρατιῶται καὶ ξένοι καὶ πολῖται, μὴ προδῶτε τὸν αὐτοκράτορα. εἶτα
ἐμπίπτει θυμὸς εἰς τοὺς στρατιώτας, καὶ πάντες εἰς τὰ βασίλεια μετὰ τῶν
ὅπλων ἔθεον. [C] καταλαβόντες δέ με ζῶντα καὶ χαρέντες ὥσπερ οἱ τοὺς ἐξ
ἀνελπίστων ὀφθέντας φίλους ἄλλος ἄλλοθεν περιέβαλλον καὶ περιέπλεκον καὶ
ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἔφερον, καὶ ἦν πως τὸ πρᾶγμα θέας ἄξιον, ἐνθουσιασμῷ γὰρ
ἐῴκει. ὡς δέ με ἁπανταχόθεν περιέσχον, ἐξῄτουν ἅπαντας τοὺς Κωνσταντίου
φίλους ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ. πηλίκον ἠγωνισάμην ἀγῶνα σῶσαι [D] βουλόμενος αὐτούς,
ἴσασιν οἱ θεοὶ πάντες.
(Now since there was the greatest consternation in the palace, the friends
of Constantius thought they would seize the occasion to contrive a plot
against me without delay, and they distributed money to the soldiers,
expecting one of two things, either that they would cause dissension
between me and the troops, or no doubt that the latter would attack me
openly. But when a certain officer belonging to those who commanded my
wife’s escort perceived that this was being secretly contrived, he first
reported it to me and then, when he saw that I paid no attention to him,
he became frantic, and like one possessed he began to cry aloud before the
people in the market‐place, “Fellow soldiers, strangers, and citizens, do
not abandon the Emperor!” Then the soldiers were inspired by a frenzy of
rage and they all rushed to the palace under arms. And when they found me
alive, in their delight, like men who meet friends whom they had not hoped
to see again, they pressed round me on this side and on that, and embraced
me and carried me on their shoulders. And it was a sight worth seeing, for
they were like men seized with a divine frenzy. Then after they had
surrounded me on all sides they demanded that I give up to them for
punishment the friends of Constantius. What fierce opposition I had to
fight down in my desire to save those persons is known to all the gods.)
Ἀλλὰ δὴ τὰ μετὰ τοῦτο πῶς πρὸς τὸν Κωνστάντιον διεπραξάμην; οὔπω καὶ
τήμερον ἐν ταῖς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιστολαῖς τῇ δοθείσῃ μοι παρὰ τῶν θεῶν
ἐπωνυμίᾳ κεχρημαι, καίσαρα δὲ ἐμαυτὸν γέγραφα, καὶ πέπεικα τοὺς στρατιώτας
ὀμόσαι μοι μηδενὸς ἐπιθυμήσειν, εἴπερ ἡμῖν ἐπιτρέψειεν ἀδεῶς οἰκεῖν τὰς
Γαλλίας, τοῖς πεπραγμένοις συναινέσας. [286] ἅπαντα τὰ παρ᾽ ἐμοὶ τάγματα
πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔπεμψεν ἐπιστολάς, ἱκετεύοντα περὶ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἡμῖν
ὁμονοίας. ὁ δὲ ἀντὶ τούτων ἐπέβαλεν ἡμῖν τοὺς βαρβάρους, ἐχθρὸν δὲ
ἀνηγόρευσέ με παρ᾽ ἐκείνοις, καὶ μισθοὺς ἐτέλεσεν, ὅπως τὸ Γαλλιῶν ἔθνος
πορθηθείη, γράφων τε ἐν τοῖς ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ παραφυλάττειν τοὺς ἐκ τῶν Γαλλιῶν
παρεκελεύετο, [B] καὶ περὶ τοὺς Γαλλικοὺς ὅρους ἐν ταῖς πλησίον πόλεσιν
εἰς τριακοσίας μυριάδας μεδίμνων πυροῦ κατειργασμένου ἐν τῇ Βριγαντίᾳ,
τοσοῦτον ἕτερον περὶ τὰς Κοττίας Ἄλπεις ὡς ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ στρατεύσων ἐκέλευσε
παρασκευασθῆναι. καὶ ταῦτα οὐ λόγοι, σαφῆ δὲ ἔργα. καὶ γὰρ ἃς γέγραφεν
ἐπιστολὰς ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων κομισθείσας ἐδεξάμην, καὶ τὰς τροφὰς τὰς
παρεσκευασμένας κατέλαβον [C] καὶ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς Ταύρου. πρὸς τούτοις ἔτι
νῦν μοι ὡς καίσαρι(486) γράφει, καὶ οὐδὲ συνθήσεσθαι πώποτε πρός με
ὑπέστη, ἀλλ᾽ Ἐπίκτητόν τινα τῶν Γαλλιῶν(487) ἐπίσκοπον ἔπεμψεν ὡς πιστά
μοι περὶ τῆς ἀσφαλείας τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ παρέξοντα, καὶ τοῦτο θρυλεῖ δι᾽ ὅλων
αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν, ὡς οὐκ ἀφαιρησόμενος τοῦ ζῆν, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς τιμῆς οὐδὲν
μνημονεύει. ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς μὲν ὅρκους αὐτοῦ τὸ τῆς παραοιμίας οἶμαι δεῖν εἰς
τέφραν γράφειν, οὕτως εἰσὶ πιστοί· [D] τῆς τιμῆς δὲ οὐ τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ
πρέποντος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν φίλων ἕνεκα σωτηρίας ἀντέχομαι· καὶ οὔπω
φημὶ τὴν πανταχοῦ γῆς γυμναζομένην πικρίαν.
(But further, how did I behave to Constantius after this? Even to this day
I have not yet used in my letters to him the title which was bestowed on
me by the gods, but I have always signed myself Caesar, and I have
persuaded the soldiers to demand nothing more if only he would allow us to
dwell peaceably in Gaul and would ratify what has been already done. All
the legions with me sent letters to him praying that there might be
harmony between us. But instead of this he let loose against us the
barbarians, and among them proclaimed me his foe and paid them bribes so
that the people of the Gauls might be laid waste; moreover he wrote to the
forces in Italy and bade them be on their guard against any who should
come from Gaul; and on the frontiers of Gaul in the cities near by he
ordered to be got ready three million bushels of wheat which had been
ground at Brigantia,(488) and the same amount near the Cottian Alps, with
the intention of marching to oppose me. These are not mere words but deeds
that speak plain. In fact the letters that he wrote I obtained from the
barbarians who brought them to me; and I seized the provisions that had
been made ready, and the letters of Taurus. Besides, even now in his
letters he addresses me as “Caesar” and declares that he will never make
terms with me: but he sent one Epictetus, a bishop of Gaul,(489) to offer
a guarantee for my personal safety; and throughout his letters he keeps
repeating that he will not take my life, but about my honour he says not a
word. As for his oaths, for my part I think they should, as the proverb
says, be written in ashes,(490) so little do they inspire belief. But my
honour I will not give up, partly out of regard for what is seemly and
fitting, but also to secure the safety of my friends. And I have not yet
described the cruelty that he is practising over the whole earth.)
Ταῦτα ἔπεισέ με, ταῦτα ἐφάνη μοι δίκαια. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν αὐτὰ τοῖς πάντα
ὁρῶσι καὶ ἀκούουσιν ἀνεθέμην θεοῖς. εἶτα θυσάμενος περὶ τῆς ἐξόδου καὶ
γενομένων καλῶν τῶν ἱερῶν κατ᾽ αὐτὴν ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ τοῖς
στρατιώταις περὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τάδε πορείας [287] ἔμελλον διαλέγεσθαι, ὑπέρ τε
τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ σωτηρίας καὶ πολὺ πλέον ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν κοινῶν εὐπραγίας καὶ τῆς
ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐλευθερίας αὐτοῦ τε τοῦ Κελτῶν ἔθνους, ὃ δὶς ἤδη τοῖς
πολεμίοις ἐξέδωκεν, οὐδὲ τῶν προγονικῶν φεισάμενος τάφων, ὁ τοὺς
ἀλλοτρίους πάνυ θεραπεύων, ᾠήθην δεῖν ἔθνη τε προσλαβεῖν τὰ δυνατώτατα καὶ
χρημάτων πόρους δικαιοτάτων ἐξ ἀργυρείων καὶ χρυσείων, καὶ εἰ μὲν
ἀγαπήσειεν ἔτι νῦν γοῦν τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁμόνοιαν, εἴσω τῶν νῦν ἐχομένων
μένειν, [B] εἰ δὲ πολεμεῖν διανοοῖτο καὶ μηδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς προτέρας γνώμης
χαλάσειεν, ὅ, τι ἂν ᾖ τοῖς θεοῖς φίλον πάσχειν ἢ πράττειν, ὡς αἴσχιον
ἀνανδρίᾳ ψυχῆς καὶ διανοίας ἀμαθίᾳ ἢ πλήθει δυνάμεως ἀσθενέστερον αὐτοῦ
φανῆναι. νῦν μὲν γὰρ εἰ τῷ πλήθει κρατήσειεν, οὐκ ἐκείνου τὸ ἔργον, ἀλλὰ
τῆς πολυχειρίας ἐστίν· εἰ δὲ ἐν ταῖς Γαλλίαις περιμένοντά με καὶ τὸ ζῆν
ἀγαπῶντα καὶ διακλίνοντα τὸν κίνδυνον [C] ἁπανταχόθεν περικόψας κατέλαβε,
κύκλῳ μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων, κατὰ στόμα δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ στρατοπέδων, τὸ
παθεῖν τε οἶμαι τὰ ἔσχατα προσῆν καὶ ἔτι ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων αἰσχύνη οὐδεμιᾶς
ἐλάττων ζημίας τοῖς γε σώφροσι.
(These then were the events that persuaded me; this was the conduct I
thought just. And first I imparted it to the gods who see and hear all
things. Then when I had offered sacrifices for my departure, the omens
were favourable on that very day on which I was about to announce to the
troops that they were to march to this place; and since it was not only on
behalf of my own safety but far more for the sake of the general welfare
and the freedom of all men and in particular of the people of Gaul,—for
twice already he had betrayed them to the enemy and had not even spared
the tombs of their ancestors, he who is so anxious to conciliate
strangers!—then, I say, I thought that I ought to add to my forces certain
very powerful tribes and to obtain supplies of money, which I had a
perfect right to coin, both gold and silver. Moreover if even now he would
welcome a reconciliation with me I would keep to what I at present
possess; but if he should decide to go to war and will in no wise relent
from his earlier purpose, then I ought to do and to suffer whatever is the
will of the gods; seeing that it would be more disgraceful to show myself
his inferior through failure of courage or lack of intelligence than in
mere numbers. For if he now defeats me by force of numbers that will not
be his doing, but will be due to the larger army that he has at his
command. If on the other hand he had surprised me loitering in Gaul and
clinging to bare life and, while I tried to avoid the danger, had attacked
me on all sides, in the rear and on the flanks by means of the barbarians,
and in front by his own legions, I should I believe have had to face
complete ruin, and moreover the disgrace of such conduct is greater than
any punishment—at least in the sight of the wise.(491))
Ταῦτα διανοηθείς, ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοῖς τε συστρατιώταις τοῖς ἐμοῖς
διῆλθον καὶ πρὸς κοινοὺς τῶν πάντων Ἑλλήνων πολίτας γράφω. θεοὶ δὲ [D] οἱ
πάντων κύριοι συμμαχίαν ἡμῖν τὴν ἑαυτῶν, ὥσπερ ὑπέστησαν, εἰς τέλος δοῖεν
καὶ παράσχοιεν ταῖς Ἀθήναις ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν τε εἰς ὅσον δύναμις εὖ παθεῖν καὶ
τοιούτους σχεῖν ἐς ἀεὶ τοὺς αὐτοκράτορας, οἳ μάλιστα καὶ διαφερόντως αὐτὰς
αἰδέσονται(492) καὶ ἀγαπήσουσιν.
(These then are the views, men of Athens, which I have communicated to my
fellow soldiers and which I am now writing to the whole body of the
citizens throughout all Greece. May the gods who decide all things
vouchsafe me to the end the assistance which they have promised, and may
they grant to Athens all possible favours at my hands! May she always have
such Emperors as will honour her and love her above and beyond all other
cities!)
FRAGMENT OF A LETTER TO A PRIEST
Introduction
Julian was Supreme Pontiff, and as such felt responsible for the teachings
and conduct of the priesthood. He saw that in order to offset the
influence of the Christian priests which he thought was partly due to
their moral teaching, partly to their charity towards the poor, the pagans
must follow their example. Hitherto the preaching of morals had been left
to the philosophers. Julian’s admonitions as to the treatment of the poor
and of those in prison, and the rules that he lays down for the private
life of a priest are evidently borrowed from the Christians.
This Fragment occurs in the Vossianus MS., inserted in the Letter to
Themistius,(493) and was identified and published separately by Petavius.
It was probably written when Julian was at Antioch on the way to Persia.
FRAGMENTUM EPISTOLAE
.... πλὴν ἢν εἰς τὸν βασιλέα ἐπίδωσιν ἀτακτοῦντάς τινας, αὐτίκα μάλα
κολάζουσιν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς οὐ προσιόντας τοῖς θεοῖς ἐστι τὸ τῶν πονηρῶν
δαιμόνων τεταγμένον φῦλον, [B] ὑφ᾽ ὧν οἱ πολλοὶ παροιστρούμενοι τῶν ἀθέων
ἀναπείθονται θανατᾶν, ὡς ἀναπτησόμενοι πρὸς τὸν οὐρανόν, ὅταν ἀπορρήξωσι
τὴν ψυχὴν βιαίως. εἰσὶ δὲ οἳ καὶ τὰς ἐρημίας ἀντὶ τῶν πόλεων διώκουσιν,
ὄντος τἀνθρώπου φύσει πολιτικοῦ ζῴου καὶ ἡμέρου, δαίμοσιν ἐκδεδομένοι
πονηροῖς, ὑφ᾽ ὧν εἰς ταύτην ἄγονται τὴν μισανθρωπίαν. ἤδη δὲ καὶ δεσμὰ καὶ
κλοιοὺς ἐξηῦρον οἱ πολλοὶ τούτων· οὕτω πανταχόθεν αὐτοὺς ὁ κακὸς
συνελαύνει δαίμων, ᾧ δεδώκασιν ἑκόντες ἑαυτούς, ἀποστάντες τῶν ἀιδίων καὶ
σωτήρων θεῶν. [C] ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ μὲν τούτων ἀπόχρη τοσαῦτα εἰπεῖν· ὅθεν δ᾽
ἐξέβην εἰς τοῦτο ἐπανήξω.
(.... Only(494) that they chastise, then and there, any whom they see
rebelling against their king. And the tribe of evil demons is appointed to
punish those who do not worship the gods, and stung to madness by them
many atheists are induced to court death in the belief that they will fly
up to heaven when they have brought their lives to a violent end. Some men
there are also who, though man is naturally a social and civilised being,
seek out desert places instead of cities, since they have been given over
to evil demons and are led by them into this hatred of their kind. And
many of them have even devised fetters and stocks to wear; to such a
degree does the evil demon to whom they have of their own accord given
themselves abet them in all ways, after they have rebelled against the
everlasting and saving gods. But on this subject what I have said is
enough, and I will go back to the point at which I digressed.)
Δικαιοπραγίας οὖν τῆς μὲν κατὰ τοὺς πολιτικοὺς νόμους εὔδηλον ὅτι μελήσει
τοῖς ἐπιτρόποις τῶν πόλεων, πρέποι δ᾽ ἂν καὶ ὑμῖν εἰς παραίνεσιν τὸ μὴ
παραβαίνειν ἱεροὺς ὄντας τῶν θεῶν τοὺς νόμους. [289] ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸν ἱερατικὸν
βίον εἶναι χρὴ τοῦ πολιτικοῦ σεμνότερον, ἀκτέον ἐπὶ τοῦτον καὶ διδακτέον·
ἕψονται δέ, ὡς εἰκός, οἱ βελτίους· ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ εὔχομαι καὶ πάντας, ἐλπίζω
δὲ τοὺς ἐπιεικεῖς φύσει καὶ σπουδαίους· ἐπιγνώσονται γὰρ οἰκείους ὄντας
ἑαυτοῖς τοὺς λόγους.
(Though just conduct in accordance with the laws of the state will
evidently be the concern of the governors of cities, you in your turn will
properly take care to exhort men not to transgress the laws of the gods,
since those are sacred. Moreover, inasmuch as the life of a priest ought
to be more holy than the political life, you must guide and instruct men
to adopt it. And the better sort will naturally follow your guidance. Nay
I pray that all men may, but at any rate I hope that those who are
naturally good and upright will do so; for they will recognise that your
teachings are peculiarly adapted to them.)
Ἀσκητέα τοίνυν πρὸ πάντων ἡ φιλανθρωπία· ταύτῃ γὰρ ἕπεται πολλὰ μὲν καὶ
ἄλλα τῶν ἀγαθῶν, [B] ἐξαίρετον δὲ δὴ καὶ μέγιστον ἡ παρὰ τῶν θεῶν
εὐμένεια. καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν δεσπόταις συνδιατιθέμενοι περί τε
φιλίας καὶ σπουδὰς καὶ ἔρωτας ἀγαπῶνται πλέον τῶν ὁμοδούλων, οὕτω
νομιστέον φύσει φιλάνθρωπον ὂν τὸ θεῖον ἀγαπᾶν τοὺς φιλανθρώπους τῶν
ἀνδρῶν. ἡ δὲ φιλανθρωπία πολλὴ καὶ παντοία· [C] καὶ τὸ πεφεισμένως
κολάζειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ τῷ βελτίονι τῶν κολαζομένων, ὥσπερ οἱ
διδάσκαλοι τὰ παιδία, καὶ τὸ τὰς χρείας αὐτῶν ἐπανορθοῦν, ὥσπερ οἱ θεοὶ
τὰς ἡμετέρας. ὁρᾶτε ὅσα ἡμῖν δεδώκασιν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀγαθά, τροφὰς παντοίας
καὶ ὁπόσας οὐδὲ ὁμοῦ πᾶσι τοῖς ζῴοις. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐτέχθημεν γυμνοί, ταῖς τε
τῶν ζῴων ἡμᾶς θριξὶν ἐσκέπασαν καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τῆς γῆς φυομένοις καὶ τοῖς ἐκ
δένδρων, καὶ οὐκ ἤρκεσεν ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ αὐτοσχεδίως, [D] καθάπερ ὁ Μωυσῆς ἔφη
τοὺς χιτῶνας λαβεῖν δερματίνους, ἀλλ᾽ ὁρᾶτε ὅσα ἐγένετο τῆς Ἐργάνης Ἀθηνᾶς
τὰ δῶρα. ποῖον οἴνῳ χρῆται ζῷον; ποῖον ἐλαίῳ; πλὴν εἴ τισιν ἡμεῖς καὶ
τούτων μεταδέδομεν, οἱ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις οὐ μεταδιδόντες. τί δὲ τῶν θαλαττίων
σίτῳ, τί δὲ τῶν χερσαίων τοῖς ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ χρῆται; χρυσὸν οὔπω λέγω καὶ
χαλκὸν καὶ σίδηρον, οἷς πᾶσιν οἱ θεοὶ ζαπλούτους ἡμᾶς ἐποίησαν, οὐχ ἵνα
ὄνειδος αὐτῶν περιορῶμεν περινοστοῦντας τοὺς πένητας, ἄλλως τε ὅταν [290]
καὶ ἐπιεικεῖς τινες τύχωσι τὸν τρόπον, οἷς πατρῷος μὲν κλῆρος οὐ γέγονεν,
ὑπὸ δὲ μεγαλοψυχίας ἥκιστα ἐπιθυμοῦντες χρημάτων πένονται. τούτους ὁρῶντες
οἱ πολλοὶ τοὺς θεοὺς ὀνειδίζουσιν. αἴτιοι δὲ θεοὶ μὲν οὐκ εἰσὶ τῆς τούτων
πενίας, ἡ δὲ ἡμῶν τῶν κεκτημένων ἀπληστία καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπὲρ τῶν θεῶν
οὐκ ἀληθοῦς ὑπολήψεως αἰτία γίνεται καὶ προσέτι τοῖς θεοῖς ὀνείδους
ἀδίκου. [B] τί γὰρ ἀπαιτοῦμεν, ἵνα χρυσὸν ὥσπερ τοῖς Ῥοδίοις ὁ θεὸς ὕσῃ
τοῖς πένησιν; ἀλλὰ εἰ καὶ τοῦτο γένοιτο, ταχέως ἡμεῖς ὑποβαλόμενοι τοὺς
οἰκέτας καὶ προθέντες πανταχοῦ τὰ ἀγγεῖα πάντας ἀπελάσομεν, ἵνα μόνοι τὰ
κοινὰ τῶν θεῶν ἁρπάσωμεν δῶρα. θαυμάσειε δ᾽ ἄν τις εἰκότως, εἰ τοῦτο μὲν
ἀξιοῖμεν(495) οὔτε πεφυκὸς γίνεσθαι καὶ ἀλυσιτελὲς πάντη, τὰ δυνατὰ δὲ μὴ
πράττομεν. [C] τίς γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ μεταδιδόναι τοῖς πέλας ἐγένετο πένης; ἐγώ
τοι πολλάκις τοῖς δεομένοις προέμενος ἐκτησάμην αὐτὰ παρὰ θεῶν(496)
πολλαπλάσια καίπερ ὢν φαῦλος χρηματιστὴς, καὶ οὐδέποτέ μοι μετεμέλησε
προεμένῳ. καὶ τὰ μὲν νῦν οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμι· καὶ γὰρ ἂν εἴη παντελῶς ἄλογον,
εἰ τοὺς ἰδιώτας ἀξιώσαιμι βασιλικαῖς παραβάλλεσθαι χορηγίαις· [D] ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε
ἔτι ἐτύγχανον ἰδιώτης, σύνοιδα ἐμαυτῷ τοῦτο ἀποβὰν πολλάκις. ἀπεσώθη μοι
τέλειος ὁ κλῆρος τῆς τήθης, ἐχόμενος ὑπ᾽ ἄλλων βιαίως ἐκ βραχέων ὧν εἶχον
ἀναλίσκοντι τοῖς δεομένοις καὶ μεταδιδόντι.