The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 1Julian, Emperor of Rome
Religion
The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 1
Julian, Emperor of Rome
Speeches, addresses, etc., Greek -- Translations into English
πάλιν δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἐκεῖνοι μέν που τὸ νικᾶν τεθαυμάκασιν·
ἐγὼ δὲ πολὺ πλέον τὸ ξὺν δίκῃ μὲν ἀνελέσθαι τὸν πόλεμον, διενεγκεῖν δὲ
ἀνδρείως καὶ μάλα ἐμπείρως, ἐπιθείσης δὲ τὸ τέλος τῆς τύχης δεξιὸν
χρήσασθαι τῇ νίκῃ σωφρόνως καὶ βασιλικῶς, καὶ ὅλως ἄξιον τοῦ κρατεῖν
φανῆναι.
(Do you wish to learn whether this is true of the Emperor? I will offer
you trustworthy evidence, and I know well that you will not convict me of
false witness. For I shall but remind you of what you know already. And
perhaps you understand even now what I mean, but if it is not yet evident
you very soon will, when you call to mind that the Emperor’s father loved
him more than the others, though he was by no means over‐indulgent to his
children, for it was character that he favoured rather than the ties of
blood; but he was, I suppose, won over by the Emperor’s dutiful service to
him, and as he had nothing to reproach him with, he made his affection for
him evident. And a proof of his feeling is, first, that he chose for
Constantius that portion of the empire which he had formerly thought best
suited to himself, and, secondly, that when he was at the point of death
he passed over his eldest(445) and youngest(446) sons, though they were at
leisure, and summoned Constantius, who was not at leisure, and entrusted
him with the whole government. And when he had become master of the whole,
he behaved to his brothers at once so justly and with such moderation,
that, while they who had neither been summoned nor had come of themselves
quarrelled and fought with one another, they showed no resentment against
Constantius, nor ever reproached him. And when their feud reached its
fatal issue(447), though he might have laid claim to a greater share of
empire, he renounced it of his own free will, because he thought that many
nations or few called for the exercise of the same virtues, and also,
perhaps, that the more a man has to look after and care for the greater
are the anxieties beset him. For he does not think that the imperial power
is a means of procuring luxury, nor that, as certain men who have wealth
and misapply it for drink and other pleasures set their hearts on lavish
and ever‐increasing revenues, this ought to be an emperor’s policy, nor
that he ought ever to embark on a war except only for the benefit of his
subjects. And so he allowed his brother(448) to have the lion’s share, and
thought that if he himself possessed the smaller share with honour, he had
the advantage in what was most worth having. And that it was not rather
from fear of his brother’s resources that he preferred peace, you may
consider clearly proved by the war that broke out later. For he had
recourse to arms later on against his brother’s forces, but it was to
avenge him(449). And here again there are perhaps some who have admired
him merely for having won the victory. But I admire far more the fact that
it was with justice that he undertook the war, and that he carried it
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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