THE

EPISTLE S

O F

JULIA N.

Απασαις μεν απανίας νικών, τα δ' αυτε τε των ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΩΝ. "Superior, as he was, to all men in all his writings, in "his EPISTLES he was fuperior to himself."

VOL. II.

B

LIBANIUS,

**

Of the Epistles of Julian, the nine first were printed in Greek, with other Epiftles by various hands, by Aldus, Rom. 1499, 4to. and afterwards in Greek and Latin, at Geneva, 1606, folio. The xth was preserved by Socrates in his History, III. 3. The x1th, and those that follow, as far as the XLVIIth, were in like manner published among the Epistles of various writers. The XLIXth was taken 'from Sozomen, v. 16. The Lth, Lift, and LIId were first published in Greek by Peter Martinius, together with the Mifopogon, and the other Epiftles, illuftrated by a Latin tranflation, Paris, 1567 and 1583, 8vo. Petau therefore first tranflated those three, and alfo the LIIId, and the following, as far as the LVIIth, which, together with the Epistle of Gallus to Julian, Bonaventure Vulcanius published at Leyden, 1597, 12mo. at the end of the Epistles and Problems of Theophylactus Simocatta. The LVIIIth and Lixth, but doubtfully blended together, were first published by Nicholas Rigalt, who alfo added a tranflation, at the end of his Funus Parafiticum, Paris, 1601, 4to. But in the edition of Petau, by the advice of Rigalt himself, it was divided into two, both mutilated, the former having no conclufion, and the latter no beginning. At length the former was fupplied from a MS. by the learned and ingenious Lewis Anthony Muratori, in his Anecdota Græca, Padua, 1709, 4to. The Lxth and the two following were first published by Petau, from a copy of an old MS. lent him by Patricius Junius. The LXIIId, which Martinius and Petau have given in Greek only, but very imperfect and incorrect, Ezekiel Spanheim amended and supplied from the MS. of Allatius, and first added a Latin verfion, Muratori has alfo publifhed three other Epiftles of Julian, the LXIVth, Lxvth, and Lxv1th, from the fame MS.

FABRICIUS. For an account of the other Epistles, fee the notes.

THOUGHT that you had long ago arrived in Ægypt; and recollecting what I have often faid, "Happy," cried I," are the Egyptians in "the plenty with which they have long been fupplied by the Nile, but happier are they now "in the poffeffion of your Mufe, a bleffing, in my opinion, fuperior even to the Nile That river, by flooding, enriches their country; but you, by your eloquence, improving the minds "of their youth, endow them with the treafures "of wifdom, like Plato and Pythagoras, their "former vifitors."

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Such were my reflections, little thinking that you, in the mean time, were not far diftant. At the receipt, therefore, of your letter I was at fiff fo much furprised, that I thought it an impofition, and could not believe my eyes. But when I perufed the contents, convinced that fuch elegance could flow from no other pen, how great was my delight! I then entertained hopes of foon Teeing you here, and I rejoiced that your own country Would foon be bleffed with your prefence, however fhort might be your ftay. On this fubject you seem to have brought a ludicrous charge against

+ The name of the fage, to whom this Epiftle is addreffed, is not known. LA BLETERIE.

me. For though I allow that the air is fuch as you reprefent it, that the water is as brackish as the ocean, and that the bread is made of barley; all which, out of regard to your country, you have by no means exaggerated; yet, my good friend, you are much indebted to her for having furnished your mind with philofophy. But beware how you despise the luxuries of Egypt. Wife Ulyffes, though he inhabited a small and rocky ifland, could not be tempted either by the charms of Calypfo, or the promise of immortality, to prefer them to Ithaca. Nor was any Spartan, I imagine, ever induced by the recollection of his coarfe domeftic fare to complain of Sparta. But I know what has occafioned your bringing this charge against me. You are fond of money, and in that purfuit being difappointed, you figh with -regret, and envy the Nile and the wealth that it produces. This, you fay, makes you defert your country, and renders your perfon as inelegant as that of Cherephon *. But I rather fufpect that you are detained by fome kind nymph, and are fenfible at last of the power of love. Be this as Venus, pleafes! Mean time, farewell; and foon hail you the father of a family!

may I

*Cherephon was a writer of tragedies, He celebrated the actions of the Heraclide. But being greatly emaciated by his nocturnal lucubrations, he becante a vulgar joke. The name of owl" was alfo given him. See Erafm, in Chil. p 685.

He was a difciple of Socrates. His nocturnal ftudies procured him the name of vuxlegis," bat;" and his paleness the epithet of Tugos, the man of box." LA BLETERIE.

Epiftle

Epiftle II. TO PROHÆRESIUS: *.

WHY fhould I not falute the excellent Pro- A. D.

hærefius, a man as exuberant in language 361.

as a river in water, when it overflows its banks; and in eloquence, the rival of Pericles †, except that he does not embroil Greece? Be not furprised at my adopting the Lacedæmonian brevity. Sages, like you, may make long and verbose orations; but from me to you a little is fufficient.

* One of the Chriftian profeffors who flut up their schools in confequence of Julian's cdi&t. [See Epistle XLII.] He taught at Athens, and his reputation extended over the whole empire. The city of Rome had erected a statue to him as large as the life, with this infcription, "The 66 queen of cities to the king of orators." He had received from the Emperor Conftans the honorary title of "general of the Roman armies." Julian, it is faid, exempted him from the general law, and allowed him to retain his feat without changing his religion. But Proherefius had the delicacy not to avail himself of a privilege which would have rendered his faith fufpected. Eunapius, an admirer and a difciple of this fophift, but a great enemy to the Christians, relates this fact differently.

LA BLETERIE. On the eloquence of Prohærefius, Eunapius has fully enlarged. But Suidas fays, that Julian, in order to pique him, preferred Libanius. PETAU. Libanius, in one of his Epiftles, recommends him to Maximus, 62 as an ornament to the world by his eloquence, a good man, and one to whom both Rome and Athens had erected a statue of brafs." His death was celebrated in a remarkable epigram by Nazianzen, preserved by Muratori in his Anecdota Græca, p. 1.

As to the oratory of Pericles, fee Cicero de Oratore,

XXXIV.

B 3

Know