**Valentinian
and Valens.
Tacitus
For in the city next to the
greatest * there are still some temples**, though they are deprived
of their honours; a few indeed out of many, but yet it is not quite
destitute. And with the aid of these gods the Romans fought and
conquered their enemies; and having conquered them, they improved their
condition, and made them happier than they were before their defeat;
lessening their fears and making them partners in the privileges of
the commonwealth. And when I was a child, he*** led the Gallic army
overthrew him that had affronted him; they having first prayed to the
gods for success before they engaged. But having prevailed over him who
at that time gave prosperity to the cities, judging it for his advantage
to have another deity, for the building of the city which he then
designed he made use of the sacred money, but made no alteration in the
legal worship. The temples indeed were impoverished, but the rites
were still performed there. But when the empire came to his son****, or
rather the form of empire, for the government was really in the hands of
others, who
* He means Constantinople.
** He alludes to the ancient temples of Byzantium.
*** Constantine.
**** Constantius.
{78}
from the beginning had been his masters, and to whom he vouchsafed equal
power with himself: he therefore being governed by them, even when he
was Emperor, was led into many wrong actions, and among others to forbid
sacrifices. These his cousin*, possessed of every virtue, restored: what
he did otherwise, or intended to do, I omit at present. After his death
in Persia, the liberty of sacrificing remained for some time: but at
the instigation of some innovators, sacrifices were forbidden by the
two brothers**, but not incense;--which state of things your law has
ratified. So that we have not more reason to be uneasy for what is
denied us, than to be thankful for what is allowed. You, therefore, have
not ordered the temples to be shut up, nor forbidden any to frequent
them: nor have you driven from the temples or the altars, fire or
frankincense, or other honours of incense. But those black-garbed
people***, who eat more than elephants, and demand a large quantity of
liquor from the people who send them drink for their chantings, but who
hide their luxury by their pale artificial countenances,--these men, O
Emperor, even whilst your law is in force, run to the temples, bringing
with them wood, and stones, and iron, and
* Julian.
**Valentinian and Valens.
*** The monks.
{77}
when they have not these, hands and feet. Then follows a Mysian prey*,
the roofs are uncovered, walls are pulled down, images are carried off,
and altars are overturned: the priests all the while must be silent upon
pain of death. When they have destroyed one temple they run to another,
and a third, and trophies are erected upon trophies: which are all
contrary to [your] law. This is the practice in cities, but especially
in the countries. And there are many enemies every where. After
innumerable mischiefs have been perpetrated, the scattered multitude
unites and comes together, and they require of each other an account
of what they have done; and he is ashamed who cannot tell of some great
injury which he has been guilty of. They, therefore, spread themselves
over the country like torrents, wasting the countries together with the
temples: for wherever they demolish the temple of a country, at the same
time the country itself is blinded, declines, and dies. For, O Emperor,
the temples are the soul of the country; they have been the first
original of the buildings in the country, and they have subsisted for
many ages to this time; and in
* This proverbial expression took its rise from the Mysians,
who, in the absence of their king Telephus, being plundered
by their neighbours, made no resistance. Hence it came to be
applied to any persons who were passive under injuries.
{78}
them are all the husbandman's hopes, concerning men, and women, and
children, and oxen, and the seeds and the plants of the ground. Wherever
any country has lost its temples, that country is lost, and the hopes of
the husbandmen, and with them all their alacrity: for they suppose they
shall labour in vain, when they are deprived of the gods who should
bless their labours; and the country not being cultivated as usual, the
tribute is diminished. This being the state of things, the husbandman
is impoverished, and the revenue suffers. For, be the will ever so
good, impossibilities are not to be surmounted. Of such mischievous
consequence are the arbitrary proceedings of those persons in the
country, who say, 'they fight with the temples.
greatest * there are still some temples**, though they are deprived
of their honours; a few indeed out of many, but yet it is not quite
destitute. And with the aid of these gods the Romans fought and
conquered their enemies; and having conquered them, they improved their
condition, and made them happier than they were before their defeat;
lessening their fears and making them partners in the privileges of
the commonwealth. And when I was a child, he*** led the Gallic army
overthrew him that had affronted him; they having first prayed to the
gods for success before they engaged. But having prevailed over him who
at that time gave prosperity to the cities, judging it for his advantage
to have another deity, for the building of the city which he then
designed he made use of the sacred money, but made no alteration in the
legal worship. The temples indeed were impoverished, but the rites
were still performed there. But when the empire came to his son****, or
rather the form of empire, for the government was really in the hands of
others, who
* He means Constantinople.
** He alludes to the ancient temples of Byzantium.
*** Constantine.
**** Constantius.
{78}
from the beginning had been his masters, and to whom he vouchsafed equal
power with himself: he therefore being governed by them, even when he
was Emperor, was led into many wrong actions, and among others to forbid
sacrifices. These his cousin*, possessed of every virtue, restored: what
he did otherwise, or intended to do, I omit at present. After his death
in Persia, the liberty of sacrificing remained for some time: but at
the instigation of some innovators, sacrifices were forbidden by the
two brothers**, but not incense;--which state of things your law has
ratified. So that we have not more reason to be uneasy for what is
denied us, than to be thankful for what is allowed. You, therefore, have
not ordered the temples to be shut up, nor forbidden any to frequent
them: nor have you driven from the temples or the altars, fire or
frankincense, or other honours of incense. But those black-garbed
people***, who eat more than elephants, and demand a large quantity of
liquor from the people who send them drink for their chantings, but who
hide their luxury by their pale artificial countenances,--these men, O
Emperor, even whilst your law is in force, run to the temples, bringing
with them wood, and stones, and iron, and
* Julian.
**Valentinian and Valens.
*** The monks.
{77}
when they have not these, hands and feet. Then follows a Mysian prey*,
the roofs are uncovered, walls are pulled down, images are carried off,
and altars are overturned: the priests all the while must be silent upon
pain of death. When they have destroyed one temple they run to another,
and a third, and trophies are erected upon trophies: which are all
contrary to [your] law. This is the practice in cities, but especially
in the countries. And there are many enemies every where. After
innumerable mischiefs have been perpetrated, the scattered multitude
unites and comes together, and they require of each other an account
of what they have done; and he is ashamed who cannot tell of some great
injury which he has been guilty of. They, therefore, spread themselves
over the country like torrents, wasting the countries together with the
temples: for wherever they demolish the temple of a country, at the same
time the country itself is blinded, declines, and dies. For, O Emperor,
the temples are the soul of the country; they have been the first
original of the buildings in the country, and they have subsisted for
many ages to this time; and in
* This proverbial expression took its rise from the Mysians,
who, in the absence of their king Telephus, being plundered
by their neighbours, made no resistance. Hence it came to be
applied to any persons who were passive under injuries.
{78}
them are all the husbandman's hopes, concerning men, and women, and
children, and oxen, and the seeds and the plants of the ground. Wherever
any country has lost its temples, that country is lost, and the hopes of
the husbandmen, and with them all their alacrity: for they suppose they
shall labour in vain, when they are deprived of the gods who should
bless their labours; and the country not being cultivated as usual, the
tribute is diminished. This being the state of things, the husbandman
is impoverished, and the revenue suffers. For, be the will ever so
good, impossibilities are not to be surmounted. Of such mischievous
consequence are the arbitrary proceedings of those persons in the
country, who say, 'they fight with the temples.
