CHAP. defcribed, not as woman, but as one of the inXIX. fernal furies tormented with an infatiate thirst of human blood 16. Instead of employing her influence to infinuate the mild counfels of prudence and humanity, fhe exafperated the fierce paffions of her husband; and as fhe retained the vanity, though fhe had renounced the gentleness of her fex, a pearl necklace was esteemed an equivalent price for the murder of an innocent and virtuous nobleman 1. The cruelty of Gallus was fometimes difplayed in the undiffembled violence of popular or military executions: and was fometimes disguised by the abuse of law, and the forms of judicial proceedings. The private houses of Antioch, and the places of public refórt, were befieged by fpies and informers; and the Cæfar himself, concealed in a plebeian habit, very frequently condefcended to affume, that odious character. Every apartment of the palace was adorned with the inftruments of death and torture, and a general confternation was diffused through the capital of Syria. The Prince of the Eaft, as if he

wrote his abridgment about fifteen years after the death of Gallus, when there was no longer any motive either to flatter or to depreciate his character. "Multis incivilibus geftis Gallus Cæfar... vir "naturâ ferox et ad tyrannidem pronior, fi fuo jure imperare "licuiffet.'

1

16 Megæra quidem mortalis, inflammatrix fævientis affidua, humani cruoris avida, &c. Ammian. Marcellin. 1. xiv. c. 1. The fincerity of Ammianus would not fuffer him to mifrepresent facts or characters, but his love of ambitious ornaments frequently betrayed him into an unnatural vehemence of expreflion.

17 His name was Clematius of Alexandria, and his only crime was a refusal to gratify the defires of his mother-in-law; who foli. cited his death, because the had been disappointed of his love. Ammian. I. xiv. c. x.

had

B

had been confcious how much he had to fear, CHAP.
and how little he deferved to reign, felected for the XIX.
objects of his refentment, the provincials accufed
of fome imaginary treafon, and his own courtiers,
whom with more reafon he fufpected of incenfing,
by their fecret correspondence, the timid and fuf-
picious mind of Conftantius. But he forgot that
he was depriving himself of his only fupport, the
affection of the people; whilst he furnished the
malice of his enemies with the arms of truth, and
afforded the emperor the faireft pretence of ex-
acting the forfeit of his purple, and of his life 19.

of the Imperial mi

nitters,

A.D. 354

As long as the civil war fufpended the fate of Malacre the Roman world, Conftantius diffembled his knowledge of the weak and cruel administration to which his choice had fubjected the Eaft; and the discovery of fome affaffins, secretly dispatched to Antioch by the tyrant of Gaul, was employed to convince the public, that the emperor and the Cæfar were united by the fame interest, and purfued by the fame enemies". But when the victory was decided in favour of Conftantius, his dependent colleague became lefs ufeful and lefs formidable. Every circumftance of his conduct was feverely and suspiciously examined, and it was privately refolved, either to deprive Gallus of the

18 See in Ammianus (l. xiv. c. 1. 7.) a very ample detail of the cruelties of Gallus. His brother Julian (p. 272.) infinuates, that a fecret confpiracy had been formed against him; and Zofimus names (1. ii. p. 135.) the perfons engaged in it; a minister of con. fiderable rank, and two obfcure agents, who were refolved to make their fortune.

19 Zonaras, 1. xiii. tom. ii. p. 17, 18. The affaffins had feduced a great number of legionaries; but their defigns were discovered and revealed by an old woman in whofe cottage they lodged.

purple,

CHAP. purple, or at least to remove him from the indoXIX. lent luxury of Afia to the hardships and dangers

of a German war. The death of Theophilus, confular of the province of Syria, who in a time of fcarcity had been maffacred by the people of Antioch, with the connivance, and almoft at the inftigation, of Gallus, was juftly refented, not only as an act of wanton cruelty, but as a dangerous infult on the fupreme majefty of Conftantius. Two minifters of illuftrious rank, Domitian, the Oriental præfect, and Montius, quæftor of the palace, were empowered by a special commiflion to vifit and reform the ftate of the Eaft. They were inftructed to behave towards Gallus with moderation and refpect, and, by the gentleft arts of perfuafion, to engage him to comply with the invitation of his brother and colleague. The rafhness of the præfect difappointed thefe prudent measures, and haftened his own ruin, as well as that of his enemy. On his arrival at Antioch, Domitian paffed difdainfully before the gates of the palace, and alleging a flight pretence of indifpofition, continued feveral days in fullen retirement, to prepare an inflammatory memorial, which he tranfmitted to the Imperial court. Yielding at length to the preffing folicitations of Gallus, the præfect condefcended to take his feat in council; but his firft ftep was to fignify a concife and haughty mandate, importing that the Cæfar fhould immediately repair to Italy, and threatening that he himfelf would punish his delay or hesitation, by fufpending the ufual allowance of his household. The nephew and daughter

of

3

1

of Conftantine, who could ill brook the infolence CHA P.
of a fubject, expreffed their refentment by in- XIX.
stantly delivering Domitian to the cuftody of a
guard. The quarrel ftill admitted of fome terms
of accommodation. They were rendered imprac-
ticable by the imprudent behaviour of Mon-
tius, a statesman, whofe art and experience were
frequently betrayed by the levity of his difpo-
fition 20. The quæftor reproached Gallus in haugh-
ty language, that a prince who was fcarcely au-
thorized to remove a municipal magistrate should
prefume to imprison a Prætorian præfect; con-
voked a meeting of the civil and military officers;
and required them, in the name of their fove-
reign, to defend the perfon and dignity of his
reprefentatives. By this rafh declaration of war,
the impatient temper of Gallus was provoked to
embrace the moft defperate counfels.
He or
dered his guards to stand to their arms, affembled
the populace of Antioch, and recommended to
their zeal the care of his fafety and revenge. His
commands were too fatally obeyed. They rudely
feized the præfect and the quæftor, and tying.
their legs together with ropes, they dragged
them through the streets of the city, inflicted
a thousand infults and a thousand wounds on these
unhappy victims, and at laft precipitated their

20 In the present text of Ammianus, we read, Afper, quidem, sed
ad lenitatem propenfior; which forms a fentence of contradictory non-
fenfe. With the aid of an old manufcript, Valefius has rectified the
first of these corruptions, and we perceive a ray of light in the substi
tution of the word wafer. If we venture to change lenitatem into le-
vitasem, this alteration of a single letter will render the whole paffage
clear and confiftent.

CHAP. mangled and lifelefs bodies into the ftream of the

XIX.

Danger. ous fitua

tion of Gallus.

After fuch a deed, whatever might have been the defigns of Gallus, it was only in a field of battle that he could affert his innocence with any hope of fuccefs. But the mind of that prince was formed of an equal mixture of violence and weaknefs. Inftead of affuming the title of Auguftus, instead of employing in his defence the troops and treafures of the Eaft, he fuffered himself to be deceived by the affected tranquillity of Conftantius, who, leaving him the vain pageantry of a court, imperceptibly recalled the veteran legions from the provinces of Afia. But as it ftill appeared dangerous to arreft Gallus in his capital, the flow and fafer arts of diffimulation were prac. tifed with fuccefs. The frequent and preffing epiftles of Conftantius were filled with profeffions of confidence and friendship; exhorting the Cæfar to discharge the duties of his high ftation, to relieve his colleague from a part of the public cares, and to affift the Weft by his prefence, his counfels, and his arms. After fo many reciprocal injuries, Gallus had reafon to fear and to diftruft. But he had neglected the opportunities of flight and of refiftance; he was feduced by the flattering affurances of the tribune Scudilo, who, under the femblance of a rough foldier, difguifed the

21 Inftead of being obliged to collect fcattered and imperfec hints from various fources, we now enter into the full ftream of the hiftoty of Ammianus, and need only refer to the feventh and ninth chapters of his fourteenth book. Philoftorgius, however (1. iii. c. 28.), though partial to Gallus, fhould not be entirely overlooked.

moft