Res Gestae

Accordingly, having crossed the strait,[*](The Thracian Bosporus.) and passed by Chalcedon and Libyssa, where

When he saw that its walls[*](That is of the public buildings and monuments erected by former emperors. The city had suffered from an earth- quake and a fire that lasted for five days and nights; cf. xvii. 7, 1-8.) had sunk into a pitiful heap of ashes, showing his distress by silent tears he went with lagging step to the palace: and in particular he wept over the wretched state of the city because the senate and the people, who had formerly been in a most flourishing condition, met him in mourning garb. And certain of them he recognised, since he had been brought up there under the bishop Eusebius,[*](Eusebius of Nicomedia, not the Church historian, Eusebius of Caesaraea.) whose distant relative he was.

Having here also in a similar way generously furnished many things that were necessary for repairing the damage done by the earthquake, he went on past Nicaea to the borders of Gallograecia.[*](Galatia (Gallacia); cf. Suet., Calig. 29, 2.) From there he made a detour to the right and turned to Pessinus, in order to visit the ancient shrine of the Great Mother. It was from that town, in the second Punic war, that at the direction of the Cumaean verses[*](The Sibylline Verses; see Livy, xxix. 10, 11.) her image was brought to Rome by Scipio Nasica.[*](In 204 B.C.; see Livy, l.c. )

Of its arrival in Italy, along with other matters relating to the subject, I have given a brief account by way of digression in telling of the acts of the emperor Commodus.[*](In one of the lost books.) But why the town was called by that

for some have maintained that since the image of the goddess fell from heaven, the city was named from πεσεῖν, which is the Greek word meaning to fall. Others say that Ilus, son of Tros, king of Dardania,[*](Herodian, i. 11, 1.) gave the place that name. But Theopompus[*](Of Chios, a pupil of Isocrates, and a rhetorician and historian. His works are lost.) asserts that it was not Ilus who did it, but Midas,[*](According to Diod. Sic. (iii. 59, 8), he was the first to build a splendid temple to Cybele at Pessinus.) the once mighty king of Phrygia.

Then, after Julian had worshipped the deity and propitiated her with victims and vows, he returned to Ancyra.[*](Modern Angora.) And as he continued his journey from there, the multitude annoyed him, some demanding the return of what had been wrested from them by violence, others complaining that they had unjustly been forced onto the boards of senators,[*](The position of curialis, or local senator, was an honorary office, without pay, and imposing many obligations. Therefore many sought to avoid such positions, and it was necessary to force men to take them. Julian was not always indulgent in such cases; see 9, 12, below, and cf. xxv. 4, 21.) while some, without regard to their own danger, exerted themselves to the point of madness to involve their opponents in charges of high treason.

But he, a judge more severe than a Cassius,[*](Cassius, city praetor in 111 B.C., was feared as a judge; Cic., Brut. 25, 97; Val. Max. iii. 7, 9; cf. xxvi. 10, 10; xxx. 8, 13.) or a Lycurgus,[*](Not the celebrated Spartan lawgiver, but the statesman and orator of Athens, a contemporary of Demosthenes. He is often cited as a severe judge, e.g. Plutarch, Vitae X Orat. 541 F.; Plautus, Bacch. 111; Diod. Sicul. xvi. 88, 1.) weighed the evidence in the cases with impartial justice and gave every man his due, never deviating from the truth, and showing particular severity towards calumniators, whom he hated because he had experienced the impudent madness of

Of his patience in such matters it will suffice to give this single example, although there are many others. A certain man with great vehemence charged an enemy of his, with whom he was at bitter odds, of being guilty of high treason; and when the emperor ignored it, he repeated the same charge day after day. At last, on being asked who it was that he accused, he replied that it was a wealthy citizen. On hearing this, the emperor said with a smile: On what evidence have you come to this conclusion?

And the man answered: He is making himself a purple robe out of a silk cloak;[*](Under Constantius the wearing of such a garment was a serious offence; see xiv. 9, 7; xvi. 8, 8.) and when after this he was bidden to depart in silence, but unpunished, as a low fellow making a serious charge against another of the same sort, he was none the less insistent. Whereupon Julian, wearied and disgusted with the man’s conduct, seeing his treasurer nearby, said to him: Have a pair of purple shoes given to this dangerous chatterbox, to take to his enemy (who he says, so far as I can understand, has had a cloak of that colour sewn for him), in order that he may be able to learn what insignificant rags amount to without great power.

But, although such conduct was laudable and worthy of imitation by good rulers, it was on the contrary hard and censurable that under his rule anyone who was sought by the curiales,[*](That is: whom they wished to make a member of their curia, or local senate; see note 5 on 9, 8, above (p. 246).) even though protected by special privileges, by length of service in the army, or by proof that he was wholly ineligible by birth for such a position, could with difficulty obtain full justice; so that many of them

Thus proceeding on his way and arriving at the Gates,[*](That is, the Cilician Gates.) a place which separates the Cappadocians from the Cilicians, he received with a kiss the governor of the province, Celsus by name,[*](He was a Cilician, a pupil of Libanius.) whom he had known since his student days in Athens, gave him a seat in his carriage, and took him with him into Tarsus.