approach giving them warning to
retire to remoter districts, he passed the Rhine by night with great
silence, with some of the most rapid of his auxiliary bands; and so came
upon them while fearing nothing of the sort. And he at once attacked
them the moment they were first roused by the sound of enemies, and
while still examining their swords and javelins; some he slew, some he
took prisoners, who sued for mercy and offered to surrender their booty;
to the rest who remained and implored peace, and promised to be quiet
for the future, he granted peace.

V.

Sec. 1. While these transactions were carried on in this spirited manner,
Julian, considering to what great internal divisions his conduct had
given rise, and that nothing is so advantageous for the success of
sudden enterprise as celerity of action, saw with his usual sagacity
that if he openly avowed his revolt from the emperor, he should be
safer; and feeling uncertain of the fidelity of the soldiers, having
offered secret propitiatory sacrifices to Bellona, he summoned the army
by sound of trumpet to an assembly, and standing on a tribune built of
stone, with every appearance of confidence in his manner, he spoke thus
with a voice unusually loud:--

2. "I imagine that you, my gallant comrades, exalted by the greatness of
your own achievements, have long been silently expecting this meeting,
in order to form a previous judgment of, and to take wise measures
against the events which may be expected. For soldiers united by
glorious actions ought to hear rather than speak; nor ought a commander
of proved justice to think anything but what is worthy of praise and
approbation. That therefore I may explain to you what I propose, I
entreat you to listen favourably to what I will briefly set before you.

3. "From my earliest year, by the will of God, I have been placed among
you, with whom I have crushed the incessant inroads of the Franks and
Allemanni, and checked the endless licentiousness of their ravages; by
our united vigour we have opened the Rhine to the Roman armies, whenever
they choose to cross it; standing immovable against reports, as well as
against the violent attacks of powerful nations, because I trusted to
the invincibility of your valour.

4. "Gaul, which has beheld our labours, and which, after much slaughter
and many periods of protracted and severe disasters, is at last replaced
in a healthy state, will for ever bear witness to posterity of ou