As he marches through Mesopotamia, the princes of the Saracenic
tribes of their own accord offer him a golden crown and auxiliary
troops--A Roman fleet of eleven hundred ships arrives, and bridges
over the Euphrates.--IV. A description of several engines, balistae,
scorpions, or wild-asses, battering-rams, helepoles, and
fire-machines.--V. Julian, with all his army, crosses the river
Aboras by a bridge of boats at Circesium--He harangues his
soldiers.--VI. A description of the eighteen principal provinces of
Persia, their cities, and the customs of their inhabitants.

I.

A.D. 363.

Sec. 1. To pass over minute details, these were the principal events of the
year. But Julian, who in his third consulship had taken as his colleague
Sallustius, the prefect of Gaul now entered on his fourth year, and by a
novel arrangement took as his colleague a private individual; an act of
which no one recollected an instance since that of Diocletian and
Aristobulus.

2. And although, foreseeing in his anxious mind the various accidents
that might happen, he urged on with great diligence all the endless
preparations necessary for his expedition, yet distributing his
diligence everywhere; and being eager to extend the recollection of his
reign by the greatness of his exploits, he proposed to rebuild at a vast
expense the once magnificent temple of Jerusalem, which after many
deadly contests was with difficulty taken by Vespasian and Titus, who
succeeded his father in the conduct of the siege. And he assigned the
task to Alypius of Antioch, who had formerly been proprefect of Britain.

3. But though Alypius applied himself vigorously to the work, and though
the governor of the province co-operated with him, fearful balls of fire
burst forth with continual eruptions close to the foundations, burning
several of the workmen and making the spot altogether inaccessible. And
thus the very elements, as if by some fate, repelling the attempt, it
was laid aside.

4. About the same time the emperor conferred various honours on the
ambassadors who were sent to him from the Eternal City, being men of
high rank and established excellence of character. He appointed
Apronianus to be prefect of Rome, Octavianus to be proconsul of Africa,
Venustus to be viceroy of Spain, and promoted Rufinus Aradius to be
count of the East in the room of his uncle Julian, lately deceased.

5. When all this had been car