well tried before, and it would be a poor success to stamp out
the 'Galilean' imposture without putting something better in its place.
As the Christians 'had filled the world with their tombs' (Julian's word
for churches), so must it be filled with the knowledge of the living
gods. Sacrifices were encouraged and a pagan hierarchy set up to oppose
the Christian. Heathen schools were to confront the Christian, and
heathen almshouses were to grow up round them. Above all, the priests
were to cultivate temperance and hospitality, and to devote themselves
to grave and pious studies. Julian himself was a model of heathen
purity, and spared no pains to infect his wondering subjects with his
own enthusiasm for the cause of the immortal gods. Not a temple missed
its visit, not a high place near his line of march was left unclimbed.
As for his sacrifices, they were by the hecatomb. The very abjects
called him Slaughterer.

[Sidenote: His failure.]

Never was a completer failure. Crowds of course applauded Caesar, but
only with the empty cheers they gave the jockeys or the preachers.
Multitudes came to see an Emperors devotions, but they only quizzed his
shaggy beard or tittered at the antiquated ceremonies. Sacrificial
dinners kept the soldiers devout, and lavish bribery secured a good
number of renegades--mostly waverers, who really had not much to change.
Of the bishops, Pegasius of Ilium alone laid down his office for a
priesthood; but he had always been a heathen at heart, and worshipped
the gods even while he held his bishopric. The Christians upon the whole
stood firm. Even the heathens were little moved. Julian's own teachers
held cautiously aloof from his reforms; and if meaner men paused in
their giddy round of pleasure, it was only to amuse themselves with the
strange spectacle of imperial earnestness. Neither friends nor enemies
seemed able to take him quite seriously.

[Sidenote: Julian's policy against Christianity.]

Passing over scattered cases of persecution encouraged or allowed by
Julian, we may state generally that he aimed at degrading Christianity
into a vulgar superstition, by breaking its connections with civilized
government on one side, with liberal education on the other. One part of
it was to deprive the 'Galileans' of state support and weed them out as
far as might be from the public service, while still leaving them full
freedom to quarrel amongst themselves; the other was to cut them off
from lit