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Now Julian, with less restraint, or shall I say, less shame,
began to arm himself against true religion, wearing indeed a mask of
moderation, but all the while preparing gins and traps which caught all
who were deceived by them in the destruction of iniquity. He began by
polluting with foul sacrifices the wells in the city and in Daphne,
Chat every man who used the fountain might be partaker of abomination.
Then he thoroughly polluted the things exposed in the Forum, for
bread and meat and fruit and vegetables and every kind of food were
aspersed. When those who were called by the Saviour's name saw what
was done, they groaned and bewailed and expressed their abomination;
nevertheless they partook, for they remembered the apostolic law,
"Everything that is sold in the shambles eat, asking no question for
conscience sake." Two officers in the army, who were shield bearers
in the imperial suite, at a certain banquet lamented in somewhat warm
language the abomination of what was being done, and employed the
admirable language of the glorious youths at Babylon, "Thou hast
given us over to an impious Prince an apostate beyond all the nations
on the earth." One of the guests gave information of this, and the
emperor arrested these right worthy men and endeavoured to ascertain by
questioning them what was the language they had used. They accepted
the imperial enquiry as an opportunity for open speech, and with noble
enthusiasm replied "Sir we were brought up in true religion; we were
obedient to most excellent laws, the laws of Constantine and of his
sons; now we see the world full of pollution, meats and drinks alike
defiled with abominable sacrifices, and we lament. We bewail these
things at home, and now before thy face we express our grief, for this
is the one thing in thy reign which we take ill." No sooner did he
whom sympathetic courtiers called most mild and most philosophic hear
these words than he took off his mask of moderation, and exposed the
countenance of impiety. He ordered cruel and painful scourgings to be
inflicted on them and deprived them of their lives; or shall we not
rather say freed them from that sorrowful time and gave them crowns of
victory? He pretended indeed that punishment was inflicted upon them
not for the true religion for sake of which they were really slain, but
because of their insolence, for he gave out that he had punished them
for insulting the emperor, and ordered this report to be published
abroad, thus grudging to these champions of the truth the name and
honour or martyrs. The name of one was Juventinus; of the other
Maximinus. The city of Antioch honoured them as defenders of true
religion, and deposited them in a magnificent tomb, and up to this day
they are honoured by a yearly festival.
Other men in public office and of distinction used similar boldness of
speech, and won like crowns of martyrdom.
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