Background Image

...

Constantinople Was The Principal Seat And Fortress Of Arianism; And, In A Long Interval Of Forty Years, The Faith Of The Princes And Prelates Who Reigned In The Capital Of The East Was Rejected In The Purer Schools Of Rome And Alexandria.

-Edward Gibbon

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

Constantinople Was The Principal

Edward Gibbon

...

Constantinople Was The Principal Seat And Fortress Of Arianism; And, In A Long Interval Of Forty Years, The Faith Of The Princes And Prelates Who Reigned In The Capital Of The East Was Rejected In The Purer Schools Of Rome And Alexandria.

Views: 6

Topic

More From Edward Gibbon

Amiable Weaknesses Of Human Nature.

Theodosius Was Chaste And Temperate; He Enjoyed, Without Excess, The Sensual And Social Pleasures Of The Table, And The Warmth Of His Amorous Passions Was Never Diverted From Their Lawful Objects. The Proud Titles Of Imperial Greatness Were Adorned By The Tender Names Of A Faithful Husband, An Indulgent Father; His Uncle Was Raised, By His Affectionate Esteem, To The Rank Of A Second Parent.

It Was Rome, On The Fifteenth Of October, 1764, As I Sat Musing Amidst The Ruins Of The Capitol, While The Barefooted Friars Were Singing Vespers In The Temple Of Jupiter, That The Idea Of Writing The Decline And Fall Of The City First Started To My Mind.

Whenever The Spirit Of Fanaticism, At Once So Credulous And So Crafty, Has Insinuated Itself Into A Noble Mind, It Insensibly Corrodes The Vital Principles Of Virtue And Veracity.

The Authority Of Plato And Aristotle, Of Zeno And Epicurus, Still Reigned In The Schools; And Their Systems, Transmitted With Blind Deference From One Generation Of Disciples To Another, Precluded Every Generous Attempt To Exercise The Powers, Or Enlarge The Limits, Of The Human Mind.

The Policy Of The Emperors And The Senate, As Far As It Concerned Religion, Was Happily Seconded By The Reflections Of The Enlightened, And By The Habits Of The Superstitious, Part Of Their Subjects. The Various Modes Of Worship, Which Prevailed In The Roman World, Were All Considered By The People, As Equally True; By The Philosopher, As Equally False; And By The Magistrate, As Equally Useful. And Thus Toleration Produced Not Only Mutual Indulgence, But Even Religious Concord.

All That Is Human Must Retrograde If It Does Not Advance.

A Small Number Of Temples Was Protected By The Fears, The Venality, The Taste, Or The Prudence Of The Civil And Ecclesiastical Governors. The Temple Of The Celestial Venus At Carthage, Whose Sacred Precincts Formed A Circumference Of Two Miles, Was Judiciously Converted Into A Christian Church; And A Similar Consecration Has Preserved Inviolate The Majestic Dome Of The Pantheon At Rome.

Among The Innumerable Monuments Of Architecture Constructed By The Romans, How Many Have Escaped The Notice Of History, How Few Have Resisted The Ravages Of Time And Barbarism! And Yet Even The Majestic Ruins That Are Still Scattered Over Italy And The Provinces, Would Be Sufficient To Prove That Those Countries Were Once The Seat Of A Polite And Powerful Empire.

A Martial Nobility And Stubborn Commons, Possessed Of Arms, Tenacious Of Property, And Collected Into Constitutional Assemblies Form The Only Balance Capable Of Preserving A Free Constitution Against The Enterprise Of An Aspiring Prince

The Retirement Of Athanasius, Which Ended Only With The Life Of Constantius, Was Spent, For The Most Part, In The Society Of The Monks, Who Faithfully Served Him As Guards, As Secretaries, And As Messengers; But The Importance Of Maintaining A More Intimate Connection With The Catholic Party Tempted Him, Whenever The Diligence Of The Pursuit Was Abated, To Emerge From The Desert, To Introduce Himself Into Alexandria, And To Trust His Person To The Discretion Of His Friends And Adherents.

[the Goths'] Poverty Was Incurable; Since The Most Liberal Donatives Were Soon Dissipated In Wasteful Luxury, And The Most Fertile Estates Became Barren In Their Hands.

I Darted A Contemptuous Look At The Stately Models Of Superstition.

The Valuable Library Of Alexandria Was Pillaged Or Destroyed; And Near Twenty Years Afterwards, The Appearance Of The Empty Shelves Excited The Regret And Indignation Of Every Spectator Whose Mind Was Not Totally Darkened By Religious Prejudice. The Compositions Of Ancient Genius, So Many Of Which Have Irretrievably Perished, Might Surely Have Been Excepted From The Wreck Of Idolatry, For The Amusement And Instruction Of Succeeding Ages.

A People Who Still Remembered That Their Ancestors Had Been The Masters Of The World Would Have Applauded, With Conscious Pride, The Representation Of Ancient Freedom, If They Had Not Long Since Been Accustomed To Prefer The Solid Assurance Of Bread To The Unsubstantial Visions Of Liberty And Greatness.

It Is Impossible To Reduce, Or, At Least, To Hold A Distant Country Against The Wishes And Efforts Of Its Inhabitants.

Let Us Read With Method, And Propose To Ourselves An End To Which Our Studies May Point. The Use Of Reading Is To Aid Us In Thinking.

If Julian Had Flattered Himself That His Personal Connexion With The Capital Of The East Would Be Productive Of Mutual Satisfaction To The Prince And People, He Made A Very False Estimate Of His Own Character, And Of The Manners Of Antioch. The Warmth Of The Climate Disposed The Natives To The Most Intemperate Enjoyment Of Tranquillity And Opulence; And The Lively Licentiousness Of The Greeks Was Blended With The Hereditary Softness Of The Syrians.

The Pains And Pleasures Of The Body, Howsoever Important To Ourselves, Are An Indelicate Subject Of Conversation

It Has Always Been My Practice To Cast A Long Paragraph In A Single Mould, To Try It By My Ear, To Deposit It In My Memory, But To Suspend The Action Of The Pen Till I Had Given The Last Polish To My Work.

The Romans, Who So Coolly And So Concisely Mention The Acts Of Justice Which Were Exercised By The Legions, Reserve Their Compassion And Their Eloquence For Their Own Sufferings, When The Provinces Were Invaded And Desolated By The Arms Of The Successful Barbarians.

History, Which Undertakes To Record The Transactions Of The Past, For The Instruction Of Future Ages, Would Ill Deserve That Honourable Office If She Condescended To Plead The Cause Of Tyrants, Or To Justify The Maxims Of Persecution.

The Virtue Of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Was Of A Severer And More Laborious Kind. It Was The Well-earned Harvest Of Many A Learned Conference, Of Many A Patient Lecture, And Many A Midnight Lucubration. At The Age Of Twelve Years, He Embraced The Rigid System Of The Stoics, Which Taught Him To Submit His Body To His Mind, His Passions To His Reason; To Consider Virtue As The Only Good, Vice As The Only Evil, All Things External As Things Indifferent.

Rational Confidence [is] The Just Result Of Knowledge And Experience.

Knowledge And Experience

It Was Here That I Suspended My Religious Inquiries (aged 17).

If We Contrast The Rapid Progress Of This Mischievous Discovery [gunpowder] With The Slow And Laborious Advances Of Reason, Science, And The Arts Of Peace, A Philosopher, According To His Temper, Will Laugh Or Weep At The Folly Of Mankind.

The Most Sublime Efforts Of Philosophy Can Extend No Farther Than Feebly To Point Out The Desire, The Hope, Or, At Most, The Probability, Of A Future State, There Is Nothing, Except A Divine Revelation, That Can Ascertain The Existence, And Describe The Condition Of The Invisible Country Which Is Destined To Receive The Souls Of Men After Their Separation From The Body.

From The Paths Of Blood (and Such Is The History Of Nations) I Cannot Refuse To Turn Aside To Gather Some Flowers Of Science Or Virtue.

History Has Scarcely Deigned To Notice [libius Severus's] Birth, His Elevation, His Character, Or His Death.

Greek Is A Musical And Prolific Language, That Gives A Soul To The Objects Of Sense, And A Body To The Abstractions Of Philosophy.

The Sectaries Of A Persecuted Religion, Depressed By Fear, Animated With Resentment, And Perhaps Heated By Enthusiasm, Are Seldom In A Proper Temper Of Mind Calmly To Investigate, Or Candidly To Appreciate, The Motives Of Their Enemies, Which Often Escape The Impartial And Discerning View Even Of Those Who Are Placed At A Secure Distance From The Flames Of Persecution.

A Warlike Nation Like The Germans, Without Either Cities, Letters, Arts, Or Money, Found Some Compensation For This Savage State In The Enjoyment Of Liberty. Their Poverty Secured Their Freedom, Since Our Desires And Our Possessions Are The Strongest Fetters Of Despotism.

Recluse Fanatics Have Few Ideas Or Sentiments To Communicate . . .

Antoninus Diffused Order And Tranquility Over The Greatest Part Of The Earth. His Reign Is Marked By The Rare Advantage Of Furnishing Very Few Materials For History; Which Is, Indeed, Little More Than The Register Of The Crimes, Follies, And Misfortunes Of Mankind.

The Brutal Soldiers Satisfied Their Sensual Appetites Without Consulting Either The Inclination Or The Duties Of Their Female Captives; And A Nice Question Of Casuistry Was Seriously Agitated, Whether Those Tender Victims, Who Had Inflexibly Refused Their Consent To The Violation Which They Sustained, Had Lost, By Their Misfortune, The Glorious Crown Of Virginity. There Were Other Losses Indeed Of A More Substantial Kind And More General Concern.

It Is The First Care Of A Reformer To Prevent Any Future Reformation.

Man Has Much More To Fear From The Passions Of His Fellow-creatures, Than From The Convulsions Of The Elements.

The Gauls Derided The Hairy And Gigantic Savages Of The North; Their Rustic Manners, Dissonant Joy, Voracious Appetite, And Their Horrid Appearance, Equally Disgusting To The Sight And To The Smell.

So Long As Mankind Shall Continue To Lavish More Praise Upon Its Destroyers Than Upon Its Benefactors War Shall Remain The Chief Pursuit Of Ambitious Minds.

The Best And Most Important Part Of Every Man's Education Is That Which He Gives Himself.

Sixty Thousand Blacks Are Annually Embarked From The Coast Of Guinea, Never To Return To Their Native Country; But They Are Embarked In Chains: And This Constant Emigration, Which, In The Space Of Two Centuries, Might Have Furnished Armies To Overrun The Globe, Accuses The Guilt Of Europe And The Weakness Of Africa.

Such Was The Unhappy Condition Of The Roman Emperors, That, Whatever Might Be Their Conduct, Their Fate Was Commonly The Same. A Life Of Pleasure Or Virtue, Of Severity Or Mildness, Of Indolence Or Glory, Alike Led To An Untimely Grave; And Almost Every Reign Is Closed By The Same Disgusting Repetition Of Treason And Murder.

One Must Search Diligently To Find Laudatory Comments On Education (other Than Those Pious Platitudes Which Are Fodder For Commencement Speeches). It Appears That Most Persons Who Have Achieved Fame And Success In The World Of Ideas Are Cynical About Formal Education. These People Are A Select Few, Who Often Achieved Success In Spite Of Their Education, Or Even Without It. As Has Been Said, The Clever Largely Educate Themselves, Those Less Able Aren't Sufficiently Clever Or Imaginative To Benefit Much From Education.

Yet The Civilians Have Always Respected The Natural Right Of A Citizen To Dispose Of His Life . . .

At The Hour Of Midnight The Salerian Gate Was Silently Opened, And The Inhabitants Were Awakened By The Tremendous Sound Of The Gothic Trumpet. Eleven Hundred And Sixty-three Years After The Foundation Of Rome, The Imperial City, Which Had Subdued And Civilised So Considerable A Part Of Mankind, Was Delivered To The Licentious Fury Of The Tribes Of Germany And Scythia.

An Absolute Monarch, Who Is Rich Without Patrimony, May Be Charitable Without Merit; And Constantine Too Easily Believed That He Should Purchase The Favour Of Heaven If He Maintained The Idle At The Expense Of The Industrious, And Distributed Among The Saints The Wealth Of The Republic.

On The Approach Of Spring, I Withdraw Without Reluctance From The Noisy And Extensive Scene Of Crowds Without Company, And Dissipation Without Pleasure.

Our Ignorance Is God; What We Know Is Science.

Hope, The Best Comfort Of Our Imperfect Condition, Was Not Denied To The Roman Slave; And If He Had Any Opportunity Of Rendering Himself Either Useful Or Agreeable, He Might Very Naturally Expect That The Diligence And Fidelity Of A Few Years Would Be Rewarded With The Inestimable Gift Of Freedom.

It Was The Fashion Of The Times To Attribute Every Remarkable Event To The Particular Will Of The Deity; The Alterations Of Nature Were Connected, By An Invisible Chain, With The Moral And Metaphysical Opinions Of The Human Mind; And The Most Sagacious Divines Could Distinguish, According To The Colour Of Their Respective Prejudices, That The Establishment Of Heresy Tended To Produce An Earthquake, Or That A Deluge Was The Inevitable Consequence Of The Progress Of Sin And Error.

The Mixture Of Sarmatic And German Blood Had Contributed To Improve The Features Of The Alani, To Whiten Their Swarthy Complexions, And To Tinge Their Hair With A Yellowish Cast, Which Is Seldom Found In The Tartar Race.

I Was Never Less Alone Than When By Myself.

And Thus Toleration Produced Not Only Mutual Indulgence, But Even Religious Concord. The Superstition Of The People Was Not Embittered Theological Rancor.

In The End, More Than Freedom, They Wanted Security. They Wanted A Comfortable Life, And They Lost It All – Security, Comfort, And Freedom. When The Athenians Finally Wanted Not To Give To Society But For Society To Give To Them, When The Freedom They Wished For Most Was Freedom From Responsibility, Then Athens Ceased To Be Free And Was Never Free Again.

Libertarian Party

The Grateful Applause Of The Clergy Has Consecrated The Memory Of A Prince, Who Indulged Their Passions And Promoted Their Interest. Constantine Gave Them Security, Wealth, Honours, And Revenge; And The Support Of The Orthodox Faith Was Considered As The Most Sacred And Important Duty Of The Civil Magistrate. The Edict Of Milan, The Great Charter Of Toleration, Had Confirmed To Each Individual Of The Roman World The Privilege Of Choosing And Professing His Own Religion.

Such, Indeed, Is The Policy Of Civil War: Severely To Remember Injuries, And To Forget The Most Important Services. Revenge Is Profitable, Gratitude Is Expensive.

The Desire Of Perfection Became The Ruling Passion Of Their Soul; And It Is Well Known, That While Reason Embraces A Cold Mediocrity, Our Passions Hurry Us, With Rapid Violence, Over The Space Which Lies Between The Most Opposite Extremes.

Constantinople Was The Principal Seat And Fortress Of Arianism; And, In A Long Interval Of Forty Years, The Faith Of The Princes And Prelates Who Reigned In The Capital Of The East Was Rejected In The Purer Schools Of Rome And Alexandria.

The Ancients Were Destitute Of Many Of The Conveniences Of Life Which Have Been Invented Or Improved By The Progress Of Industry; And The Plenty Of Glass And Linen Has Diffused More Real Comforts Among The Modern Nations Of Europe Than The Senators Of Rome Could Derive From All The Refinements Of Pompous Or Sensual Luxury.

The Revolution Of Ages May Bring Round The Same Calamities; But Ages May Revolve Without Producing A Tacitus To Describe Them.

The Land Was Then Covered With Morasses And Forests, Which Spread To A Boundless Extent, Whenever Man Has Ceased To Exercise His Dominion Over The Earth.

The Active, Insatiate Principle Of Self-love Can Alone Supply The Arts Of Life And The Wages Of Industry; And As Soon As Civil Government And Exclusive Property Have Been Introduced, They Become Necessary To The Existence Of The Human Race.

The Science Of The Church Is Neglected For The Study Of Geometry, And They Lose Sight Of Heaven While They Are Employed In Measuring The Earth. Euclid Is Perpetually In Their Hands. Aristotle And Theophrastus Are The Objects Of Their Admiration; And They Express An Uncommon Reverence For The Works Of Galen. Their Errors Are Derived From The Abuse Of The Arts And Sciences Of The Infidels, And They Corrupt The Simplicity Of The Gospel By The Refinements Of Human Reason.

The Love Of Liberty Was The Ruling Passion Of These Germans; The Enjoyment Of It, Their Best Treasure; The Word That Expressed That Enjoyment The Most Pleasing To Their Ear. They Deserved, They Assumed, They Maintained The Honourable Epithet Of Franks Or Freemen; Which Concealed, Though It Did Not Extinguish, The Peculiar Names Of The Several States Of The Confederacy.

The Most Successful Of The Tartar Princes Assumed The Military Command, To Which He Was Entitled By The Superiority Either Of Merit Or Of Power. He Was Raised To The Throne By The Acclamations Of His Equals; And The Title Of Khan Expresses, In The Language Of The North Of Asia, The Full Extent Of The Regal Dignity. The Right Of Hereditary Succession Was Long Confined To The Blood Of The Founder Of The Monarchy; And At This Moment All The Khans, Who Reign From Crimea To The Wall Of China, Are The Lineal Descendants Of The Renowned Zingis.

But How Shall We Excuse The Supine Inattention Of The Pagan And Philosophic World To Those Evidences Which Were Presented By The Hand Of Omnipotence, Not To Their Reason, But To Their Senses? During The Age Of Christ, Of His Apostles, And Their First Disciples, The Doctrine Which They Preached Was Confirmed By Innumerable Prodigies. The Lame Walked, The Blind Saw, The Sick Were Healed, The Dead Were Raised, Daemons Were Expelled, And The Laws Of Nature Were Frequently Suspended For The Benefit Of The Church.

But The Desire Of Obtaining The Advantages, And Of Escaping The Burdens, Of Political Society, Is A Perpetual And Inexhaustible Source Of Discord.

But This Inestimable Privilege Was Soon Violated: With The Knowledge Of Truth The Emperor Imbibed The Maxims Of Persecution; And The Sects Which Dissented From The Catholic Church Were Afflicted And Oppressed By The Triumph Of Christianity. Constantine Easily Believed That The Heretics, Who Presumed To Dispute His Opinions Or To Oppose His Commands, Were Guilty Of The Most Absurd And Criminal Obstinacy; And That A Seasonable Application Of Moderate Severities Might Save Those Unhappy Men From The Danger Of An Everlasting Condemnation.

The Historian Must Have Some Conception Of How Men Who Are Not Historians Behave.

A Philosopher May Deplore The Eternal Discords Of The Human Race, But He Will Confess, That The Desire Of Spoil Is A More Rational Provocation Than The Vanity Of Conquest.

The Aspiring Efforts Of Genius, Or Virtue, Either In Active Or Speculative Life, Are Measured, Not So Much By Their Real Elevation, As By The Height To Which They Ascend Above The Level Of Their Age And Country; And The Same Stature, Which In A People Of Giants Would Pass Unnoticed, Must Appear Conspicuous In A Race Of Pygmies.

To A Lover Of Books The Shops And Sales In London Present Irresistible Temptations.

But A Law, However Venerable Be The Sanction, Cannot Suddenly Transform The Temper Of The Times . . .

The Ascent To Greatness, However Steep And Dangerous, May Entertain An Active Spirit With The Consciousness And Exercise Of Its Own Power: But The Possession Of A Throne Could Never Yet Afford A Lasting Satisfaction To An Ambitious Mind.

The Pathetic Almost Always Consists In The Detail Of Little Events.

Our Work Is The Presentation Of Our Capabilities.

The Mathematics Are Distinguished By A Particular Privilege, That Is, In The Course Of Ages, They May Always Advance And Can Never Recede.

We Stand In Need Of Such Reflections To Comfort Us For The Loss Of Some Illustrious Characters, Which In Our Eyes Might Have Seemed The Most Worthy Of The Heavenly Present. The Names Of Seneca, Of The Elder And The Younger Pliny, Of Tacitus, Of Plutarch, Of Galen, Of The Slave Epictetus, And Of The Emperor Marcus Antoninus, Adorn The Age In Which They Flourished, And Exalt The Dignity Of Human Natures.

I Sighed As A Lover, I Obeyed As A Son.

Discussing The Attempts Of Augustus' Generals To Add To The Extent Of The Roman Empire Early In His Reign: The Northern Countries Of Europe Scarcely Deserved The Expense And Labour Of Conquest. The Forests And Morasses Of Germany Were Filled With A Hardy Race Of Barbarians, Who Despised Life When It Was Separated From Freedom; And Though, On The First Attack, They Seemed To Yield To The Weight Of The Roman Power, They Soon, By A Signal Act Of Despair, Regained Their Independence, And Reminded Augustus Of The Vicissitude Of Fortune.

Imam Hussain's Sacrifice Is For All Groups And Communities, An Example Of The Path Of Rightousness.

A Jurisdiction Thus Vague And Arbitrary Was Exposed To The Most Dangerous Abuse: The Substance, As Well As The Form, Of Justice Were Often Sacrificed To The Prejudices Of Virtue, The Bias Of Laudable Affection, And The Grosser Seductions Of Interest Or Resentment.

Bizarreness Masqueraded As Creativity.

[in] The National And Religious Conflict Of The [byzantine And Saracen] Empires, Peace Was Without Confidence, And War Without Mercy.

Every Man Who Rises Above The Common Level Has Received Two Educations: The First From His Teachers; The Second, More Personal And Important, From Himself.

It Has Been Calculated By The Ablest Politicians That No State, Without Being Soon Exhausted, Can Maintain Above The Hundredth Part Of Its Members In Arms And Idleness.

The Laws Of Probability, So True In General, So Fallacious In Particular.

The Awful Mysteries Of The Christian Faith And Worship Were Concealed From The Eyes Of Strangers, And Even Of Catechumens, With An Affected Secrecy, Which Served To Excite Their Wonder And Curiosity.

The Principles Of A Free Constitution Are Irrecoverably Lost, When The Legislative Power Is Nominated By The Executive.

I Have Somewhere Heard Or Read The Frank Confession Of A Benedictine Abbot: "my Vow Of Poverty Has Given Me A Hundred Thousand Crowns A Year; My Vow Of Obedience Has Raised Me To The Rank Of A Sovereign Prince." - I Forget The Consequences Of His Vow Of Chastity.

His Sumptuous Tents, And Those Of His Satraps, Afforded An Immense Booty To The Conqueror; And An Incident Is Mentioned Which Proves The Rustic But Martial Ignorance Of The Legions In The Elegant Superfluities Of Life. A Bag Of Shining Leather, Filled With Pearls, Fell Into The Hands Of A Private Soldier; He Carefully Preserved The Bag, But He Threw Away Its Contents, Judging That Whatever Was Of No Use Could Not Possibly Be Of Any Value.

During The Games Of The Circus, He Had, Imprudently Or Designedly, Performed The Manumission Of A Slave In The Presence Of The Consul. The Moment He Was Reminded That He Had Trespassed On The Jurisdiction Of Another Magistrate, He Condemned Himself To Pay A Fine Of Ten Pounds Of Gold, And Embraced This Public Occasion Of Declaring To The World That He Was Subject, Like The Rest Of His Fellow-citizens, To The Laws, And Even To The Forms, Of The Republic.

Pleasure And Guilt Are Synonymous Terms In The Language Of The Monks, And They Discovered, By Experience, That Rigid Fasts, And Abstemious Diet, Are The Most Effectual Preservatives Against The Impure Desires Of The Flesh.

The Philosopher, Who With Calm Suspicion Examines The Dreams And Omens, The Miracles And Prodigies, Of Profane Or Even Of Ecclesiastical History, Will Probably Conclude That, If The Eyes Of The Spectators Have Sometimes Been Deceived By Fraud, The Understanding Of The Readers Has Much More Frequently Been Insulted By Fiction.

[all] The Manly Virtues Were Oppressed By The Servile And Pusillanimous Reign Of The Monks.

The Decline Of Rome Was The Natural And Inevitable Effect Of Immoderate Greatness. Prosperity Ripened The Principle Of Decay; The Cause Of The Destruction Multiplied With The Extent Of Conquest; And, As Soon As Time Or Accident And Removed The Artificial Supports, The Stupendous Fabric Yielded To The Pressure Of Its Own Weight. The Story Of The Ruin Is Simple And Obvious: And Instead Of Inquiring Why The Roman Empire Was Destroyed We Should Rather Be Surprised That It Has Subsisted For So Long.

Although The Progress Of Civilisation Has Undoubtedly Contributed To Assuage The Fiercer Passions Of Human Nature, It Seems To Have Been Less Favourable To The Virtue Of Chastity, Whose Most Dangerous Enemy Is The Softness Of The Mind. The Refinements Of Life Corrupt While They Polish The Intercourse Of The Sexes. The Gross Appetite Of Love Becomes Most Dangerous When It Is Elevated, Or Rather, Indeed, Disguised By Sentimental Passion.

Books Are Those Faithful Mirrors That Reflect To Our Mind The Minds Of Sages And Heroes.

Yet The People, And Even The Clergy, Incapable Of Forming Any Rational Judgment Of The Business Of Peace And War, Presumed To Arraign The Policy Of Stilicho, Who So Often Vanquished, So Often Surrounded, And So Often Dismissed The Implacable Enemy Of The Republic. The First Moment Of The Public Safety Is Devoted To Gratitude And Joy; But The Second Is Diligently Occupied By Envy And Calumny.

Active Valour May Often Be The Present Of Nature; But Such Patient Diligence Can Be The Fruit Only Of Habit And Discipline.

Julian Sincerely Abhorred The System Of Oriental Despotism Which Diocletian, Constantine, And The Patient Habits Of Four Score Years, Had Established In The Empire. A Motive Of Superstition Prevented The Execution Of The Design Which Julian Had Frequently Meditated, Of Relieving His Head From The Weight Of A Costly Diadem; But He Absolutely Refused The Title Of Dominus Or Lord, A Word Which Was Grown So Familiar To The Ears Of The Romans, That They No Longer Remembered Its Servile And Humiliating Origin.

The Elegance Of Dress, Of Motion, And Of Manners Gives A Lustre To Beauty, And Inflames The Senses Through The Imagination. Luxurious Entertainments, Midnight Dances, And Licentious Spectacles, Present At Once Temptation And Opportunity To Female Frailty. From Such Dangers The Unpolished Wives Of The Barbarians Were Secured By Poverty, Solitude, And The Painful Cares Of A Domestic Life.

History Is Indeed Little More Than The Register Of The Crimes, Follies, And Misfortunes Of Mankind.

The Progress Of Manufactures And Commerce Insensibly Collects A Large Multitude Within The Walls Of A City: But These Citizens Are No Longer Soldiers; And The Arts Which Adorn And Improve The State Of Civil Society, Corrupt The Habits Of The Military Life.

Instead Of Pressing, With The Foremost Of The Crowd, Into The Palace Of Constantinople, Libanius Calmly Expected His Arrival At Antioch; Withdrew From Court On The First Symptoms Of Coldness And Indifference; Required A Formal Invitation For Each Visit; And Taught His Sovereign An Important Lesson, That He Might Command The Obedience Of A Subject, But That He Must Deserve The Attachment Of A Friend.

[every] Hour Of Delay Abates The Fame And Force Of The Invader, And Multiplies The Resources Of Defensive War.

[whole] Generations May Be Swept Away By The Madness Of Kings In The Space Of A Single Hour.

Flattery Is A Foolish Suicide; She Destroys Herself With Her Own Hands.

To A Philosophic Eye, The Vices Of The Clergy Are Far Less Dangerous Than Their Virtues.

[instead] Of Inquiring Why The Roman Empire Was Destroyed, We Should Rather Be Surprised That It Had Subsisted So Long.

But The Power Of Instruction Is Seldom Of Much Efficacy, Except In Those Happy Dispositions Where It Is Almost Superfluous.

Every Event, Or Appearance, Or Accident, Which Seems To Deviate From The Ordinary Course Of Nature Has Been Rashly Ascribed To The Immediate Action Of The Deity.

Corruption, The Most Infallible Symptom Of Constitutional Liberty.

Women [in Ancient Rome] Were Condemned To The Perpetual Tutelage Of Parents, Husbands, Or Guardians; A Sex Created To Please And Obey Was Never Supposed To Have Attained The Age Of Reason And Experience. Such, At Least, Was The Stern And Haughty Spirit Of The Ancient Law . . .

[every Age], However Destitute Of Science Or Virtue, Sufficiently Abounds With Acts Of Blood And Military Renown.

The Love Of Spectacles Was The Taste, Or Rather Passion, Of The Syrians: The Most Skilful Artists Were Procured Form The Adjacent Cities; A Considerable Share Of The Revenue Was Devoted To The Public Amusements; And The Magnificence Of The Games Of The Theatre And Circus Was Considered As The Happiness, And As The Glory, Of Antioch.

But The Desire Of Obtaining The Advantages, And Of Escaping The Burthens, Of Political Society, Is A Perpetual And Inexhaustible Source Of Discord; Nor Can It Reasonably Be Presumed That The Restoration Of British Freedom Was Exempt From Tumult And Faction. The Pre-eminence Of Birth And Fortune Must Have Been Frequently Violated By Bold And Popular Citizens; And The Haughty Nobles, Who Complained That They Were Become The Subjects Of Their Own Servants, Would Sometimes Regret The Reign Of An Arbitrary Monarch.

The Patient And Active Virtues Of A Soldier Are Insensibly Nursed In The Habits And Discipline Of A Pastoral Life.

Philosophy, With The Aid Of Experience, Has At Length Banished The Study Of Alchymy; And The Present Age, However Desirous Of Riches, Is Content To Seek Them By The Humbler Means Of Commerce And Industry.

[courage] Arises In A Great Measure From The Consciousness Of Strength . . .

The Law Of Nature Instructs Most Animals To Cherish And Educate Their Infant Progeny. The Law Of Reason Inculcates To The Human Species The Returns Of Filial Piety.

The Theologian May Indulge The Pleasing Task Of Describing Religion As She Descended From Heaven, Arrayed In Her Native Purity. A More Melancholy Duty Is Imposed On The Historian. He Must Discover The Inevitable Mixture Of Error And Corruption Which She Contracted In A Long Residence Upon Earth, Among A Weak And Degenerate Race Of Beings.

Whenever The Offence Inspires Less Horror Than The Punishment, The Rigour Of Penal Law Is Obliged To Give Way To The Common Feelings Of Mankind.

The Incapacity Of A Weak And Distracted Government May Often Assume The Appearance And Produce The Effects Of A Treasonable Correspondence With The Public Enemy. If Alaric Himself Had Been Introduced Into The Council Of Ravenna, He Would Probably Have Advised The Same Measures Which Were Actually Pursued By The Ministers Of Honorius.

Fashion Was The Only Law, Pleasure The Only Pursuit, And The Splendour Of Dress And Furniture Was The Only Distinction Of The Citizens Of Antioch. The Arts Of Luxury Were Honoured; The Serious And Manly Virtues Were The Subject Of Ridicule; And The Contempt For Female Modesty And Reverent Age Announced The Universal Corruption Of The Capital Of The East.

Vicissitudes Of Fortune, Which Spares Neither Man Nor The Proudest Of His Works, Which Buries Empires And Cities In A Common Grave.

The Image Of A Free Constitution Was Preserved With Decent Reverence: The Roman Senate Appeared To Possess The Sovereign Authority, And Devolved On The Emperors All The Executive Powers Of Government. During A Happy Period (a.d. 98-180) Of More Than Fourscore Years, The Public Administration Was Conducted By The Virtue And Abilities Of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, And The Two Antonines.

Majorian Presents The Welcome Discovery Of A Great And Heroic Character, Such As Sometimes Arise, In A Degenerate Age, To Vindicate The Honor Of The Human Species.

Instead Of A Perpetual And Perfect Measure Of The Divine Will, The Fragments Of The Koran Were Produced At The Discretion Of Mahomet; Each Revelation Is Suited To The Emergencies Of His Policy Or Passion; And All Contradiction Is Removed By The Saving Maxim That Any Text Of Scripture Is Abrogated Or Modified By Any Subsequent Passage.

Style Is The Image Of Character.

In Everyage And Country, The Wiser, Or At Least The Stronger, Ofthetwosexes, Hasusurped Thepowers Ofthe State, And Confined The Other To The Cares And Pleasures Of Domestic Life.

The Most Worthless Of Mankind Are Not Afraid To Condemn In Others The Same Disorders Which They Allow In Themselves; And Can Readily Discover Some Nice Difference In Age, Character, Or Station, To Justify The Partial Distinction.

Boethius Might Have Been Styled Happy, If That Precarious Epithet Could Be Safely Applied Before The Last Term Of The Life Of Man.

So Natural To Man Is The Practice Of Violence That Our Indulgence Allows The Slightest Provocation, The Most Disputable Right, As A Sufficient Ground Of National Hostility.

An Extensive Empire Must Be Supported By A Refined System Of Policy And Oppression; In The Centre, An Absolute Power, Prompt In Action And Rich In Resources; A Swift And Easy Communication With The Extreme Parts; Fortifications To Check The First Effort Of Rebellion; A Regular Administration To Protect And Punish; And A Well-disciplined Army To Inspire Fear, Without Provoking Discontent And Despair.

The Simple Circumstantial Narrative (did Such A Narrative Exist) Of The Ruin Of A Single Town, Of The Misfortunes Of A Single Family, Might Exhibit An Interesting And Instructive Picture Of Human Manners; But The Tedious Repetition Of Vague And Declamatory Complaints Would Fatigue The Attention Of The Most Patient Reader.

Passion, Interest, Or Caprice, Suggested Daily Motives For The Dissolution Of Marriage; A Word, A Sign, A Message, A Letter, The Mandate Of A Freedman, Declared The Separation; The Most Tender Of Human Connections Was Degraded To A Transient Society Of Profit Or Pleasure.

The Gravest Of The Ecclesiastical Historians, Eusebius Himself, Indirectly Confesses That He Has Related Whatever Might Redound To The Glory, And That He Has Suppressed All That Could Tend To The Disgrace, Of Religion.

[the Monks'] Credulity Debased And Vitiated The Faculties Of The Mind: They Corrupted The Evidence Of History; And Superstition Gradually Extinguished The Hostile Light Of Philosophy And Science.

The Communication Of Ideas Requires A Similitude Of Thought And Language . . .

Ignorant Of The Arts Of Luxury, The Primitive Romans Had Improved The Science Of Government And War.

[a] Military Force Was Collected In Europe, Formidable By Their Arms And Numbers, If The Generals Had Understood The Science Of Command, And The Soldiers The Duty Of Obedience.

Metellus Numidicus, The Censor, Acknowledged To The Roman People, In A Public Oration, That Had Kind Nature Allowed Us To Exist Without The Help Of Women, We Should Be Delivered From A Very Troublesome Companion; And He Could Recommend Matrimony Only As The Sacrifice Of Private Pleasure To Public Duty.

The Barbarians Of Germany Had Felt, And Still Dreaded, The Arms Of The Young Caesar; His Soldiers Were The Companions Of His Victory; The Grateful Provincials Enjoyed The Blessings Of His Reign; But The Favourites, Who Had Opposed His Elevation, Were Offended By His Virtues; And They Justly Considered The Friend Of The People As The Enemy Of The Court.

The Love Of Study, A Passion Which Derives Fresh Vigor From Enjoyment, Supplies Each Day, Each Hour, With A Perpetual Source Of Independent And Rational Pleasure.

I Have But One Lamp By Which My Feet Are Guided, And That Is The Lamp Of Experience. I Know No Way Of Judging Of The Future But By The Past.

According To The Law Of Custom, And Perhaps Of Reason, Foreign Travel Completes The Education Of An English Gentleman.

The First And Indispensable Requisite Of Happiness Is A Clear Conscience.

Inclined To Peace By His Temper And Situation, It Was Easy For [augustus] To Discover That Rome, In Her Present Exalted Situation, Had Much Less To Hope Than To Fear From The Chance Of Arms; And That, In The Prosecution Of Remote Wars, The Undertaking Became Every Day More Difficult, The Event More Doubtful, And The Possession More Precarious And Less Beneficial.

The Union Of The Roman Empire Was Dissolved; Its Genius Was Humbled In The Dust; And Armies Of Unknown Barbarians, Issuing From The Frozen Regions Of The North, Had Established Their Victorious Reign Over The Fairest Provinces Of Europe And Africa.

In Less Than Seven Years The Vestiges Of The Gothic Invasion Were Almost Obliterated, And The City Appeared To Resume Its Former Splendour And Tranquillity. The Venerable Matron Replaced Her Crown Of Laurel, Which Had Been Ruffled By The Storms Of War, And Was Still Amused In The Last Moment Of Her Decay With The Prophecies Of Revenge, Of Victory, And Of Eternal Dominion.

But The Works Of Man Are Impotent Against The Assaults Of Nature . . .

Our Sympathy Is Cold To The Relation Of Distant Misery.

The Emperor Of The East Was No Longer Guided By The Wisdom And Authority Of His Elder Brother, Whose Death Happened Towards The End Of The Preceding Year: And, As The Distressful Situation Of The Goths Required An Instant And Peremptory Decision, He Was Deprived Of The Favourite Resource Of Feeble And Timid Minds; Who Consider The Use Of Dilatory And Ambiguous Measures As The Most Admirable Efforts Of Consummate Prudence.

The Urgent Consideration Of The Public Safety May Undoubtedly Authorize The Violation Of Every Positive Law. How Far That Or Any Other Consideration May Operate To Dissolve The Natural Obligations Of Humanity And Justice, Is A Doctrine Of Which I Still Desire To Remain Ignorant.

It Was Among The Ruins Of The Capitol That I First Conceived The Idea Of A Work Which Has Amused And Exercised Nearly Twenty Years Of My Life.

History Should Be To The Political Economist A Wellspring Of Experience And Wisdom.

Revenge Is Profitable, Gratitude Is Expensive.

The Vain, Inconstant, Rebellious Disposition Of The People [of Armorica], Was Incompatible Either With Freedom Or Servitude.

When Julian Ascended The Throne, He Declared His Impatience To Embrace And Reward The Syrian Sophist, Who Had Preserved, In A Degenerate Age, The Grecian Purity Of Taste, Of Manners And Of Religion. The Emperor's Prepossession Was Increased And Justified By The Discreet Pride Of His Favourite.

[the] Operation Of The Wisest Laws Is Imperfect And Precarious. They Seldom Inspire Virtue, They Cannot Always Restrain Vice.

Philosophy Alone Can Boast (and Perhaps It Is No More Than The Boast Of Philosophy), That Her Gentle Hand Is Able To Eradicate From The Human Mind The Latent And Deadly Principle Of Fanaticism.

The Spectator And Historian Of [belisarius's] Exploits Has Observed, That Amidst The Perils Of War, He Was Daring Without Rashness, Prudent Without Fear, Slow Or Rapid According To The Exigencies Of The Moment; That In The Deepest Distress He Was Animated By Real Or Apparent Hope, But That He Was Modest And Humble In The Most Prosperous Fortune.

The Comparative View Of The Powers Of The Magistrates, In Two Remarkable Instances, Is Alone Sufficient To Represent The Whole System Of German Manners. The Disposal Of The Landed Property Within Their District Was Absolutely Vested In Their Hands, And They Distributed It Every Year According To A New Division. At The Same Time, They Were Not Authorised To Punish With Death, To Imprison, Or Even To Strike, A Private Citizen.

Of The Various Forms Of Government Which Have Prevailed In The World, An Hereditary Monarchy Seems To Present The Fairest Scope For Ridicule.

British Monarchy

Every Person Has Two Educations, One Which He Receives From Others, And One, More Important, Which He Gives To Himself.

The Courage Of A Soldier Is Found To Be The Cheapest And Most Common Quality Of Human Nature.

Religion Is A Mere Question Of Geography.

There Exists In Human Nature A Strong Propensity To Depreciate The Advantages, And To Magnify The Evils, Of The Present Times.

The First Of Earthly Blessings, Independence.

The Indian Who Fells The Tree That He May Gather The Fruit, And The Arab Who Plunders The Caravans Of Commerce Are Actuated By The Same Impulse Of Savage Nature, And Relinquish For Momentary Rapine The Long And Secure Possession Of The Most Important Blessings.

As For This Young Ali, One Cannot But Like Him. A Noble-minded Creature, As He Shows Himself, Now And Always Afterwards; Full Of Affection, Of Fiery Daring. Something Chivalrous In Him; Brave As A Lion; Yet With A Grace, A Truth And Affection Worthy Of Christian Knighthood.

Augustus Was Sensible That Mankind Is Governed By Names; Nor Was He Deceived In His Expectation, That The Senate And People Would Submit To Slavery, Provided They Were Respectfully Assured That They Still Enjoyed Their Ancient Freedom.

But The Severe Rules Of Discipline Which The Prudence Of The Bishops Had Instituted Were Relaxed By The Same Prudence In Favour Of An Imperial Proselyte, Whom It Was So Important To Allure, By Every Gentle Condescension, Into The Pale Of The Church; And Constantine Was Permitted, At Least By A Tacit Dispensation, To Enjoy Most Of The Privileges, Before He Had Contracted Any Of The Obligations, Of A Christian.

The End Comes When We No Longer Talk With Ourselves. It Is The End Of Genuine Thinking And The Beginning Of The Final Loneliness.

Extreme Distress, Which Unites The Virtue Of A Free People, Imbitters The Factions Of A Declining Monarchy.

It Is The Common Calamity Of Old Age To Lose Whatever Might Have Rendered It Desirable.

The Knowledge That Is Suited To Our Situation And Powers, The Whole Compass Of Moral, Natural, And Mathematical Science, Was Neglected By The New Platonists; Whilst They Exhausted Their Strength In The Verbal Disputes Of Metaphysics, Attempted To Explore The Secrets Of The Invisible World, And Studied To Reconcile Aristotle With Plato, On Subjects Of Which Both These Philosophers Were As Ignorant As The Rest Of Mankind.

Suspicious Princes Often Promote The Last Of Mankind, From A Vain Persuasion That Those Who Have No Dependence Except On Their Favor Will Have No Attachment Except To The Person Of Their Benefactor.

[personal] Industry Must Be Faint And Languid, Which Is Not Excited By The Sense Of Personal Interest.

Personal Interest

If The Emperor Had Capriciously Decreed The Death Of The Most Eminent And Virtuous Citizen Of The Republic, The Cruel Order Would Have Been Executed Without Hesitation By The Ministers Of Open Violence Or Of Specious Injustice. The Caution, The Delay, The Difficulty With Which He Proceeded In The Condemnation And Punishment Of A Popular Bishop, Discovered To The World That The Privileges Of The Church Had Already Revived A Sense Of Order And Freedom In The Roman Government.

A False Modesty Is The Meanest Species Of Pride.

Philosophy Had Instructed Julian To Compare The Advantages Of Action And Retirement; But The Elevation Of His Birth And The Accidents Of His Life Never Allowed Him The Freedom Of Choice. He Might Perhaps Sincerely Have Preferred The Groves Of The Academy And The Society Of Athens; But He Was Constrained, At First By The Will, And Afterwards By The Injustice Of Constantius, To Expose His Person And Fame To The Dangers Of Imperial Greatness; And To Make Himself Accountable To The World And To Posterity For The Happiness Of Millions.

To Resume, In A Few Words, The System Of The Imperial Government, As It Was Instituted By Augustus, And Maintained By Those Princes Who Understood Their Own Interest And That Of The People, It May Be Defined An Absolute Monarchy Disguised By The Forms Of A Commonwealth. The Masters Of The Roman World Surrounded Their Throne With Darkness, Concealed Their Irresistible Strength, And Humbly Professed Themselves The Accountable Ministers Of The Senate, Whose Supreme Decrees They Dictated And Obeyed.

The Various Modes Of Worship Which Prevailed In The Roman World Were All Considered By The People As Equally True; By The Philosopher As Equally False; And By The Magistrate As Equally Useful.

The Voice Of History Is Often Little More Than The Organ Of Hatred Or Flattery.

The Single Combats Of The Heroes Of History Or Fable Amuse Our Fancy And Engage Our Affections: The Skillful Evolutions Of War May Inform The Mind, And Improve A Necessary, Though Pernicious, Science. But In The Uniform And Odious Pictures Of A General Assault, All Is Blood, And Horror, And Confusion . . .

The Revenge Of A Guilty Woman Is Implacable.

The Possession And The Enjoyment Of Property Are The Pledges Which Bind A Civilised People To An Improved Country.

[the] Events By Which The Fate Of Nations Is Not Materially Changed, Leave A Faint Impression On The Page Of History, And The Patience Of The Reader Would Be Exhausted By The Repetition Of The Same Hostilities [between Rome And Persia], Undertaken Without Cause, Prosecuted Without Glory, And Terminated Without Effect.

The Pastoral Labours Of The Archbishop Of Constantinople Provoked And Gradually United Against Him Two Sorts Of Enemies; The Aspiring Clergy, Who Envied His Success, And The Obstinate Sinners, Who Were Offended By His Reproofs. When Chrysostom Thundered From The Pulpit Of St. Sophia Against The Degeneracy Of The Christians, His Shafts Were Spent Among The Crowd, Without Wounding Or Even Marking The Character Of Any Individual.

The Chaste Severity Of The Fathers In Whatever Related To The Commerce Of The Two Sexes Flowed From The Same Principle -- Their Abhorrence Of Every Enjoyment Which Might Gratify The Sensual And Degrade The Spiritual Nature Of Man. It Was Their Favourite Opinion, That If Adam Had Preserved His Obedience To The Creator, He Would Have Lived For Ever In A State Of Virgin Purity, And That Some Harmless Mode Of Vegetation Might Have Peopled Paradise With A Race Of Innocent And Immortal Beings.

Freedom Is The First Wish Of Our Heart; Freedom Is The First Blessing Of Nature; And Unless We Bind Ourselves With Voluntary Chains Of Interest Or Passion, We Advance In Freedom As We Advance In Years

On The Slightest Touch The Unsupported Fabric Of Their Pride And Power Fell To The Ground. The Expiring Senate Displayed A Sudden Lustre, Blazed For A Moment, And Was Extinguished For Ever.

Under A Democratical Government The Citizens Exercise The Powers Of Sovereignty; And Those Powers Will Be First Abused, And Afterwards Lost, If They Are Committed To An Unwieldy Multitude.

This Variety Of Objects Will Suspend, For Some Time, The Course Of The Narrative; But The Interruption Will Be Censured Only By Those Readers Who Are Insensible To The Importance Of Laws And Manners, While They Peruse, With Eager Curiosity, The Transient Intrigues Of A Court, Or The Accidental Event Of A Battle.

But The Human Character, However It May Be Exalted Or Depressed By A Temporary Enthusiasm, Will Return By Degrees To Its Proper And Natural Level, And Will Resume Those Passions That Seem The Most Adapted To Its Present Condition.

Both Moscow And [kiev], The Modern And The Ancient Capitals, Were Reduced To Ashes [by The Tartars]; A Temporary Ruin, Less Fatal Than The Deep, And Perhaps Indelible, Mark, Which A Servitude Of Two Hundred Years Has Imprinted On The Character Of The Russians.

A Reformer Should Be Exempt From The Suspicion Of Interest, And He Must Possess The Confidence And Esteem Of Those Whom He Proposes To Reclaim.

That Public Virtue Which Among The Ancients Was Denominated Patriotism, Is Derived From A Strong Sense Of Our Own Interest In The Preservation And Prosperity Of The Free Government Of Which We Are Members. Such A Sentiment, Which Had Rendered The Legions Of The Republic Almost Invincible, Could Make But A Very Feeble Impression On The Mercenary Servants Of A Despotic Prince; And It Became Necessary To Supply That Defect By Other Motives, Of A Different, But Not Less Forcible Nature; Honour And Religion.

Trending Author

Shannon Elizabeth

Gary L. Francione

Category