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| The Emperor Indignant at the Murder of George, rebukes the Alexandrians by Letter.
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Chapter III.—The
Emperor Indignant at the Murder of George, rebukes the Alexandrians by
Letter.
The emperor being highly
indignant at the assassination of George, wrote to the citizens of
Alexandria, rebuking their violence in the strongest terms. A report
was circulated that those who detested him because of Athanasius,
perpetrated this outrage upon George: but as for me I think it is
undoubtedly true that such as cherish hostile feelings against
particular individuals are often found identified with popular
commotions; yet the emperor’s letter evidently attaches the blame
to the populace, rather than to any among the Christians. George,
however, was at that time, and had for some time previously been,
exceedingly obnoxious to all classes, which is sufficient to account
for the burning indignation of the multitude against him. That the
emperor charges the people with the crime may be seen from his letter
which was expressed in the following terms.
Emperor Cæsar Julian Maximus Augustus to the
Citizens of Alexandria.469
Even if you have neither respect for Alexander the
founder of your city, nor, what is more, for that great and most holy
god Serapis; yet how is it you have made no account not only of the
universal claims of humanity and social order, but also of what is due
to us, to whom all the gods, and especially the mighty Serapis, have
assigned the empire of the world, for whose cognizance therefore it
became you to reserve all matters of public wrong? But perhaps the
impulse of rage and indignation, which taking possession of the mind,
too often stimulate it to the most atrocious acts, has led you astray.
It seems, however, that when your fury had in some degree moderated,
you aggravated your culpability by adding a most heinous offense to
that which had been committed under the excitement of the moment: nor
were you, although but the common people, ashamed to perpetrate those
very acts on account of which you justly detested them. By Serapis I
conjure you tell me, for what unjust deed were ye so indignant at
George? You will perhaps answer, it was because he exasperated
Constantius of blessed memory against you: because he introduced an
army into the sacred city: because in consequence the governor470
of Egypt despoiled the god’s most holy temple of its images,
votive offerings, and such other consecrated apparatus as it contained;
who, when ye could not endure the sight of such a foul desecration, but
attempted to defend the god from sacrilegious hands, or rather to
hinder the pillage of what had been consecrated to his service, in
contravention of all justice, law, and piety, dared to send armed bands
against you. This he probably did from his dreading George more than
Constantius: but he would have consulted better for his own safety had
he not been guilty of this tyrannical conduct, but persevered in his
former moderation toward you. Being on all these accounts enraged
against George as the adversary of the gods, you have again polluted
your sacred city; whereas you ought to have impeached him before the
judges. For had you thus acted, neither murder, nor any other unlawful
deed would have been committed; but justice being equitably dispensed,
would have preserved you innocent of these disgraceful excesses, while
it brought on him the punishment due to his impious crimes. Thus too,
in short, the insolence of those would have been curbed who contemn the
gods, and respect neither cities of such magnitude, nor so flourishing
a population; but make the
barbarities they practice against them the prelude, as it were, of
their exercise of power. Compare therefore this my present letter, with
that which I wrote you some time since. With what high commendation did
I then greet you! But now, by the immortal gods, with an equal
disposition to praise you I am unable to do so on account of your
heinous misdoings. The people have had the audacity to tear a man in
pieces, like dogs; nor have they been subsequently ashamed of this
inhuman procedure, nor desirous of purifying their hands from such
pollution, that they may stretch them forth in the presence of the gods
undefiled by blood. You will no doubt be ready to say that George
justly merited this chastisement; and we might be disposed perhaps to
admit that he deserved still more acute tortures. Should you farther
affirm that on your account he was worthy of these sufferings, even
this might also be granted. But should you add that it became you to
inflict the vengeance due to his offenses, that I could by no means
acquiesce in; for you have laws to which it is the duty of every one of
you to be subject, and to evince your respect for both publicly, as
well as in private. If any individual should transgress those wise and
salutary regulations which were originally constituted for the
well-being of the community, does that absolve the rest from obedience
to them? It is fortunate for you, ye Alexandrians, that such an
atrocity has been perpetrated in our reign, who, by reason of our
reverence for the gods, and on account of our grandfather and uncle471
| 471Philostorgius (VII. 10) calls this Julian ‘the
governor of the East, who was the uncle on the maternal side of Julian
the Apostate.’ Sozomen also (V. 7 and 8) and Theodoret (H.
E. III. 12, 13) furnish information regarding him, as well as
Ammianus Marcellius XXIII. i. Cf. also Julian, Epist. XIII.
(Spanheim, p. 382).
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whose name we bear, and who governed Egypt and your city, still retain
a fraternal affection for you. Assuredly that power which will not
suffer itself to be disrespected, and such a government as is possessed
of a vigorous and healthy constitution, could not connive at such
unbridled licentiousness in its subjects, without unsparingly purging
out the dangerous distemper by the application of remedies sufficiently
potent. We shall however in your case, for the reasons already
assigned, restrict ourselves to the more mild and gentle medicine of
remonstrance and exhortation; to the which mode of treatment we are
persuaded ye will the more readily submit, inasmuch as we understand ye
are Greeks by original descent, and also still preserve in your memory
and character the traces of the glory of your ancestors. Let this be
published to our citizens of Alexandria.
Such was the emperor’s letter. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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