Gods and Legions (44 page)

VIII

I shall continue this account no longer, for to do so would be to shift its focus from the topic that has obsessed me these past five years to myself, to the comforts and fears of my current existence, to things not germane to my story and which I have striven to keep out of the narrative.

Under the Emperor Valens, Julian's decrees against the Christians were reversed, and though internal divisions remain, particularly between the Arians and the Orthodox, the Empire is now firmly back on its path to becoming a Christian one, the first and greatest Christian empire the world has ever known. I wonder at the thought that I played a small part in bringing this end about, Brother, and rejoice that you yourself have found an important role in furthering the survival of Christ's Kingdom. Nevertheless, my conscience remains ill at ease, unallayed even by the frequent confessions to which I willingly submit. I rationalize my act as a blow in the defense of Christ, a strike against the chaos and bloodshed into which the Empire would surely have fallen were Julian to have continued on his course. I base my claim on the right to self-preservation. I obscure my guilt behind the curtain of greater good for all mankind. All these justifications are valid. Yet can a mortal sin be so justified? Can murder be excused? Of all the graces, peace of mind is the one I least encounter or, for that matter, deserve.

The man who assassinated Julian, the man who killed the Terror of the Germans, the conqueror of Gaul, the greatest caesar and emperor in the history of Rome, the most brilliant general since Marius, victorious in forest and desert, voted ever Augustus by the Roman Senate; that one anonymous man who pierced the Emperor's side with a javelin on a battlefield was never found, nor was claim ever made for the horse's weight in gold offered by King Sapor to the soldier who did such a deed. Some say Julian's assailant was slain himself before he could claim his reward, others that the spear was thrown wildly and its sender never aware of the target it had met. To most men, these things were of no significance, for all that mattered was that the Emperor of Rome and the scourge of Christ was dead. To me, however, the motive and the agent are of the utmost importance; in fact, they are an issue of concern to eternity, a fact with which you, Brother, of all people, will surely agree.

Thanks be to God that I have been allotted the time to complete this testimony, which is indeed a great thing. Five years I have spent completing these books, bearing witness to the history of such things as I have observed. Naturally there are many things I have left untold, yet by and large, I believe them to be of small consequence to the task I set myself. As you well know, when a man dedicates five years of his life to undertaking a task, he takes a great risk, for he knows not whether he will even live to complete what he has begun. But I have completed it indeed, and for such a blessing and relief, I am truly grateful.

Amen.

AUTHOR'S POSTSCRIPT

The Emperor Julian died at Maranga from a spear thrown by an unknown hand in the year 363. Upon his death, the Empire was offered to Sallustius, who refused it on the grounds of old age. The crown passed instead to Jovian, one of Julian's generals, who was forced to surrender enormous tracts of Roman territory to the Persians and escaped out of the desert only with great loss of life among his men. He died six months later from the poisonous smoke of a charcoal brazier in his room. Like Julian, he was buried at Tarsus, the home of Paul the Apostle.

Maximus fell out of favor with the Emperor Valens and after various changes of fortune was beheaded in Ephesus in the year 371 on charges of conspiracy.

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, Caesarius' brother, was appointed Bishop of Constantinople and became known as one of the greatest of the early Church Fathers.

Caesarius was appointed provincial treasurer of Bithynia by the Emperor Valentinian, and miraculously survived a terrible earthquake that devastated Nicaea. This experience led him to return home to Nazianzus to live a life of prayer and solitude, but in the year 369, at age thirty-eight, he suddenly died in mysterious circumstances. He was later canonized, for reasons now lost to the mists of history. Saint Caesarius' feast day is celebrated February twenty-fifth.

Ut digni efficiamur...

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Julian's life is one of the most fully documented of all the Roman emperors, a fact that is both benefit and bane to the historical novelist. Julian himself was a prolific, indeed even an obsessive writer, and his extant works fill three complete volumes of the Loeb Classical series. From them one can glean quite an interesting impression of his personality, his intellectual concerns, his fears and religious beliefs, and even his daily life. Wherever possible, I made a point of including his own words in the dialogue of this novel.

Of equal value from a military-historical perspective is the history of the later Roman Empire written by Ammianus Marcellinus, a soldier who accompanied Julian and his predecessors on many of their campaigns. Ammianus offers a fascinating 'man-in-the-trenches' view of these events, one that is often so vivid and heartstopping as to be impossible to improve upon in mere fiction. His works cover many years before and after the events chronicled in this book, and make fascinating reading for anyone interested in pursuing the subject further.

Many of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus' epistles survive as well, yielding a documentary picture of the Christian opposition to Julian during his later years, though Gregory's objectivity is somewhat marred by his unmitigated hatred for the Emperor. His seventh Oration also provides us what little information we have on the life and career of his brother Caesarius, the imperial physician to both Constantius and Julian.

Reliable secondary sources include both the classics, such as Gibbon's indispensable
Decline and Fall,
and lesser known but equally valuable works, such as the wonderful biographies of Julian by Giuseppe Ricciotti, Gary Bowerstock, and Polymnia Athanassiadi; general histories such as Carcopino's
Daily Life in Ancient Rome;
specialized works such as
Pagans and Christians
by Robin Lane Fox and
The Elephant in the Greek and Roman World
by H. H. Scullard; and ancient technical manuals such as Xenophon's
On Horsemanship,
and the
Epitoma Rei Militaris
of Vegetius. Extrapolations of ancient lifestyles and ways of thought were also gleaned from works that were almost, but not quite contemporary with Julian:
The Secret History
of Procopius, the
Meditations
of Marcus Aurelius, and the
Confessions
of Saint Augustine are perhaps the best known among many that fall into this category, and on which I relied.

Those interested in classical literature will find many references in this book if they read closely, particularly to Virgil's
Aeneid.
And like any writer dealing with classical times, my well-thumbed editions of Homer were never far from my side.

I will be the first to admit that I could not have accomplished a work such as this alone, and though space limitations prevent me from acknowledging everyone who assisted me, I would surely be remiss in failing to mention some of the most important. Most obvious, of course, is my editor, Pete Wolverton. His generous commentary and frank opinions were always appreciated and carefully applied, and they improved the book immeasurably. My friend and Latin instructor, M. D. Usher, provided valuable technical and historical advice, for which I am grateful. Richard Ruud, Commissioner for Clallam County (Washington) Fire Protection District No. 2, taught me everything I needed to know about organic combustion. And my agents, Bob Solinger and Mir Bahmanyar, were always present to give me a prod or a lesson in reality when I most needed one.

The greatest appreciation of all, of course, is owed to my family, for their never-ending patience and support in the face of the pressures and difficulties that go with a writer's work. Thank you, Eamon, for the morning coffee and the invitations to play. Thank you, Isa, for the humming accompaniment and the great bedtime hugs. Thank you, Marie, for the dreams and anticipation. Most of all, thank you, Cris, for your encouragement and consolation, and for making everything complete. Life just doesn't get any better.

M. C. F.