CHAPTER XI

THE EMPEROR JULIAN EXACTS MONEY FROM THE CHRISTIANS

ALTHOUGH at the beginning of his reign the emperor Julian conducted himself mildly toward all men, he did not continue to exhibit the same equanimity. He most readily indeed acceded to the requests of the Christians, when they tended in any way to cast odium on the memory of Constantius; but when no inducement of this kind influenced him, he made no effort to conceal the rancorous feelings which he entertained towards Christians in general. Accordingly he soon issued a mandate that the church of the Novatians at Cyzicum, which Euzoïus had totally demolished, should be rebuilt, imposing a very heavy penalty upon Eleusis bishop of that city, if he failed to complete that structure at his own expense within the space of two months. Moreover he favoured the Pagan superstitions with the whole weight of his authority: for he not only opened their idolatrous temples, as we have before stated; but he himself also publicly offered sacrifices to the tutelar divinity of the city of Constantinople in the cathedral, where its image was erected.