ute the son of a god?" murmured the emperor, surprised.

"In times like ours if the son of a god and a sibyl were not a deaf mute
he would die of grief," said Gorgius.

"One thing more I want to ask you," said Julian. "Have you ever heard
that the Emperor Julian desired to restore the worship of the old gods?"

"Yes, but ... what can he do, poor man? He will not succeed. I tell
you--all's over. Once I sailed in a ship near Thessalonica, and saw
Mount Olympus. I mused and was full of emotion at beholding the
dwellings of the gods; and a scoffing old man told me that travellers
had climbed Olympus, and seen that it was an ordinary mountain, with
only snow and ice and stones on it. I have remembered those words all my
life. My son, all is over; Olympus is deserted. The gods have grown
weary and have departed. But the sun is up, the sacrifice must be
performed. Come!"

They passed into the temple alone.

From behind the trees came the sound of voices, a procession of monks
chanting psalms. In the very neighbourhood of Apollo's temple a tomb had
been built in honour of a Christian martyr.

_IV.--"Thou Hast Conquered, Galilean!"_

At the beginning of spring Julian quitted Antioch for a Persian campaign
with an army of sixty-five thousand men.

"Warriors, my bravest of the brave," said Julian, addressing his troops
at the outset, "remember the destiny of the world is in our hands. We
are going to restore the old greatness of Rome! Steel your hearts, be
ready for any fate. There is to be no turning back, I shall be at your
head, on horseback or on foot, taking all dangers and toils with the
humblest among you; because, henceforth, you are no longer my servants,
but my children and my friends. Courage then, my comrades; and remember
that the strong are always conquerors!"

He stretched his sword, with a smile, toward the distant horizon. The
soldiers, in unison, held up their bucklers, shouting in rapture,
"Glory, glory to conquering Caesar!"

But the campaign so bravely begun ended in treachery and disaster.

At the end of July, when the Roman army was in steady retreat, came the
last battle with the Persians. The emperor looked for a miracle in this
battle, the victory which would give him such renown and power that the
Galileans could no longer resist; but it was not till the close of the
day that the ranks of the enemy were broken. Then a cry of triumph came
from Julian's lips. He galloped ahead, pursuing the