from his judgment, and to arraign the wisdom of a Christian emperor,
who, so rashly, though so fortunately, committed his son and his
dominions to the unknown faith of a stranger, a rival, and a heathen.
At the distance of one hundred and fifty years, this political question
might be debated in the court of Justinian; but a prudent historian will
refuse to examine the propriety, till he has ascertained the truth,
of the testament of Arcadius. As it stands without a parallel in the
history of the world, we may justly require, that it should be attested
by the positive and unanimous evidence of contemporaries. The strange
novelty of the event, which excites our distrust, must have attracted
their notice; and their universal silence annihilates the vain tradition
of the succeeding age.

[Footnote 63: Procopius, de Bell. Persic. l. i. c. 2, p. 8, edit.
Louvre.]

[Footnote 64: Agathias, l. iv. p. 136, 137. Although he confesses the
prevalence of the tradition, he asserts, that Procopius was the first
who had committed it to writing. Tillemont (Hist. des Empereurs, tom.
vi. p. 597) argues very sensibly on the merits of this fable. His
criticism was not warped by any ecclesiastical authority: both Procopius
and Agathias are half Pagans. * Note: See St Martin's article on
Jezdegerd, in the Biographie Universelle de Michand.--M.]

The maxims of Roman jurisprudence, if they could fairly be transferred
from private property to public dominion, would have adjudged to the
emperor Honorius the guardianship of his nephew, till he had attained,
at least, the fourteenth year of his age. But the weakness of Honorius,
and the calamities of his reign, disqualified him from prosecuting
this natural claim; and such was the absolute separation of the two
monarchies, both in interest and affection, that Constantinople would
have obeyed, with less reluctance, the orders of the Persian, than those
of the Italian, court. Under a prince whose weakness is disguised by the
external signs of manhood and discretion, the most worthless favorites
may secretly dispute the empire of the palace; and dictate to submissive
provinces the commands of a master, whom they direct and despise. But
the ministers of a child, who is incapable of arming them with the
sanction of the royal name, must acquire and exercise an independent
authority. The great officers of the state and army, who had been
appointed before the death of Arcadius, formed an aristocracy, whic