ly gathered in great number and
rain descended in floods--certainly not without divine intervention,
since the Egyptian Maege Arnulphis, who was with Marcus Antoninus, is
said to have invoked several genii by the aerial mercury by enchantment,
and thus through them had brought down rain."

Here, it will be observed, a supernatural explanation is given of a
natural phenomenon. But the narrator does not stop with this. If we are
to accept the account of Xiphilinus, Dion brings forward some striking
proofs of divine interference. Xiphilinus gives these proofs in the
following remarkable paragraph:

"Dion adds that when the rain began to fall every soldier lifted his
head towards heaven to receive the water in his mouth; but afterwards
others hold out their shields or their helmets to catch the water for
themselves and for their horses. Being set upon by the barbarians...
while occupied in drinking, they would have been seriously incommoded
had not heavy hail and numerous thunderbolts thrown consternation into
the ranks of the enemy. Fire and water were seen to mingle as they left
the heavens. The fire, however, did not reach the Romans, but if it did
by chance touch one of them it was immediately extinguished, while at
the same time the rain, instead of comforting the barbarians, seemed
merely to excite like oil the fire with which they were being consumed.
Some barbarians inflicted wounds upon themselves as though their blood
had power to extinguish flames, while many rushed over to the side of
the Romans, hoping that there water might save them."

We cannot better complete these illustrations of pagan credulity than by
adding the comment of Xiphilinus himself. That writer was a Christian,
living some generations later than Dion. He never thought of questioning
the facts, but he felt that Dion's interpretation of these facts must
not go unchallenged. As he interprets the matter, it was no pagan
magician that wrought the miracle. He even inclines to the belief that
Dion himself was aware that Christian interference, and not that of an
Egyptian, saved the day. "Dion knew," he declares, "that there existed
a legion called The Thundering Legion, which name was given it for no
other reason than for what came to pass in this war," and that this
legion was composed of soldiers from Militene who were all professed
Christians. "During the battle," continues Xiphilinus, "the chief of the
Pretonians, had set at Marcus Antoninus, w