the famous Roman emperor, styled the Apos-tate, because he professed the Christian religion before he ascended the throne, and afterwards, having embraced paganism, endeavoured to abolish Christianity. For this purpose, however, he made no use of violence. He knew that such measures had always rendered it more flourishing, and therefore behaved with a polite mildness to the Christians, recalling all who had been banished on account of their religion under the reign of Constantius. He undertook to pervert them by his caresses, and by temporal advantages or mortifications; forbidding Christians to plead before courts of justice, or to enjoy any public employments. He even prohibited their teaching polite literature, well knowing the great advantages which they drew from profane authors in their attacks upon paganism and irreligion. Though he on all occasions showed a sovereign contempt for the Christians, whom he called Galileans, yet he was sensible of the advantage they obtained by their virtue and the purity of their manners; and therefore he incessantly proposed their example to the pagan priests. At last, however, when he found that all other methods failed, he gave public employments to the most cruel enemies of the Christians, when the cities in most of the provinces were filled with tumults and seditions, and many of them were put to death. It has been pleaded by Julian's apologists, however, that the behaviour of the Christians afforded sufficient excuse for most of his proceedings against them; that the animosities amongst themselves furnished him with the means; that they were continually prone to sedition, and made a Julian Period

Julius II.