the secrets of the future in the reeking entrails. But his zeal found no echo, and only made him ridiculous in the eyes of cultivated heathens themselves. He comjjlains repeatedly of the indifference of his party, and accuses one of liis priests of a secret league with Christian bishops. Tlie spectators at his sacrifices came not from devotion, but from curiosity, and grieved the devout emperor by their roimds of applause, as if he were simply a theatrical actor of religion. Often there were no spectators at all. "When he endeavored to restore the oracle of Apollo Daphneus in the famous cypress grove at Antioch, and arranged for a magnificent procession, with libation, dances, and incense, he found in the temple one solitary old priest, and this priest ominously offered in sacrifice — a goose. ^ '■ Misopog. p. 362 sq., where Julian himself relates this ludicrous scene, and vents his anger at the Antiochians for squandering the rich incomes of the temple upon Christianity and worldly pleasures. Dr. Baur, 1. c. p. 11, justly remarks on Julian's zeal for idolatry: "Seine ganze personliche Erscheinung, der Mangel an § 4. JULIAN THE APOSTATE. 49 At the same time, however, Julian sought to renovate and transform lieathenism by incorporating with it the morals of Christianity ; vainly thinking thus to bring it back to its original purity. In this ho himself unwittingly and un- willingly bore witness to the poverty of the heathen religion, and paid the highest tribute to the Christian ; and the Chris- tians for this reason not inaptly called him an " ape of Chris- tianity." In the first place, he proposed to improve the irreclaimable priesthood after the model of the Christian clergy. The priests, as true mediators between the gods and men, should be constantly in the temples, should occupy themselves with holy things, should study no immoral or skeptical books of the school of Epicurus and Pyrrho, but the works of Homer, Pythagoras, Plato, Chrysippus, and Zeno ; they should visit no taverns nor theatres, should pursue no dishonorable trade, should give alms, practise hospitality, live in strict chastity and temperance, wear simple clothing, but in their official functions always appear in the costliest garments and most imposing dignity. He borrowed almost every feature of the then prevalent idea of the Christian priesthood, and aj^plied it to the polytheistic religion.' Then, he borrowed from the con- stitution and worship of the church a hierarchical system of orders, and a sort of penitential discipline, with excommunica- tion, absolution, and restoration, besides a fixed ritual em- bracing didactic and musical elements. Mitred priests in purple were to edify the people regularly with sermons ; that is, with allegorical expositions and practical applications of innercr Haltung in seinem Benehmen gegen Heiden und Christen, die stete Unruhe imd schwarmerische Aufregung, in welcher er sich befand, wenn er von Tempel zu Tempel eilte, auf alien Altiiren opferte und nichts unversucht liess, um den heidnischen Cultus, dessen hochstes Vorbild er