Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 6, CHI-Crystallization

CON
4°
He forces
the barba
tians to a
- the Rhine.
. 41
Entirely
defeats
them at
Strafourg.
Comban- complying v,kh his juft requeft, immediately burnt all
l.nopoa.an j.,js boats, as he did on another occafion the provifions
1 ^ which had been fent to both armies, after he had plen¬
tifully fupplied his own. Julian, not in the leaft dif-
heartened with his unaccountable conduct, perfuaded
fome of the moft refoiute of his men to wade over
to one of the iilands. Here they killed all the Ger¬
mans who bad taken (belter in it. They then feized
ban don the their boats, and puriued the dtughter in feveral other
Hands of i(land's, till the enemy abandoned them all, and retired
to their refpeclive countries with their wives and
what bttoty they could carry. On their departure,
Barbatio attempted to lay a bridge of boats over the
Rhine ; but the enemy, apprifed of his intention,
threw a great number of huge trees into the rtvpr,
which being carried by the ((ream againft the boats,
funk feveral of them, and parted the reft. The Ro¬
man general then thought proper to retire, but the
barbarians falling unexpectedly upon him in his re¬
treat, cut great numbers of his men in pieces, took
moft of his baggage, laid wafte the neighbouring coun¬
try, and returned in triumph loaded with booty. E-
lated with this fuccefs, they affbmbled in great num¬
bers under the command of Chnodmiarius, a prince of
great renown among them, and fix other kings. They
encamped in the neighbourhood of Strafburg. Here
they were encountered by Julian *, who put them to
flight, with the lofs of 6000 or 8000 of their men (lain
in the field, and a vaftly greater.number drowned in
the river ; while Julian himfelf loft only 243 private
men and four tribunes. In this aflion Chnodomarius
was taken, and fent to Rome, where he loon after
died.
After the battle, Julian advanced with all his army
to Mayence, where he built a bridge over the Rhine
and entered Germany, having with difficulty prevailed
upon his army to follow him. Here he ravaged the
country till the time of the autumnal equinox, when
being prevented by fnow from advancing any further,
thebarba- ^egan f° repair the fort of Trajan, by fome fuppo-
rians. fed to be the caftle of Cromburgh, about three or four
leagues from Frankfort. The barbarians were now
fo much alarmed, .that they fent deputies to treat of a
peace ; but this Julian refufed to grant them upon
any terms. He confented, however, to a truce for fe-
ven months, upon their promifing to ftore with provi¬
fions the fort he was building in their country. This
Re’nf k C'ondantius made fome remarkable laws. By one
able laws of puniihed with confifeation fuch as renounced the
Confrantius. Chriftian for the Jewifh religion ; and by another, ad-
dreffed to Felix bithop of Rome, he exempted all mer-
chandifing ecclefiaftics, with their wives, children, and
domeftics, from every impofition ordinary and extraor¬
dinary : fuppofing the gains they made to be applied
by them to the relief of the poor.
In 3 i;8, as foon as the feafon was fit for a£Hon, Ju¬
lian took the field againft the Franks, with a defign to
conquer them before the truce he had concluded with
the Alemans was expired. The Franks were at that
time divided into leveral tribes, the moft powerful of
which were the Salii and Chamavi. The firft of thefe
fent deputies, intfeating that he would fuffer them to
remain as friends to the empire in the country they
pofieffed. But Julian, without pdying any regard to
ibis deputation, entered their country, and obliged
4*
He enters
Germany
and con¬
cludes a
truce with
. 44
Julian con¬
quers the
Franks.
4 ] CON
them to fubmit; after which he alloted them lands
in Gaul, incorporating great numbers of them into his tincpaliti®
cavalry. He next marched againft the Chamavi, whom
he defeated and obliged to retire beyond the Rhine.'
Afterwards he rebuilt three iorts on the river Meufe,
which had been deftroyed by the barbarians ; but want¬
ing provifions in a country fo often ravaged, he order¬
ed 600 or 800 veffels to be built in Britain for the con¬
veying corn from thence into Gaul. Julian continued
in the country of the Chamavi till the expiration of
his truce with the Alemans 5 and then laying a bridge
of boats over the .Rhine, he entered their country, put¬
ting all to fire and (word. At laft two of their kings 45
came in perfon to him to me for peace : which Julian
granted, upon their promifing to fet at liberty the cap^the Ger.
lives they had taken •, to fupply a certain quantity of mans,
corn when required; and to furnilh wood, iron, and
carriages, for repairing the cities they had ruined. The ft
prifoners whom he at this time releafed, amounted to
upwards of 20,000.
Soon after the vernal equinox of this year, 3.5.8, Con-^xpJifcra,
ftantius marched in perfon againft the Quadi and Sar- of (Jonlhn-
matians, whofe country lay beyond the Hanube. Htw t‘us aSa'n^
croffed that river on a bridge of boats, he laidlome
man 112.
VUlg
waite the territories of the Sarmatians; who thereupon tlon.
came in great numbers, together with the Quadi, pre¬
tending to fue for peace. Their true defign was to
furprife the Romans; but the latter fufpefling it, fell
upon them fvvord in hand, and cut them all in pieces.
This obliged the reft to fue for peace in good earned,
which was granted on the delivery of hoftages. The
emperor then marched againft: the Limigantss, that is, }
the (laves who, in 334, had driven the Sarmatians out
of their country, and feized it for ihcmfelves *. They *
ufed the fame artifice as the Sarmatians and Ouadi had
done, coming in great numbers under pretence of fub-
mitting, but prepared to fall upon him unexpectedly
if opportunity offered. The emperor, obferving their
furly looks, and diftrufting them, caufed his troops fur-
round them infenfibiy while he was fpeaking. The Li-
migantes then difpleafed with the conditions he offered
them, laid their hands on their fwords: on which
they were attacked by the Roman foldiers. Finding
it impoffible to make their efcape, they made with
great fury towards the tribunal, but were repulled by
the guards forming themfelves into a wedge, and every '
one of them cut in pieces. After this, the emperor He expels
ravaged their country to fuch a degree, that they were the Limi-
in the end obliged to fubrr.it to the only condition he£ante*r ■
thought proper to allow them, which was to quit their ;
country, and retire to a more diftant place. The coun¬
try was then reftored to the Sarmatians, who were its
original poiTefibrs. H 4S
This year is alfo remarkablee for a very haughty Haughty
embafly from Sapor king of Perfia. The ambaffa-embafiy
dor, named Narfes, brought a letter, in which the Per-^rfm.^Por
fian monarch Ityled himfelf “ king of kings, brother
of the fun and moon,” &c. He acquainted the em¬
peror, that he might lawfully infill on having all the
countries beyond the river Strymon in Macedon deli-.
vered up to him ; but left: his demands fhould feem
unreafonable, he would be contented with Armenia
and Mefopotamia, which had been moft unjuftly taken
from his grandfather Narfes. He added, that unlefs
juftice was done him, he was refolved to aftert his • '
*;-y* ut ur.s . •' *y . right
1