.46 T R A Y E L ' S i-N G R E É C E .
t ‘M i n e r v a had been too'long in' poffdfion, and was too
firmly eftablhhed, to be eafily éxpelled from Athens.-' The
partiality o f Conftantine the Great/it isprobable, avertéd from
this city the tide of reformation, and preferved to the tutelary
godded and its deities, in general, their faered portion^ and
fevenahs, their têmpileé in d ' ’euftornary rites. -’ï^he emperor
Julian, in-a'letter to the Athenians, reminds them, that when
ho was Tummpnhd f y Cónftantiüs theidêft^byeróiMs family to -a
court: filled with . his enemies* he had left théni reMtaritly,
weeping plentifully, as many of them could witnefs, ftretching
forth, his hands toward the aeropolis, and fupplieating Minerva
to fave and protect him-:-and, he-affirms, the-did not abandon
or give up her fervant, as had been manifeftj but was - always
his gpide, accompanying him with guardian angels, which fhe
had taken from th é fan and moon. His beard had beotf^ayen,
•and tbe jAilefophie Hoke relinqiffffied at the. command o f
iCbHflhntius. Julian Was transformed;into a courtier dhdlfeWier,
hut he retained his -affébtion fór Athéns and fof - Minerva,’ to
whom he facrificed every morning in hts cloféh The orator
Libanius boincided with his o-wn belief, when he affirmed to
him, that none o f his exploits had heen atchieved without the
Athenian goddefs, and that fh& had been continually his counfel
and co-adjutor. Minérva-preferved hér ftatiofi in the acropolis
under his fncceffors Yalentinian and Valens.
T he extirpation of Gen tfiifm at'Athens féèms-W have % c f f
accomplifhed. by Alaric and his Goths. Indeed, one hiftorian I
relates; that -this-Barbarian, on his irruption ihto Greece tfiroffgh
the ftraits o f Thermopyl*, hafleried to
eafy. eonqueft, as he ’qould^cut off thé communication withfthè
Tiripus; and the icity was'tob'f o r g e , hé defended by the inhabitants
j hut that; on his approach, he üeheld Minerva armed
m the battlements and preparing*m>‘ falfy forifr^idth Achilléa/
fianding
1.iZozimu8, p, fiz,
p a n d in g before t h e ‘w a lV an d , terriblèÿ'ffuch às he is deferibed by
H om e r ..when! be appeared to th e ; T ro jan si a fte r the death o f
Fatroclus'j th a t Alaric,, d ifm iy ed by-thefe- fp edtio s, was induced
to treat shaijd being* adrtiitted w ith a-final! party; inter the c i t y ,
was cohdu&éd to.the Bath} entertained-by the p rincipal perlBnli,*
and gratified w ith : valuable p iefents.} and that he then led his
army tow a rd jh e Ifthmus , le a fin g Athen« and Attica? nnfpoileff.
B u t | h is is the narrative o f a Pagan, zealous for th e ’ credit o f the
p rofe r ited deities-} a a d it has been* proved, that Athens- fufferëd
w i th th e other pities ó f G reec e. T h e * potent and,'revered idoh
of; M in e rv a then, it is lik e ly^ fuibmi'tted to their common plun~
derer, w h o lev elled all their imagés w ith o u t diftindtion, a lik e
regardless wh e th e r th e y werd' heav eîi-dMefided, o f th e works ó f
P h id ia s , - -
T h e parthenon remained entire, fo r rftany ages after it w a s
deprived o f th e goddèfs.' T h e Chjiftians: converted it into* a
church,, and; the- Mahometans into a.mófque. in I t is mentioned
dn th é 'lé tte rs o f Crufms, and mifcal-led • thé
temple o f the unktmvn:.godl~ I T h e V eh ë tian s iu h c fè f' Koriings-
fmark,^ivhen they hefieged th e acropolis:iff lóSy -^th rew a hbmlff
w h ic h ' dém'oîifhed -the roof, and; fê ttin g^ fir^ tff 'lh ffié ‘p o n d e r ,
did, m u ch damage t o the fabric*- T h e flodf; w h i c h is Indented;
flill-w itn e ffe s 1' th é -p la ce o f its fa ll. T h is ; Was th e fad fo re runner
o f far ther deftrubtion j the T u r k s b r é â k in g th e ftones,
and applying them- to the b u ild in g o f a new mbfque, w h ich
ffands w ith in the ruin; or to th e repairing o f their houfes and the
wa lls o f thé .fastrefev, ^Tho v^ ff p ilé o f pondertînYtnàter^als',
w h ich la y ready, is grea tly diminished r and th e wh o le ftrubture
w ill gradua*lly hé éoqfumed? and difapp éar,
T h e . tem p le o f Mirterva in 1676 was* as W h e le r and Spon
affert, the,* fineft mofque in' thé w o r ld , with o u t cbmpariforr.
T h é Greeks had adapted th e 'fab rib !to th e ir .cérémonial hyiedff--
*' See alfo, Modero-Uniyerfal Hiftory, y .5 . p. 417;-
ftructing;