Page:The Emperor Marcus Antoninus - His Conversation with Himself.djvu/86

 xxxiv The Emperour was the only Person not in Despair, his Confidence lay in the Protection of Heaven, for which he endeavour'd to qualify himself in the first Place, by the offering of Sacrifices : He made a Procession round about the Town, and the Statues of the Gods being laid upon Couches, a great Entertainment was serv'd up to them in their Temples ; and for fear any acceptable part of Worship should be omitted, all foreign Religions were taken in, and Priests sent for from almost every Quarter: And which is still more strange, he restor'd the Solemnities of Isis, which had been Prohibited ever since the time of Augustus ; and made no scruple to worship that Goddess, whose Temple had been pull'd down in the Reign of Tiberius, the Decorations burnt, her Statue thrown into the Tiber, and her Priests knockt on the Head. There was so much Cattel sacrificed upon this Occasion, that some satyrical People, whose Tongues are never to be tyed, made a jest on't; and said that if the Emperour should have the good luck to return Conquerour, he would scarcely be able to find a piece of Beef for the Gods in the whole Empire.

Thus when the Religious part was finish'd, he set forward against the Enemy, and took Verus along with him; who