Julian, often called Julien the Apostate for his rejection of Christianity, was Roman emperor from 361 to 363 AD. He was a scholarly youth, educated in the Hellenistic tradition, and would go on to lead a successful campaign against Persia. These were his final words, after being mortally wounded at the Battle of Samarra.
“Most opportunely friends, has the time now come for me to leave life, which I rejoice to return to Nature, at her demand, like an honorable debtor, not (as some might think) bowed down with sorrow, but having learned much from the general conviction of philosophers how much happier the soul is than the body, and bearing in mind that whenever a better condition is severed from a worse, one should rejoice, rather than grieve.”
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