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Quotation from The Roman History by Ammianus Marcellinus
“live in imitation of some of the priests in the provinces, whom the most rigid abstinence in eating and drinking, and plainness of apparel, and eyes always cast on the ground, recommend to the everlasting Deity and his true worshippers as pure and sober-minded men.”
The Roman History, Book XXVII, ch. 3.15, trans. C. D. Yonge (1862)
After the bloody contest between Damasus and Ursinus for the see of Rome, Ammianus contrasts the wealth of the Roman bishopric with modest provincial clergy.
Citation: "live in imitation of some of the priests in the provinces, whom the most rigid abstinence in eating and drinking, and plainness of apparel, and eyes always cast on the ground, recommend to the everlasting Deity and his true worshippers as pure and sober-minded men." — Ammianus Marcellinus, The Roman History, Book XXVII, ch. 3.15, trans. C. D. Yonge (1862). (id ammianus-marcellinus-roman-history-q6)
Portrait: Ammianus Marcellinus 1533, Title page of the 1533 Augsburg edition, Public domain.
