even the framers themselves; until they were induced to believe that they were not really fictions of their own imagination, but literal and positive facts. For those who had circulated them from hearsay, affirmed to the authors of these falsehoods, that the accounts. they had received from them had been fully corroborated elsewhere. Thus deluded, the Arians were emboldened to commit acts of violence, and among other outrages, to set fire to the house of Nectarius the bishop. This was done in the second consulate of Theodosius Augustus, which he bore with Cynegius. CHAPTER XIV. OVERTHROW AND DEATH OF THE TYRANT MAXIMUS. An THE intelligence of the formidable preparations made by the emperor against the tyrant, so alarmed the troops under Maximus, that instead of fighting for him, they delivered him bound to the emperor, who caused him to be put to death, on the twentyseventh of August, under the same consulate. dragathius, who with his own hand had slain Gratian, understanding the fate of Maximus, precipitated himself into an adjacent river, and was drowned. Both the victorious emperors then made their public entry into Rome, accompanied by Honorius the son of Theodosius, still a mere boy, whom his father had sent for from Constantinople immediately after Maximus had been vanquished. They continued therefore at Rome celebrating their triumphal festivals: during * In this year the works of Porphyry were burnt by order of Theodosius. which time the emperor Theodosius exhibited a remarkable instance of clemency toward Symmachus, a man who had borne the consular office, and was at the head of the senate at Rome. This person was distinguished for his eloquence, and many of his orations are still extant composed in the Latin tongue: but inasmuch as he had written a panegyric on Maximus, and pronounced it before him publicly, he was afterwards impeached for high treason; wherefore to escape capital punishment he took sanctuary in a church. The emperor's veneration for religion led him not only to honour the prelates of his own communion, but to treat with consideration those of the Novatians also, who embraced the Homoousian creed to gratify therefore Leontius the bishop of the Novatian church at Rome, who interceded in behalf of Symmachus, he graciously pardoned that criminal. Symmachus, after he had obtained his pardon, wrote an apologetic address to the emperor Theodosius. Thus was the war, which at its commencement appeared so terrible, brought to a speedy termination. : CHAPTER XV. OF FLAVIAN BISHOP OF ANTIOCH. ABOUT the same period, the following events took place at Antioch in Syria. After the death of Paulinus, the people who had been under his superintendence refused to submit to the authority of Flavian, but caused Evagrius to be ordained bishop of their own party. He not having long survived his ordination, Flavian had the address to prevent any other being constituted in his place: nevertheless those who disliked Flavian on account of his having violated his oath,* held their assemblies apart. Meanwhile Flavian left no stone unturned, as the phrase is, to bring these also under his control; and this he soon after effected, when he had appeased the anger of Theophilus then bishop of Alexandria, by whose mediation he conciliated Damasus bishop of Rome also. For both these prelates had been greatly displeased with Flavian, as well for the perjury of which he had been guilty, as for the schism he had occasioned among the people who had been previously united. Theophilus therefore being pacified, sent Isidore a presbyter to Rome, and thus reconciled Damasus who was still offended; representing to him the propriety of overlooking Flavian's misconduct, for the sake of producing concord among the people. Communion being in this way restored to Flavian, the people of Antioch were in the course of a little while induced to lay aside their opposition to him. Such was the conclusion of this affair at Antioch. But the Arians of that city being ejected from the churches, were accustomed to hold their meetings in the suburbs. Moreover Cyril bishop of Jerusalem having died about this time, was succeeded by John. * See chap. v. and xi. of this book. CHAPTER XVI. DEMOLITION OF THE IDOLATROUS TEMPLES AT ALEXANDRIA; AND CONFLICT BETWEEN THE PAGANS AND CHRISTIANS. AT the solicitation of Theophilus bishop of Alexandria, the emperor issued an order at this time for the demolition of the heathen temples in that city; commanding also that it should be put in execution under the direction of Theophilus, which occasioned a great commotion. For thus authorised, Theophilus exerted himself to the utmost to expose the Pagan mysteries to contempt. Mithra's adytum he caused to be cleared out, and exhibited to public view the tokens of its bloody mysteries. The temple of Serapis he destroyed and to show how full of extravagance the superstitions connected with that idol and the other false gods were, he had the phalli of Priapus carried through the midst of the forum. The Pagans of Alexandria, and especially the professors of philosophy, unable to repress their rage at this exposure, exceeded in revengeful ferocity their outrages on a former occasion: for with one accord, at a pre-concerted signal, they rushed impetuously upon the Christians, and murdered every one they could lay hands on; and as an attempt was made to resist the assailants, the mischief was the more augmented. This desperate affray was prolonged until both parties were exhausted, when it was discovered that very few of the heathens had been killed, but a great number of Christians; while the amount of wounded on each side was almost incredible. The Pagans thus sated with blood and slaughter absconded, being apprehensive of the emperor's displeasure: some fled in one direction, some in another, and many quitting Alexandria, dispersed themselves in various cities. Among these were the two grammarians Helladius and Ammonius, whose pupil I was in my youth at Constantinople. The former was said to be the priest of Jupiter, the latter of Simius.' After this disturbance had been thus terminated, the governor of Alexandria, and the commander-in-chief of the troops in Egypt, assisted Theophilus in demolishing the heathen temples. These were therefore razed to the ground, and the images of their gods molten into pots and other convenient utensils for the use of the Alexandrian church; for the emperor had instructed Theophilus to so distribute them for the relief of the poor. All the images were accordingly broken to pieces, except one statue of the god before mentioned, which Theophilus preserved and set up in a public place; "Lest," said he, "at a future time the heathens should deny that they had ever worshipped such gods." This action gave great umbrage to Ammonius the grammarian in particular, who to my knowledge was accustomed to say, that the religion of the Gentiles was grossly abused and misrepresented by the reservation of this one image only, in order to render that religion ridiculous. Helladius however did not scruple to boast, that he had the satisfaction in that desperate onset of sacrificing nine victims with his own hand at the shrine of the insulted deities. Such were the doings in Alexandria at that time. * i. e. the ape. + Simius. |