we can at once perceive what must have been the position of Athanasius, to whom our attention will be now directed.

Scarcely had the aged Bishop of Alexandria returned to his diocese, exhausted by anxiety and fatigue, than he took to his bed, and died. His last hours were disturbed by the restlessness of the Meletians whom the Council had ineffectually striven to pacify, but who could not be reconciled to their brethren. Arius indeed was gone, but Arianism lingered with his adherents; and as Alexander lay near to death, all parties were solicitous to know who would be his successor. But none could have been so anxious as Alexander himself; and he gave utterance to the desire of his heart by nominating Athanasius. The choice of the clergy, and the suffrages of the people, confirmed this nomination; and our Athanasius, who could scarcely have reached the thirtieth year of his age, found himself Bishop of Alexandria, a see only second in dignity to that of Rome.

Through five years of exile Arius longed for some turn of events to bring him back to Egypt, while his friends at court ceased not from devising schemes to help him, and, if possible, to unseat Athanasius. The disguised Arians, although they durst not betray their opposition to the decisions of the Council of Nice, and could not broadly deny the confession of faith which they had accepted, were well able to diffuse a spirit of scepticism, and imbue the mind of Constantine with the indifferentism that was as congenial to him as it was characteristic of their sect. One Arian priest, ever pretending orthodoxy, and skilful enough to keep up the illusion, had acquired great influence with Constantia, an aged lady, widow of Licinius, and sister of Constantine. Imperceptibly to herself this courtier managed to indoctrinate her in the principles of Arianism; and by representing his opinions as substantially the same as those of the Council, and even also as those of Arius, he drew the unwary Princess into a persuasion that his friend was pining away in an undeserved banishment, a victim to the enmity of men who had imposed upon the Emperor by false representations. Once persuaded of this, the compassionate Princess felt it her duty to interpose with her brother on his behalf; restrained only by considerations of prudence, from hazarding any proposal for his release which might lead her affectionate brother to do anything tending, even in appearance, to produce new dissensions in the empire. But when this lady lay in her last sickness, and thought herself near death, she resolved to make use of the opportunity afforded by the frequent visits of Constantine, and by his continual inquiries as to what she would desire him to do for her. She gave it as her last request that he would take her favourite priest into his confidence, as a person ardently devoted to the welfare of the state, and of unspotted purity in the Christian faith. She begged him to listen favourably to representa tions which this priest would make; and added for herself that, as she was on the point of death, she must now disclose to him that nothing

troubled her so much as the state of her brother, and the disposition of his mind, in persecuting, as he then was doing, innocent persons with perpetual exile, and, by that sin, drawing down the vengeance of God on himself and on the empire.

Deeply affected by the words of his dying sister, Constantine gave her his promise that he would do as she desired. He took the priest into his confidence, and gave unbounded credit to his representations concerning Arius, whom he was now taught to consider as an orthodox Christian, holding much the same opinions as those maintained by the Council of Nice, with a mere difference of words, which had been needlessly insisted on to his prejudice. Without delay this first Christian Emperor wrote to Arius in terms of affectionate respect, requesting him to hasten to his camp, come into his presence, and bring a written declaration of his faith. Gladly enough did Arius step into the chariot provided for his conveyance, accompanied by one Euzoïus, a companion in heresy; bearing a creed of their own,-clear as day in agreement with holy Scripture, so far as it went, but silent on the very point in controversy. He hastened to Nicomedia, presented the document to the Emperor, and received assurances of his confidence and favour.

This creed was hastily accepted as a recantation of the heresy, and was so nearly like a recantation that many Arians separated from their master in disgust. Under command of the Emperor, the bearer of it proceeded forthwith to Alexandria, as one restored to the church and worthy to be received with welcome. Eusebius of Nicomedia wrote at the same time to Athanasius, begging him to receive Arius into his communion. But Athanasius, who was not a man to be deceived by hollow pretences of an orthodoxy assumed for an occasion, refused to admit the favourite into communion, and wrote back to Eusebius that it would not be just so to receive inventors of heresy, and public enemies of the truth. Eusebius was disappointed, and Constantine, in great anger, sent a courier to Alexandria with a letter to Athanasius containing these stern words :-"As you have information of my pleasure, you are to afford unrestricted admission to all who wish to enter into the church: for, if I know that you forbid any of them to participate in the communion of the church, or prevent their entrance thereinto, I shall immediately send one that, under my orders, will deprive you of your office, and transport you to a distant country."* "Then, therefore," calmly writes Athanasius, "I wrote to the King, (Barikea,) and persuaded him that there is no fellowship between the heresy which makes war against Christ, and the Catholic Church." What his words were we do not find; but here is the edifying spectacle of an unarmed and helpless ecclesiastic, without the least hesitation, rashness, or precipitancy, deliberately braving the master of the world with all his legions, all which he fears not, while maintaining the

* Athanasii ad Imp. Constantium Apologia.

honour of that Saviour of whom it is written, "God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Awed by the faithfulness of this confessor, "Constantine the Conqueror" bowed in silence and was persuaded.

The campaign then began. The Meletians, who never had been reconciled with their brother Christians, now made common cause with the Arians against the Bishop, or shall we not say, the Patri arch, of Alexandria. Fancying, perhaps, that a charge of some dishonesty or crime against one who had presumed to disobey a mandate of the Emperor would be listened to at court, they resolved to try.

Three of those Meletians were sent to Nicomedia with a trifling complaint, as if by way of experiment. They were directed to inform the Emperor that the Bishop had imposed a sort of tax upon his people, the contribution of white vestments, for the use of the clergy, who, it would seem, adopted the kind of habit anciently worn by priests in Palestine and Egypt. They laid the accusation; but two of the Egyptian clergy, being at that time in the imperial city, explained that the rule (kavov) was not new, but had been in force before the accession of Athanasius to the see of Alexandria. Constantine had commanded him to come and answer for himself.

When he came to court, he found that his enemies were already defeated, but were preparing a graver charge. They represented him as an abettor of rebellion, and told Constantine that he had privately sent a bag of gold to one Philoumenos, a rebel. Not without suspicion of malice, the Emperor commanded the accusers and the accused to meet him in a place appointed, where, on close inquiry, the innocence of the Bishop was fully proved; and he returned to Alexandria, bearing a letter from, Constantine Augustus to the Catholic Church in that city, exhorting the people to live in mutual charity. Among other sentences of commendation we find these words :-"Those bad men could do nothing against your Bishop." "I gladly received your Bishop Athanasius, and have conversed with him in the confi dence that he is a man of God. It is for you, indeed, to judge of this rather than for me; but from his discourse with me I consider this most reverend Athanasius to be very necessary for your service; perceiving, as I do, his care to conduct himself with moderation, and in a manner not unworthy of the peaceable faith which I profess." *

Not able to convict him of any civil offence, they then charged him with impiety. He had broken a sacramental chalice, they said, and committed various acts of sacrilegious violence, when visiting a remote part of his diocese. But Ischyras, whose church he was said to have

* Athanasii contra Arianos Apologia ii, p. 780.

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had

desecrated, wrote a declaration to show that he was no priest, neither any church, but that the whole tale was a fabrication. Nothing daunted, they next raised a report that he had killed one Arsenius, a Bishop of the Meletians, cut off his right hand, and used it for magical ceremonies. A dead man's hand was carried about, and exhibited as the hand of Arsenius; and was even shown to Constantine, who again appointed an investigation. But the truth was that they had bribed Arsenius to conceal himself, and pass for dead. Athanasius, however, produced the lost man alive. Yet, again, with pertinacious insolence, they charged him with the grossest immorality, and suborned a courtesan to witness against him; but Athanasius was triumphantly acquitted, to the confusion of his enemies, whose manifest wickedness now marked the controversy between the Arians and the Catholics as a conflict between the powers of darkness and of light. Whatever some, in their wild exultation on having an Emperor for patron, might imagine, "the key of the house of David” was not laid on the shoulder of Constantine; nor ever has God intrusted it to mortal man. This the imperial proselyte did not know, nor had the courtier ecclesiastics the intelligence or the honesty to tell him. Once, indeed, he rendered good service to the church, by convening its bishops to settle a controversy; but if, at that time, instead of summoning all the chief pastors of the Christian provinces, and thereby gaining a real representation of Christendom, he had been left to himself in taking a list of prelates, a party only would probably have assembled at Nice, and the true Catholic faith might have been accounted heresy for many ages. The Arians, instructed by defeat, now endeavoured to recover the lost ground, by means of another Council, in which there should be a certain majority of Arian members. Opportunity was likely to be afforded, on occasion of the dedication. of a magnificent church, which Constantine was erecting in Jerusalem, on the supposed site of the Holy Sepulchre, when a large number of the clergy would attend. As Eusebius of Nicomedia, with his namesake of Cæsarea, and their friends, well knew that it would highly gratify his vanity to engage them as his agents for the pacification of Christendom, by the settlement of the great controversy of the age, they suggested the convocation of a Council at the same time. He caught at the proposal, and at once accepted a list of bishops eligible to be summoned; and, as was to be expected, they were nearly all Arians. Tyre was chosen as the place of assembly. Placillus, Bishop of Antioch, was appointed President, or, shall we say, Moderator; but, in reality, it was Dionysius, an Imperial Commissioner, who governed the assembly. Surrounded by what we should now call a brilliant staff of military officers, fully armed, this person was present at all their sittings, ready to repress any liberties of speech which might offend the majority, and to maintain the supremacy of his master.

a

Athanasius was summoned to this Council of Tyre by order of the Emperor, ostensibly, indeed, as Bishop, but, in reality, as a criminal; the intention being to try him for the alleged offences of which he had been already proved innocent, but which his enemies persisted in laying to his charge. He obeyed the summons, lest his absence should be taken as a tacit acknowledgment of guilt; and had the grief of seeing his friend Macarius, the presbyter who was said to have broken chalice by his order, led into the assembly, laden with chains. A few Catholic bishops attended our venerable Confessor; and, with trembling indignation, saw him compelled to stand before his inferiors as a culprit, submitting to be judged on charges which the judges themselves had invented. It is said that they even accused him of offering sacrifices to idols, and of exercising a sort of military despotism over his flock in Alexandria.

Commissioners were sent from this Council to Egypt, with orders to visit the scenes of those alleged enormities, and with authority to examine witnesses. An armed force marched with them from Alexandria to the Mareotis, where their presence overawed the witnesses, and helped to extort the evidence desired. During their absence, Athanasius pleaded his own cause before the Council. Examining the witnesses who had been suborned to appear against him, he effectually disproved every charge; and, when the Arians evidently meant to effect by violence what they could not compass by falsehood, Dionysius himself, incapable of such open injustice, saved his life, by sending him away secretly on board ship, that he might proceed to Constantinople, and appeal to the justice of the Emperor. Soon after his escape, the Commissioners returned from Egypt, bringing fabricated evidences to the full extent of their instructions. On the strength of this, the Council deposed Athanasius from his bishopric, and prohibited him from residing in Alexandria; lest, as they said, his presence there should occasion schism and tumults.

Meanwhile, Athanasius reached Constantinople, but was refused an audience by the Emperor. However, he met Constantine in the street on horseback, and, standing boldly before him, begged to be heard; and remonstrated against the injustice of turning a deaf ear to an innocent and persecuted supplicant. Constantine looked at him angrily, but would not speak a word. Athanasius reiterated his remonstrances, and appealed to the Judge of all men. Constantine, stung by the reproach, almost drove him from his presence; but, as he kept his ground, some of his friends ventured to interpose on his behalf. Then Constantine relented, and was induced to order the bishops assembled at Tyre to transfer the Council to Constantinople, that Athanasius and they might stand face to face, and the cause be heard again without partiality. This they feared to do; and, under pretence that the majority had left the Council, a few leading Arians constituted themselves a deputation to the Emperor.