eloquence and of orthodox piety. Thefe orators, who might fometimes be compared, by themfelves, and by the public, to the most celebrated of the ancient Greeks, were united by the ties of the strictest friendship. They had cultivated, with equal ardour, the fame liberal ftudies in the schools of Athens; they had retired, with equal devotion, to the fame folitude in the deferts of Pontus; and every spark of emulation, or envy, appeared to be totally extinguished in the holy and ingenuous breasts of Gregory and Bafil. But the exaltation of Bafil, from a private life to the archiepifcopal throne of Cæfarea, discovered to the world, and perhaps to himself, the pride of his character; and the first favour which he condefcended to beftow on his friend was received, and perhaps was intended, as a cruel infult 29. Instead of employing the fuperior talents of Gregory in fome useful and confpicuous ftation, the haughty prelate felected, among the fifty bishoprics of his extenfive province, the wretched village 29 Gregory's Poem on his own Life contains fome beautiful lines (tom. ii. p. 8.), which burst from the heart, and speak the pangs of injured and loft friendship: • πονοι κοινοι λόγων, Ομόςεγος τε και συνέσιος βίος, Νας εις εν αμφοίν Διεσκέδασαι παντα, ερριπται χαμαι, Αυραι φερέσι τας παλαιας ελπίδας. In the Midfummer Night's Dream, Helenia addreffes the fame pathetic complaint to her friend Hermia: Is all the counfel that we two have shared, The fifter's Vows, &c. : he Shakespeare had never read the poems of Gregory Nazianzen CHAP. XXVII. XXVII. CHAP. of Safima 3°, without water, without verdure, with out fociety, fituate at the junction of three highways, and frequented only by the inceffant paffage of rude and clamorous waggoners. Gregory fubmitted with reluctance to this humiliating exile: he was ordained bishop of Safima; but he folemnly protefts, that he never confummated his fpiritual marriage with this difgufting bride. He afterwards confented to undertake the government of his native church of Nazianzus 3, of which his father had been bishop above five-andforty years. But as he was ftill confcious, that he deferved another audience, and another theatre, accepts the he accepted, with no unworthy ambition, the miflion of honourable invitation, which was addreffed to nople, him from the orthodox party of Conftantinople. November. On his arrival in the capital, Gregory was enter Conftan A.D. 378. tained in the house of a pious and charitable kinfman; the moft fpacious room was confecrated to the ufes of religious worship; and the name of Anaftafia was chofen, to exprefs the refurrection of the Nicene faith. This private conventicle was afterwards converted into a magnificent church; and the credulity of the fucceeding age. 30 This unfavourable portrait of Safima is drawn by Gregory Nazianzen (tom. ii. de Vitâ suâ, p. 7, 8.). Its precise fituation, forty-nine miles from Archilais, and thirty-two from Tyana, is fixed in the Itinerary of Antoninus (p. 144. edit. Wesseling). 31 The name of Nazianzus has been immortalised by Gregory; but his native town, under the Greek or Roman title of Diocæfarea (Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. tom. ix. p. 692.), is mentioned by Pliny (vi. 3.), Ptolemy, and Hierocles (Itinerar. Weffeling, p. 709.). It appears to have been situate on the edge of Ifauria. was XXVII. was prepared to believe the miracles and visions, CHAP. which attefted the prefence, or at least the protection, of the Mother of God". The pulpit of the Anaftafia was the fcene of the labours and triumphs of Gregory Nazianzen; and, in the fpace of two years, he experienced all the spiritual adventures which conftitute the profperous or adverfe fortunes of a miffionary 3. The Arians, who were provoked by the boldness of his enterprise, represented his doctrine, as if he had preached three distinct and equal Deities; and the devout populace was excited to fupprefs, by violence and tumult, the irregular affemblies of the Athanafian heretics. From the cathedral of St. Sophia, there.iffued a motley crowd "of common beg gars, who had forfeited their claim to pity; of "monks, who had the appearance of goats or fatyrs; and of women, more terrible than fo "many Jezabels." The doors of the Anaftafia were broke open; much mischief was perpetrated, or attempted, with sticks, ftones, and firebrands; and as a man loft his life in the affray, Gregory, who was fummoned the next morning before the magistrate, had the fatisfaction of fuppofing, that he publicly confeffed the name of Chrift. After he was delivered from the fear and danger of a foreign enemy, his infant church was disgraced and diftracted by inteftine faction. A ftranger, The 32 See Ducange, Conftant. Chriftiana, 1. iv. p. 141, 142. Desa Surauis of Sozomen (1. vii. c. 5.) is interpreted to mean the Virgin Mary. 33 Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. tom. ix. p. 432, &c.) diligently collects, enlarges, and explains, the oratorical and poetical hints of Gregory himself. C 3 who XXVII. CHAP. who affumed the name of Maximus 34, and the cloak of a Cynic philofopher, infinuated himself into the confidence of Gregory; deceived and abused his favourable opinion; and forming a fecret connection with fome bishops of Egypt, attempted, by a clandeftine ordination, to fupplant his patron in the epifcopal feat of Conftantinople. These mortifications might fometimes tempt the Cappadocian miffionary to regret his obfcure folitude. But his fatigues were rewarded by the daily increase of his fame and his congregation; and he enjoyed the pleasure of obferving, that the greater part of his numerous audience retired from his fermons, fatisfied with the eloquence of the preacher ", or diffatisfied with the manifold imperfections of their faith and practice 36. Ruin of at Conftanti 35 The Catholics of Conftantinople were animated Arianifm with joyful confidence by the baptifm and edic of Theodofius; and they impatiently waited the nople, effects of his gracious promife. Their hopes were Nov. 26. fpeedily accomplished; and the emperor, as soon as he had finished the operations of the campaign, made his public entry into the capital at the head A.D. 380. 34 He pronounced an oration (tom. i. Orat. xxiii. p. 499.) in his praise; but after their quarrel, the name of Maximus was changed into that of Heron (fee Jerom, tom. i. in Catalog. Script. Ecclef. p. 301.). I touch flightly on these obfcure and personal fquabbles. 35 Under the modeft emblem of a dream, Gregory (tom. ii. carmen ix. p. 78.) defcribes his own fuccefs with fome human complacency. Yet it should feem, from his familiar conversation with his auditor St. Jerom (tom. i. Epift. ad Nepotian. p. 14.), that the preacher understood the true value of popular applaufe. 36 Lachrymæ auditorum laudes tuæ fint, is the lively and judicious advice of St. Jerom. XXVII. of a victorious army. The next day after his CHAP. arrival, he fummoned Damophilus to his prefence ; and offered that Arian prelate the hard alternative of subscribing the Nicene creed, or of inftantly refigning, to the orthodox believers, the ufe and poffeffion of the epifcopal palace, the cathedral of St. Sophia, and all the churches of Conftantinople. The zeal of Damophilus, which in a Catholic faint would have been juftly applauded, embraced, without hesitation, a life of poverty and exile "; and his removal was immediately followed by the purification of the Imperial city. The Arians might complain, with fome appearance of juftice, that an inconfiderable congregation of fectaries should ufurp the hundred churches, which they were infufficient to fill: whilft the far greater part of the people was cruelly excluded from every place of religious worship. Theodofius was ftill inexorable: but as the angels who protected the Catholic cause, were only visible to the eyes of faith, he prudently reinforced those heavenly legions, with the more effectual aid of temporal and carnal weapons: and the church of St. Sophia was occupied by a large body of the Imperial guards. If the mind of Gregory was fufceptible of pride, he must have felt a very lively fatisfaction, when the emperor conducted him through the streets in folemn triumph; and, with his own hand, respectfully 37 Socrates (1. v. c. 7.) and Sozomen (1. vii. c. 5.) relate the evangelical words and actions of Damophilus without a word of approbation. He confidered, fays Socrates, that it is difficult to refift the powerful but it was eafy, and would have been profitable, to fubmit. C 4 placed |