СНАР. XXI. fied by the dexterous management of their leaders; and his victory over the tyrant Magnentius encreafed his inclination, as well as ability, to employ the arms of power in the cause of Arianism. While the two armies were engaged in the plains of Murfa, and the fate of the two rivals depended on the chance of war, the fon of Conftantine paffed the anxious moments in a church of the martyrs, under the walls of the city. His fpiritual comforter, Valens, the Arian bishop of the diocese, employed the most artful precautions to obtain fuch early intelligence as might fecure either his favour or his escape. A fecret chain of swift and trufty messengers informed him of the viciffitudes of the battle; and while the courtiers ftood trembling round their affrighted mafter, Valens affured him that the Gallic legions gave way; and infinuated with fome prefence of mind, that the glorious event had been revealed to him by an angel. The grateful emperor afcribed his fuccefs to the merits and interceffion of the bishop of Murfa, whose faith had deferved the public and miraculous approbation of Heaven ". The Arians, who confidered as their own the victory of Conftantius, preferred his glory to that of his Father ". Cyril, bishop of Jerufalem, immediately compofed the defcription of a celeftial cross, encircled with a fplendid rainbow; which during the festival of Pentecoft, about the third hour of the day, had appeared over the Mount of Olives, to the edification of the devout pilgrims, and the people of the holy city". The fize of the meteor was gra dually magnified, and the Arian hiftorian has ventured to affirm, that it was confpicuous to the two armies in the plains of Pannonia; and that the tyrant, who is purposely reprefented as an idolater, fled before the aufpicious fign of orthodox Christianity". رو " " The fentiments of a judicious ftranger, who has impartially confidered the progress of civil or ecclefiaftical difcord, are always entitied to our notice and a short paffage of Ammianus, who ferved in the armies, and studied the character, of Conftantius, is perhaps of more value than many pages of theological invectives. "The Chriftian religion, which, in itself," fays that moderate hiftorian," is plain and fimple, he confounded by the dotage of fuperftition. Inftead of reconciling the parties by the weight of his authority, he cherished and propagated, by verbal » difputes, the differences which his vain curiofity » had excited. The highways were covered with » troops of bishops, galloping from every fide to » the affemblies, which they call fynods; and while they laboured to reduce the whole sect to their own particular opinions, the public efta»blishment of the posts was almoft ruined by their hafty and repeated journies "". Our more intimate knowledge of the ecclefiaftical tranfactions of the reign of Conftantius, would furnish an ample commentary on this remarkable passage; which juftifies the rational apprehenfions of Athanafius, that the restless activity of the clergy, who wandered round the empire in fearch of the true כן " СНАР. XXI. Arian councils. XXI. CHAP. faith, would excite the contempt and laughter of the unbelieving world ". As foon as the emperor was relieved from the terrors of the civil war, he devoted the leifure of his winter-quarters at Arles, Milan, Sirmium, and Conftantinople, to the amusement or toils of controverfy: the fword of the magiftrate, and even of the tyrant, was unsheathed, to enforce the reasons of the theologian; and as he oppofed the orthodox faith of Nice, it is readily confeffed that his incapacity and ignorance were equal to his prefumption ". The eunuchs, the women, and the bishops, who governed the vain and feeble mind of the emperor, had infpired him with an infuperable dislike to the Homooufion; but his timid confcience was alarmed by the impiety of Etius. The guilt of that atheift was aggravated by the fufpicious favour of the unfortunate Gallus; and even the deaths of the Imperial minifters, who had been maflacred at Antioch, were imputed to the fuggeftions of that dangerous fophift. The mind of Conftantius, which could neither be moderated by reason, nor fixed by faith, was blindly impelled to either fide of the dark and empty abyfs, by his horror of the oppofite extreme: he alternately embraced and condemned the fentiments, he fucceffively banished and recalled the leaders, of the Arian and Semi-Arian factions ". During the feafon of public bufinefs or feftivity, he employed whole days, and even nights, in felecting the words, and weighing the fyllables, which compofed his fluctuating creeds. The fubject of his meditation ftill pursued and occupied CHAP. XXI. his slumbers; the incoherent dreams of the emperor were received as celeftial vifions; and he accepted with complacency the lofty title of bishop of bishops, from those ecclefiaftics who forgot the intereft of their order for the gratification of their paffions. The defign of eftablishing an uniformity of doctrine, which had engaged him to convene fo many fynods in Gaul, Italy, Illyricum, and Afia, was repeatedly baffled by his own levity, by the divifions of the Arians, and by the resistance of the catholics; and he refolved, as the last and decifive effort, imperiously to dictate the decrees of a general council. The deftructive earthquake of Nicomedia, the difficulty of finding a convenient place, and perhaps fome fecret motives of policy, produced an alteration in the fummons. The bishops of the Eaft were directed to meet at Seleucia, in Ifauria; while thofe of the Weft held their deliberations at Rimini, on the coaft of the Hadriatic; and, inftead of two or three deputies from each province, the whole epifcopal body was ordered to march. The Eastern council, after confuming four days in fierce and unavailing debate, feparated without any definitive conclufion. The council of the Weft was protracted till the feventh month. Taurus, the Prætorian præfect, was inftructed not to dismiss the prelates till they should all be united in the fame opinion; and his efforts were fupported by a power of banishing fifteen of the most refractory, and a promise of the confulship if he atchieved fo difficult an adventure. His A. D. 360. СНАР. XXI, Character tures of Athana fius, prayers and threats, the authority of the fovereign, 95 96 We have feldom an opportunity of obferving, and adven- either in active or fpeculative life, what effect may be produced, or what obftacles may be furmounted, by the force of a fingle mind, when it is inflexibly applied to the purfuit of a fingle object. The immortal name of Athanafius will never be feparated from the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity, to whofe defence he confecrated every moment and every faculty of his being. Educated in the family of Alexander, he had vigorously opposed the early progrefs of the Arian heresy: he exercised the important functions of fecretary under the aged prelate; and the fathers of the Nicene council beheld with furprife and refpect, the rifing virtues of the young deacon. In a time of public danger, the dull claims of age and of |