XLVII. The patriodofius, arch The A. D. 537, 568. of Alexandria 144 was torn by the difputes of the CHAP. corruptibles and incorruptibles, and on the death of the patriarch, the two factions upheld their refpective candidates 145. Gaian was the difciple of Julian, Theodofius had been the pupil of Severus: the claims of the former were fupported by the consent of the monks and fenators, the city and the province; the latter depended on the priority of his ordination, the favour of the empress Theodora, and the arms of the eunuch Narses, which might have been used in more honourable warfare. The exile of the popular candidate to Carthage and Sardinia, inflamed the ferment of Alexandria; and after a fchifm of one hundred and feventy years, the Gaianites ftill revered the memory and doctrine of their founder. The ftrength of numbers and of difcipline was tried in a desperate and bloody conflict; the streets were filled with the dead bodies of citizens and foldiers; the pious women, afcending the roofs of their houfes, fhowered down every sharp or ponderous utenfil on the heads of the enemy; and the final victory of Narfes was owing to the flames, with which he wasted the third capital of the Roman world. But the lieutenant of Juftinian had not conquered in the cause of an heretic; Theodofius himself was speedily though gently removed; and Paul of Tanis, an orthodox monk, was raised to A.D. 538. the throne of Athanafius. The powers of govern 144 The history of the Alexandrian patriarchs, from Diofcorus to Benjamin, is taken from Renaudot (p. 114-164), and the second tome of the Annals of Eutychius. 145 Liberat. Brev. c. 20. 23. Victor. Chron. p, 329, 330. ProCop. Anecdot, c. 26, 27. Paul, ment XLVII. Apollimaris, CHAP. ment were ftrained in his fupport; he might ap point or difplace the dukes and tribunes of Egypt; the allowance of bread which Diocletian had granted, was fuppreffed, the churches were fhut, and a nation of schifmatics was deprived at once of their fpiritual and carnal food. In his turn, the tyrant was excommunicated by the zeal and revenge of the people; and none except his fervile Melchites would falute him as a man, a Christian, or a bishop. Yet fuch is the blindness of ambition, that when Paul was expelled on a charge of murder, he folicited, with a bribe of seven hundred pounds of gold, his restoration to the fame ftation of hatred and ignominy. His fucceffor Apollinaris entered the hoftile city in military array, alike qualified for prayer or for battle. His troops, underarms, were distributed through the ftreets; the gates of the cathedral were guarded, and a chosen band was stationed in the choir to defend the perfon of their chief. He ftood erect on his throne, and throwing afide the upper garment of a warrior, fuddenly appeared before the eyes of the multitude in the robes of patriarch of Alexandria. Astonishment held them mute; but no fooner had Apollinaris begun to read the tome of St. Leo, than a volley of curfes, and invectives, and ftones, assaulted the odious minister of the emperor and the fynod. A charge was inftantly founded by the fucceffor of the apostles; the foldiers waded to their knees in blood; and two hundred thousand Chriftians are faid to have fallen by the sword: an incredible account, even if it be extended from the flaughter of a day to the eighteen years of the reign of Apollinaris. Two fucceeding patriarchs, 4 XLVII. A. D. 580 patriarchs, Eulogius 146 and John 147, laboured in CHAP. the converfion of heretics, with arms and arguments more worthy of their evangelical profeffion. Eulogis, The theological knowledge of Eulogius was difplayed in many a volume, which magnified the errors of Eutyches and Severus, and attempted to reconcile the ambiguous language of St. Cyril with the orthodox creed of pope Leo and the fathers of Chalcedon. The bounteous alms of John the John, eleemofynary were dictated by fuperftition, or be- A D. 609. nevolence, or policy. Seven thousand five hundred poor were maintained at his expence; on his acceffion, he found eight thousand pounds of gold in the treasury of the church; he collected ten thoufand from the liberality of the faithful; yet the primate could boast in his testament, that he left behind him no more than the third part of the smallest of the filver coins. The churches of Alexandria were delivered to the Catholics, the religion of the Monophyfites was profcribed in Egypt, and a law was revived which excluded the natives from the honours and emoluments of the state. 146 Eulogius, who had been a monk of Antioch, was more confpicuous for fubtlety than eloquence. He proves that the enemies of the faith, the Gaianites and Theodofians, ought not to be reconciled; that the fame propofition may be orthodox in the mouth of St. Cyril, heretical in that of Severus; that the oppoflite affertions of St. Leo are equally true, &c. His writings are no longer extant, except in the Extracts of Photius, who had perused them with care and fatisfaction, cod. ccviii. ccxxv, ccxxvi, ccxxvii. ccxxx. cclxxx. 147 See the life of John the eleemofynary by his contemporary Leontius, bishop of Neapolis in Cyprus, whose Greek text, either loft or hidden, is reflected in the Latin verfion of Baronius (A. D. 610, No 9. A. D. 62c, No 8.). Pagi (Critica, tom. ii. p. 763.) and Fabricius (1. v. c. 11. tom. vii. p. 454.) have made fome critical obfervations. A more CHAP. Their feparation A more important conqueft ftill remained, of the patriarch, the oracle and leader of the Egyptian church. Theodofius had refifted the threats and decay. and promifes of Juftinian with the fpirit of an apostle or an enthusiast. "Such," replied the patriarch, "were the offers of the tempter when he "fhewed the kingdoms of the earth. But my foul is far dearer to me than life or dominion. "The churches are in the hands of a prince who can kill the body; but my confcience is my own; and in exile, poverty, or chains, I will ftedfaftly adhere to the faith of my holy predeceffors, Athanafius, Cyril, and Diofcorus. "Anathema to the tome of Leo and the fynod of "Chalcedon! Anathema to all who embrace their 66 66 creed! Anathema to them now and for ever"more! Naked came I out of my mother's womb, naked fhall I defcend into the grave. "Let thofe who love God, follow me and feek "their falvation." After comforting his brethren, he embarked for Conftantinople, and fuftained, in fix fucceffive interviews, the almost irresistible weight of the royal prefence. His opinions were favourably entertained in the palace and the city; the influence of Theodora affured him a fafe conduct and honourable difmiffion; and he ended his days, though not on the throne, yet in the bosom, of his native country. On the news of his death, Apollinaris indecently feafted the nobles and the clergy; but his joy was checked by the intelli gence of a new election; and while he enjoyed the wealth of Alexandria, his rivals reigned in the monasteries СНАР. monafteries of Thebais, and were maintained by XLVII. the voluntary oblations of the people. A per petual fucceffion of patriarchs arofe from the afhes of Theodofius; and the Monophyfite churches of Syria and Egypt were united by the name of Jacobites and the communion of the faith. But the fame faith, which has been confined to a narrow fect of the Syrians, was diffufed over the mafs of the Egyptian or Coptic nation; who, almost unanimously, rejected the decrees of the fynod of Chalcedon. A thousand years were now elapfed fince Egypt had ceased to be a kingdom, fince the conquerors of Afia and Europe had trampled on the ready necks of a people, whose ancient wisdom and power ascends beyond the records of history. The conflict of zeal and perfecution rekindled fome fparks of their national fpirit. They abjured, with a foreign herefy, the manners and language of the Greeks: every Melchite, in their eyes, was a stranger, every Jacobite a citizen; the alliance of marriage, the offices of humanity, were condemned as a deadly fin; the natives renounced all allegiance to the emperor; and his orders, at a distance from Alexandria, were obeyed only under the preffure of military force. A generous effort might have redeemed the religion and liberty of Egypt, and her fix hundred monafteries might have poured forth their myriads of holy warriors, for whom death fhould have no terrors, fince life had no comfort or delight. But experience has proved the diftinction of active and paffive courage; the fanatic who endures without a groan the |