XXI. of his gracious master. The civil powers of c HA P. Egypt found themselves inadequate to the task of perfuading or compelling the primate to abdicate his episcopal throne; and they were obliged to conclude a treaty with the popular leaders of Alexandria, by which it was ftipulated that all proceedings and hoftilities fhould be fufpended till the emperor's pleasure had been more diftinctly afcertained. By this feeming moderation, the Catholics were deceived into a falfe and fatal fecurity; while the legions of the Upper Egypt, and of Libya, advanced, by fecret orders and haity marches, to besiege, or rather to surprise, a capital habituated to fedition, and inflamed by religious zeal 34. The pofition of Alexandria, between the fea and the lake Mareotis, facilitated the approach and landing of the troops; who were introduced into the heart of the city, before any effectual measures could be taken either to fhut the gates, or to occupy the important pofts of defence. At the hour of midnight, twentythree days after the fignature of the treaty, Syrianus duke of Egypt, at the head of five thousand foldiers, armed and prepared for an affault, unexpectedly invested the church of St. Theonas, where the archbishop, with a party of his clergy and people, performed their nocturnal devotions. The doors of the facred edifice yielded to the impetu 134 Athanafius had lately fent for Antony, and fome of his chofen Monks. They defcended from their mountain, announced to the Alexandrians the fanctity of Athanafius, and were honourably conducted by the archbishop as far as the gates of the city. Athanaf. tom. ii. p. 491, 492. See likewife Rufinus, iii. 164. in Vit. Patr. P. 524. CHAP. ofity of the attack, which was accompanied with XXI. every horrid circumftance of tumult and blood fhed; but, as the bodies of the flain, and the fragments of military weapons, remained the next day an unexceptionable evidence in the poffeffion of the Catholics, the enterprise of Syrianus may be confidered as a fuccefsful irruption, rather than as an abfolute conqueft. The other churches of the city were profaned by fimilar outrages; and, during at least four months, Alexandria was expofed to the infults of a licentious army, ftimulated by the ecclefiaftics of an hoftile faction. Many of the faithful were killed; who may deferve the name of martyrs, if their deaths were neither provoked nor revenged; bishops and prefbyters were treated with cruel ignominy; confecrated virgins were ftripped naked, fcourged, and violated: the houfes of wealthy citizens were plundered; and, under the mafk of religious zeal, luft, avarice, and private refentment, were gratified with impunity, and even with applaufe. The Pagans of Alexandria, who ftill formed a numerous and difcontented party, were easily perfuaded to defert a bishop whom they feared and esteemed. The hopes of fome peculiar favours, and the apprehenfion of being involved in the general penalties of rebellion, engaged them to promife their fupport to the deftined fucceffor of Athanafius, the famous George of Cappadocia. The ufurper, after receiving the confecration of an Arian fynod, was placed on the epifcopal throne by the arms of Sebaftian, who had been appointed Count of Egypt for the exe XXI. cution of that important defign. In the ufe, as CHA P. well as in the acquifition, of power, the tyrant George difregarded the laws of religion, of jus tice, and of humanity; and the fame scenes of violence and fcandal which had been exhibited in the capital, were repeated in more than ninety epifcopal cities of Egypt. Encouraged by fuccefs, Conftantius ventured to approve the conduct of his minifters. By a public and paffionate epiftle, the emperor congratulates the deliverance of Alexandria from a popular tyrant, who deluded his blind votaries by the magic of his eloquence; expatiates on the virtues and piety of the most reverend George, the elected bishop; and aspires, as the patron and benefactor of the city, to furpafs the fame of Alexander himself. But he folemnly declares his unalterable refolution to pursue with fire and fword the feditious adherents of the wicked Athanafius, who, by flying from juftice, has confeffed his guilt, and efcaped the ignominious death, which he had fo often deferved 135. viour. Athanafius had indeed efcaped from the moft His beha imminent dangers; and the adventures of that extraordinary man deferve and fix our attention. On the memorable night when the church of St. Theonas was invefted by the troops of Syrianus, the archbishop, feated on his throne, expected, with calm and intrepid dignity, the approach of death. While the public devotion was inter 135 Athanaf. tom. i. p. 694. The emperor, or his Arian fecretaries, while they exprefs their refentment, betray their fears and esteem of Athanafius. rupted XXI. CHAP. rupted by fhouts of rage and cries of terror, he animated his trembling congregation to exprefs their religious confidence, by chanting one of the pfalms of David, which celebrates the triumph of the God of Ifrael over the haughty and impious tyrant of Egypt. The doors were at length burst open; a cloud of arrows was difcharged among the people; the foldiers, with drawn fwords, rushed forwards into the fanctuary; and the dreadful gleam of their armour was reflected by the holy luminaries which burnt round the altar 13, Athanafius ftill rejected the pious importunity of the Monks and Prefbyters, who were attached to his perfon; and nobly refused to defert his epifcopal ftation, till he had difmiffed in fafety the laft of the congregation. The darkness and tumult of the night favoured the retreat of the archbishop; and though he was oppreffed by the waves of an agitated multitude, though he was thrown to the ground, and left without fenfe or motion, he fill recovered his undaunted courage; and eluded the eager fearch of the foldiers, who were inftructed by their Arian guides, that the head of Athanafius would be the moft acceptable prefent to the emperor. From that moment the primate of Egypt difappeared from the eyes of his enemies, and remained above fix years concealed in impenetrable obfcurity 137. 136 Thefe minute circumftances are curious, as they are literally tranfcribed from the protest, which was publicly prefented three days afterwards by the Catholics of Alexandria. See Athanaf. tom. i. P. 867. 137 The Janfenifts have often compared Athanafius and Arnauld, and have expatiated with pleasure on the faith and zeal, the merit and His retreat, A. D. 356-362. The defpotic power of his implacable enemy CHA P. filled the whole extent of the Roman world; and XXI. the exasperated monarch had endeavoured, by a very preffing epiftle to the Christian princes of Æthiopia, to exclude Athanafius from the most remote and fequeftered regions of the earth. Counts, prefects, tribunes, whole armies, were fucceffively employed to purfue a bishop and a fugitive; the vigilance of the civil and military powers were excited by the Imperial edicts; liberal rewards were promised to the man who fhould produce Athanafius, either alive or dead; and the most severe penalties were denounced against those who fhould dare to protect the public enemy 138. But the deferts of Thebais were now peopled by a race of wild, yet fubmiffive fanatics, who preferred the commands of their abbot to the laws of their fovereign. The numerous difciples of Antony and Pachomius received the fugitive primate as their father, admired the patience and humility with which he conformed to their ftrictest institutions, collected every word which dropt from his lips as the genuine effusions of inspired wisdom; and perfuaded themselves, that their prayers, their fafts, and their vigils, were less meritorious than the zeal which they expreffed, exile, of thofe celebrated doctors. This concealed parallel is very dexte roufly managed by the Abbé de la Bleterie, Vie de Jovien, tom. i. P. 130. 138 Hinc jam toto orbe profugus Athanafius, nec ullus ei tutus ad latendum fupur-erat locus. Tribuni, Præfe&ti, Comites, exercitus quoque, ad perveftigandum eum moventer edictis Imperialibus: præmia delatoribus proponuntur, fi quis eum vivum, fi id minus, caput certe Athanafii detuliffet. Rufin. l. i. c. 16. |
