c. 18, 19.]

DEATH OF VALENS.

499

tains, out of which the river Tanais takes its rise and pours its waters into the Sea of Azof. But the Scythians, having crossed over into the territory of the Romans, at first conducted themselves quietly towards the latter, but afterwards they began to plunder, and finally made open war upon them, without previously sending a herald to proclaim war. As soon as Valens learned these tidings, he straightway quitted Antioch, and reaching Constantinople, made his way with speed into Thrace. Here he encountered the barbarians, and having lost many of his soldiers, he speedily betook himself to flight. At last, being driven to the most extreme necessity, and being wholly destitute of counsel, he hid himself, together with a few of his followers, in a small rural cottage where some hay was stored up. The barbarians who were in pursuit of him burnt everything that came in their way, and among other things, the hut above mentioned, little imagining that the emperor was there. Thus died Valens,1 losing at the same time the most brave and numerous portion of his Roman soldiery. The barbarians, too, without any fear henceforth overran and devastated the whole of Thrace, under their general Fritigernus. Gratian mourned for his uncle, and shed tears for the calamity which had befallen the empire; and having proclaimed Theodosius emperor, he sent him to govern that part of the empire which was in his uncle's hands. The native country of this Theodosius was Spain, now called Iberia; the river Iberus,2 which flows through it, having abolished its former name.

CHAP. 18.-On the death of Theodulus of Chæretapa, who was bishop of Palestine, Eunomius ordained Carterius in his room; and on his death shortly after, John was chosen to supply the vacancy. Eunomius, Arrianus, and Euphronius left Constantinople and went into the East in company with this John, in order to bring Julian thither from Cilicia, and to meet Theophilus the Indian at Antioch, and to regulate the entire state of matters in the East.

CHAP. 19. The emperor Theodosius met the barbarians

For further particulars concerning the death of the emperor Valens, the reader is referred to Fleury's Eccl. Hist. b. xvii. ch. 37. Compare Socrates, Eccl. Hist. b. iv. ch. last, and Sozomen, Eccl. Hist. b. vi. ch. last, and Theodoret, b. iv. ch. 36.

2 Now known as the Ebro.

near the city of Sirmium,' whither he had gone as soon as he had received the imperial purple, on account of the exigencies of the state: then, having defeated the barbarians in battle, he entered the city of Constantinople with great pomp, and intrusted the care of the churches to the consubstantial party, driving out of the city the party of Arius and Eunomius. Among their number was Demophilus, who, on his expulsion, betook himself to his own city Berea. Hypatius also, being driven out of Nicæa, withdrew to Cyrus in Syria, the place of his birth. Dorotheus, too, being driven out of Antioch, went off into Thrace, whence he originally came. The rest dispersed into their different localities.

EPITOME OF BOOK X.

CHAP. 1.-DOROTHEUS indeed, as we said above, was driven out of Antioch. The presbyters, however, of the same city, Asterius and Crispinus, and the rest of the clergy, convened a council, at which some of the neighbouring bishops were present, and sent to Eunomius and his party, demanding to be admitted into communion by them. These, however, sent letters by way of reply, to the effect that they would receive them into communion on no other conditions except that they should rescind the sentence of condemnation which they had formerly passed on Aetius and his writings; and moreover, they required them to show a reformation in their lives ; for they were tainted by some impure actions. The others did not at that time admit the proffered conditions, but afterwards they went so far as to revile Eunomius and his party in the churches, calling them "Men in the clouds ;"2 and full

1 Philostorgius is mistaken here. Theodosius was proclaimed emperor at Sirmium, but it was in Macedonia that he met and routed the Goths after his promotion to the purple. Philostorgius is right in asserting that he was already emperor at the time that he gained this victory; though the contrary is asserted by Theodoret, Eccl. Hist. b. v. ch. 5. Having put the barbarians to flight, Theodosius came to Constantinople, and immediately restored the churches to the orthodox party, towards the close of the year A. D. 380. Gothofred.

2

μɛtewpoλéoxai, “qui in nubibus garriunt." So also his enemies at

c. 2-4.]

ARIAN IMPIETIES.

501

of desperation and madness, because forsooth they had dared to proffer to them such terms as those mentioned above.

CHAP. 2.-Philostorgius brings a charge of impiety against their leader Arius, because he said that the God of the universe consisted of many parts; for he declares that Arius asserted that God can be comprehended, not in his entire magnitude, but so far as each individual is gifted with strength to comprehend him; and that he also gave it as his opinion that God was neither substance nor person, nor any one of those things which are usually predicated of him;1 and that these assertions are supported by the synods of Ariminum and Constantinople, the latter of which declared that the mode of the generation of the Son was entirely unknown to all, ascribing the knowledge of that generation to him alone who begot him.2 Now this is the very synod which passed sentence of condemnation on Aetius.

CHAP. 3.-The Arian party developed their doctrine of the likeness of the only-begotten Son to the Father into a variety of heresies; some of them, for instance, made it to consist in the fact that both of them have a foreknowledge of future events. Others, again, in that both the Father and the Son are born God. Others, again, in the fact that both can create things out of nothing. But, says Philostorgius, these opinions, though they seem to be at variance with each other, all come to one point in the end, namely, in that they declare the Son to be of one substance with the Father. Philostorgius, moreover, adds, that this party, after being cut up into a variety of discordant sects, perpetrated many other foul and disgraceful deeds, buying and selling the priesthood for money, and giving themselves up to the lowest of sensual pleasures.

CHAP. 4.-The Eunomians, according to the testimony of Philostorgius, so utterly abhorred the heresies above mentioned,

Athens termed Socrates a μεrewpоppоvтioτns. See Aristophanes, Nubes, passim. See also above, note on b. ix. ch. 3.

On this subject the reader will do well to consult Sozomen, Eccl. Hist. b. iv. ch. 24.

2 It is necessary here to adopt the emendation of Valesius, tų yɛvvýσavτi μóvy. Compare Theodoret, Eccl. Hist. b. ii. ch. 21, où rýv yévvnoiv οὐδεὶς οἶδεν εἰ μὴ ὁ γεννήσας αὐτὸν πάτηρ.

3 ὁμοούσιον. The emendation of Valesius for ὁμοιούσιον.

♦ The same thing is predicated of the Arian party by Athanasius, in his Epist. ad Orthodoxos, and Epist. ad Solitarios.

that they would not admit their baptism or their ordination. Moreover, the Eunomians baptized not with trine immersion, but with one immersion only, baptizing, as they said, into the Lord's death; and this death (they added) he underwent for us once only, and not three times.

CHAP. 5.—The emperor Theodosius invested his son Arcadius 2 with the imperial purple while he was still very young. And not long afterwards, the emperor Gratian was put to death in Gaul by the treachery of the tyrant Maximus. Philostorgius also forges many calumnies against Gratian, going even so far as to compare him with Nero. For his profession of the right rule of faith did not please Philostorgius in Gratian.

CHAP. 6. The emperor Theodosius, on finding some of the chamberlains of his court infected with the Eunomian doctrines, expelled them from his palace. Eunomius himself he ordered to be banished from the city of Chalcedon, and to be sent into exile at Halmyris.3 This Halmyris is a place in Moesia, situate on the Danube; but soon after this it was captured by the barbarians, who crossed the Danube when it was frozen over. Eunomius is dismissed thence to Cæsarea in Cappadocia. But becoming distasteful to the people of Cæsarea, because he had formerly written some books against their bishop, Basil, he was permitted to live in his country place, which was called the Dacoroënian fields. In this place, Philostorgius writes, that when he was twenty years of age, he came to Constantinople and saw Eunomius. He raises him to the very skies with praise, and declares that his prudence and virtue were consummate. He also describes his personal appearance, his countenance, body, and limbs, as full of grace and dignity. He compares also to pearls the speeches which flowed from his lips, though shortly afterwards he confesses him, even against his will, to have lisped. And he is not ashamed to exalt this lisp into a mark of great grace and elegance. Moreover, the white leprosy, which marked his

1 Compare Socrates, Eccl. Hist. p. 252, (fol. ed.) note a.

Arcadius was proclaimed Augustus A. D. 383. See Socrates, Eccl. Hist. p. 272, note b. Gratian was killed the same year. Ibid. p. 277,

note b.

3 Compare Socrates, Eccl. Hist. b. v. ch. 20, and Sozomen, Eccl. Hist. b. vii. ch. 17. The place was otherwise known as Salmyris.

1 áλpós. Lat. "Vitiligo." Compare Rufinus, Eccl. Hist. b. x. ch. 25,

c. 7-9.]

THEODOSIUS.

503

face as it were with brands and scars, were an addition to the majesty of his person. And further, although he praises very highly the rest of his writings, still he affirms that his Epistles far surpass the rest of his works in merit.

CHAP. 7.-Upon the demise of his empress Placidia,1 Theodosius took to wife Galla, the sister of the younger Valentinian, and the daughter of Valentinian the Great, and of Justina, who was created Augusta.2 This Justina was a follower of the Arian heresy. By Galla Theodosius had a daughter who was named Placidia.

CHAP. 8.-Theodosius joined his forces with those of Valentinian at Thessalonica, and set out to meet the tyrant Maximus; for the latter, when he had possessed himself of Gratian's share in the imperial purple, endeavoured to obtain possession of that of Valentinian as well. Accordingly, the emperors send against the tyrant,3 Timasius and Richomer, masters of the cavalry, as likewise Promotus and Arbogastes. These surprise him by a sudden attack, and quickly hurl him down from his throne, strip him of the insignia of empire, and bring him before the emperors in the dress of a private citizen. Maximus was then beheaded, having exercised the power of tyrant for five years.

а

CHAP. 9.-After gaining this victory over Maximus, and after the arrival of Theodosius at Rome, when the emperor was on the point of taking his departure thence, a new and strange star5 was seen in the sky, which announced the coming of very great calamities upon the world. It appeared first at midnight, near the east, in the very circle which is called the Zodiac. It was large and bright, and in brilliance it was not much inferior to the morning star. After this, a concourse of stars gathered around it on every side, like a swarm of bees gathering in a cluster round their queen. Then, as if impelled by some mutual collision, the light of all the stars min

interius exteriusque morbo regio corruptus. Compare Gregory Nyssen, Contra Eunomium, b. i.

Or, more correctly, Flacilla, which was the name of the wife of Theodosius, as spelt upon ancient coins, and by Gregory of Nyssa.

2 See above, b. iii. ch. 28, and Theodoret, Eccl. Hist. b. v. ch. 19.

3 Compare Theodoret, Eccl. Hist. b. v. ch. 12-15.

Concerning this journey of Theodosius to Rome, see Socrates, Eccl.

Hist. b. v. ch. 14; Sozomen, Eccl. Hist. b. vii. ch. 14.

5 Concerning this star see below, ch. 11, and b. xi. ch. 7.