were desirous to return to the communion of the church, he would immediately send orders to displace him, and send him far enough off: in which clause of the letter (for part of it only is set down) no particular mention being made of Arius, probable it is, that Eusebius had couched the design only in general terms, representing Athanasius as an enemy to the peace and union of the church. However, trusting in the goodness of his cause, he was nothing startled at this quick and severe message of the emperor, humbly remonstrating by his answer, that the catholic church could not possibly hold communion with that heresy, that plainly subverted the divinity of our Saviour. Eusebius, disappointed in both these attempts, falls now to downright methods of fraud and falsehood, resolving by right or wrong to remove him, who, so long as he stood in their way, would obstruct whatever they took in hand. And first he sends to the Meletians, that now was a fit time to put their confederate councils into practice; who, partly encouraged by his letters, partly to solicit their own cause, viz. the restitution of their churches, deputed three bishops of their party, Isio, Eudæmon, and Callinicus, to go and manage their affairs at court, where, by Eusebius's advice, they forged an accusation against Athanasius, charging him before the emperor, to have exacted linen for the use of his church, and to have imposed it as a tribute upon the people. But Apis and Macarius, two Alexandrian presbyters, happening to be then at court, quickly convinced the emperor of the falseness of the charge; who, condemning the accusers, commanded Athanasius, however, to appear: which when Eusebius understood, he persuaded the Meletians to stand to the cause, and to attack him with new indictments at his arrival. To take off Macarius's evidence, they renew a charge, which they had not long since put in against him, of breaking the communion-chalice; upon Athanasius they clap no less than an indictment of high treason, that he had privily sent a cabinet of gold to one Philumenus, to enable him to usurp the empire. Athanasius being come, his cause was heard at Psammathia, a part of the suburbs of Nicomedia, where the emperor had a palace, (not at Constantinople, as Theodoret makes it, which was scarce finished, much less dedicated,) where he so satisfied the emperor in the innocency and integrity of his cause, that his

* Lib. i. c. 26.

adversaries were condemned, himself acquitted, and not only suffered to depart, but at his return the emperor honoured him with a letter to the church of Alexandria,a wherein, after he had largely exclaimed against the malice and iniquity of the age, he tells them, that the wicked wretches had prevailed nothing against their bishop, studying nothing but vainly to spend time, and render themselves incapable of pardon; that they should assist one another by mutual concord, and resist those that did oppose it; that as for Athanasius their bishop, he had kindly received him, and conversed with him, as one whom he verily believed to be a man of God, and a most venerable person, and whom he knew to be a minister for his equity and diligence, and other qualities every way necessary for them.

VI. Malice, like fire, must have a vent, or it will be stifled in its own smoke. Eusebius, prevailing nothing against Athanasius, for the present diverts his spleen another way. Eustathius, bishop of Antioch, was a stout stickler against the Arians, and being set in so eminent a see, was capable of doing the greater disservice to the cause: him he singles out, and resolves to hunt him down. In order whereunto, he begs leave of the emperor (at whose charge also he went the journey) to go see the magnificent church which Constantine was then building at Jerusalem.Þ Accompanied with his old friend, Theognis of Nice, he came to Antioch, where, pretending friendship, they were kindly and honourably treated by Eustathius. Thence passing through Palestine, they laid the design, which they resolved to effect at their return. For procuring a synod to be called at Antioch, Eustathius is charged as heterodox in the faith; but because they knew that too thin to hold water, they backed it with the accusation of adultery, which they procured to be deposed upon oath, though but the oath of a lewd infamous woman. Whereupon the good man was condemned, and thrown out of his see. And though there were those in the council who smelt the knavery, and persuaded Eustathius not to stand to the sentence of deposition, yet were their enemies too quick for them, having immediately conveyed notice of it to the emperor, to whom they represented the scandal of the crimes, and the great justice of the sentence, persuading the emperor to confirm it, who accordingly ordered him to be banished.

a Ext. ap. Athan. Apol. c. Arian. s. 61.

b Theodor. 1. i. c. 21.

VII. Though let alone for the present, Athanasius was not forgotten. The business at Antioch being over, they are now at leisure to bait him a second time. For Ischyras, the usurping presbyter, who had some while since fled from Maræotis, having addressed himself to Eusebius of Nicomedia, was readily entertained by him as a fit instrument to promote their designs; and to oblige him faster, he is tied with the assurance of a bishopric, which afterwards they made good, creating him bishop of Maræotis, and at present treating him in the capacity of a presbyter. By his contrivance, accusations are framed, and brought into more formal and plausible stories: Athanasius is charged with cruel and tyrannical actings; Macarius, his presbyter, as sent by him, with forcible rushing into the chancel, breaking the communion-cup, and tearing the Bible in pieces; Athanasius indicted of murder, for making away Arsenius, a Meletian bishop, and a dead man's hand produced as evidence of the fact, whereof more in their due place: all which were represented with their greatest aggravations to the emperor. The first he slighted, having himself heard it sufficiently baffled, when Athanasius, not long since, appeared before him at Nicomedia. For that of Arsenius, which seemed to be of most moment, he sent to his brother Dalmatius, the censor, then residing at Antioch, to take the matter under examination. The censor presently writes to Athanasius, commanding him to prepare himself for a trial, and to answer the things laid to his charge. He, conscious of his own innocency, and the prodigious malignity of the fable, at first made light of it, but considering that the emperor had concerned himself in it, he thought it not safe to neglect it. Wherefore he wrote to the bishops of his diocese, to give them notice of it; and sent a deacon to inquire after Arsenius, whom with much ado he found to be alive and well which was no sooner done, but he despatched away Macarius with letters to the emperor at Constantinople, to give him a true account of the state of things, to put him in mind of what had been transacted at Psammathia, and to assure him that Arsenius, after all, was alive and safe. The emperor, wondering at men's immoderate boldness and confidence, commanded Dalmatius to surcease the process, and the accusers, who had been sent into the East to manage the charge, to depart from court; e Athan. Apol. c. Arian. s. 63. Socrat. l. i. c. 27.

himself writing to Athanasius,d to let him know how much he made it his business to preserve truth and justice, and delighted above all others in pious and good men in which letter he falls upon the Meletians with a very black character, as the most merciless, wicked, and execrable persons, men hardened in impiety, and who attempted the greatest absurdities merely to gratify envy, emulation, and a seditious mind, as was plain in their unjust proceedings against him; commanding that his letter should be read to the people, that all might take notice of it, especially those whom it most concerned, whom he assured, that if they still proceeded in these practices, he would judge them, not by ecclesiastical, but civil laws, and would make it appear, that they were open invaders, not only of human but of divine constitutions.

VIII. This just and necessary severity of the emperor frighted the Meletians at this time from any farther attempts against Athanasius; the reproaches of their own consciences, and the public fame, causing them to retire with shame and silence. But Eusebius and his party, loth to lose such useful instruments, endeavoured to put new life into them, by assuring them that things should be transacted in a synod, where there was no doubt but they should have the predominant overruling stroke. To effect which, they put it into the emperor's head, that his stately buildings at Jerusalem were now almost finished, and ripe for dedication, for which the bishops of those parts must be called together, that this opportunity might be taken first to settle and compose those differences, which of late had so much disturbed the church, that so they might more unanimously carry on that great solemnity. To this the emperor at length yielded, appointing a synod to be held at Cæsarea in Palestine,f where the bishops being met, Athanasius did not appear, suspecting, as some think, the partiality of his judges, and liking the place never the better, because Eusebius was bishop of it, whom he looked upon as too favourable to the Arian party: though indeed Athanasius assigns no such reason, nor is this synod so much as once mentioned by him. Long time the bishops waited at Cæsarea, but Athanasius came not; which his enemies knew well enough how to improve to his disadvantage, telling the emperor, he might now see what little account d Ext. Epist. ap. Athan. Apol. c. Arian. s. 68. e Id. ibid. s. 71.

f Sozom. 1. ii. c. 25. Theodor. 1. i. c. 28.

Athanasius made of his commands, who dared thus contumaciously to disobey the imperial orders. The emperor, though otherwise of a mild and easy temper, exasperated with these suggestions, appoints another synod to assemble at Tyre, while things were making ready for the solemnity at Jerusalem, commanding Athanasius at his peril to appear, and summoning such bishops especially as the Eusebians had recommended to him, intending the case should be canvassed and determined in the most public and solemn manner.

SECTION V.

THE ACTS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE SYNOD AT TYRE, WITH OTHER CONSEQUENT AFFAIRS.

A synod summoned at Tyre. The emperor's lieutenant appointed to preside there. The sum of Constantine's letter to the council. Athanasius's carriage before the synod. A twofold charge exhibited against him. Matters of vice and immorality in three instances: oppression, and how guilty of that; ravishment, the villany whereof how discovered; murder, his killing Arsenius, and cutting off his hand. The wickedness of this story pursued and refuted at large, and evidently proved before the council. The second head of accusation, impiety and profanation. The case of his ordination inquired into. His violation of Ischyras's church, breaking the communion-cup, &c. Several answers to that charge. Commissioners sent by the synod into Egypt, to examine matters upon the place. Athanasius's exceptions against the persons. All motions in his behalf overruled. The partial and unjust proceedings of the commissioners. The zeal of the Maræotic clergy for their bishop. Athanasius condemned and deposed by the synod at Tyre. The synod adjourned by the emperor to Jerusalem. Arius's cause commanded to be taken under consideration, by means of an Arian presbyter's favour with the emperor. What truth in that report. Arius sent for to court; Constantine's letter to him to that purpose. His and Euzoius's hypocritical confession presented to the emperor. The judgment of the synod about his case. Whether he returned to Alexandria. Upon Athanasius's complaint at court, the bishops are summoned to make good their charge against him. Accused by them of high-treason, and banished by the emperor to Triers. Arius taken into favour at court: Alexander bishop of Constantinople commanded to admit him to communion. The perplexity of the good bishop, and his zealous prayers to heaven. The unnatural and execrable death of Arius, and the manner of it. His character. The description of his temper and person. Intercessions in behalf of Athanasius rejected. The death of Constantine, and division of the empire amongst his sons. The occasion of Constantius's favouring the Arian party.

ANN. Chr. 335, met the council at Tyre, consisting of sixty bishops of the East, besides forty-seven that came along with Athanasius out of Egypt, probably not formally summoned thither, but

8 Socrat. 1. i. c. 28. Sozom. 1. ii. c. 25.