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afflicted with the young prince's sickness, and in token of the deepest grief and passion, threw himself upon the ground. Physicians of the greatest note are sent for, whom the emperor entreated to improve the utmost of their skill for his son's recovery. But all in vain, the distemper was not to be removed by arts of physic. The empress Dominica was not only equally concerned with her husband, but had been troubled with frightful dreams, whereby she said she had been made to understand, that this calamity had befallen them for the injury that had been done the holy bishop. Hereupon it was concluded, that Basil should be sent for, and desired to improve his interest with heaven for the prince's health. But because the emperor was conscious to himself, how much he had affronted him by the late order for his banishment, he would not directly send for him in his own name, but committed it to some great men to manage. Upon the first intimation he came to court, where the emperor bespoke him in this manner: If the doctrine of the faith you profess be true, pray to God that my child may not die. Basil replied, If, sir, you will entertain the same faith that I do, and restore peace and unity to the church, doubt not but the prince shall recover. And, indeed, as soon as the bishop set his foot within the house, the distemper began somewhat to remit. But the emperor, it seems, liked not the terms, to whom Basil said no more but this, Then God's will be done concerning him, and went out. The issue was, the Arian bishops are called for, who prayed over, and baptized the child, and he immediately died. Warned by which example, Modestus, the prefect, (who was at that time taken with a desperate sickness,) sent for Basil, and with tears bewailed his carriage towards him; he told him, he was now sufficiently sensible of his error, beseeching him to become instrumental for the recovery of his health; which by his prayers he regained, as he confessed after upon all occasions, not ceasing to admire, and speak of him with great honour and respect. Thus God was pleased to buoy up the interest and reputation of this excellent bishop, in the midst of his most inveterate enemies, so that he was suffered to keep his station, when almost all the catholic bishops of the East were turned out and banished. Nay, so far was Valens himself pleased with him, that he gave several rich farms, which he had in those parts, for the relief of

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those poor and lame whereof Basil took the charge and care. Zonaras relates a passage, which I deliver to the reader purely upon his authority, that when, at the instigation of the Arians, the Catholics at Nice were turned out of their church, they came to Basil to entreat him to intercede for them. He undertook their cause, and went with them to the emperor, then at Nice, to whom he addressed himself to this purpose: "Sir, the determination of this matter is to be left to God. Let the churchdoors be fast shut, and let the Arians stand without and pray to heaven; if the doors open to them of their own accord, let them have the church: if they do not, let us have leave to come and put up our prayers to God; and if they freely open to us, let it be declared, that by the judgment of heaven the church does belong to us; but if they do not open to us, then let it be adjudged to them." The emperor could not decline the proposal, and accordingly the doors were made fast. The Arians came and prayed a long time, but to no purpose; they being withdrawn, the Catholics came, with St. Basil in the head of them, who had no sooner begun their prayers, but the bars burst asunder, and the doors flew open, and gave free passage for the people to enter in; to the no less joy of the one, than to the shame and vexation of the other party.

a

IV. Valens, after his departure from Cæsarea, stayed some considerable time at Antioch, whence he issued out warrants for the vexation and ejection of the orthodox bishops; amongst whom two especially were in his eye: Meletius, the aged bishop of Antioch, a great sufferer for the catholic cause, whom he now banished into Armenia; and Eusebius, bishop of Samosata. This Eusebius was a most zealous champion for the Nicene faith; and at this time, in the hottest of all the danger, put on the habit of a soldier, and went up and down the adjacent countries, and ordained bishops, priests, and deacons, in all those churches which the malice of the faction and the fury of the emperor had left naked and destitute. One of the first things therefore resolved upon in the Arian councils was, that he should be sent far enough out of the way. The order for his banishment was brought to him in the evening, which he advised the messenger to keep secret, plainly telling him, that if it should come to the people's ears, they would infallibly throw him into the river,

z Annal. 1. xiii. c. 16.

a Theodor. 1. iv. c. 13, 14. et l. v. c. 4.

and he had no mind to be guilty of his death. Having, without any discomposure, finished the evening service, at night the aged bishop, attended only with one servant to carry his bible and his pillow, took boat, and went down the river all night, till they arrived at Zeugma, a town situate also upon the Euphrates. Early in the morning the news of his departure filled the city with an universal lamentation; and multitudes of people taking boat, followed after him to Zeugma, and with tears besought him to go back with them, and not to expose his flock as a prey to wolves. But in vain: no persuasions or considerations could prevail. Nay, so far was he from alleging for himself, that in this case he must obey God rather than men; that he plainly told them, the Apostles' rule must take place, which expressly commands us, "to be subject to principalities and powers." Then they presented him, some with money, others with clothes, or servants; but he only accepted so much as was barely necessary for his journey; and having fortified their minds with prayers and sermons, and exhorted them to contend earnestly for the apostolic doctrine, set forward towards Thrace, the place allotted for his banishment. But that country being at this time overrun with the Goths, he went higher, and settled himself near the river Danube, where he sojourned till the death of Valens, when he returned home, and was taken up in the public affairs and concernments of the church. And coming to Dolicha, a small city in Syria, a town miserably infected with Arianism, to` place an orthodox bishop in that see, a woman threw a tile at him from the top of a house, which mortally broke his skull, and covered his head with a crown of martyrdom. Before he died, he heartily forgave the woman, and took an oath of his friends then about him, that they would not call her to account, nor revenge his death. But it is time we return back to Basil.

V. The emperor left Cæsarea, but Basil's troubles went not away with him. Eusebius, uncle to the empress, and at that time governor of the province, had a spleen against him upon the score of religion, but which he sought to cover with other pretexts. Several ways he studied to molest and vex him, and, amongst others, took hold of this occasion. There was at Cæsarea a widow called Vestiana, (if Nyssen means the same person,) rich, and of honourable quality, whose husband was

b Greg. Naz. Orat. xx. p. 353. Vid. Nicet. Comm. vol. ii. p. 781.

lately dead: courted she was by one that was assessor to the city-judge, who pressed her with such unreasonable and im portunate addresses, that she found no better way, than to retire from her own house, and take sanctuary in the church; where, at the communion-table, she solemnly invoked the divine protection, and called in heaven to her assistance. The governor sends immediately to Basil to demand the woman, who refused to deliver her up, letting him know, that the privileges of the church, fenced in by law, were sacred, and the honour of the holy table not to be violated; nor could he deliver her in this case, without betraying the faith. The governor stormed at the denial, and taking no notice where she was, sent officers to search his house, and especially his bed-chamber; insinuating thereby a public suspicion that the holy man had taken her home, and kept her for his own bed. Nor content with this, he commanded Basil, as a criminal, to be brought before him; and sitting down upon the bench, and being swelled with choler and passion, treated him with more than ordinary rudeness and inhumanity. He commanded his cloak to be torn off his shoulders; hold, said Basil, I will not only put off that, but, if you please, my coat also. He told him, he would cause his lean spare carcase to be scourged, to which the other readily yielded: that he would tear him piece-meal with iron pincers; do sir, replied Basil, by these violent lancings you will cure an ill-affected liver, with which you see I am sorely troubled. The noise hereof soon spread itself over the city, with which the people being alarmed, the whole city was presently in an uproar; persons of all ages, trades, and sexes (for the very women put on a masculine zeal and resolution) betaking themselves to arms, and catching up what came next to hand, swords, or spears, or stones, or clubs, or firebrands, or whatever might be an instrument of rage and cruelty, they all pressed forward like a mighty inundation, which no banks could stop; and happy was he thought, that could get the honour to give the first blow; nothing less being resolved on, than the tearing him all in pieces. The governor was sufficiently startled at the news of the danger that he was in ; he knew what it was to encounter with armed fury, to which he had given but too much provocation. And now the scene was altered, and he who lately had so stormed and hectored, quaked and trembled, and his spirit sunk within him. He crouched, and

entreated, and bewailed his miserable and calamitous case; which had been all in vain, had not Basil himself gone out, and both by his presence and discourse charmed and appeased the multitude; thereby at once delivering himself, his client, and his judge. As for the lady, (whose unhappy circumstances had given occasion to this whole passage,) she was (if the same mentioned by my author) recommended to the care of Macrina, St. Basil's sister, who superintended a female college of devout women, amongst whom she passed her time in all the strict exercises of a pious and virtuous life.

SECTION V.

HIS ACTS FROM THE END OF THE FOREGOING CONTESTS TILL THE CONTEST BETWEEN HIM AND EUSTATHIUS BISHOP OF SEBASTEA.

His visitation and reformation of his diocese. His great care in correcting the abuses crept into ordinations. His consolatory letters to the people of Antioch. The miserable distractions in that church. Their letter to the bishops of the West. Basil's complaint of the pride and unconcernedness of the Western prelates. The issue of the long schism at Antioch. The modesty and humility of Meletius. The emperor's commission to Basil, to visit the Armenian churches.

d

BASIL had now got a little respite from the troubles that had of late surrounded him; and he thought no care more immediately necessary, than to take an account of the state of his diocese, and reform those abuses that had crept in by the remissness of his predecessors. The chorepiscopi took upon them to ordain the inferior church-officers, without the leave or knowledge of the bishop, and trusting wholly to the presbyters and deacons in this matter, admitted them without any just examination of the fitness and qualification of the person; by which means the church was filled with unworthy men, and every village was crowded with officers, who were a scandal to the service of the altar: interest or relation, friendship or neighbourhood, were the best qualifications that most had to recommend them; and many it seems pressed the harder to get in, that they might be freed from a necessity of bearing arms, especially in those parts, where c Greg. Nyss. de vit. Macrin. vol. ii. p. 197.

d Basil. Ep. liv. ad Chorep.

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