OF THE HOMAN EMPIRE.

declaration, that those Mho resisted the divine chap.judgment of the synod must prepare themselves _for an immediate exile, annihilated the mur-murs of a feeble opposition, which, from seven-teen, was almost instantly reduced to two, pro-testing bishops. Eusebius of Caesarea yieldeda reluctant and ambiguous consent to the ho-moousion and the wavering conduct of theNicomedian Eusebius served only to delay, a-bout three months, his disgrace and exile. 1 "

The impious Arius w as banished into one of He perse-the remote provinces of Illyricum ; his person arianami disciples were branded, by law, with theodious name of porphyrians; his waitings w r erecondemned to the dames, and a capital punish-ment w’as denounced against those in whosepossession they should be found. The empe-ror had now imbibed the spirit of controversy,and the angry sarcastic style of his edicts w'asdesigned to inspire his subjects with the hatredwhich he had conceived against the enemies ofChrist."

But, as if the conduct of the emperor hadbeen guided by passion instead of principle,

Src in Socrates (I, I, c. 8), or rather in Theodorct (1. i, c. 12), anoriginal letter of Eusebius of Caesarea , in which he attempts to justifyhis subscribing the homoousion. The character of Eusebius has alwaysbeen a problem; but those who have read the second critical epistleof Le Clerc (Ars Critica, tom. iii, p. 30-G9), must entertain a veryunfavourable opinion of the orthodoxy and sincerity of the bispopofCaesarea.

™ Athanasius, tom. i, p. 727 . Fhilostorgins,l. i, c. 10, and Gcdefroj’sCommentary, p. 41.

" Socrates , 1. i, c. 9. In his circular letters, which were addressedto the several cities, Constantine employed against the heretics thearms of ridicule and comic raillery.