OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

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search of the true faith, would excite the con- chap.tempt and laughter of the unbelieving world.' xxrAs soon as the emperor was relieved from theterrors of the civil war, he devoted the leisureof his winter-quarters at Arles , Milan, Sirmium,and Constantinople , to the amusements or toilsof controversy; the sword of the magistrate,and even of the tyrant, was unsheathed, to en-force the reasons of the theologian ; and, as heopposed the orthodox faith of Nice, it is readilyconfessed that his incapacity and ignorancewere equal to his presumption.' The eunuchs,the women, and the bishops, who governed thevain and feeble mind of the emperor, had in-spired him with an insuperable dislike to theIlomoousion; but his timid conscience wasalarmed by the impiety of iEtius. The guilt ofthat atheist was aggravated by the suspiciousfavour of the unfortunate Gallus; and even thedeaths of the imperial ministers who had beenmassacred at Antioch, were imputed to the sug-gestions of that dangerous sophist. The mindof Constantins, which could neither be mode-rated by reason, nor fixed by faith, was blindlyimpelled to either side of the dark and emptyabyss, by his horror of the opposite extreme;he alternately embraced and condemned thesentiments; he successively banished and re-called the leaders, of the arian and semi-arianfactions.* During the season of public busi-

1 Athanas. tom. i, p. 870.

* Socrates, 1. ii, c. 35-47. Sozomen, 1. iv, c. 12-30. Theodoret, !. ii,c. 18-32. Philostorg. 1. iv, c. 4-12,1. v, c. 1-4, 1. vi, c. 1-5.b Sozonjen, 1, iv, c. 23, Athanas. tom. i, p. 831. Tillemont (Mem.

Ecclea.