THE DECLINE AND FALL

30 i

chap, of fifty bishops of Italy . At the end of three

.years, the primate was summoned to the court

of Milan by the emperor Constans , who, in theindulgence of unlawful pleasures, still profes-sed a lively regard for the orthodox faith. Thecause of truth and justice was promoted by theinfluence of gold/ and the ministers of Constausadvised their sovereign to require the convoca-tion of an ecclesiastical assembly, which mightact as the representatives of the catholic church.*.». 346. Ninety-four bishops of the West, seventy sixbishops of the East encountered each other atSardica, on the verge of the two empires, butin the dominions of the protector of Athanasius .Their debates soon degenerated into hostile alter-cations ; the Asiatics, apprehensive for their per-sonal safety, retired toPhilippopolis in Thrace ;and the rival synods reciprocally hurled theirspiritual thunders against their enemies, whomthey piously condemned as the enemies of thetrue God . Their decrees were published andratified in their respective provinces; and Atha-nasius , who, in the West, was revered as asaint, was exposed as a criminal to the abhor-rence of the East. 1 The council of Sardica re-veals the first symptoms of discord and schism

y Philostorgius , 1. iii, r. 12. If any corruption was used to promotethe interest of religion, an advocate of Athanasius might justify or ex-ruse this questionable conduct, by the example of Cato and Sidney;the former of whom is said to have given, and the latter to have receiv-ed, a bribe, in the cause of liberty.

* The canon, which allows appeals to (heHoman pontiffs has almostraised the council of Sardica to the dignity of a general council; andits acts have been ignorantly or artfully confounded with those of theNicene synod. See Tiliemont, tom. viii, p. 689, and Geddes’s Traets,*ol. ii, p. 419 4G0.