and St Austin (6) relate. In September the following year 367, the emperor Valentinian allowed Ursinus to return to Rome; but, on account of new tumults, in November banished him again, with seven accomplices, into Gaul. The schismatics still kept possession of a church, probably that of St Agnes without the walls, and held assemblies in the cemeteries. But Valentinian sent an order for that church to be put into the hands of Damasus; and Maximin, a magistrate of the city, a man naturally inclined to cruelty, put several schismatics to the torture. Rufin clears Damasus of any way concurring to, or approving of such barbarous proceedings, and the schismatics fell into the snare they had laid for him (7), by which it seems that they demanded an enquiry to be made by the rack, which turned to their own confusion and chastisement. It appears by certain verses of pope Damasus, that he had made a vow to God in honour of certain martyrs, to engage their intercession for the conversion of some of the clergy, who continued obstinate in the schism: and that these clergymen being converted to the unity of the church, in gratitude adorned, at their own expence, the tombs of these martyrs. By the same poem we learn, that the warmest abettors of the cause of Ursinus, after some time sincerely submitted to Damasus. His election was both anterior in time, and in all its circumstances regular; and was de clared such by a great council held at Aquileia, in 381, composed of the most holy and eminent bishops of the Western church; and by a council at Rome in 378, in both which the acts of violence are imputed to the fury of Ursinus. St Ambrose (8), St Jerom (9), St Austin, Rufin, and others, bear testimony to the demeanor, and to the due election of Damasus.

Ammianus Marcellinus, the famous Pagan historian of those times, says, that the chariots, rich clothes, and splendid feasting of the bishops of Rome, whose tables surpassed those of kings, were a tempting object to ambition; and wishes they would imitate the plainness of some prelates in the provinces. Herein, at least with

(6) S. Aug. Brevit. Collat. c. 16. St Hier. in Chron. an. 367. (7) Ruf. 1. 2. hist. c. 10. (8) Ambr. ep. 11. (9) In Chron. &c.

regard to the table, there is doubtless a great deal of exaggeration and spleen; though sometimes extraordinary entertainments were probably given by the church. However, some appearance of pomp and state was certainly then made, since, as St Jerom reports (10), Prætextatus, an eminent Pagan senator, who was afterward prefect of Rome, said to Pope Damasus: Make me

bishop of Rome, and I will be a Christian to-morrow." Power alone is a snare to ambitious and worldly men; and a danger inseparable from exalted stations: yet all such things are rather an object of dread to those clergymen whose hearts are disengaged from the world: and riches, in their hands, are only the patrimony of Christ, instruments of charity. The reflection, however, of this Heathen shews how necessary christian modesty is to recommend the spirit of the gospel. Damasus certainly deserved not to fall under his censure. For St Jerom, the great admirer of this holy pope, severely inveighs against the luxury and state which some ecclesiastics at Rome affected (11), which he would never have done if it had been a satire on his patron; at least, he was too sincere to have continued his admirer. Moreover, in 370, Valentinian, to repress the scandalous conduct of ecclesiastics, who persuaded persons to bequeath estates or legacies to the church, in prejudice of their heirs, addressed a law to Damasus, forbidding the clergy or monks to frequent the houses of orphans and widows, or to receive from them any gift, legacy, or feoffment in trust. This edict pope Damasus caused to be read in all the churches of Rome, and he was very severe in putting the same in execution, so as to give great offence to some unworthy persons, who, on that account, went over to the schismatics; but some time after returned to their duty. Baronius thinks this law was enacted at the request of the pope, because it was addressed to him. At least, it was certainly approved by him, and was not less agreeable to him than just in itself. It appears, by St Damasus's fifteenth poem, that having escaped all dangers and (10) St Hier. ep. 61. ad Pammach. c. 3. (11) Ibid.

persecutions (12), in thanksgiving he made a pilgrimage to St Felix's shrine at Nola, and there hung up this votive poem, and performed his devotions (a).

Me

Arianism reigned in the East under the protection of Valens, though vigorously opposed by many pillars of orthodoxy, as St Athanasius, St Basil, &c. In the West, it was confined to Milan and Pannonia. Utterly to extirpate it in that part of the world, pope Damasus, in a council at Rome in 368, condemned Ursacius and Valens, famous Arian bishops in Pannonia; and in amother, in 370, Auxentius of Milan. The schism of Antioch fixed the attention of the whole church. letius had been ordained upon the expulsion of St Eustathius, whom the Arians had banished: Paulinus was acknowledged by the zealous Catholics, called Eustathi. ans, because during the life of St Eustathius they would admit no other bishop. St Basil, and other Orientals, being well informed of the orthodox faith of St Meletius, adhered to him: but Damasus, with the Western prelates, held communion with Paulinus, suspecting the orthodoxy of Meletius on account of the doubtful prin ciples of some of those by whom he was advanced to the see. Notwithstanding this disagreement, these preFates were careful to preserve the peace of Christ with one another. The heresy of Apollinarius or Apollinaris caused a greater breach. Apollinarius, the father, taught grammar first at Berytus, afterward at Laodicea in Syria, where he married, and had a son of the same name, who was brought up to learning, had a good genius well improved by studies, and taught rhetoric in the same town and both embracing an ecclesiastical state, the father was priest, and the son reader in that church

(12) Carm. 15. p. 239. See Muratori, Not. in Carm. Paulini si. v. 11. & diss. 18. Ferrarius De Nol. Comet. c. 7o. Merenda an.

368. p. 15.

(a) The emperor Gratian, in 378, passed several laws in favour of the authority of bishops, and remitted to the pope the decision of the causes of all bishops. Newton (in Daniel Prophet. c. 8. and in Apoc. c. 3.) pretends this law to have been the original of the papal authority, and the eleventh horn of Daniel, which is to precede the day of judgment. Nothing can be more contradictory or more ab. surd than the comments of fanatics upon the divine prophecies.

203 at the same time. The younger of these was chosen bishop of Laodicea, in 362. When Julian the apostate forbade Christians to read the classics, the two Apollinariuses composed very beautiful hymns in all sorts of verse on the sacred history and other pious subjects; which are lost, except a paraphrase on the psalms in hexameter verse. In these poems they began to scatter the poison of certain errors, which were condemned by St Athanasius, in his council at Alexandria, in 360, but the author was not then known. St Athanasius wrote against these errors, without naming the author, in 362. In the council which Damasus held at Rome in 374, the same conduct was observed. But the obstinacy of the bishop Apollinarius appearing incurable, from that time his name was no longer spared; it was anathematized first by pope Damasus at Rome. The heresiarch lived to a great age, and died in his impiety. His capital errors consisted in this, that he said Christ had not assumed a human understanding ( or soul) but only the flesh, that is, the body and a sensitive soul, such as beasts have; and that the divine person was to him instead of a soul or hunan understanding: for which he insisted upon these words, the Word was made flesh; and he pretended that the human soul being the fountain of sin, it was not fitting that Christ should assume it. In this erroneous system, it followed that Christ was not made man, having only taken upon him a body, the least part of human nature. Apollinarius also taught, That the body of Christ came from heaven, was impassible, and descended into the womb of the Virgin Mary, was not born or formed of her: also that Christ only suffered and died in appearance (13). He likewise revived the Millenarian heresy, and advanced certain errors about the Trinity. His followers chose Vitalis, one of his disciples, bishop of their sect at Antioch, and called Timothy, another of his disciples, patriarch of Alexandria. The decrees of pope Damasus against this heresiarch, were received in a council held at Alexandria,

(13) S. Greg. Naz. ep. ad Cledon. p. 747. & Or 52. St Epiph. hær. 77. S. Basil, ep. 293. p. 1060. Theodoret, Hist. 1. 5. c. 10. Sozomen, &c.

in another at Antioch, and in the general council at Constantinople, in 381.

Illyricum in that age comprised all Greece and several other provinces near the Danube The emperor Gratian, in favour of Theodosius, yielded up Eastern Illyricum, that is, Greece and Dacia, to the eastern empire the popes maintained that this country still belonged to the Western patriarchate, and reserved to themselves the confirmation of its bishops and other patriarchal rights. St Damasus appointed St Ascholius bishop of Thessalonica (who frequently preserved Macedon from the Goths with no other arms but his prayers), his vicar over those churches; and, in a letter to him, which is yet extant, gave him strict charge to be watchful that nothing should be done in the church of Constantinople prejudicial to the faith, or against the canons; and he condemned the illegal intrusion of Maximus the Cynic into that important see. When Nectarius was chosen archbishop of Constantinople, Theodosius sent deputies to Rome, to intreat pope Damasus to confirm his election (14). When St Jerom accompanied St Epiphanius and St Paulinus of Antioch to Rome, Damasus detained him till his death, three years after, near his person, employing him, in quality of secretary, to write his letters, and answer consultations. This pope, who was himself a very learned man, and well skilled in the holy scriptures, encouraged St Jerom in his studies. That severe and holy doctor calls him “An excellent man (15); and in another place (16), “ An incomparable person, learned in the scriptures, a virgin doctor of the virgin church, who loved chastity, and heard its elogiums with pleasure." Theodoret calls him the celebrated Damasus (17), and places him at the head of the famous doctors of divine grace in the Latin church (18). The Oriental bishops in 431 profess, that they follow the holy example of Damasus, Basil, Athanasius, Ambrose, and others who have been emi

(14) Bonifacius ep. ad episc. Macedon. Conc. T. 4. p. 17c8. (15) S. Hier. ep. ad Eustoch. (16) Id. ep. 3c. p. 240. (17) Thea doret, ep. 144. (18) Ep. 145.