Holy Places; and yet there could hardly be much cordiality between the recluse of Bethlelem, the austere theologian ordained by Paulinus, and the prelate of orthodox faith but Semi-Arian antecedents, who regarded Flavian as the rightful bishop of Antioch, and of whom Jerome in his Chronicle tells a story at once scandalous and unsupported. However, Cyril had little time for controversial feeling; he was drawing near his end: and that end came, as it seems, in the year 386-the year after Jerome's arrival in the East-and perhaps as early as March. He was succeeded in the see of Jerusalem by John, who became remarkable, some ten years later, for his controversy with Jerome on the interminable question about Origen, and subsequently for his unfortunate connexion with Pelagius.

CHAPTER XXIV.

ST. AMBROSE AND JUSTINA.

WE must now turn our attention to some of the most vivid and dramatic scenes in the Church history of the fourth century-to events which are, perhaps, of central and signal interest, even in the fruitful and majestic episcopate of St. Ambrose. Justina, as we have seen, had found it needful to stifle her dislike of the Catholic archbishop, and to lean on his loyalty in the crisis which followed the murder of Gratian. Nor had she interfered with the influence which that high and princely spirit exercised over her son's counsels in the dispute between pagan and Christian about the altar of Victory. But she was only biding her time. She had, of course, a circle of Arian courtiers and attendants, many of them Goths, of whom Ambrose sarcastically observes that just as waggons" had been the homes of their nomad forefathers, so now a "waggon"-the chariot of their imperial mistress-was their church. Early in 385, she began to devise a scheme for appropriating to their use, at the coming Easter, one of the basilicas of Milan-those churches in which the Nicene faith was now confessed by a community which was, indeed, the great mass of the Milanese population. The scheme was matured, and Ambrose was summoned to the palace; there, in presence of the officials who formed the imperial "consistory," he was ordered to make over to the Emperor, for the use of the Arian Court, the Portian basilica, which stood outside of the city, beyond the western wall, and is represented by St. Victor's, west of the Porta Sant' Ambrogio. He refused with the "firmness that became a bishop." Almost while he gave the answer, a violent disturbance at the palace gates interrupted the interview. The people had heard of his enforced visit to the palace; they rose in menacing strength, and a military count was sent out with light

troops to disperse them. They stood firm, protesting that they were ready to die for the faith of Christ: the court dignitaries, in perplexity, begged Ambrose, as a favour, to go out and assure them "that no one would invade a basilica belonging to the church.” He complied, and induced them to return home; and thus, for the time, the attempt of the Empress was baffled, although Ambrose was deemed answerable for the popular disturbance.

Ambrose must have known that the scheme would not be abandoned; and, in fact, on Friday in the fifth week of Lent, April 4, after the excitement had somewhat abated, a new and more audacious demand was made. Some counts who had seats in the consistory required the archbishop, in the Emperor's name, to give up, not the Portian, but a large new basilica within the city, cruciform in shape, recently dedicated to the Apostles, and sometimes called "the Roman," because near the Roman Gate. He refused as before, saying as of course, that "God's temple could not be surrendered by a bishop;" and on Saturday, at the service (which at Milan, as in the East, was of a festal character), he announced this new demand and his refusal: the people, by acclamations, applauded the line which he had taken; the prætorian prefect himself appeared at the church, and dropping the imperious tone which had proved so fruitless, fell back, on behalf of the Empress, on a request that they would at least not insist on withholding the Portian basilica, which, not being intramural, might be asked for with less offence. The people would not hear of it. "Then," said the prefect, “I must inform the Emperor." The next day was Palm Sunday: the archbishop officiated, apparently, in the "new" or "greater" church; the lessons were read, the sermon preached, the ordinary catechumens dismissed; and some who were at the very end of their catechumenate, being "competents," or candidates for baptism on the following Holy Saturday, went as usual into the baptistery, where Ambrose began the ceremony called the "Delivery of the Creed," always performed on that day in the Church of Milan, as in Spain and Gaul. He recited the Creed, and explained it in detail, with a view to their learning it by heart and repeating it intelligently before their baptism. While he was thus engaged, the startling news came that officers called "decani," a kind of lictors, were actually in the Portian basilica setting up those hangings or curtains which, as being adjuncts of the imperial state, indicated that a place or building was imperial property. "Some of the people are on their way thither," added the messenger:

"there will be a disturbance." 'But," writes Ambrose with a grand simplicity, "I continued at my duty, and began to perform Mass," the solemn liturgy of the faithful, called missa because it succeeded the dismissal of the catechumens. That this is the sense of the word here is shown by what follows: "While I was making the oblation, I heard that the people had seized one Castulus, whom the Arians called a presbyter: while passing along" (i.e. towards the Portian basilica), "they had met him in the street. I began to weep most bitterly, and in the very act of oblation to pray to God, that He would give His help, so that no one's blood might be shed in the Church's quarrel-or at least that mine might be poured out, not only for the safety of the people, but also for the impious themselves." He sent out some priests and deacons who were assisting him at the Celebration, "and so rescued the man from ill-treatment." So far as we can infer, nothing more was done on that Sunday as to the occupation of the Portian church; but on the next day, and the day following, the Catholic body in Milan were severely punished, as for a new "seditious" tumult in which a chaplain, so to speak, of the Empress had incurred serious peril. By orders from the court, "the whole body of merchants" or tradespeople were arrested, imprisoned, heavily fined: so that "the sacred days of that last week, in which it was usual to release debtors," were spent by these poor citizens in the utmost distress and discomfort; they were commanded to pay to the Emperor, in three days, two hundred pounds' weight of gold, and bravely answered, "That, or double of that, and welcome, so that we keep our faith!" Even the clerks in the Government offices, the messengers called agents in the Emperor's affairs." (who were really official spies), the subordinates of magistrates, received orders to keep within doors, "lest they should be mixed up with any tumult; " the higher officials, or men of civil dignity, were threatened with severe penalties in case they did not promote the surrender of the church.

It was apparently on Tuesday that the archbishop had another interview with "counts and tribunes," who ordered him to make over the Portian church without more delay. An argument followed. Ambrose, apparently, repeated his ground of refusal: "The churches cannot be alienated or surrendered." "Yes, they can-to the Emperor; he has absolute rights, and he is but claiming them : everything belongs to him,”—the unmitigated Cæsarean principle of the time. "Not so," said the great Christian champion of a principle which was destined to put Cæsarism to rebuke; "he is

not the master of everything; let him ask me to give him what is my own to give, be it money or land, and although he has no right to claim it, I will not refuse it; let him take all but not what belongs to God, such as churches, which are held by the bishop in trust for Him." The officials lowered their tone: "Surely the Emperor has a right to have one church in which he can conscientiously worship." "No, for such a church would become adulterous as not lawfully espoused to Christ" (a curious and not very edifying transfer of the spiritual character to the material fabric): "if I am even sentenced to death, I will not fence myself in with a crowd, nor clasp the altar as a refuge "-alluding, of course, to the sanctuary-privilege which had become attached to churches, and had hardly as yet become an abuse. He was sincerely afraid of causing a collision between the imperial troops and the people he would have done anything to avert such a calamity, which would have been the ruin of Milan. "It is your duty," he was told, "to keep the people quiet." His answer was prompt: "It is my duty not to excite them; to quiet them is in God's power, not mine. If you think I have stirred them up, let me be sent into exile." The officials withdrew, and Ambrose spent the rest of the day in what he calls the "old basilica," by which he probably means a church within the walls, of older foundation than the "Apostles'" or "Roman" church, and thence he went home for the night, his dwelling being probably adjacent to the latter or "new" church. On Wednesday morning, before daylight, as he crossed the threshold to perform service in this church, he found it beset with soldiers. He therefore went to the "old" church, where the service included Psalm lxxix., Deus venerunt (the first words of which were sung "with expression"), and the lessons were being read when Ambrose learned that the new church also was fuller of people than had been usual before these troubles, and that the congregation wanted a reader for the accustomed Holy Week lessons from Job. The very soldiers began to mingle with the congregation in the old church, reassuring them with the words, We are come to pray, and not to fight;" and it was reported that they had already let the Emperor know that their sympathies were with the Catholics and Ambrose. Thus relieved of immediate alarm, the people showed considerable moderation for a sensitive and deeply moved crowd of Italians. Apostrophizing the Emperor, they exclaimed, "We do not mean to fight, O Augustus; we are not afraid of you, but we petition you." Then they turned to their