published a DECLARATION in behalf of the true religion, and threatening war to Valentinian *, if he did not forbear to persecute the Catholics.

The court, for all their anger against St. Ambrose, yet could not find a fitter man to avert this storm than he, because of the influence which they thought he might have upon Maximus. They sent him, therefore, on an embassy of peace; which he performed with all that fidelity that became a good Christian, who would shew himself loyal to his prince, that had despitefully used him and his religion.

As to his errand, he could do no good; for usurpers, when they find their advantage, do not use to be kept back by reasons of conscience. On the contrary, when Maximus saw that St. Ambrose would not communicate with him, nor with the bishops that communicated with him, he commanded him to be gone; and St. Ambrose sent an account of his embassy to Valentinian †, advising him to look to his safety, Adversus hominem pacis involucro bellum tegentem: Against a man, that under pretence of peace [or doing good offices] covered his design of war [or invasion].'

And, so it proved. Maximus invaded Italy; and Valentinian had nothing to do but to fly.

Theodosius, who had, ever since he heard of the death of Gratian, resolved to revenge it, having now his army ready, came from the east; and though the usurper had strengthened himself by humouring all parties of Christians, Jews, and Pagans [288], yet he overcame him, slew him, and resettled Valentinian, and brought him off from his fondness to the Arians (his foolish mother being now dead) and reconciled him to St. Ambrose, whom he ever after honoured as a father.

This quietness. had lasted but three years, when a new usurper, Eugenius, started up [291]; with whom' Argobastes, one of the greatest men at court, traitorously joined. Valentinian being then in France, was

*Theodoret. Hist. lib. 5, c. 14.

+ Ambros. Epist. 27.

seized by Argobastes; and, after a while, murdered by him. This was in the year 392; so that he was, when he died, 26 years old [292].

He had, a little before this treason broke out, resolved to be baptized before he went for Italy. He had a particular desire to receive it from the hands of St. Ambrose; and had lately sent to Milan to him, to desire him to come and give it him. St. Ambrose was on his way to France when he heard the fatal news, which rendered his journey now too late.

He

One shall hardly read a more compassionate lamentation than St. Ambrose makes on this account, in his funeral-sermon for Valentinian. What with the object that was present, and what with the occasion it gave to remember Gratian, he says all that could be said by a man that had lost his own children by a like fate. persuades himself, that if he could have arrived before the murderous blow was given, he might have prevailed with the tyrants to spare his life at least. I doubt he was mistaken in that; for whoever read of an Oliver that did so?

As to Valentinian's dying unbaptized, he comforts his sisters, that were present at the sermon, by assuring them, that in such a case God accepts of a sincere faith, joined with a hearty desire of baptism, as if the person had been actually baptized; which saying of his is often cited for the resolution of like cases;-"I hear (says he) you are troubled that he did not receive the holy rites of baptism. Tell me, What is there in our power but the will and desire? and he, both a good while ago had a purpose of being baptized before he returned into Italy; and also lately expressed his desire of being baptized by me; and it was for that reason especially that he would have me sent for. Hath he not then that grace which be desired and which he endeavoured to have inasmuch, as he desired it, he has received it.”

Upon the news of this rebellion and murder, Theodosius came once more from the east, and obtained a victory over Eugenius, which (counting the numbers that sided with Eugenius) the historians count almost

miraculous, and slew him [294].

As for the traitor Argobastes, he saved the hangnian a labour.

This was one of the last good acts of that noble emperor. He died quickly after [295]; and St. Ambrose had the sorrow of preaching his funeral-sermon too.

I cannot but observe, from that sermon, the different grounds on which St. Ambrose, from those on which Baronius does condemn Maximus. Baronius's way is, when any great man in history comes to an ill end, or other calamity, to find something in his life which may be supposed to be the cause for which that judgment fell on him; and it is commonly something done against the church of Rome; and, speaking of the ill end of Maximus, when he looks backward for the cause of it, he takes no notice of his rebellion, usurpation, and murder of his prince; like the man who, pretending to tell the faults of a horse that he sold, forgot to mention that he was blind; and observes, how once on a time, a great while before, being appealed to by some bishops, he had meddled in ecclesiastical matters more than became him *.

But St. Ambrose, in the foresaid sermon †, having spoken of Gratian and Theodosius as being then in Heaven, adds, Contra autem Maximus & Eugenius in inferno, docentes exemplo miserabili quam durum sit arma suis principibus irrogare: - but Maximus and Eugenius are now in Hell, teaching, by their dreadful example, how heinous a thing it is for men to bear arms against their sovereigns.

From this whole relation it appears,

1. That Valentinian the Younger, was never baptized.

2. That Gratian probably was baptized some time of his life or other; because St. Ambrose, in Valentinian's funeral - sermon, makes frequent comparisons between the two brothers, and often mentions Valentinian's want of baptism; but observes no such thing of Gratian.

* Ad Annum. 385.

↑ Orat.nere Theodosii.

Besides, he calls him there Fidelis; which is a term never given by the antients but to a baptized person.

But yet it is probable his baptism was not in infancy; for what should make Valentinian, the father, baptize his eldest son in infancy, and not his youngest? Unless we may judge that Justina, the mother of the youngest, being an Arian (for the mother of the eldest was not so) and the father himself being a Catholic, they could not agree into which faith he should be baptized; for the Arians were like the Donatists for that; that they had so ill an opinion of baptism given by the Catholics, that they baptized such over again; as may be seen by St. Ambrose's Discourse against Auxentius*; and, therefore,

3dly, The chief question is, Whether Valentinian, the father, were baptized himself at the time when his youngest son was born? We have heard already that he was a baptized Christian at a certain time, when he said, That " he did not think himself fit to Judge between bishops;" -but what time of his reign this refers to, we have no way to know certainly. The passage that looks most like it in all that we read, is that which happened at the election of St. Ambrose himself to the bishopric of Milan [264]; and St. Ambrose was more likely to know that, and to refer to that, than any other; for then, as Theodoret tells us†, the bishop of Milan being dead, the people were much divided about the choice of a new one, some setting up one, and some another; so that to avoid confusion, Valentinian ordered the neighbouring bishops that were then in that city to choose one for them. The bishops desired that he himself would pitch upon some person;

but he answered, "This is a thing too great for me to undertake. You that are filled with the grace of God, and illuminated by the light thereof, may much better do this office of choosing a man for a bishop." If this were the time that St. Ambrose means, at

* Orat. in Auxentium, in fine.

+ Hist. lib. 4, c. 6.

which he was then a baptized person, this was but a year or thereabouts before his death; for St. Ambrose was made bishop in the year of Christ 374, as Baronius; or the beginning of 375, as Petavius computes; and Valentinian died November 17, 375 [275].

So that he might for all that be unbaptized when his son Valentinian was born, which was, as we said, nine years before, viz. Anno Dom. 366 [266].

Theodosius the First.

His Father was not a baptized Christian when he was born.

Theodosius, of whom we had occasion to speak in the last, who was chosen by Gratian to be his fellowemperor [279], is another of the instances of persons not baptized in infancy. What I have to say of him may be dispatched in a few words. He was baptized quickly after he was chosen Emperor *, and in a fit of sickness, by Acholius (or, as the Greeks write his name, Ascholius) Bishop of Thessalonica; being then 34 years old, as Victor counts; 44 as Socrates reckons ; or about 50, if the Chronicon Alexandrinum is to be relied. upon.

His father, who was also named Theodosius, had been put to death by order of Valens nine years before [270] At what time of his life he was baptized, I think we should not have known but for Orosius, who (because he was a Spaniard, his countryman) speaks more particularly of his concerns; so that we know by him that he was baptized before he died; but not till 25 years, by the lowest account, after this his son was born; and whether he was at the time of his son's birth a Christian in intention, or an unbeliever, is not to be known.

Orosius's account is this, † That he being a commander in the army, had done good and faithful services; but yet that on a sudden, and for what reason no body knew, there came an order that he must be

* Socrates, lib. 5, c. 6.

+ Hist. lib. 7.

拿