VALENTINIAN AND HIS FAMILY.
364-392.
When Jovian died, the army chose another soldier named Valentinian, a
stout, brave, rough man, with little education, rude and passionate, but
a Catholic Christian. As soon as he reached Constantinople, he divided
the empire with his brother Valens, whom he left to rule the East, while
he himself went to govern the West, chiefly from Milan, for the Emperors
were not fond of living at Rome, partly because the remains of the
Senate interfered with their full grandeur, and partly because there
were old customs that were inconvenient to a Christian Emperor. He was
in general just and honest in his dealings, but when he was angry he
could be cruel, and it is said he had two bears to whom criminals were
thrown. His brother Valens was a weaker and less able man, and was an
Arian, who banished Athanasius once more for the fifth time; but the
Church of Alexandria prevailed, and he was allowed to remain and die in
peace. The Creed that bears his name is not thought to be of his
writing, but to convey what he taught. There was great talk at this time
all over the cities about the questions between the Catholics and
Arians, and good men were shocked by hearing the holiest mysteries of
the faith gossiped about by the idlers in baths and market-places.
[Illustration: ALEXANDRIA.]
At this time Damasus, the Pope, desired a very learned deacon of his
church, named Jerome, to make a good translation of the whole of the
Scriptures into Latin, comparing the best versions, and giving an
account of the books. For this purpose Jerome went to the Holy Land, and
lived in a cell at Bethlehem, happy to be out of the way of the quarrels
at Rome and Constantinople. There, too, was made the first translation
of the Gospels into one of the Teutonic languages, namely, the Gothic.
The Goths were a great people, of the same Teutonic race as the Germans,
Franks, and Saxons--tall, fair, brave, strong, and handsome--and were at
this time living on the north bank of the Danube. Many of their young
men hired themselves to fight as soldiers in the Roman army; and they
were learning Christianity, but only as Arians. It was for them that
their Bishop Ulfilas translated the Gospels into Gothic, and invented an
alphabet to write them in. A copy of this translation is still to be
seen at Upsal in Sweden, written on purple vellum in silver letters.
[Illustration: GOTHS.]
Another great and holy man of this time was Ambrose, the Archbishop
of Milan, who was the guide and teacher of Gratian, Valentinian's eldest
son, a good and promising youth so far as he went, but who, after the
habit of the time, was waiting to be baptized till he should be further
on in life. Valentinian's second wife was named Justina; and when he
died, as it is said, from breaking a blood-vessel in a fit of rage, in
375, the Western Empire was shared between her little son Valentinian
and Gratian.
Justina was an Arian, and wanted to have a church in Milan where she
could worship without ascribing full honor and glory to God the Son; but
Ambrose felt that the churches were his Master's, not his own to be
given away, and filled the Church with Christians, who watched there
chanting Psalms day and night, while the soldiers Justina sent to turn
them out joined them, and sang and prayed with them.
Gratian did not choose to be called Pontifex Maximus, or chief priest of
all the Roman idols, as all the Emperors had been; and this offended
many persons. A general named Maximus rose and reigned as Emperor in
Britain, and Gratian had too much on his hands in the north to put him
down.
In the meantime, a terrible wild tribe called Huns were coming from the
West and driving the Goths before them, so that they asked leave from
Valens to come across the Danube and settle themselves in Thrace. The
reply was so ill managed by Valens' counsellors that the Goths were
offended, and came over the river as foes when they might have come as
friends; and Valens was killed in battle with them at Adrianople in 378.
Gratian felt that he alone could not cope with the dangers that beset
the empire, and his brother was still a child, so he gave the Eastern
Empire to a brave and noble Spanish general named Theodosius, who was a
Catholic Christian and baptized, and who made peace with the Goths, gave
them settlements, and took their young men into his armies. In the
meantime, Maximus was growing more powerful in Britain, and Gratian, who
chiefly lived in Gaul, was disliked by the soldiers especially for
making friends with the young Gothic chief Alaric, whom he joined in
hunting in the forests of Gaul in a way they thought unworthy of an
Emperor. Finding that he was thus disliked, Maximus crossed the Channel
to attack him. His soldiers would not march against the British legions,
and he was taken and put to death, bitterly lamenting that he had so
long deferred his baptism till now it was denied to him.
Young Valentinian went on reigning at Milan, and Maximus in Gaul. This
last had become a Christian and a Catholic in name, but without laying
aside his fierceness and cruelty, so that, when some heretics were
brought before him, he had them put to death, entirely against the
advice of the great Saint and Bishop then working in Gaul, Martin of
Tours, and likewise of St. Ambrose, who had been sent by Valentinian to
make peace with the Gallic tyrant.
It was a time of great men in the Church. In Africa a very great man had
risen up, St. Augustine, who, after doubting long and living a life of
sin, was drawn to the truth by the prayers of his good mother Monica,
and, when studying in Italy, listened to St. Ambrose, and became a
hearty believer and maintainer of all that was good. He became Bishop of
Hippo in Africa.
[Illustration: CONVENT ON THE HILLS.]
But with the good there was much of evil. All the old cities, and
especially Rome, were full of a strange mixture of Christian show and
heathen vice. There was such idleness and luxury in the towns that
hardly any Romans had hardihood enough to go out to fight their own
battles, but hired Goths, Germans, Gauls, and Moors; and these learned
their ways of warfare, and used them in their turn against the Romans
themselves. Nothing was so much run after as the games in the
amphitheatres. People rushed there to watch the chariot races, and went
perfectly wild with eagerness about the drivers whose colors they wore;
and even the gladiator games were not done away with by Christianity,
although these sports were continually preached against by the clergy,
and no really devout person would go to the theatres. Much time was
idled away at the baths, which were the place for talk and gossip, and
where there was a soft steamy air which was enough to take away all
manhood and resolution. The ladies' dresses were exceedingly expensive
and absurd, and the whole way of living quite as sumptuous and helpless
as in the times of heathenism. Good people tried to live apart. More
than ever became monks and hermits; and a number of ladies, who had been
much struck with St. Jerome's teaching, made up a sort of society at
Rome which busied itself in good works and devotion. Two of the ladies,
a mother and daughter, followed him to the Holy Land, and dwelt in a
convent at Bethlehem.
Maximus after a time advanced into Italy, and Valentinian fled to ask
the help of Theodosius, who came with an army, defeated and slew
Maximus, and restored Valentinian, but only for a short time, for the
poor youth was soon murdered by a Frank chief in his own service named
Arbogastes.