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he commanded to take place. Meanwhile Julius died, having presided over the church of the Romans for fifteen years, and Liberius succeeded him.4.8.3 But those who rejected the faith of Nicaea, reckoning they had an opportunity to slander those who held opposite opinions, worked very diligently in the palace to expel from the churches all those who had been deposed by them as being heterodox, and who, while Constans was still alive, had striven to set the empires against each other, inasmuch as he threatened his brother with war,4.8.4 if he did not receive them, as has been said before; and they especially accused Athanasius. These men, through their excessive hatred for him, did not even while Constans was alive and Constantius was pretending to love him, refrain from their hostility, but having assembled in Antioch, Narcissus the Cilician, and Theodore the Thracian, and Eugenius of Nicaea, and Patrophilus of Scythopolis, and Menophantus of Ephesus, and about thirty others in all wrote to the bishops everywhere that he had returned to Alexandria contrary to the laws of the church, not having been found innocent at a synod, but through the contentiousness of those who held the same opinions; and they exhorted them neither to have communion with him nor to write to him, but to George who had been ordained by them. 4.8.5 At that time, however, Athanasius took no account of these things, but he was about to experience more difficult matters than before. For as soon as Magnentius had perished and Constantius alone was ruler of the Roman world, he made every effort to make the bishops throughout the west agree with those who <μὴ> believe the Son to be of one substance with the 4.8.6 Father. He did this at first not so openly by using force, but by persuading them to vote for the decisions against Athanasius made by the bishops throughout the east. For he reasoned that if he were removed by a common vote, matters concerning religion would also easily be set right for him. 4..1 When a synod was held in Milan at the emperor's urging, few came from the east, the others, as was likely, declining to attend either because of illness or the long journey, but from the west more than three 4..2 hundred assembled. And when the [men] from the east demanded that Athanasius be condemned, so that he might be completely driven out of Alexandria, the 4..3 others consented either out of fear or deceit or ignorance of the facts, but only Dionysius, bishop of Alba (this is the metropolis of Italy), and Eusebius of Vercellae in Liguria, Paulinus of Treves, and Rhodanus and Lucifer cried out and testified that it was not right to condemn Athanasius so easily; for the evil would not stop at this point, if it happened, but the 4..4 plot would proceed even against the orthodox doctrines concerning God; and that these things were being eagerly pursued by the emperor and by those who held the opinions of Arius for the purpose of overthrowing the faith of Nicaea. And those who had thus spoken freely were condemned to 4..5 exile, and with them Hilary as well. And the outcome confirmed that the reason for the gathering in Milan was true, as they said. For not long afterwards the synod in Ariminum and Seleucia was assembled, and each attempted to introduce innovations against the decrees of Nicaea, as I shall presently show. 4..6 But Athanasius, learning that a plot was being laid in the palace, neither dared to go to the emperor himself nor thought it expedient. But selecting five of the bishops in Egypt, among whom was Serapion of Thmuis, a man whose life was most admirable and who was a powerful speaker, he sent them to the emperor, who was then residing in the western part of the empire. And he sent with them three presbyters of the church under him to reconcile the emperor to him and, if necessary, to defend him against the slanders of his opponents and to do everything else as they might deem best for the church and for himself. 4..7 But not long after they had sailed, he received letters from the emperor summoning him to the palace. At this both Athanasius himself and the people of the church were disturbed

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γενέσθαι προσέταξεν. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ᾿Ιούλιος ἐτελεύτησεν ἐπὶ πεντεκαίδεκα ἐνιαυτοῖς τὴν ῾Ρωμαίων ἐκκλησίαν ἐπιτροπεύσας, διαδέχεται δὲ τοῦτον Λι4.8.3 βέριος. λογισάμενοι δὲ καιρὸν ἔχειν εἰς διαβολὴν τῶν ἐναντία φρονούντων οἱ τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν παραιτούμενοι, ἐπιμελῶς μάλα ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐπόνουν ἐκβάλλειν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν πάντας τοὺς πρὸς αὐτῶν καθῃρημένους ὡς ἑτεροδόξους ὄντας καί, ἐν ᾧ Κώνστας τῷ βίῳ περιῆν, συγκροῦσαι τὰς βασιλείας πρὸς ἑαυτὰς σπουδάσαντας, καθότι τῷ ἀδελφῷ πόλεμον ἐπήγγελ4.8.4 λεν, εἰ μὴ προσδέξεται αὐτούς, ὡς ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν εἴρηται· μάλιστα δὲ ἐν αἰτίᾳ ἐποιοῦντο ᾿Αθανάσιον· οἵ γε ὑπερβολῇ τοῦ περὶ αὐτὸν μίσους οὐδὲ Κώνσταντος περιόντος καὶ Κωνσταντίου φιλεῖν αὐτὸν προσποιουμένου τῆς ἀπεχθείας ἀπέσχοντο, ἀλλὰ συνελθόντες ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ Νάρκισσός τε ὁ Κίλιξ καὶ Θεόδωρος ὁ Θρᾷξ καὶ Εὐγένιος ὁ Νικαεὺς καὶ Πατρόφιλος ὁ Σκυθοπολίτης καὶ Μηνόφαντος ὁ ᾿Εφέσιος καὶ ἄλλοι ἀμφὶ τριάκοντα οἱ πάντες ἔγραψαν τοῖς πανταχοῦ ἐπισκόποις, ὡς παρὰ τοὺς νόμους τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς ᾿Αλεξάνδρειαν, οὐκ ἀναίτιος φανεὶς ἐπὶ συνόδου, ἀλλὰ φιλονικίᾳ τῶν τὰ αὐτὰ φρονούντων· καὶ παρεκελεύοντο μήτε κοινωνεῖν αὐτῷ μήτε γράφειν, ἀλλὰ Γεωργίῳ τῷ πρὸς αὐτῶν κεχειροτονημένῳ. 4.8.5 ᾿Αθανασίῳ δὲ τότε μὲν τούτων οὐδεὶς ὑπόλογος ἦν, ἔμελλε δὲ χαλεπωτέρων ἢ πρότερον πειραθῆναι πραγμάτων. ἅμα γοῦν ἀπωλώλει Μαγνέντιος καὶ μόνος Κωνστάντιος τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων οἰκουμένης ἡγεῖτο, πᾶσαν ἐποιεῖτο σπουδὴν τοὺς ἀνὰ τὴν δύσιν ἐπισκόπους τοῖς ὁμοούσιον εἶναι τῷ 4.8.6 πατρὶ τὸν υἱὸν <μὴ> δοξάζουσι συναινεῖν. ἐποίει δὲ τοῦτο οὐ φανερῶς οὕτως τὰ πρῶτα βιαζόμενος, πείθων δὲ ἐπιψηφίσασθαι τοῖς κατὰ ᾿Αθανασίου κεκριμένοις ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνὰ τὴν ἕω ἐπισκόπων. ἐλογίζετο γὰρ ὡς, εἰ κοινῇ ψήφῳ ἐκποδὼν οὗτος γένοιτο, ῥᾳδίως ἂν καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν θρησκείαν κατορθωθείη αὐτῷ. 4..1 Συνόδου δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως κατεπείγοντος ἐν Μεδιολάνῳ γενομένης ἐκ μὲν τῆς ἕω ὀλίγοι παρεγένοντο, τῶν ἄλλων ὡς εἰκὸς ἢ διὰ νόσον ἢ μακρὰν ὁδοιπορίαν παραιτησαμένων τὴν ἄφιξιν, τῶν δὲ πρὸς δύσιν πλείους ἢ τρια4..2 κόσιοι συνελέγησαν. ἀξιούντων δὲ τῶν [ἀνθρώπων] ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω καταδικάζειν ᾿Αθανασίου, ὡς ἂν παντελῶς ἀπελαθείη τῆς ᾿Αλεξανδρείας, οἱ μὲν 4..3 ἄλλοι ἢ δέει ἢ ἀπάτῃ ἢ ἀγνοίᾳ τῶν ὄντων συνῄνουν, μόνοι δὲ ∆ιονύσιος ὁ ῎Αλβας ἐπίσκοπος (᾿Ιταλίας δὲ ἥδε ἡ μητρόπολις) καὶ Εὐσέβιος ὁ Βερ-κέλλων τῆς Λιγυρίας, Παυλῖνος ὁ Τριβέρεως καὶ ῾Ροδανὸς καὶ Λουκίφερ ἀνέκραγον καὶ ἐμαρτύραντο μὴ χρῆναι ὡδὶ ῥᾳδίως καταδικάσαι ᾿Αθανασίου· μηδὲ γὰρ ἄχρι τούτου, εἰ γένοιτο, στήσεσθαι τὸ κακόν, χωρήσειν δὲ τὴν 4..4 ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ κατ' αὐτῶν τῶν ὀρθῶς περὶ θεοῦ δεδογμένων· ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τε τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστεως ταῦτα σπουδάζεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν τὰ ᾿Αρείου φρονούντων. καὶ οἱ μὲν ὧδε παρρησιασάμενοι ὑπερορίῳ 4..5 φυγῇ κατεδικάσθησαν, σὺν τούτοις δὲ καὶ ῾Ιλάριος. ἀληθῆ δὲ τοῦ ἐν Μεδιολάνῳ συλλόγου αἰτίαν εἶναι, ἣν ἔλεγον, ἐπιστοῦτο ἡ ἀπόβασις. οὐ πολλῷ γὰρ ὕστερον ἡ ἐν ᾿Αριμήνῳ καὶ Σελευκείᾳ σύνοδος συνελέγη, καὶ ἑκατέρα κατὰ τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ δεδογμένων νεωτερίζειν ἐπεχείρησεν, ὡς αὐτίκα ἐπιδείξω. 4..6 ᾿Αθανάσιος δὲ πυθόμενος ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, αὐτὸς μὲν πρὸς βασιλέα ἐλθεῖν οὔτε ἐθάρρησεν οὔτε λυσιτελεῖν ἐδοκίμασεν. ἐπιλεξάμενος δὲ τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐπισκόπων πέντε, ὧν ἦν Σεραπίων ὁ Θμουαῖος, ἀνὴρ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα τὸν βίον θεσπέσιος καὶ λέγειν δεινός, πέμπει ὡς βασιλέα πρὸς δύσιν τότε τῆς ἀρχομένης διάγοντα. συμπέμπει δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τῆς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἐκκλησίας πρεσβυτέρους τρεῖς καταλλάξοντας αὐτῷ τὸν κρατοῦντα καί, ἢν δέοι, πρὸς τὰς διαβολὰς τῶν ἐναντίων ἀπολογησομένους καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πράξοντας, ὅπῃ ἂν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ αὐτῷ ἄριστα γιγνώσκωσιν. 4..7 ἀποπλευσάντων δὲ αὐτῶν μετ' οὐ πολὺ γράμματα τοῦ βασιλέως ἐδέξατο καλοῦντα αὐτὸν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια. ἐπὶ δὲ τούτῳ αὐτός τε ᾿Αθανάσιος καὶ ὁ λαὸς τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐταράχθησαν