Here the fourth century expires, beyond which as there is no great occasion, so I shall not search far. Ann. 401, Honorious granted the ground and buildings heretofore belonging to temples, and which served to no more public use or ornament of the city, to the curiales and corporations, under several clauses and conditions.' Seven years after he ordered, that the corn usually paid to temples, should be taken away, and be bestowed upon the soldiery; that if any images were left in temples, groves, or any other places, they should be removed; that the temples themselves, whether in cities, villages, or in the open fields, be converted to public uses; those that stood within the emperor's patrimony, should be put to some convenient use; those within the possessions of private persons, to be destroyed; altars to be everywhere demolished; all pagan feasts, sports, and solemnities to be put down: that the bishops of the several places should have power to see this done, and a severe fine is set upon the head of all judges and officers that neglected the execution of it; and that none that were enemies to the Catholic church should bear arms in any of the palatine offices, nor be nearly employed under the prince, who refused to be of the same faith and religion with him:3 a law that equally struck at heathens and heretics. The next year he banished all haruspices, magicians, &c. out of Rome, and all other cities, unless they would bring the books of their curious arts, and burn them in the presence of the bishop of that 1 Ubi supr. lib. xv. tit. i. 1. 41. 2 Ib. lib. xvi. tit, x. 1. 19. 3 Ib. tit. v. 1. 42. Vid. Zosim. lib. v. p. 820. place, and engage never to return to their old errors again.' 9 Theodosius the younger, who succeeded his father in the eastern empire, ann. 416, made Gentiles incapable of bearing arms, or being admitted to places of honour and authority; and seven years after he speaks of Pagans, as if there were none left; (pagani qui supersunt, quanquam jam nullos esse credamus, &c.) and that if there were, the former laws should be revived against them.3 Ann. 426, he once more forbad all pagan oblations, sacrifices, with all their rites and mysteries, and if any of their temples, chapels, or consecrated places were yet standing, the magistrate should take care to strip them of their superstitious use, and expiate them by placing a cross, the venerable ensign of the Christian religion in them; and that if any were proved guilty of having thus sacrificed, before a competent judge, he should forfeit his life. This it seems was a parting blow, nor do we meet with any thing further concerning these matters in the imperial laws of these times, nor indeed is any thing considerable to be found in history. Partly by the clear light and conviction of the Christian doctrine, everywhere plainly and constantly preached, partly by the force and severity of the laws of the empire, heathenism dwindled into nothing, and that little that was left crept into holes and corners to hide its head, according to the prediction long since of the prophet Isaiah, that 'the idols should utterly be abolished, and should go into the holes of the Ubi supr. lib. ix. tit. xvi. 1. 12. 2 Ib. lib. xvi. tit. x. 1. 21. 3 Ib. 1. 22, 23. • Ib. 1. 25. rocks, and into the caves of the earth, and that men should cast their idols of silver and of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats.' fit company for such blind idolaters. Thus we have seen how paganism ebbed and flowed in the reigns of the several princes, after Christianity became the religion of the empire, until it was quite beaten out of doors. The effects of which whole account, I shall sum up in the words of Theodoret: "Constantine the Great," says he, "a prince worthy of all honourable commendation, and who first adorned the imperial throne with piety, when he saw the world running mad after idolatry, expressly forbad that any should sacrifice to demons. Their temples indeed he did not pull down, but only commanded them to be shut up. His sons came after, and trod in their father's steps; but Julian revived paganism, and added new fuel to old errors and impieties. To him succeeded Jovian, who again prohibited the worship of idols. The elder Valentinian governed the west, according to the same rules and measures; while Valens in the east permitted indeed all others to worship and adore what they had a mind to, but constantly persecuted those (and those only) who held to the catholic and apostolic doctrine. All this time the altars smoked with incense, and the Gentiles undisturbedly brought their sacrifices and drink-offerings to their images, and kept their public feasts in the open market-place. The priests and votaries of Bacchus, clad in goats' skins, ran up and down, tearing dogs in pieces, howling and making dread 1 Is. ii. 20. ful noises, and behaving themselves in the most wild and frantic manner, with the rest of those mad ceremonies, wherewith they were wont to celebrate the festival of their deity. All which, the most religious prince Theodosius, when he came to the empire, did utterly extirpate and abolish, and drove them into an eternal silence." 1 Lib. v. c. 21, p. 226. |