s bore witness to the fact;
Cecilian of Carthage, intrepid and faithful guardian of his flock;
James of Nisibis, who had lived for years in the desert in caves and
mountains; Spyridion, the shepherd Bishop of Cyprus, and the great St.
Nicholas of Myra, both famed for their miracles.

Among the Bishops of the West were Theophilus the Goth, golden-haired
and ruddy, who had won thousands to the Faith; and Hosius the
Spaniard, known as "the holy," who had been named by the Pope as his
representative; together with the two Papal Legates, Vito and Vincent.
Among those of the Eastern Church were the venerable St. Macarius,
Bishop of Jerusalem, and St. Amphion, who had been put to the torture
in the reign of Diocletian.

Last but not least came the aged Patriarch of Alexandria, the chief
prelate of the Eastern Church, who had brought with him as his
assistant the young deacon Athanasius.

Of the 318 Bishops present, seventeen, headed by Eusebius of
Nicomedia, were in sympathy with Arius. They were but a small number,
it is true, yet Eusebius was the adviser of Constantine and the friend
of his sister Constantia. He relied on his influence with the Emperor
and his well-known powers of persuasion.

* * * * *

The day has come for the opening of the Council. The Bishops and
clergy are assembled in a great hall which has been prepared for this
purpose. In the center, upon a splendid throne, lies a copy of the
Four Gospels, symbol of the presence of Christ in the midst of His
Church. At the upper end a small gilt throne has been erected for the
Emperor, while the Bishops and the clergy sit on seats and benches
running the whole way around the hall.

A quick whisper suddenly breaks the silence: "The Emperor!" and the
whole assembly rises to its feet. Few of those present have seen the
man whose name is on every lip, a Caesar and a Christian!

Alone and unattended, with bent head and humble mien, the Emperor
crosses the threshold. A man of noble presence and of royal dignity,
he wears the robe of Imperial purple blazing with gold and precious
stones; the Imperial crown is on his head. There are some there who
have seen that Imperial purple before, but under what different
circumstances--"Hail, Caesar; those about to die salute thee!"

He advances slowly and with faltering footsteps between the ranks of
Bishops standing to do him honor. Constantine the Great, the conqueror
of the Roman world, trembles in the presence