as not strong enough to resist
them.

Eusebius determined to take a bold step--he would appeal to the Pope,
and he promptly set to work to compose a letter which was a
masterpiece of deceit.

"Athanasius has been deposed by a Council of the Church," he wrote.
"His return was therefore unlawful." An account of all the charges
brought against the Patriarch at the Council of Tyre followed. "Ink
does not stain the soul," observed Eusebius lightly, as lie after lie
took shape upon the paper.

The letter was sent to Rome by three trusty friends, but Pope Julius
was not so easily deceived. He knew more about the matter than the
Arians thought--so much, indeed, that the chief of the three envoys
left suddenly during the night, fearful of what might come to light on
the morrow. The two others, losing their heads completely, agreed to
meet Athanasius at a synod at which the Pope himself should preside.

Eusebius was beside himself when he heard of this arrangement. To
appear in some Western town, with no Emperor to back him up, and to
urge against Athanasius, in the presence of the Pope, charges which he
knew to be false, was a program which did not appeal to him at all.
Taking the law into his own hands, he called a council of his friends
and elected an Arian called Gregory in Athanasius' place.

Even if the Patriarch had been rightly deposed, the Egyptian Bishops
alone could have elected his successor; but Eusebius and his party had
long since ceased to care for right or justice. Theodore, the Governor
of Egypt, was known to be a good Catholic and friendly to Athanasius.
He was therefore removed, and an apostate called Philagrius, notorious
for his violence and cruelty, was put in his place. The first act of
this man was to publish an edict stating that Gregory was the
Patriarch of Alexandria and that Athanasius was to be treated as an
enemy. With armed troops he then took possession of the city churches,
while Gregory, with a strong escort of soldiers, made his entrance
into the town. All who resisted were imprisoned, scourged or slain. To
prevent further bloodshed, Athanasius left Alexandria and set out for
Rome. The first news that he heard on reaching Italy was that his
friend and patron Constantine II was dead.

Chapter 7
THE DAY OF REJOICING

IT was an evil day for Alexandria. Most of the Egyptian Bishops
refused to acknowledge Gregory and were instantly arrested. Some were
banished, some tortured, some im