id spread. There is
a solemnity in the truthful accusation which Faustus makes to Augustine:
"You have substituted your agapae for the sacrifices of the pagans; for
their idols your martyrs, whom you serve with the very same honours. You
appease the shades of the dead with wine and feasts; you celebrate the
solemn festivals of the Gentiles, their calends and their solstices; and
as to their manners, those you have retained without any alteration.
Nothing distinguishes you from the pagans except that you hold your
assemblies apart from them."

[Sidenote: Relative action of faith and philosophy.]

[Sidenote: The emperors resist their ecclesiastical allies.]

As we have seen in the last chapter, the course of political affairs had
detached the power of the state from the philosophical and polytheistic
parties. Joined to the new movement, it was not long before it gave
significant proofs of the sincerity of its friendship by commencing an
active persecution of the remnant of philosophy. It is to be borne in
mind that the direction of the proselytism, which was thus leading to
important results, was from below upward through society. As to
philosophy, its action had been in the other direction; its depository
in the few enlightened, in the few educated; its course, socially, from
above downward. Under these circumstances, it was obvious enough that
the prejudices of the ignorant populace would find, in the end, a full
expression; that learning would have no consideration shown to it, or
would be denounced as mere magic; that philosophy would be looked upon
as a vain, and therefore sinful pursuit. When once a political aspirant
has bidden with the multitude for power, and still depends on their
pleasure for effective support, it is no easy thing to refuse their
wishes or hold back from their demands. Even Constantine himself felt
the pressure of the influence to which he was allied, and was compelled
to surrender his friend Sopater, the philosopher, who was accused of
binding the winds in an adverse quarter by the influence of magic, so
that the corn-ships could not reach Constantinople; and the emperor was
obliged to give orders for his decapitation to satisfy the clamours in
the theatre. Not that such requisitions were submitted to without a
struggle, or that succeeding sovereigns were willing to make their
dignity tacitly subordinate to ecclesiastical domination. It was the aim
of Constantine to make theology a branch of