surd, and the whole way of living quite as sumptuous and helpless
as in the times of heathenism. Good people tried to live apart. More
than ever became monks and hermits; and a number of ladies, who had been
much struck with St. Jerome's teaching, made up a sort of society at
Rome which busied itself in good works and devotion. Two of the ladies,
a mother and daughter, followed him to the Holy Land, and dwelt in a
convent at Bethlehem.

Maximus after a time advanced into Italy, and Valentinian fled to ask
the help of Theodosius, who came with an army, defeated and slew
Maximus, and restored Valentinian, but only for a short time, for the
poor youth was soon murdered by a Frank chief in his own service named
Arbogastes.

CHAPTER XL.

THEODOSIUS THE GREAT.

392-395.

The Frank, Arbogastes, who had killed Valentinian did not make himself
Emperor, but set up a heathen philosopher called Eugenius, who for a
little while restored all the heathen pomp and splendor, and opened the
temples again, threatening even to take away the churches and turn the
chief one at Milan into a stable. They knew that Theodosius would soon
come to attack them, so they prepared for a great resistance in the
passes of the Julian Alps, and the image of the Thundering Jupiter was
placed to guard them.

[Illustration]

Theodosius had collected his troops and marched under the Labarum--that
is to say, the Cross of Constantine, which had been the ensign of the
imperial army ever since the battle of the Milvian Bridge. It was the
cross combined with the two first Greek letters of the name Christ,
[Symbol: Greek chi & rho combined], and was carried, as the eagles had
been, above a purple silk banner. The men of Eugenius bore before them a
figure of Hercules, and in the first battle they gained the advantage,
for the more ignorant Eastern soldiers, though Christians, could not get
rid of the notion that there was some sort of power in a heathen god,
and thought Jupiter and Hercules were too strong for them.

But Theodosius rallied them and led them back, so that they gained a
great victory, and a terrible storm and whirlwind which fell at the same
time upon the host of Eugenius made the Christian army feel the more
sure that God fought on their side. Eugenius was taken and put to death,
and Arbogastes fell on his own sword.

Theodosius thus united the empires of the East and West once more. He
was a brave and gallant soldier, and a good