f the whole world's universe were it deceived by our
prevarication? The series of canons coming down from our fathers, and a
multifold tradition, establish that the authority of the Apostolic See is
set for all Christian ages over the whole Church. O emperor, if anyone made
any attempt against the public laws, you could not endure it; do you think
it is of no concern to your conscience that the people subject to you may
purely and sincerely worship God? Lastly, if it is thought that the feeling
of the people of one city should not be offended by the due correction of
divine things, how much more neither may we, nor can we, by offence of
divine things injure the faith of all who bear the Catholic name?"

How distinctly, and with what unfaltering conviction, the Pope of 494, then
locally a subject of Theodorick the Arian, set forth to the emperor at
Constantinople the universal authority of the Holy See, grounded on what he
calls the Apostle's glorious confession, on which followed the Divine Word
creating his office, is apparent through the whole of this magnificent
letter. Moreover, the distinction of the Two Powers and the character of
their relation to each other, and the divine character of each as a
delegation from God, solemnly uttered by the Pope Gelasius in 494 to the
Roman emperor so unworthy of the rank which the Pope recognised in him,
have passed into the law and practice of the Church during the 1400 years
which have since run out, and will form part of it for ever. Anastasius
disregarded all that the Pope said. He persecuted to the utmost his bishop
Euphemius, because, though not admitted to communion by the Pope, inasmuch
as he refused to erase from the diptychs the name of Acacius, he yet
vigorously maintained the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon. At length
the emperor, having ended his Isaurian wars and sufficiently strengthened
the Monophysite party, succeeded in deposing him in 496. His instruments
in this were the cowardly court bishops,[66] ready to be moved to anything,
who had also on this occasion to confirm the Henotikon of Zeno. Euphemius
was banished to Paphlagonia. The people rioted in the circus and demanded
his restoration, but in vain. However, they always venerated him as a
saint. While the emperor Anastasius was deposing at Constantinople the
bishop who withstood and reproved his conduct in supporting the Eutychean
heresy, while also he was compelling the resident council not only to
dep