ntains a welcome refuge from his
hated diocese of Sasima. If none of the living Nicenes could pretend to
rival Athanasius, they at least outmatched the Arians.

[Sidenote: Gratian's toleration.]

As Valens left no children, the Empire rested for the moment in the
hands of his nephew, Gratian, a youth of not yet twenty. Gratian,
however, was wise enough to see that it was no time to cultivate
religious quarrels. He, therefore, began by proclaiming toleration to
all but Anomoeans and Photinians. As toleration was still the theory
of the Empire, and none but the Nicenes were practically molested, none
but the Nicenes gained anything by the edict. But mere toleration was
all they needed. The exiled bishops found little difficulty in resuming
the government of their flocks, and even in sending missions to Arian
strongholds. The Semiarians were divided. Numbers went over to the
Nicenes, while others took up an independent or Macedonian position. The
Homoean power in the provinces fell of itself before it was touched by
persecution. It scarcely even struggled against its fate. At Jerusalem
indeed party spirit ran as high as ever, but Alexandria was given up to
Peter almost without resistance. We find one or two outrages like the
murder of Eusebius of Samosata by an Arian woman in a country town, who
threw down a tile on his head, but we hardly ever find a Homoean
bishop heartily supported by his flock.

[Sidenote: Gregory of Nazianzus.]

Constantinople itself was now the chief stronghold of the Arians. They
had held the churches since 340, and were steadily supported by the
court. Thus the city populace was devoted to Arianism, and the Nicenes
were a mere remnant, without either church or teacher. The time,
however, was now come for a mission to the capital. Gregory of Nazianzus
was the son of Bishop Gregory, born about the time of the Nicene
council. His father was already presbyter of Nazianzus, and held the
bishopric for nearly half a century. [Sidenote: 329-374.] Young Gregory
was a student of many schools. From the Cappadocian Caesarea he went on
to the Palestinian, and thence to Alexandria; but Athens was the goal of
his student-life. Gregory and Basil and Prince Julian met at the feet of
Proaeresius. They all did credit to his eloquence, but there the likeness
ends. Gregory disliked Julian's strange, excited manner, and persuaded
himself in later years that he had even then foreseen the evil of the
apostate's reign.