CHAPTER VI

DREAMS OF THEODOSIUS

IN the meantime the admirable general saw a vision which was evidently revealed to him by the God of all. He thought that Melitius, the bishop of the church of Antioch, invested him with the imperial robes, and placed the crown upon his head. He saw this vision during the night; and in the morning he mentioned it to one of his friends, who told him that the dream was certainly neither enigmatical nor ambiguous. After the lapse of a few days the messengers who had been sent to inspect the field of battle returned, and reported that thousands of the barbarians had fallen. The emperor believed their assertion, rejoiced that he had appointed so excellent a general, associated him with himself in the government of the empire, gave to him all the Eastern provinces which had been held by Valens, and then returned to Italy. As soon as Theodosius obtained the imperial government, his first endeavour was to restore concord among the churches. He assembled all the bishops of his part of the empire to Constantinople. The Arian heresy was received in this city alone, all the other regions of the Western empire having been happily preserved from it. Constantine, the eldest son of Constantine, and Constans the youngest son, had preserved inviolate the faith of their father, and Valentinian, the emperor of the West, had carefully fostered religion.