favor of the Arians, became very ill. The priest who
attended her on her deathbed, a friend and tool of Eusebius of
Nicomedia, induced her to persuade Constantine, who visited her
continually during her illness, that Arius and his friends had been
unjustly condemned and that the judgment of God would fall on him and
his empire in consequence. Constantine, always easily influenced by
his immediate surroundings, began to waver. Constantia soon died, but
the Arian priest continued the work that had been so successfully
begun. Arius believed all that the Church believed, he pleaded; let
him at least be allowed to come into the presence of the Emperor; let
him have a chance to prove his innocence.

Although Constantine had heard with his own ears the blasphemies of
the heresiarch, although he had approved so heartily of the decision
of the Council which condemned him and had enforced it with the power
of the State, he gave way before the persuasions of this stranger.

"If Arius can assure me that he believes the profession of Faith set
forth by the Council of Nicea," he said, "he may return."

The good news was instantly made known to the heretic and his friends,
and Arius hastened to Constantinople, where he was admitted into the
Emperor's presence.

"Is it true that you believe what the Church teaches?" asked
Constantine.

"I take my solemn oath that I believe what I hold in my hand," replied
Arius, unfolding the Nicene Creed.

In the hollow of his palm was concealed a statement of his own false
doctrines, but this the Emperor could not know. He professed himself
satisfied, and thus the seed was sown which was to bring forth bitter
fruit during centuries to come.

With Arius recalled, there was no longer any reason why Eusebius and
Theognis, who declared that they shared his opinions, should remain in
banishment. Once in Constantinople, Eusebius regained all his old
influence over the Emperor.

From that day forth, the Constantine of the heavenly vision, the
Constantine of the Council of Nicea, noble, wise and humble,
disappears from the pages of history, and a man changeable, capricious
and uncertain takes his place.

The first act of Eusebius and Theognis was to drive out the Catholic
Bishops who had been elected to replace them in their sees; the second
was to look about them to see who was likely to stand in their way.
Eustathius, the Bishop of Antioch, an intrepid defender of the Faith,
must be gotten rid