rest of the Egyptian army agree to
their choice.

This was in the year 265. The new emperor called himself Alexander, and
was even thought to deserve the name. He governed Egypt during his short
reign with great vigour. He led his army through the Thebaid, and drove
back the barbarians with a courage and activity which had latterly been
uncommon in the Egyptian army. Alexandria then sent no tribute to Rome.
"Well! cannot we live without Egyptian linen?" was the forced joke of
Gallienus, when the Romans were in alarm at the loss of the usual supply
of grain. But AEmilianus was soon beaten by Theodotus, the general of
Gallienus, who besieged him in the strong quarter of Alexandria called
the Bruchium, and then took him prisoner and strangled him.

During this siege the ministers of Christianity were able to lessen some
of the horrors of war by persuading the besiegers to allow the useless
mouths to quit the blockaded fortress. Eusebius, afterwards Bishop of
Laodicea, was without the trenches trying to lessen the cruelties of the
siege; and Anatolius, the Christian peripatetic, was within the walls,
endeavouring to persuade the rebels to surrender. Gallienus in gratitude
to his general would have granted him the honour of a proconsular
triumph, to dazzle the eyes of the Alexandrians; but the policy of
Augustus was not wholly forgotten, and the emperor was reminded by
the priests that it was unlawful for the consular fasces to enter
Alexandria.

The late Emperor Valerian had begun his reign with mild treatment of
the Christians; but he was overpersuaded by the Alexandrians. He then
allowed the power of the magistrate to be used, in order to check the
Christian religion. But in this weakness of the empire Gallienus could
no longer with safety allow the Christians to be persecuted for their
religion. Both their numbers and their station made it dangerous to
treat them as enemies; and the emperor ordered all persecution to be
stopped. The imperial rescript for that purpose was even addressed to
"Dionysius, Pinna, Demetrius, and the other bishops;" it grants them
full indulgence in the exercise of their religion, and by its very
address almost acknowledges their rank in the state. By this edict of
Gallienus the Christians were put on a better footing than at any time
since their numbers brought them under the notice of the magistrate.

[Illustration: 158b.jpg EGYPTIAN SLAVE]

From the painting by Siefert

When the b