n, the Alexandrians,
in recollection of the former rights of the Church, still claimed the
appointment. They sent John, a priest of their own faith and dean of the
church of John the Baptist, as their ambassador to Constantinople, not
to remonstrate against the late acts of the emperor, but to beg that on
future occasions the Alexandrians might be allowed the old privilege of
choosing their own bishop. The Emperor Zeno seems to have seen through
the ambassador's earnestness, and he first bound him by an oath not to
accept the bishopric if he should even be himself chosen to it, and
he then sent him back with the promise that the Alexandrians should
be allowed to choose their own patriarch on the next vacancy. But
unfortunately John's ambition was too strong for his oath, and on the
death of Timotheus, which happened soon afterwards, he spent a large
sum of money in bribes among the clergy and chief men of the city, and
thereby got himself chosen patriarch. On this, the emperor seems to have
thought only of punishing John, and he at once gave up the struggle with
the Egyptians. Believing that, of the two patriarchs who had been chosen
by the people, Peter Mongus, who was living in banishment, would be
found more dutiful than John, who was on the episcopal throne, he
banished John and recalled Peter; and the latter agreed to the terms of
an imperial edict which Zeno then put forth, to heal the disputes in
the Egyptian church, and to recall the province to obedience. This
celebrated peace-making edict, usually called the Henoticon, is
addressed to the clergy and laity of Alexandria, Egypt, Libya, and the
Pentapolis, and is an agreement between the emperor and the bishops who
countersigned it, that neither party should ever mention the decrees of
the council of Chalcedon, which were the great stumbling-block with the
Egyptians.

[Illustration: 285.jpg STREET SPRINKLER AT ALEXANDRIA]

But in all other points the Henoticon is little short of a surrender to
the people of the right to choose their own creed; it styles Mary the
mother of God, and allows that the decrees of the council of Nicaea and
Constantinople contain all that is important of the true faith. John,
when banished by Zeno, like many of the former deposed bishops, fled to
Rome for comfort and for help. There he met with the usual support; and
Felix, Bishop of Rome, wrote to Constantinople, remonstrating with Zeno
for dismissing the patriarch. But this was only a