a warm friend of the
Emperor Theodosius, he denounced the latter's cruel massacre of the
people of Thessalonica, and, when Theodosius came to the church of
Ambrose to worship, he was met at the door by the brave bishop and denied
admittance.

"Do you," he cried, "who have been guilty of shedding innocent blood,
dare to enter the sanctuary?"

The emperor for eight months refrained from communion; then he applied
for absolution, which was granted him after he had done public penance.
He also promised in the future never to execute a death sentence within
thirty days of its pronouncement.

It was at Milan that the pious Monica experienced the joy of seeing her
tears and prayers answered in the conversion of her famous son,
Augustine. The latter, who had come to Milan in the year 384 as a teacher
of oratory, was attracted at first by the eloquence of Ambrose's
preaching. It was not long, however, before the Word of God began to grip
the heart of the skeptical, sensual youth. At length he was induced to
begin anew the study of the Scripture, and his conversion followed. It
was on Easter Sunday, 387 A.D., that he received the rite of holy baptism
at the hands of Bishop Ambrose. There is a beautiful tradition that the
_Te Deum Laudamus_ was composed under inspiration and recited alternately
by Ambrose and Augustine immediately after the latter had been baptized.
However, there is little to substantiate this legend, and it is more
likely that the magnificent hymn of praise was a compilation of a later
date, based on a very ancient Greek version.

As Athanasius was the defender of the doctrine of the Trinity in the
East, so Ambrose was its champion in the West. It is natural, therefore,
that many of the hymns of Ambrose center around the deity of Christ.
There are at least twelve Latin hymns that can be ascribed with certainty
to him. Perhaps his best hymn is _Veni, Redemptor gentium_, which Luther
prized very highly and which was one of the first he translated into
German. The English translation, "Come, Thou Saviour of our race," is by
William R. Reynolds. Another Advent hymn, "Now hail we our Redeemer," is
sometimes ascribed to Ambrose.

The beloved bishop, whose life had been so stormy, passed peacefully to
rest on Easter evening, 397 A.D. Thus was seemingly granted beautiful
fulfilment to the prayer Ambrose utters in one of his hymns:

Grant to life's day a calm unclouded ending,
An eve untouched by shadows