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AT Constantinople the Arians filled a boat with pious presbyters and
drove her without ballast out to sea, putting some of their own men on
another craft with orders to set the presbyters' boat on fire. So,
fighting at the same time against both sea and flames, at last they
were delivered to the deep, and won the martyrs' crown.
At Antioch Valens spent a considerable time, and gave complete
license to all who, under cover of the Christian name, pagans, Jews
and the rest, preached doctrines contrary to those of the gospel. The
slaves of this error even went so far as to perform pagan rites, and
thus the deceitful fire which, after Julian, had been quenched by
Jovian, was now rekindled by permission of Valens. The rites of
Jews, of Dionysus, and of Demeter were now no longer performed in a
corner, as they would be in a pious reign, but by revellers running
wild in the forum. Valens was a foe to none but them that held the
apostolic doctrine. First he drove them from their churches, the
illustrious Jovian having given them also the new built church. And
when they assembled close up to the mountain cliff to honour their
Master in hymns, and enjoy the word of God, putting up with all the
assaults of the weather, now of rain, now of snow and cold, and now
of violent heat, they were not even suffered this poor protection, and
troops were sent to scatter them far and wide.
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