Theodosius. His commissioners then proceeded to inquire into the guilt
of individuals; of those who had perpetrated, and of those who had not
prevented, the destruction of the sacred statues. The tribunal of
Hellebicus and Cæsarius, encompassed with armed soldiers, was erected
in the midst of the Forum. The noblest, and most wealthy, of the
citizens of Antioch appeared before them in chains; the examination
was assisted by the use of torture, and their sentence was pronounced
or suspended, according to the judgment of these extraordinary
magistrates. The houses of the criminals were exposed to sale, their
wives and children were suddenly reduced, from affluence and luxury,
to the most abject distress; and a bloody execution was expected to
conclude the horrors of the day, which the preacher of Antioch, the
eloquent Chrysostom, has represented as a lively image of the last and
universal judgment of the world. But the ministers of Theodosius
performed, with reluctance, the cruel task which had been assigned
them; they dropped a gentle tear over the calamities of the people;
and they listened with reverence to the pressing solicitations of the
monks and hermits, who descended in swarms from the mountains.
Hellebicus and Cæsarius were persuaded to suspend the execution of
their sentence; and it was agreed that the former should remain at
Antioch, while the latter returned, with all possible speed, to
Constantinople; and presumed once more to consult the will of his
sovereign. The resentment of Theodosius had already subsided; the
deputies of the people, both the bishop and the orator, had obtained a
favorable audience; and the reproaches of the emperor were the
complaints of injured friendship, rather than the stern menaces of
pride and power. A free and general pardon was granted to the city and
citizens of Antioch; the prison doors were thrown open; the senators,
who despaired of their lives, recovered the possession of their houses
and estates; and the capital of the East was restored to the enjoyment