CAP. XXIX.
After the desease of Sisinius Bishop of Constantinople Nestorius was sent for to Anti∣och for to enioy the bishoprick, who immediatly reuealed him selfe what kinde of man he was.
IT seemed good vnto the Emperour after the desease of Sisinius because ofdiuers vaine glorious persons to chuse none of that Church to be bishop (though many made sute for Philip, and many againe for Proclus) but determined with him selfe to send for a straunger out of Antioch. there was in those dayes there a man whose name was Nestorius, by birth he was a Germaine, a loude voice he had and an eloquent tongue, and therefore as it was thought a fitt man to preach vnto the people. They put their heades together, they sent for Nestorius and brought him from Antioch to Constantinople three moneths after: who though his temperance was highly commended of ma∣ny, yet the wisest sort and sagest people perceaued well inough his other conditions when he first beganne to preach. for immediatly after his stalling in the bishops sea the tenth day of Aprill & the Consulship of Felix and Taurus, he gaue forth in the hearing of all the people such a saying as fol∣loweth, at the pronouncing of his oration before the Emperour: Restore thou vnto me O Empe∣rour the earth weeded & purged of hereticks, and I will render heauen vnto thee: ayde thou me in ••oyling of the hereticks and I will asist thee in the ouerthrowing of the Persians. Although such as detested the hereticks tooke these words in good part: yet such as by his outward behauiour ga∣thered the inward disposition of his minde, could not chuse but espie his hautie stomacke, his hasty & running braine, his foolish feeding on vaine glory, specially seeing yt by and by he bolted out such rash & vnaduised sayings. Nay we may say (as the common prouerbe goeth) that the citie had not drunke before he beganne to blowe the smoke and the burning flame of persecution. for the fift day after he was chosen bishop, when he determined with him selfe to ouerthrowe the church of the A∣rians where they had their seruice priuely and by stelth, he so troubled and disquieted their mindes that when they saw their Church must needes downe, they put to their owne hands & fired it them selues, the which fire fell vpon the next houses and burned them to ashes, so that there was much adoe in the citie, and the Arians rose vp to reuenge them of their enemies. But God the defender and conseruer of the citie suffered not that pestilent infection of rankor & malice to runne any fur∣ther. from that time forth not onely the hereticks but such as were of his owne faith and opinion called Nestorius a firebrande. Neyther rested he with this but destroyed as much as in him lay the whole citie while he went about to mischiefe the hereticks. Againe he fell a molesting of the No∣uatians onely because Paulus their bishop was famous and much spoken of for his zeale and god∣lines. but the Emperour bridled and withstoode his enterprise with sharp admonitions & nipping words. I thinke it best to runne ouer with silence the vexations and iniuries he did vnto such as ce∣lebrated the feaste of Easter the foureteeneth daye of the moneth throughout Asia, Lydia and Ca∣ria, and how many were cast away in the sedition which he raysed at Miletum and Sardis. But as for the plague and punishment he suffered partly for the aforesayd causes, and partly also for his malapert tongue, I will lay it downe in an other place.