not hesitate to imprison several priests and clergy.[2] Eulogius complains that the churches were deprived of their ministers, and the customary church rites were in abeyance, “while the spider wove her web in the deserted aisles, tenanted only by a dreadful silence.”  In this passage the writer doubtless gives reins to his imagination, yet there must have been a certain amount of truth in the main assertion, for he repeats it again and again.[3]

The evidence of Alvar is to the same effect:  “Have not those who seemed to be columns of the church, the very rocks on which it is founded, who were deemed the elect of God, have they not, I say, in the presence of these Cynics, or rather of these Epicureans, under no compulsion, but of their own free will, spoken evil of the martyrs of God?  Have not the shepherds of Christ, the teachers of the Church, bishops, abbots, priests, the chiefs of our hierarchy, and its mighty men, publicly denounced the martyrs of our Church as heretics?"[4]

    [1] “Life of Eulog.,” ch. i. sec. 4.

[2] Alvar, “Life of Eulog.,” ii. sec. 4—­“Omnes sacerdotes quos potuit carcerali vinculo alligavit.”  Eul., “Doc.  Martyr,” sec. 11—­“Repleta sunt penetralia carceris clericorum catervis, viduata est ecclesia sacro praesulum et sacerdotum officio ... privata prorsus ecclesia omni sacro ministerio.”  Alvar, “Ind.  Lum.,” secs. 14, 18—­“Templa Christi a sacrificio desolata, et loca sancta ab ethnicis exstirpata.”

[3] Eul., “Doc.  Mart.,” sec. 16—­“Eremitatem ecclesiarum, compeditionem sacerdotum ... et quod non est nobis in hoc tempore sacrificium nec holocaustum nee oblatio.”  Cp.  Ep. ad Wilies, sec. 10.

    [4] Alvar, “Ind.  Lum.,” sec. 14.

Not content with imprisoning the fanatics, the party of order forced them to swear that they would not snatch at the martyr’s palm by speaking evil of the Prophet.[1] Those who disobeyed were threatened with unheard-of penalties, with loss of limbs, and merciless scourgings.[2] This last statement must be taken with reservation, at least if put into the mouth of the Christian party under Reccafredus.  It is extremely unlikely that Christian bishops and priests should have had recourse to such treatment of their coreligionists:  yet they had a spiritual weapon ready to their hands, and they were not slow to use it.  They anathematised[3] those who aided and abetted the zealots; and Eulogius himself seems to have narrowly escaped their sentence of excommunication.[4]

[1] Ibid., sec. 15—­“Ne ad martyrii surgerent palmam, iuramentum extorsimus ... et maledictum ne maledictionibus impeterent, evangelio et cruce educta, vi iurare improbiter fecimus.”

    [2] Ibid., cp.  Alvar, “Life of Eulog.,” iv. sec. 12—­“Duris
    tormentis agitati, commoti sunt.”

[3] Eulog., “Mem.  Sanct.” i. sec. 28—­“Ne ceteri ad huiusmodi palaestram discurrant schedulis anathematum per loca varia damnari iubentur.”  Alvar, “Ind.  Lum.,” sec. 31—­“Plerosque patres anathematizantes talia patientes.”

    [4] Eulog., “Mem.  Sanct.,” iii. c. iv. sec. 5.