Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume II/Socrates/Book VII/Chapter 23
Chapter XXIII.—After the Death of the Emperor Honorius John usurps the Sovereignty at Rome. He is destroyed through the Prayers of Theodosius the Younger.
When the Emperor Honorius died Theodosius—now sole ruler—having received the news concealed the truth as long as possible, misleading the people sometimes with one report, and then with another. But he privately dispatched a military force to Salonæ, a city of Dalmatia, that in the event of any revolutionary movement in the West there might be resources at hand to check it; and after making these provisional arrangements, he at length openly announced his uncle’s death. In the meantime John, the superintendent of the emperor’s secretaries,[1]
not content with the dignity to which he had already attained, seized upon the sovereign authority; and sent an embassy to the emperor Theodosius, requesting that he might be recognized as his colleague in the empire. But that prince first caused the ambassadors to be arrested, then sent off Ardaburius, the commander-in-chief of the army, who had greatly distinguished himself in the Persian war.[2]
He, on arriving at Salonæ, set sail from thence for Aquileia. And
he was fortunate as was thought, but fortune was adverse to him as it
afterwards appeared. For a contrary wind having arisen, he was driven
into the usurper’s hand. The latter having seized him became more
sanguine in his hope that the emperor would be induced by the urgency
of the case to elect and proclaim him emperor, in order to preserve the
life of his general-in-chief. And the emperor was in fact greatly
distressed when he heard of it, as was also the army which had been
sent against the usurper, lest Ardaburius should be subjected to evil
treatment by the usurper. Aspar the son of Ardaburius, having learnt
that his father was in the usurper’s power, and aware at the same
time that the party of the rebels was strengthened by the accession of
immense numbers of barbarians, knew not what course to pursue. Then
again at this crisis the prayer of the pious emperor prevailed. For an
angel of God, under the appearance of a shepherd, undertook the
guidance of Aspar and the troops which were with him, and led him
through the lake near Ravenna—for in that city the usurper was
then residing—and there detained the military chief. Now, no one
had ever been known to have forded that lake before; but God then
rendered that passable, which had hitherto been impassable. Having
therefore crossed the lake, as if going over dry ground, they found the
gates of the city open, and overpowered the usurper. This event
afforded that most devout emperor an opportunity of giving a fresh
demonstration of his piety towards God. For the news of the
usurper’s being destroyed, having arrived while he was engaged at
the exhibition of the sports of the Hippodrome, he immediately said to
the people: ‘Come now, if you please, let us leave these
diversions, and proceed to the church to offer thanksgivings to God,
whose hand has overthrown the usurper.’ Thus did he address them;
and the spectacles were immediately forsaken and neglected, the people
all passing out of the circus singing praises together with him, as
with one heart and one voice. And arriving at the church, the whole
city again became one congregation; and once in the church they passed
the remainder of the day in these devotional exercises.