Complete Extant Works of Saint Ambrose, Vol. I

meanwhile was sitting in the palace, shedding a great flood of tears. When Rufinus, who was then the Magister officiorum Master of Offices, and who possessed great freedom of speech, as he was very familiar [with the Emperor], noticed this, he approached the prince and inquired the cause of his tears. He, groaning more bitterly and shedding more abundant tears, said: You, indeed, Rufinus, are joking; for you feel my evils not at all. But I truly groan and grieve, considering my calamity; for the Church of God is open to slaves and beggars, into which they enter freely, and supplicate their Lord. But to me, the approach to the Church is interdicted, and furthermore, the doors of heaven are closed. For I am mindful of the Lord's voice, which distinctly says: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound also in heaven. Then Rufinus: I will run, he said, if it pleases you, and I will entreat the bishop to loosen your bonds. To whom the Emperor: You will not persuade Ambrose, he said; I know the equity of his sentence. He will never, out of reverence for imperial power, violate the law of God. But when Rufinus insisted, and promised that he would persuade Ambrose, the Emperor ordered him to go at once. Nor long after, he himself also followed, as hope enticed him, believing in the promises of Rufinus.

"But the divine Ambrose, as soon as he