The visit to the monasteries was the termination of
the pastoral tour, after which Athanasius set sail
northward, going downstream back to Alexandria. As he
parted with Theodorus and his monks, the illustrious Pope
chanted the words of the 137 psalm: "If I forget thee, O
Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do
not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my
mouth: if I remember not Jerusalem above my chief
joy".^58
- It was a good thing that Athanasius had a chance
to make this heart-warming tour, for Valens – like other
Emperors before him – succumbed to the influence of the
Arian Bishop of Constantinople and unexpectedly issued
an edict that all Orthodox bishops be banished from their
Sees. He also threatened that the magistrates and prefects
who did not enforce his commands would be held
answerable for it.
At the first rumours of the imperial menace, the
Alexandrians flew into a passion, expressing their
readiness to withstand any consequences rather than
expose their aging Father to another banishment. They
assembled in masses and dispatched notes of strong
protest to their governor.
At first the governor seemed unmoved by these
protests and unwilling to risk the consequences of going
against the Emperor's order. When, however, he sensed
that the people’s anger was rising to a boiling point, and
that any action against Athanasius might lead to riots and
bloodshed, he decided it would be wiser to forestall such
an eventuality. Hence he ceded to their wishes and
permitted the illustrious Pope to remain in his capital.
Having done that, he immediately dispatched information
of his decision to the Emperor, justifying it on the