_Constantius_, having thus gained over to the Heterodox Party the celebrated Bishop of _Cordoua_, and sent those into Exile, whom he apprehended most capable of traversing his Design, resolved to assemble a Council, not doubting but he should be able, by some means or other, to prevail upon the Members, that composed it, to approve and embrace the Doctrine, which he was labouring with indefatigable Pains to establish. Accordingly he writ to the chief Bishops of each Province, injoining them to meet in the Name of the rest, at an appointed Time, in the City of _Nicomedia_[863]. [Sidenote: _which City is destroyed by an Earthquake_.] In Compliance with his Orders the Bishops immediately set out; but, while they were on the Road, they were stopped by the News that was brought them of the utter Destruction of the City of _Nicomedia_ by a sudden and most dreadful Earthquake. This public Calamity happened on the 24th of _August_ 358[864]. and the _Arians_, in the Account which they transmitted of it to Court, assured the Emperor, that several Bishops, who were for _Consubstantiality_, had been buried under the Ruins of the great Church[865]. It was probably, by this Account, that _Philostorgius_ was deceived and misled, when he writ, that Fifteen Bishops, who were all Defenders of _Consubstantiality_, were crushed to Pieces by the Fall of the Church, together with _Cecrops_ Bishop of the City[866]. But _Sozomen_ assures us, that, when the Church fell, there was not a single Person in it; and that Two Bishops only perished in the Earthquake, _viz._ _Cecrops_, who was an _Arian_, and a Bishop of _Bosporus_[867]. [Sidenote: _The Council appointed to meet at_ Nice.] This Misfortune obliged the Emperor to change the Place of the Council; and accordingly Letters were immediately dispatched to all the Bishops, ordering them to repair to _Nice_, which City was suggested to him by _Basilius_, the _Semi-Arian_ Bishop of _Ancyra_, with a Design, says _Theodoret_[868], to eclipse the Glory and Authority of the First Council by the Confusion of Two. Be that as it will, the Bishops were ordered to meet there early in the Summer of the Year 359. Such as were not in a Condition to undertake such a Journey, on account of their Age or Infirmities, were to send Priests or Deacons, as their Deputies, to vote and act in their Name; and the Council was strictly injoined to transmit to the Emperor such Decrees as they should enact, that he might examine them, and see whether they were agreeable to Scripture: for this Purpose Ten Deputies were to be appointed by the Bishops of the East, and the like Number by those of the West[869]. [Sidenote: _Two Councils appointed to meet instead of one._] But while the World was expecting to see a second Oecumenical Council assembled at _Nice_, the Emperor all on a sudden changed his Mind, and instead of one, resolved to convene Two, the one in the East, and the other in the West[870]. This Change was owing to