Greater
difficulties even than these had been overcome by other men. Solitary
individuals had, ere this, originated revolutions. The gods would
favour him; his own cunning would protect him. Yet a little more
patience, a little more determination, and he might still, after all his
misfortunes, be assured of success.
It was about this period that he first heard, while pursuing his
investigations, of an obscure man who had suddenly arisen to undertake a
reformation in the Christian Church, whose declared aim was to rescue
the new worship from that very degeneracy on the fatal progress of which
rested all his hopes of triumph. It was reported that this man had been
for some time devoted to his reforming labours, but that the
difficulties attendant on the task that he had appointed for himself had
hitherto prevented him from attaining all the notoriety essential to the
satisfactory prosecution of his plans. On hearing this rumour, Ulpius
immediately joined the few who attended the new orator's discourses, and
there heard enough to convince him that he listened to the most
determined zealot for Christianity in the city of Rome.
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