38 CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA, ETC. travelled in Lesser Bucharia and China. These details have been preserved by St. Ambrose, in his book on the customs of the Brahmins, which seems to have been composed for the instruction of this same Palladius, who was for some time the travelling companion of Musa3us. The holy doctor expresses himself thus : — " The desire of your mind, my dear Palladius, which, filled with the love of wisdom, is always drawn towards the knowledge of new things, has induced us to under- take a new and difficult work, that of describing the life, the manners, and the country of the Brahmins." He then commences his narrative thus : — " Our brother Musseus, Bishop of the Dolenians, has related to me, that having set forth some years ago to visit the Brah- mins in India, he travelled over almost the whole country of the Seres (Chinese). After having seen a great number of nations and countries, he arrived at Arianam, near the river Indus.* At this time the apostle of India was the Bishop Theophilus, who afterwards rendered himself famous by his adherence to the heresy of Arius. He was a native of Diu, at the mouth of the Indus, a depen- dency of the kingdom of Cambodia, and he was, when very young, sent to Constantinople, where he went through a course of study, and afterwards embraced Christianity and the monastic life. As he was remarkably dark complexioned, he was called the Black Monk ; and subsequently being con- secrated bishop, he was sent to Arabia to watch there
- St. Ambrose. "De Moribus Brachmannorura," vol. iv. p. 1131.
(Euvres Completes, Edition de Migae.
