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Called to Milan -- the ultimate in prestige

Although the students in Rome were somewhat better behaved than those in Carthage (5.12.22), Augustine (always restless) was still not happy with his teaching position.  He also tells us that, unconsciously, he was getting tired of his association with the Manicheans.  Just at that time, an opportunity came for Augustine to go to teach in Milan.  This obviously appealed strongly to Augustine; in those days Milan was the capital of the Roman empire, so this presented a major opportunity.   An added benefit of this invitation was that Augustine got to travel by one of the “official post-horses.”   The next picture shows Augustine (notice his hat with the white band and vertical stripes) on a very fancy horse with a beautiful bridle; we can see Rome in the background.  The writing at the top of the picture tells us that the series was painted by the "famous" Benozzo in 1465, and some people think that the man in red on the right side of the picture is the artist, Benozzo Gozzoli, himself.