No. Y. C Emperor. 324 325 326 330 336 Sept. 18th. he defeats him finally, near Chalcedon,* becomes sole emperor, restores the Christian liberties, cp v and here Eusebius ends his history, e Licinius, conspiring, is put to death. cp May 20th. the famous first General Council, meet at Athanasius made Bishop of Alexandria. cp Constantin falling ill, is baptized; and May 22d. * Of Licinius's army of one hundred and thirty thousand in this battle, scarce thirty thousand escaped. c It consisted of 318 Bishops, or Pastors of Churches, besides Elders, Deacons, &c. cp and Valesius, from the Alexandrian Chronicle, &c. places their Convention on June 19th this year; but this being Saturday, and May 20th, being Thursday, I rather incline to sc p. Calling it New Rome; but the name of Constantinople soon prevailed, and still continues. e sc VI. PERIOD. The Chronology of the eastern Emperors, from the complete division of the Empire at the death of Constantin the Great, to the revival of the western Empire by Charles the Great of France, and the beginning of the reign of Egbert, the first king of England. Containing about 463 years, seven months. WE are now arrived at the fatal partition of the Roman empire. For though Marc Antony, Octavius and Lepidus, and some time after, Sextus Pompey with them, assigned themselves their several shares thereof, to reduce to order, defend and govern, yet, as Dio observes,* this was the first for five years only, and then renewed for five years more, while the empire remained united in Rome the capital. And thus it likewise held entire, while Dioclesian and Maximian, with their two Cæsars under them, took their several provinces to reduce and vindicate. But when Constantius and Galerius received the empire, they parted it at least for life, if not for property; and Eusebius tells us, that this was the first division of the empire. It was a thing, says he, which never fell out before. However, it seemed to continue in some sort entire, while Rome remained the imperial city, without a rival. But when Constantin the Great, had with extraordinary magnificence rebuilt and adorned Byzantium, and in the solemn dedication given it the name of New Rome; he made it the imperial seat of the eastern provinces and to have no subjection to the other. Here he therefore fixed his residence, and reigned over the whole, supreme, with his three sons under him, till his decease in the year of Christ 337; when the empire came to be parted in the most effectual manner. Constantin the eldest, had Europe on this side of the Alps; Constantius the second, had Thrace, Asia, and Egypt; being nearly the same with the now Turkish empire; and Constans the youngest, had the rest of Europe and Africa. D. Cassius; Lib. xlvi, xlix. + Eccl. History, Lib. viii. Cap. 13. The part which fell to Constantin was indeed in the third year after, united to the dominion of Constans; and both together, bearing the name of the western empire, was miserably harrassed and rent to pieces by the Picts, Scots, and Saxons in Britain; and by the Goths, Vandals, Francs, Peruli, and other barbarous nations in the continent; till it entirely ended with Augustulus, in the year of Christ 476; though in a measure revived at the end of the present interval, by Charles the Great of France, in the year 800. But the part which fell to Constantius had the name of the eastern empire, and endured the attacks of the Persians, Saracens, Turks, and others, till 1453; when it was forced to yield to the Ottoman arms. The succession of these eastern emperors, I therefore choose to follow through the present period; and the more for this, that they were not only the greatest princes that were then in the world, but the affairs of learning then subsisted chiefly in their dominions, and the times of their succession are more exactly stated than those of other monarchs. For though the polite and fine way of writing among the Roman and Greek historians declined greatly in the latter part of the foregoing period, and expires in this, yet the notes of time were so well preserved, that disputes among Chronologers grow less and less considerable. They chiefly, I think, refer to the Roman Pontiffs in the western empire; wherein Onuphrius and Baronius disagree, which seem indeed to be very uncertain and incapable of decision, and with which we are little concerned. NOTE. In the present Period, where no historian is cited, the articles are taken from Calvisius. Eastern No. Y. C. Emperors. 1 2 SECTION 1. To the destruction of the Western Empire, in 476. 337 Constantius May 22, reigns in the East, twenty four years, five 346 350 352 353 354 359 361 362 363 364 Julian Jovian months, twelve days. cp In March, Constantin invading Constans, is slain near Aquilea; and Constans takes his part of the empire. c p Eusebius, the historian, dies, ep and Jerom born.* January 18, Magnentius sets up in Gaul for the Western Empire, and at the Pyrenes kills Constans, aged 30. sc c p June 3, Nepotianus sets up at Rome. sc c pt July 1, Magnentius's army overcomes and slays Nepotianus, and seizes Italy e p and Africa. sc Constantius beats Magnentius near Mursa, in Pannonia. c p He beats Magnentius twice in Gaul. August 11, Magnentius kills himself in Lyons; and Constantius becomes sole monarch of both the empires. cp v Julians studies at Athens with Nazianzen and Basil. Ammianus, the historian, is in the Persian war. Reigns one year, seven months, twentytwo days. sc ep June 26, he is slain in battle with the Persians, aged A Pannoniau, p June 27, chosen by the army, reigns seven months, twentytwo days. cp February 17, c or 19 p Jovian dies, by the vapor of charcoal in Galatia, aged 34, sc c and Valentinian A Pannonian, p February 25, chosen by the army, reigns over the whole, thirty four days, and then in the West only, eleven years, seven months, eighteen days; he making his brother April 1, emperor in the East, reigns fourteen years, four months, nine days. ** Theon, the astronomer, flourishes. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, dies. c 367 du p Petavius. sc Socrates Scholasticus. v Valesius. *So Dupin, though Petavius says that Prosper sets his birth in 330. He left an unborn daughter; afterwards married to the emperor Gratian, bu left no issue. And in him the imperial line of Constantin the Great, and of Constantius Calorus. ends. **They were the sons of one Gratian, a roper by trade. hr du Dupin. Eastern No. Y. C. Emperors. 367 369 371 373 374 375 376 378 37 381 383 387 388 389 392 393 Gratian Theodosius, the Roman general, repels the Picts and Basil made bishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia. c du The Jerusalem Talmud finished by Johanan. Galsilas, an Arian bishop, translates the Bible into Ambrose, a civil officer, chosen by the people, bishop They divide the Western empire.* August 9, p or 10, c Valens beat by the Goths, flying Rules the Eastern empire, till January 16, following. January 16, Gratian makes his general Theodosius Colleague in the empire; reigns in the East 16 years, 2 days. cpt In May, the second General Council meets at Constantinople, when Nazianzen resigns his bishopric, and retires to private life. cp Austin, aged 29, teaches rhetoric at Rome. Maximus, the Roman general, drives the Scots out of Britain into Scandia, where they keep 27 years; sets up for emperor, and passes into Gaul. August 25, he kills Gratian, aged 25, and possesses Britain, Gaul, Spain and Africa, for five years, two days. cp Maximus marches to Italy, and Valentinian flies by sea to Thessalonica. Austin, aged 32, becomes a Christian. p July 28, Theodosius beats Maximus near the Alps, p May 9, Nazianzen dies. c p May 15, Valentinian, aged 27, strangled at Vienna, by the intrigue of Eugenius, who assumes the Western empire sc c pv§ This was the last Olympiad observed in Greece. * Gratian taking Britain, Germany, Gaul and Spain; and Valentinian Italy, Illyricum, Sicily and Africa. c. He was called Theodosius the Great, and was son to Theodosius the Roman general, in Britain. c It consisted of but one hundred and fifty bishops, or pastors of churches; condemns Macedonius and his opinions, and asserts the deity of the Holy Ghost. c p § He was of obscure birth, and from a Grammar schoolmaster, became a scribe and treasurer to Valentinian. c |