The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. L. That He built Churches at Nicomedia also, and in other Cities.

WIth these [ornaments] therefore He beautified his own City. He likewise honoured the a 1.1 chief [City] of Bithynia with the Monument of a most * 1.2 stately and most magnificent Church; in which place also, † 1.3 at his own charge, he erected the Trophies of Victory which he had gained over the Ene∣mies and Opposers of God, in ho∣nour

of his own Saviour. Moreover, he also grac't the chiefest Cities of the rest of the Pro∣vinces, with most beautifull Oratories: b 1.4 for in∣stance, that City which was the Metropolis of the whole East, that took its name from Antiochus. In which [City,] as 'twere in the head of all the Provinces of that Region, he dedicated [to God] a † 1.5 Peerless Church, in re∣sect both of its Largeness and Beau∣ty. For he encompassed the whole Temple with a large circuit on the outside: c 1.6 but within, he raised the Basilica to an immense height: it was built in an d 1.7 eight-square figure; and sur∣rounded on all sides with many Lodging Rooms, and e 1.8 Exhedrae, and with * 1.9 apart∣ments f 1.10 as well above as under [or, even with] the ground. Which Church [he beautified] with ‖ 1.11 a vast quantity of g 1.12 Gold, and † 1.13 ador∣ned it with Brass and other Materials of great value.

Notes

• a 1.1

  He means Ni∣comedia, which was the Head-City of Bi∣thynia. In which City Constantine had compelled Licinius, besieged therein to a surrendry. In memory therefore of that Victory, Constantine built a Church at Nicomedia. See Sozomen, book 2. chap. 3. Vales.
• * 1.2

  Or, Large.
• † 1.3

  Or, Out of his own Treasures.
• b 1.4

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. It must be written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Ex∣cept you had ra∣ther read thus; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; which rea∣ding in∣deed dis∣pleases me not. In the Kings Copy 'tis written, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c. Vales.
• † 1.5

  Or, Matchless.
• c 1.6

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. In his panegyrick, chap. 9, whence these words are transcribed, Eusebius has termed it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. I have rendred it Basilica the Cathedral or Church it self; not the Sanctuary, as Christophorson translates it. Vales.
• d 1.7

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Of the same figure was that Church, which Nonnus Father to Gregory Nazianzene built in the Town of Nazianzum, as Gregory himself attests in his Funeral Oration concer∣ning the praises of his own Father, pag. 313. These Temples were termed octachora. This old Inscription occurs in Gruter's Thesaurus, pag. 1166;

  Octachorum sanctos templum surrexit in usus. Octagonus fons est munere dignus eo.

  Now, that is a Templum Octachorum, which hath eight sides rising from the bottom to the very top. From the same reason Altars are termed trichora, in Paulinus's Epistle; that is, trino sinuata recessu, bent or embosomed with a triple recess, as the same Paulinus expresses himself, in his Natale of Saint Felix. Cedrenus (at the 26^th year of Constan∣tine,) terms that church which had been built by Constantine at An∣tioch, Octagonum Dominicum, the eight-cornered Church. Vales.
• e 1.8

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. In Eusebius's Panegyrick, at the chapter just now cited, the reading is truer, thus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. For so Eusebius terms them, in His description of the Church at Tyre, which you have in the Tenth Book of his Ecclesias. History. What an Exedra is, Valafridus Strabo tells us, in his book de Rebus Ecclesiasticis, chap. 6: Exedra est absida quaedam, seperata modicum quidem a templo vel palatio: dicta inde, quòd extra haereat. Graecè autem 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 vocatur; An exedra is a certain outward building, separated a little from the Temple or Palace: thence so termed, because it sticks without. In Greek 'tis called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Strabo is indeed mistaken, because he understood not, that Exedra was a Greek word: but he is not at all mistaken in the origine of that word. For, 'tis truly termed 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Exedra, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from its being without the seat. For so more outward houses were termed▪ which were usually built within the circuit of a Church, wherein 'twas lawfull to sit, and take rest, as Eusebius tells us. Concerning these Exedrae, Saint Austin speaks in his book de Gestis cum Emerito Donatista▪ Caesareae in Ecclesia majori, &c. At Caesarea, in the greater Church, when Deuterius Metropolitane Bishop of Caesarea, together with Alipius, Angustinus. Possidius, Rusticus and the other Bishops had gone forth into the Exedra, &c. In the Concilium Nam∣netense, Canon 6^th, there is mention of an Exedra. Prohibendum etiam secundùm majorum instituta, ut in Ecclesia nullatenus scpeliantur, sed in atrio aut porticu, aut in Exedris Ecclesiae; it is to be forbidden also, according to the orders of our Ancestours, that they should in no wise bury [or be buried] in the Church, but in the Atriu••••▪ or Porticus, or in the Exedrae of the Church. So the reading is in the Manuscript Copy belonging to the Bibliotheca Puteana. See Jerome on the 40^th chapter of Ezechiel.—Further, the Fuketian and Savilian Copies have it written right here, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Vales.
• * 1.9

  Or, Places.
• f 1.10

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. See what we have noted at chap. 37. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 are Houses whereto we go up no Stairs; to which are opposed 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, Chambers, or upper Rooms. Although by the term 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 you may here un∣derstand Cryptae, Vaults or Rooms under ground. Vales.
• ‖ 1.11

  Or, A∣bundance of much Gold.
• g 1.12

  For this reason that Church was termed Dominicum Aureum, the Golden Church. Jerom in the Chronicon at the 22^d year of Constantine; Antiochiae Dominicum quod vocant aureum, aedificari coeptum; at An∣tioch the Dominicum which they term Aureum, was begun to be built. It was consecrated in the Reign of Constantius, on the fifth year after Constantine's death. Vales.
• † 1.13

  Or, Crowned it with the beauties of Brass, &c.