The history of the vvorld: or, An account of time. Compiled by the learned Dionisius Petavius. And continued by others, to the year of our Lord, 1659. Together with a geographicall description of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.

CHAP. I. Affairs of the Eastern Empire under the succe ssours of Heraclius, from the year 641. to 685. Of the sixth Synod against the Monothe∣lites.

COnstantine the son of Heraclius, by his former Wife (a) reigned after this in the year of Christ, 641. and in the fourth Moneth is taken away by poyson, by his step∣mother Martina.

(b) Heracleonas, with Martina his Mother, reigneth no more than six Moncths. Which being finished, his Nose, and his Mothers tongue, is cut off by the decree of the Senate: and Con∣stance the son of Constantine is made Emperour, the Nephew of Heraclius: who had rather in the worship of Religion, be like his

Grand father than his father, for he was a Monothelite, when as his father had been a Catholike.

He being stained with this Heresy, snatched away Pope Mar∣tin a most holy man, (because being commanded to subscribe to the form of Heraclius, he had condemned him in an assembly, (c) with the errour of the Monothelites, in the year 649.) by Theodore Calliopas his Exarch unto Constantinople, in (d) the year 653. to wit, in which he was 13th Cal. July, 4. Holiday: and thence ba∣nished him unto Chersona. Where he in the year 655, dieth, 14. Const. Acc. 16. Septem. as it is in the (a) collections of Anasta∣sius. (b) Also Maximus a Monk, a great contender for the Ca∣tholique Faith, being cut short in tongue and hand, he carried away into exile.

With which wicked acts, God being offended, he suffered the Romane Empire to be torn by the weapons of the Saracens. (c) Against whom in the year 654, in a Sea-battell, he most unhap∣pily fought. (d) Being weary of Constantinople, he passed over thence into Italy, where with no more prosperous warlike successe he fought against the Longobards. He being incensed by that slaughter, sacked Rome with a barbarous fury: and passed over into Sicily, where when he had remained six years, he was killed in a Bath by his own Syracusans, in the year 668. (e) after he had reigned 27. years.

(f) Constantine the son of this, beginning to reign in the same year, restored Catholique worship. Theophanes writeth, and out of him Paul Deacon, that both his brothers Noses, Tiberius, and He∣raclius, were cut off by his command, in the beginning of his reign. But the same men relate, those same, in the 14th year of his Em∣pire, of Christ 681. to have been cast out from rule, and Constantine alone with his son Justinian, to have managed the Commonwealth which are least agreeable.

(g) The Saracens having proceeded further by conquering, be∣sieged Constantinople seven years. But when as both the Mardaits, inhabitants of Libanus, had stopped them by a homebred war, and the Romans valiantly resisted; at last they made peace for thirty years on these conditions, that they should weigh to the Ro∣mans every year 365 thousand Crowns of Gold, and the heads of fifty men, noble Horses 50. The Navy of the Saracens being cast away with a tempest, in the return all perished by shipwrack, the which Theophanes, and others write to have happened after the peace granted. Nicephorus affirmeth, the peace to have been the latter, and to be desired through occasion of this destruction by the Barbarians. Theophanes delivereth, the Saracens began to assault Constantinople in the fifth year of Constantine, and out of him Cedre∣nus, and Paul Deacon: but in the ninth year, the peace to have been begun. By this means it shall be false, that it was besieged seven years: which they do number up, as well as Nicephorus, in his Breviary. At or about the same time, that fire that is called commonly [Greek] was invented by ascertain man Callinicus, whose

force is such, that it burneth in the very waters. The (a) Avari∣ans following the example of the Saracens, and other Barbarians intreated peace of the Romans. (b) The which two years after, from the Bulgarians, who at first, that is, in the year of Christ, six hundred seventy seven, had forced on the Romane borders, he, was constrained to redeem, with the agreement of an yearly Tri∣bute.

The quiet of the Commonwealth being established, the Empe∣rour passed over his Councells to pacify the Church. (c) For which thing, he called the sixth generall Councell, Agatho being Romane Bishop, the which being begun in (d) the year 680. the 9th of Const. Acc. in the Moneth Novemb. was ended the year following. In that Councell, five universall Synods being appro∣ved of, it was decreed, there was two Wills, and as many actions in Christ, as there were natures in him: and those who had taught otherwise, were condemned for Heretiques, Sergius, Pyr∣rhus, Cyrus, Paulus, and others, to whom also, Honorius in the Acts, is joyned, who had sat Romane Bishop, Heraclius being Em∣perour. But (e) John the 4th, drives away this reproach from him, who held the chief Bishoprick the third from him. Where he teacheth to Sergius, subtilly asking concerning one will in Christ, Honorius answered, there were not two resisting wills, and contrary, as we experience in our selves; but two natures in him, and as many wills were acknowledged by him. (f) Constance di∣ed in the year six hundred eighty five, when he had commanded 17 years.

Notes

• (a)

  Niceph. Brev. Theoph. Miscel. in fine l. 1.
• (b)

  Theoph. Zon. Cedr. Diac. in Mis∣cel. 18.
• (c)

  Anast. Col. lect. & in Mar∣tino Theoph. Miscel. 16.
• (d)

  Exilii S. Mart. historia in Colle. p. 79.
• (a)

  Anast Col∣le. p. 104.
• (b)

  ••ad. p. 196. & 264. Theoph. &c.
• (c)

  Theoph. Misc.
• (d)

  Paul. Vuar. 5. de gest. Lang. c. 10.
• (e)

  Theoph. Zo∣na. &c.
• (f)

  Theoph. Misc. &c.
• (g)

  Niceph. Brev. p. 99. & seq. Theoph. Paul. Diac. 19. Cedr.
• (a)

  Niceph. Brev.
• (b)

  Theoph. Diac.
• (c)

  Niceph. Brev. p. 109.
• (d)

  Anast. in Agath. The∣oph. Diac. 19. Zon. Cedr.
• (e)

  John in Ep. to Con∣stant. in the Collect. of A∣naff.
• (f)

  Niceph. p. 109. Theoph. Diac. Zon. Cedr.