A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

468 BASILIUS.
to a second metropolis of Cappadocia by Valens; and
his defence of orthodoxy against the powerful Arian
and Semi-Arian bishops in his neighbourhood, and
against Modestus, the prefect of Cappadocia, and
the emperor Valens himself. He died on the 1st
of January, 379 A. D., worn out by his ascetic
life, and was buried at Caesareia. His epitaph by
Gregory Nazianzen is still extant. The following
are his chief works: 1. Els -r)v d ea'uepov, Nine
Homilies on the Six Days' Work. 2. XVII. Homilies on the Psalms. 3. XXXI. Homilies on
various subjects. 4. Two Books on Baptism.
5. On true Virginity. 6. Commentary (p1Veaeia
or fs-y'o'ots) on the first XVI. chapters of Isaiah.
7. 'AvcYejyTuicos Trov dCroAOyrTcoTUo 1 roT OOJvo3 EOOS
E',votos, An Answer to the Apology of the Arian
Eunomius. 8. THpI roO dlyio rvevg/Jaros, a Treatise on the Holy Spirit, addressed to Eunomius: its
genuineness is doubted by Gamier. 9. 'AoCrTruCd,a
ascetic writings. Under this title are included his
work on Christian Morals (OOucad), his monastic
rules, and several other treatises and sermons.
10. Letters. 11. A Liturgy. His minor works
and those falsely ascribed to him are enumerated
by Fabricius and Cave. The first complete edition
of Basil's works was published at Basel in 1551; the
most complete is that by Gamier, 3 vols. fol. Paris,
1721-1730. (Gregor. Nazian. Orat. in Laud.
Basilii 11/.; Gregor. Nyss. Vit. S. J/Macrinae;
Gamier, Vita S. Basilii; Socrates, H. E. iv. 26;
Sozomen, H. E. vi. 17; Rufinus, H. E. xi. 9;
Suidas, s. v. BacriAELoc.)
3. Of CILICIA (d KiAM), was the author of a
history of the Church, of which Photius gives a
short account (Cod. 42), a work against John of
Scythopolis (Phot. Cod. 107), and one against
Archelaus, bishop of Colonia in Armenia. (Suidas,
s. v.) He lived under the emperor Anastasius,
"was presbyter at Antioch about 497 A. D., and
afterwards bishop of Irenopolis in Cilicia.
4. Bishop of SELEUCEIA in Isauria from 448
till after 458, distinguished himself by taking alternately both sides in the Eutychian controversy.
His works are published with those of Gregory
Thaumaturgus, in the Paris edition of 1622. He
must not be confounded with Basil, the friend of
Chrysostom, as is done by Photius. (Cod. 168,
p. 116, ed. Bekker.) [P. S.]
BASI'LIUS I., MA'CEDO (Bao-ieitos MaKfeiwG), emperor of the East, one of the most extraordinary characters recorded in history, ascended
the throne after a series of almost incredible adventures. He was probably born in A. D. 826, and is
said to have been the descendant of a prince of the
house of the Arsacidae, who fled to Greece, and
was invested with large estates in Thrace by the
emperor Leo I. Thrax. (451-474.) There were
probably two Arsacidae who settled in Thrace,
Chlienes and Artabanus. The father of Basil,
however, was a small landowner, the family having
gradually lost their riches; but his mother is said
to have been a descendant of Constantine the Great.
At an early age, Basil was made prisoner by a
party of Bulgarians, and carried into their country,
where he was educated as a slave. He was ransomed several years afterwards, arrived at Constantinople a destitute lad, and was found asleep on the
steps of the church of St. Diomede. His naked
beauty attracted the attention of a monk, on whose
recommendation he was presented to Theophilus,
surnamed the Little, a cousin of the emperor Theo

BASILIUS.
philus (829-842), who, a diminutive man himself,
liked to be surrounded by tall and handsome footmen. Such was Basil, who, having accompanied
his master to Greece, was adopted by a rich
widow at Patras. Her wealth enabled him to
purchase large estates in Macedonia, whence he
derived his surname Macedo, unless it be true that
it was given him on account of his pretended descent, on his mother's side, either from Alexander
the Great or his father, Philip of Macedonia, which
however seems to be little better than a fable. He
continued to attend the little Theophilus, and after
the accession of Michael III. in 842, attracted the
attention of this emperor by vanquishing in single
combat a giant Bulgarian, who was reputed to be
the first pugilist of his time. In 854 Michael appointed him his chief chamberlain; and the ambition of Basil became so conspicuous, that the courtiers used to say that he was the lion who would
devour them all. Basil was married to one Maria,
by whom he had a son, Constantine; but, in order
to make his fortune, he repudiated his wife, and
married Eudoxia Ingerina, the concubine of the
emperor, who took in exchange Thecla, the sister
of Basil. The marriage was celebrated in December, 865; and in September, 866, Ingerina became
the mother of Leo, afterwards emperor. The influence of Basil increased daily, and he was daring
enough to form a conspiracy against the emperor's
uncle, Bardus, upon whom the dignity of Caesar
had been conferred, and who was assassinated in
the presence of Michael.
A short time afterwards, Basil was created Augustus, and the administration of the empire devolved upon him, Michael being unable to conduct
it on account of his drunkenness and other vices.
The emperor became nevertheless jealous of his
associate, and resolved upon his ruin; but he was
prevented from carrying his plan into execution by
the bold energy of Basil, by whose contrivance
Michael was murdered after a debauch on the 24th
of September, 867.
Basil, who succeeded him on the throne, was no
general, but a bold, active man, whose intelligence
was of a superior kind, though his character was
stained with many a vice, which he had learned
during the time of his slavery among the barbarians
and of his courtiership at Constantinople. The
famous patriarch Photius having caused those religious troubles for which his name is so conspicuous in ecclesiastical and political history, Basil
instantly removed him from the see of Constantinople, and put Ignatius in his place. He likewise
ordered a campaign to be undertaken against the
warlike sect of the Paulicians, whom his generals
brought to obedience. A still greater danger arose
from the Arabs, who, during the reign of the incompetent Michael III., had made great progress in
Asia and Europe. Basil, who knew how to choose
good generals, forced the Arabs to renounce the
siege of Ragusa. In 872, he accompanied his
Asiatic army, which crossed the Euphrates and
defeated the Arabs in many engagements, especially in Cilicia in 875. In 877 the patriarch Ignatius died, and Photius succeeded in resuming his
former dignity, under circumstances the narrative
of which belongs to the life of PHOTIus. The
success which the Greek arms had obtained against
the Arabs, encouraged Basil to form the plan of
driving them out of Italy, the southern part of
which, as well as Sicily and Syracuse, they had