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

IRENE. IRIS.';62i
all the passages in it are remains' of the woorlk of empires; aid,' according to the same sources, the
Irenaeus. (Mansi, Sacr. Concil. Nov. Collect. vol. plan first originated with the Frankish king. The
v. pp. 417, 731; Tillemont, AMm. Eccles. vol. xiv.; whole scheme is said to have been rendered abortive
Cave, Hist. Litt. sub ann. 444.) by Aetius. The western writers do not even
3. An Alexandrian grammarian, known also by allude to this match, though Eginhard would certhe Latin name of Minucius Pacatus, was the pupil tainly have mentioned it had Charlemagne actually
of Heliodorus Metricus. His works, which were entertained such designs.- The scheme must therechiefly on the Alexandrian and Attic dialects, were fore have been concocted at Constantinople, and
held in high esteem, and are often quoted: a list of kept there as a secret, which was only divulged
them is given by Suidas. He probably lived, about after the death of the parties. From the accession
the time of Augustus.* (luid. s. v. Eipvaidors and of Charlemagne, the Greek emperors were no longer
nda'cros; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. vi. pp.'170, styled "father" and "lord" by the Frankish and
171.) German kings and emperors; but down to a late
4. Referendarius, the author of three amatory period the successors of Constantine refused the
epigrams in the Greek Anthology, from a com- title of BacTLXE's to the Roman emperors in Gerparison of which with the epigrams of Agathias many.. Irene continued to govern the empire with
and Paul the Silentiary, Jacobs concludes that the great prudence and energy, but she never succeeded
author lived under Justinian. (Brunck,Anal. vol. entirely in throwing oblivion over the horrible
iii. p. 10; Jacobs, Anth. Graec. vol. iii. p. 231, vol. crime she had committed against her son; and she
xiii. p. 905.) [P. S.] who trusted nobody was at last ensnared by a
IRE'NE (Ep r1v), empress of Constantinople man who deserved her keenest suspicions, for the:(A. D. 797-802), one of the most extraordinary despicable vices of hypocrisy, avarice, and ingratiwomen in Byzantine history, was born at Athens tude. We speak of the great treasurer, Nicephorus,
about A. D. 752. She was so much distinguished who suddenly kindled a rebellion, and was proby beauty and genius, that she attracted the atten- claimed emperor before the empress had recovered
tion of Leo, the son and afterwards successor of the from -her surprise and indignation. Irene proposed
emperor Constantine V. Copronymus, who married to share the throne with him; and Nicephorus
her in 769, the nuptials being celebrated with great having apparently -acceded to her proposals, she
splendour at Constantinople. She had been educated received him with confidence in her palace, but was
in the worship of images, and was compelled by suddenly arrested and banished to the island of
her husband to adopt the purer form of religion Lesbos (802). Deprived, through the base avarice
which he professed. Leo was extremely kind to- of the usurper, of all means of subsistence, this
wards her and her family both before anid after his haughty princess was compelled to gain her liveliaccession in 775; but having discovered that she hood by spinning; and she died of grief in the
still adored images, he banished her from his palace. following year, at the age of about fifty. Forgetful
Leo IV. died shortly afterwards (780), and Irene of her bloody crime, and only remembering her
administered the government for her minor son, protection of images, the Greeks have placed her
Constantine VI. The principal events of her among their saints, and celebrate her memory on
regency are related in the life of Constantine VI.: the 15th of August, the supposed day of her death.
we therefore confine ourselves to such occurrences (Cedren. p. 47.3, &c.; Theophan. p; 399, &c.
as are in closer connection with her personal Zonar. vol. ii. p. 120, &c.; Glycas, p. 285, in the
history. In 786 she assembled a council at Con- Paris editions; Vincent Mignot, Histoire de l'onstantinople- for the purpose of re-establishing the peratrice Irene, Amsterdam, 1762, is a very good
worship of images throughout the whole empire; book. The character of Irene is best drawn by
and the assembled bishops having been driven out Gibbon, and by Schlosser in Geschic/lte der bilde,by the riotous garrison of the.capital, she found a stiirnzendenKaiser des Ost-RlomischenReickhes, Frank.
pretext for removing the troops; and during their fort-on-the-Main, 1812.) [W. P.]
absence she assembled another council in 787, at IRE'NE, the daughter and pupil of the painter.Nicomedeia, where the adorers of images obtained Cratinus, painted a picture of a girl, which Pliny
a complete victory. The attempts of Constantine saw at Eleusis. (:Plint H. N. xxxv. 11 l. s. 40. ~
to emancipate himself from his mother's control are 43; Clem. Alex. Stromn. iv. p. 523, b. ed. Syl-:
intimately connected with the religious troubles: burg.) [P. S.]
they ended with the assassination of the young IRIS (Ipis), a daughter of Thaumas (whemice
emperor by a band hired by Irene and her favourite, she is called Thaumantias, Virg. Aen. ix. 5) and
the general Stauracius. Irene succeeded her son Electra, and sister of the Harpies. (Hes. Theog.
on the throne (797), and had some difficulty in 266, 780; Apollod. i. 2. ~ 6; Plat. Thleaet. p. 155.
maintaining her independence against the influence d; Plut. de Plac. Philos. iii. 5.) In the Homeric
of Stauracius and another favourite, Aetius, who, poems she appears as the minister of the Olympian
in their turn, were jealous of each other, and would gods, who carries messages from Ida to Olynipusl
have caused great dissensions at the court, and from gods to gods, and from gods to men. (II. xv.
perhaps a civil war, but for the timely death of 144, xxiv. 78, 95, ii. 787, xviii. 168,'Hymn. in''Stadracius (800). About this time Irene renewed Apoll. Del. 102, &c.) In accordance with these
the intercourse between the Byzantine court and functions of Iris, her name is commonly derived from
that of Aix-la-Chapelle; and, if we can trust the pco eYpw; so that Iris would mean "the speaker
Greek writers, she sent ambassadors to Charlemagne or messenger:" but it is not impossible that it may
in order to negotiate a marriage between him and be connected with epow, " I join," whence EoiPmV i
herself. and to unite the western and the eastern so that Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, would be
the joiner or conciliator, or the:messenger of heaven
* In HELIODORUS, NO. II. 1. the writer fell who restores peace in nature. -In the Homerid
into the error of several preceding writers, in making poems, it is true, Iris do"s not appear as the godIrenaeus and Minucius Pacatus distinct persons.. deso of the rainbow, but the rainbow itself is called