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

';~6. EVAGRIUS. EVAGRIUS" there is'more'than one reason for doubting its rank of a quaestorian or ex-quaestor. (Evagr. Hist,
genuineness;" and Oudin decidedly denies the Eccles. vi. 24, where see the note of Valesius.)
genuineness both of the Greek text and the version. On the birth of Theodosius, son of the emperor
In the library of Worcester Cathedral is a MS. Maurice (A.D. 584 or 585), Evagrius composed a
described as containing the life of St. Antony, piece, apparently a congratulatory address, which
written by. Evagrius and translated by Jerome: obtained a farther manifestation of imperial favour
there is probably an error, either in the MS. itself, in the rank of ex-prefect (dciara rdpxwv), which
or in the description of it. (Catal. AI$SS. Angliae designation he bears in the title of his own work,
et Hib. vol. ii. p. 17.) and in Nicephorus. (Hist. Eccles. i. 1.) He accomTillemont has collected various particulars of panied the Patriarch Gregory to a synod at Conthe life of Evagrius of Antioch. i Trithemius con- stantinople (A.D. 589), to the judgment of which
founds him with Evagrius. of Pontus. (Socrates, the patriarch had appealed when accused of incest
Hist. Eccles. v. 15; Sozomen, Hist. Eccles. vii. 15; and adultery. On his return to Antioch, after
Theodoretus, Hist. Eccles. v. 23; Hieronymus (Je- the acquittal of Gregory, Evagrius (in October or
rome) de Viris Illust. 25; Tillemont, Mgmoires, November of the same year) married a second
vol. xii. p. 13, &c.; Cave, Hist. Lit. vol. i. p. 283, wife, a young maiden. His reputation and influed. Ox. 1740-43; Oudin, de Scriptor. et Scriptis ence are evidenced by the fact that his marriage
Eecles. vol. i. col. 882; Trithemius, de Scriptor. was celebrated by a general festival at the public
Eccles. c. 85; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. vii. p. 434, expense; but the rejoicing was interrupted by a
vol. x. p. 137.) dreadful earthquake, in which, as some computed,
2. The ASCETIC, instructed Chrysostom in 60,000 of the inhabitants perished. This is the
monastic discipline.. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. viii. last incident in the life of Evagrius of which anyp. 455.) He is perhaps the same as Evagrius of thing is known, except the death of his daughter,
Antioch. [No. 1.] already noticed, and the completion of his history,
3. Of EPIPHANEIA, known also as EVAGRIUS in A.D. 593 or 594.
SCHOLASTICUS and EX-PRAEFECTUS. He was a Evagrius wrote (1) An Ecclesiastical History,
native of Epiphaneia on the Orontes, in the province which extends, besides some preliminary matter,
of Syria Secunda, as we gather from the title of from the third general council, that of Ephesus,
his'Ecclesiastical History, where he is called'Emr- A.D. 431, to the twelfth year of the reign of the
p4aveJs. (Comp. also his Hist. Eccles. iii. 34.) Emperor Maurice, A. D. 593-4. He modestly
Photius says (Biblioth. Cod. 29), according to the professes that he'was not properly qualified for
present text, that he was of a celebrated city such a work (Pn) 6elvys 4ea ia' Toia'onTa), but says
(roAecos of lripaeov~s) of Coele-Syria; but the text he was induced to undertake it, as no one had yet
is probably' corrupt. Nicephorus Callisti (Hist. attempted to continue the history of the Church
Eccles. i. 1, xvi. 31) twice cites him as o.e7rLcays, regularly (tcaT' elpsdov) from the time at which the
"'the'illustrious;" but this is probably an error, histories of Sozomen and Theodoret close. He
either in the transcription of Nicephorus or in that has the reputation of being tolerably accurate. His
of his authorities.' The birth of Evagrius is fixed credulity and love of the marvellous are charac-by data furnished in his own writings in or about teristic of the period rather than of the individual.
A. D. 536. (Evagr. Hist. Eccles. iv. 29, vi. 24.) Photius describes his style as not unpleasant,'He was sent to school before or when he was four though occasionally redundant; and (as we under.
-years old, for he was a schoolboy when he was stand the passage) praises him as being more exact
taken by his parents to the neighbouring city of than the other ecclesiastical historians in the state-'Apameia to see the exhibition of "the life-giving ment of opinions: 4iv Ia Tl Tiv 80Coycdv'Wv pOdrT71S
wood of the Cross," during the alarm caused by dcKpl437s'rc, a&,\Ac po&AAo, i-opcItY. Some
the capture of Antioch by Chosroes or Khosru I., however interpret the passage as a commendation
king of Persia, A. D. 540. - Two years afterwards of the historian's orthodoxy. Nicephorus Callisti
(A,.D. 542), he was near dying from a pestilential (Hist. Eccles. i. 1) notices, that Evagrius dwells
disorder which then first visited the Byzantine much on secular affairs, and enumerates the
empire, andwhich continued at intervals for above writers from whom. he. derived his materials,:half a. century, if not more, to cause a fearful mor- namely Eustathius the Syrian, Zosimus, Priscus
tality.: Evagrius gives a melancholy catalogue of and Joannes, Procopius of Caesarea, Agathias,
-his own subsequent losses through it. It took off, " and other writers of no mean character." His
at different times, his first wife, several of his chil- history has been. repeatedly published. The edidren (especially a married daughter, who, with tion of Valesius (Henri de Valois) which'compreher child, died when the pestilence visited Antioch hends the other early Greek Ecclesiastical Histo-.for the fourth time, A. D. 591 or 592, two years rians, has a valuable biographical preface, a Latin,before Evagrius wrote his history), and many of translation, and useful notes.. It was reprinted.his kindred and domestics. Evagrius was a "scho- with some additional " variorum" notes by Read-lasticus"' (advocate or. pleader), and is often-desig- ing, 3 vols. fol. Camb. 1720. (2). A volume of
nated from his profession. It is probable that he Memorials, Letters, Decrees, Orations, and Dispu-.practised at Antioch, which, as the capital.of the tations, including the Memorials and the address:province of Syria,. would. offer. an important field which procured for Evagrius his rank of Quaestorfor his forensic exertions, and with which city his ian and Ex-praefect. This volume is mentioned in
writings' shew that he was familiar. (Comp. Hist. the Ecclesiastical History, but appears to be now
Eccles. iii. 28.). He appears to have been lost. Some pieces of little moment have been'the legal.adviser of Gregory, patriarch of Antioch; ascribed to Evagrius, but most or all of them incorand some of.his memorials,: drawn up in the name rectly.: (Evagrius, Hist. Eccles. iv. 26, 29, vi. 7,
of the patriarch, obtained the notice and approval 8, 23, 24; Photius, Biblioth. Cod.'29; Nicepho-,of the emperor Tiberius, who gave Evagrius, not as rus Callisti, Hist. Eccles. i. 1, xvi. 31; Fabric..:som.. have. understood, the. quaestorship, but the Bibl. Graec.. vol. vii. p. 432.