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

1066 TIIEODOSIUIS. THEODOSIUS.
by Hellebicus and Caesarius, two of his officers, mency of Theodosius in the affair of Antioch, obwho declared that Antioch was degraded from the serves, " that this year (A. D. 390) is celebrated
rank of a city, was stripped of its possessions and for the cruelties which the order of Theodosius
privileges, and reduced to the condition of a village caused to be committed at Thessalonica, and still
dependent on Laodicea. The places of public more celebrated for the penance which Theodosius
amusement were shut up, and the usual distribu- performed to expiate so great a crime. We only
tion of corn was stopped. which was equivalent to touch, in a few words, onl an event so illustrious
a sentence of starvation against those who were and important, because Ae reserve it for the hisaccustomed to receive this pauper's allowance. A tory of St. Ambrosius." The illustrious and inisevere investigation was made into the circunn- portant event was the penance, more illustrious
stances of the riot, and those who were convicted anld important in the eyes of the pious historian
by the extraordinlary commissioners of the eli- than the unpardonable crime of massacring thouperor lost their property, and were reduced to sands. It is singular, as Gibbon remarks, that
beggary. Some of the rioters, or of the accused, Zosimus, who is certainly not partial to Theodosius,
were put to death. The commissioners, hovwever, perhatps hardly just, and exposes his faults, does
suspended the complete execution of the emperor's not mention the massacre of Thessalonica; and yet
sentence against the city, and Caesarius went to the fact is not doubtful.
Constantinople to obtain a final answer fiooms the Ambrosius, the archbishop of M{ilan, thonught
emperor to the petition of the people and the that the civil administration was an affair in which
prayers of the monslks and hermits, wvho left their the clergy had an interest; and a riot at Callinicuni
solitudes, and crowded to Antiocli, to intercede for on the Persian firontier, il wvhich the failatics
the metropolis of the East. Thle emperor had of the place, at the instigation of their bishop, had
already relented at the entreaty of the bishop and burnt a place of worship of the Valenltinians, anld
the eloquent address of the senator; the senate of the synagogue of the Jews, found all apologist in
Constantienople had interceded for Antioch, aend the archbishop of Milan. The provincial magisTheodosius pardoned the city, and all who had trate had condemned thle bishop to rebuild the
taken part in the riot. The property of those who sylenagogue, or to make good the damage, anld the
had beell convicted was restored, the poor got rioters to be punished; and the emperor confirmed
their allowanlce agailn, and Anltioch resumed its this equitable and moderate sentence. But to toformer dignity and jurisdiction. Tilleemont has lerate difference of opinion was, in the archbislhop's
collected all tile circumstances of this affair of An- judgment, the same as to persecute the orthodox;
tioch (Histoire, -c., vol. v. p. 261, &c.), at great and Theodosius was compelled, by the archbishop's
length. monitions anld lectures, to let the bishop and hlis
In A. D. 390, Thessalonica, the metropolis of the turbulent flock go unpunished. " St. Ambrosius,"
Illyrian provinces, was disturbed by a riot during says Tillemont, " thought that a prince who parthe emperor's residence at MIilan. Botheric. who donled so many other similar acts, ought not to
commanded the soldiers there, had imprisoned one expose the Christian religion to the insults of its
of the charioteers of the Circus, who had solicited enemies by so rigorous acn order." The massacre
a youth to a shameless intercourse. The populace of Thessalonica was a trial for the firmlless of Alminc vain called for their favosurite charioteer durinllg brosius: he who thought that the burlning of a
the celebration of the games: the general kept him Jew synagogue ought not to be punished could
in the prison which hiis crime had merited. It hardly overlook the massacre of a Chlristian city.
seems that the populace was ready for insurrection; HI-e retired from the emperor's presenlce, but he:4 trifling cause was enough to set them in motion, represented his crine to himc in a letter, and lie
and thle garrison was weak. Botheric and his officers told him that penitence alone could efface lis
were overpowered and assassinated by the people, guilt. But thle archbishop was preudent illn is
and their bodies were dragged about the streets. remonstranllces, and to protect heimself, lee called in
An incquiry iento the riot, and the punishment of the aid of a vision, ill which le said thiat he had
the guilty, was necessary and just; but Thlleodosius been warened not to offer the oblation in thie cnalee
punIished a whole city, guilty and innocent together. of Theodosius, nor in his presence. Whe1n the
It is said that his mienister Rufinus prompted the emperor proceeded to perform heis devotions inl the
emperor to issue his savage orders, notwithlsttandieg ausual cmanner in the great church of Miilan, the
the intercession of the bishops. An arllly of bar- archbishop stopped him at the door, and demanllded
bariacns wvas senlt to Thessalonlica inlstead of a civil a fulrther acklnowledgmeet of his guilt. Tle concommission supported by a sufficient force. The scienlce-struck Theodosius huembled himself before
people were ilnvited to thee gamsces of the Circus, the chllrchl, which has recorded his peenance as
and they ceame witlhout sutspicion; but as soon as one of its (reatest victories. I-e laid aside the
the place was full, the soldiers received the signal insignia of imeperial power, and in the postuere of a
for a cmassacre. For three hours thle spectators suppliant in the chuerch of Milan, ecitreated pardon
were indiscriminately exposed to thle fury of the for his great sill before all the colngregation. After
soldiers, and seven thousand of them, or, as somle eight months, the eleiperor was restored to coemaccounts say, more than twice that number, paid mulnio wlithl the church, at Cihristlmas, 1. D. 390.
the penalty of the insurrection. The soldiers, it is Theodosius spent three years in Italy, dutrillgr
said, were ordered to produce a certain numsber of which lie established Va!enetinian onl the thlrone of
heads, an order which aggravates the guilt of thle West, a measure for which hlis historians lematy
Theodosius, who, if not softened by the usual claim thle lmerit of generosity; for he probably w-ould
feelisngs of humanity, might have remembered the have had no difficulty in keepinlg the western
city in which he had so often resided. This nmas- empire, which he hlad -wrested fromss the usurpation
sacre, unparalleled in history, is a stain on the of eIaxiilus. Theodosius returned to Constaneiame of Theodosius, an eternal brand of infamcy. tinople early in November A. D. 391.
Tilleonllt, who has so mlinutely recorded the clc- Valeetillial II. did nle lulg cclsitaicn hLis poNer,