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

1068 THEODOSIIJS. THEODOSIUS.
by the last edict of Theodosius in 390 (Cod. Theod. brother and the administrator of the empire, before
16. tit. 10. s. 12), which in harsh and intolerant she was sixteen years of age: she was declared
terms, censured by a modern Christian writer, Augusta on the fourth of July, A. D. 414. Pulforbade, under severe penalties, in some cases ex- cheria was undoubtedly a woman of some talent,
tending to death, " the worship of an inanimate though of a peculiar kind. She superintended the
idol by the sacrifice of a guiltless victim." The education of her brother, and directed the governspirit of the Theodosian edicts was that of the ment at the same time; nor did her influence cease
most bitter persecution; and while we commend with the minority of Theodosius. [PULCHERaA.]
his wishes to purge society of gross and debasing She educated her brother after her own ascetic
superstitions, we cannot reconcile the laws of the notions; and though his literary instruction was not
emperor with the religion which he professed, nor neglected, nor the exercises proper to form his health
admit that persecution would have been so efficient and strengthen his body, his political education uwas
a cure of idolatry as the inculcation of the doctrines limited to the observance of the forms and ceremonials
of Christ, and the example of a practice conformable of the court. It may be that Pulcheria, with some
to them. But he who could order the massacre of vigour of understanding, had no knowledge of the
Thessalonica was ill adapted to teach a faith which more important duties of a man who is at the head
was contradicted by his practice. of a nation. Pulcheria and her sisters, Arcadia
The reign of Theodosius is one of the most im- and Marina, had publicly dedicated themselves to
portant periods of the later empire. Gibbon has the service of God and to a life of chastity; and
sketched it in a masterly manner, but too favourably the whole imperial household was regulated in confor the character of Theodosius; who was probably formity to this principle. " Pulcheria," says Tillea voluptuary, a sensualist, certainly a persecutor, mont, a great admirer of this saint, " accustomed
cruel and vindictive. That he possessed some great Theodosius to pray incessantly, to visit the churches
qualities cannot be denied; and his natural temper often, and to make them presents; to respect the
may have been mild, but it was unequal and uncer- bishops and other ministers of the altar, &c.' But
tain; it wanted sufficient consistency to entitle him to if the young emperor was carefully protected against
the name of a truly great and good man. Tillemont the dangers to which a youth in an-exalted station
has, with unwearied industry which allows nothing is exposed, he was not trained in those studies
to escape it, collected, in his dry, annalistic fashion, which befit a man and an emperor. To excel in
all the materials for the reign of Theodosius; and mechanical occupations, to write a fine hand, which,
Gibbon has largely availed himself of the labours of in a private station, may give amusement, and are
the learned ecclesiastic. [G. L.] at least harmless, imply in a prince a want of taste
and of talent for more important things, or an ill~:~~ directed education. Theodosius had, in fact, little
talent, and his education was not adapted to im/' ([9~ ~NSo prove it. He passed a blameless youth, for he was
8 By X 031 rre, N shut up in his palace, except when he went a huntiffi{'t AAd ing; and he possessed the negative virtues of a
c}~ retired and austere life. The ecclesiastics extol
him for his piety and his respect to the church;
and he prosecuted the work which his grandfather
COIN OF THEODOSIUS I. commenced, by demolishing to their foundations
the temples of idols, the monuments of the super-.
THEODO'SIUS II., was the only son of the stition and of the taste of the pagans. It was hlis
emperor Arcadius, who died on the first of May, ambition not to leave a vestige of the ancient reA. D. 408. Theodosius was born early in A. D. 401, ligion behind him.
and was declared Augustus by his father in January He published various edicts against heretics, and
A. D. 402. There is a story that Arcadius, by his an edict specially directed against Gamaliel. the
testament, made Yezdigerd, king of Persia, the last patriarch of the Jews. By an edict of the
guardian of his son; but it hardly deserves notice, 16th May, 415, he declared it incest for a widower
and certainly not refutation. On the death of to marry his wife's sister, and the children of such
Arcadius, the government was given to or assumed a marriage were made bastards. Constantius, in
by the praefect Anthemius, the grandson of Philip, A. D. 355, had already enacted the same law, which,
a minister of Constanltius, and the grandfather of though enacted again in our own times, is protested
the emperor Anthemius. In A. D. 405 Anthemius against by the common understanding of mankind.
was made consul and praetorian praefect of the The great event of the life of an emperor who
East. He faithfully discharged his duty as guardian was a nullity, was his marriage, which was maof the empire and the infant emperor. In the naged by his sister, who managed every thing.
year in which Arcadius died, the Huns and the The woman whom his sister chose for his wife, and
Scyrri entered Thrace under Uldin, who rejected whom Theodosius married (probably in A. D. 421),
all terms of accommodation, but, being deserted by was the accomplished Athenais, who, after her
some of his officers, he recrossed the Danube, after baptism, for she was a heathen, reeeived the name
losing a great number of his Huns. The Scyrri, of Eudocia. Her life from this time is intimately
who loitered in his rear, were either killed or made connected with the biography of her husband, and
prisoners, and marny of the captives were sent to is told at length elsewhere. [EuDocIA.]
cultivate the lands in Asia. Anthemius strength- About the close of A. D. 421 war broke out
ened the Illyrian frontiers, and protected Constan- between the emperor of the East and Varanes or
tinople, by building what were called the great Bahlram, the successor of Yezdigerd. A Christian
walls, probably in A. D. 413. bishop had signalized his zeal by burning a temple
Theodosius had a sister, Pulcheria, born A. D. of the fire-worshippers at Susa, and this excess was
399, who, in A. D. 414, became the guardian of her followed by a persecution of the Christians by the