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the Natives Achrida or Ochrida *; but by the Romans, Taurefia. Some Geographers place the Village, in which he was born, in Dalmatia, others in Macedonia, and fome in Bulgaria. Juftinian was no fooner raised to the Imperial Dignity, but he declared it the Metropolis of Dacia, Triballia, Dardania, Myfia, Pannonia, Macedonia, Hungary, Servia, Moldavia, Albania, and Bulgaria, honoured it with the See of an Archbishop, and named it from himself Juftiniana, with the Epithet Prima, in order to diftinguish it from Juftiniana Secunda, a City of Cyprus, on which likewife he beftowed great Honours, it being the Native Country of his Wife Theodora. Our Emperor's Father was called, in the Language of the Country, Iftock (that is, Stock or Trunk,) and his Mother Bigleniz; which by the Latins were changed into Sabatius † and Vigilantia. The Emperor's own Name was Uprauda, from the Illyric or Sclavonic Word Uprait, fignifying upright, boneft, juft; from whence he was probably called Juftinian, tho' Authors commonly form that Name from the Name of the Emperor Juftin, his Uncle, who adopted him. Some Writers of great note, among whom fornandes I, fuppofe the Family of the Emperor Juftinian to be a Branch of the Anician Family, which was one of the moft illuftrious of Rome, and commonly believed to be the true Family of Eneas, Thefe Authors tell

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From the Word Ochs, fignifying in that Language an Ox; and hence in Latin it was called Taurelia. The Turks, in whofe Poffeffion it is now, call it Giuftandil.

+ Sabatius in the barbarous Greek of that Age was of the fame Signification with the Word Iftock.

Fornan. de Rebus Geticis.

tell us, that fome of the Anician Family, having accompanied the Emperor Arcadius, (0thers fay Theodofius) to Conftantinople, were created by him Prefects of Illyricum, and the neighbouring Provinces, where they settled, and remained 'till the Emperor Justin was raised to the Throne. And this is the Reason why Juftinian affumed the Titles of Æneida and Trojanus; as appears from a Manufcript Copy of fome Privileges he granted to the Monaftery of Monte Caffino, which begins thus: In nomine D. N. I. C. Imperator, Caefar, Flavius Juftinianus ENEIDA. Pope Vigilius gives. him the fame Title, and writes to him in the following Terms: Piffimo & Sereniffimo Victori, Triumphatori, Flavio, Juftiniano, Conftantino, Imperatori Augufto, ENEIDE, Vigilius Epifcopus fedis Apoftolicæ fenioris Roma. Joannes Seifridus, Abbot of a Monastery in the Archdukedom of Auftria, endeavours to prove (in no fewer than feven Books) that the House of Auftria is a Branch of the Anician Family, and defcended from Æneas, as well as the Emperor Juftinian, whom he places among the Heroes of the House of Austria. His Book (which is very fcarce) is entitled, ARBOR ANICIANA, feu Genealogia Austria domus Principum ab antiquiffima ANLCIA urbis Rome Familia libris feptem. Vienna 1613. Folio. As our Author bears the Character of a Man of great Learning, and good Senfe, we cannot think he fpeaks in earnest, when he fays, that the Empire belongs, as it were by Hereditary Right, to the Houfe of Auftria, because it was founded by one of the Austrian Family, viz. by Julius Cafar. He applies to the Houfe of Auftria the following Prediction, related by Flavius Vopifcus

S 4

Vopifcus (in Floriano cap. 2.) One day an Em-· peror Sprung from the ANICIAN Stock, shall fway the Roman Empire; give Judges to the PERSIANS and PARTHIANS; govern the FRANKS and ALEMANS; with the Laws of ROME; drive all the BARBARIANS out of AFRIC; appoint Governors over the TAPOBANI; fend a Proconful into the GREAT ISLAND, (that is, into Great Britain;) and having fubdued all Nations, become abfolute Lord of the Univerfe. Mr. Ludewig, however, thinks there is no likelihood that this Prediction will be fulfilled in our days.

BUT to return to Juftinian; he was fent very early by his Parents to the Academy of Conftantinople, where he applied himself to the Study of Mathematics, Mufic, Philofophy, Divinity and Law, with fuch Succefs, that he was esteemed the most learned Man of his Age in these five Sciences, and commonly styled, the most Learned, the most Wife, the great Divine, &c. He wrote feveral Books of Divinity: on which the Ecclefiaftical Writers have beftowed great Encomiums. The Book he compofed against the Neftorians and Acephali was proposed as a Rule of Faith by the Fathers of the third Council of Conftantinople, held in 879. His Books against Origin, and those he wrote upon the Mystery of the Incarnation, as likewife his Symbolum, or Confeffion of Faith, and his Work, entitled, Pro tribus Capitulis, wherein he endeavoured to reconcile the Orthodox and the Acephali, are mentioned and greatly extolled by Cedrenus, Victor, Ifidorus, Facundus Hermianenfis, and others. Notwithstanding the Authority of fo many Writers, fome have advanced, that Juftinian paffed from the Plough

to

to the Imperial Throne; that he was fo ignorant as not to be able to write his own Name, and was thence furnamed Juftinian the Ignorant *. These were, no doubt, mifled by Suidas, who at the Word Juftinianus fays: Ικςινιανὸς, ὁ βασιλεὺς ρομαίων, ορθοδοξότατος. ἦν δὲ αμάθητος γραμμάτων ἁπαντῶν καὶ τὸ δὲ λεγόμενον ANAA ABHTO; Juftinianus, Rex Romanorum, Orthodoxus. Erat autem dottrinarum & litterarum omnium ignarus. Ditus ideo ANALPHABETUS. But it is plain, that instead of Juftinianus we ought to read Juftinus, who, as we are told by Procopius †, was fo dull, that he could never learn to write his own Name, and was therefore called Analphabetus. Suidas himself repeats, at the Word dos in fpeaking of Juftin, what he is supposed to fay here of Juftinian; which is an evident proof, that the former Paffage is not genuine.

Befides,

FROM the Academy of Conftantinople our Juftinian paffed into Italy, where he ferved in the Army, which his Uncle Justin commanded against the Goths, and gave fuch Proofs of his Courage and Conduct, that he gained the love and éfteem of the whole Army. Justin being not long after placed on the Throne, vacant by the Death of the Emperor Anaftafius, he was raised to the Dignity of Magifter Militum, or Commander in Chief of all the Imperial Forces, in which Employment he gave fuch Satisfaction to the Emperor, Soldiery, and People; that his Uncle firft adopted him, and afterwards, at the earneft entreaties of the

Army

* Aegidius Perrinus in the Life of Juftinian, which he prefixed to his Commentaries upon the Inftitutes, printed at Paris in 1553, 4to.

+Procop. in Hift. Arcana, p. 29.

Army and People, declared him his Collegue in the Empire, crowning him with his own hand on the Calends of April, 527.

*

His

quick Rife gave occafion to the following Verfe,

De Tyrone Duces fiunt, de Milite Princeps..

OUR Author gives here fome Account of Theodora, Wife to Juftinian; and tells us, that fhe was born in the Island of Cyprus †, in a Town, called Conftantia, and afterwards Juftiniana fecunda, having been imbellished by Juftinian with ftately Buildings, and declared the Metropolis of the whole Ifland. From Cyprus fhe paffed (on what occafion we know not) into Paphlagonia; from thence into Bithynia, and from Bithynia to Conftantinople; where the lived, 'till Juftinian married her, in embolo, that is, as our Author explains it, in a Porch, and maintained herself by her Work, being exceeding poor. Alemannus, by the word Embolum, understands a Bawdy-house, and endeavours to prove, that fhe was a Woman of à very bad Life; wherein he agrees with Procopius, who in fpeaking of Theodora's Travels, calls her, in exprefs Terms, a Vagabond Whore, and adds, that Juftinian kept her company long before he married her. Our Author endeavours to clear her from fuch Afperfions,

and

*The Custom of anointing Princes was not introduced before the eighth Century, and is looked upon by fome Divines of great Note, as fuperftitious. Vide Ludewig in Mifcellis, Tom. I. Opufc. 3. P. 172, 173.

This is contradicted by Alemannus, p. 39, who tells us, that Theodora was born at Conftantinople, and that all the Cities which were built or repaired in honour of Theodara, were called Theodoropoles or Theodoria.

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