at the head of the congregation of Theodosius, so called from being established by that emperor. He introduced an improved method of ploughing among the Welsh, and died about A.D. 480.

ST. DAVID, the patron of Wales, was the son of Xantus or Santus, prince of Ceretica, now Cardiganshire. He was the great ornament and pattern of his age. He spoke with much force and energy, but his example was more powerful than his eloquence; and he has in all succeeding ages been the glory of the British church. He continued in the see of St. David many years; and having founded several monasteries, and been the spiritual father of many saints both British and Irish, he died about the year 544, at a very advanced age. He was buried at the church of St. Andrew, which, with the town and whole diocese, are named after him. Near the church stand several chapels, formerly resorted to with great devotion; the principal is that of St. Nun, Mother of St. David, near which is a beautiful well, still frequented by pilgrims. Another chapel is sacred to St. Lily, surnamed Gwas Dafydd, that is, St. David's man; for he was his beloved disciple and companion in his retirement. He is honoured there on the third, and St. Nun, who lived and died the spiritual mother of many religious women, on the second of March. The three first days of March were formerly holidays in South Wales in honour of these three saints; at present only the first is kept a festival throughout the principality.

BRIGIT, or BRIDGET, and by contraction St. BRIDE, a saint of the Romish church, and the patroness of Ireland, flourished in the end of this century. She was born at Fochard in Ulster, soon after Ireland was converted, and took the veil in her youth from the hands of St. Mel, nephew and disciple of St. Patrick. She built herself a cell under a large oak, thence called Kill-dare, or the cell of the oak, and being joined soon after by several of her own sex, they formed themselves into a religious community, which branched out into several other nunneries throughout Ireland, all which acknowledged She is commemorated in her for their mother and foundress.

the Roman martyrology on the first of February.

ST. MAGLÓIRE, a native of Wales, and cousin-german to St. Sampson and St. Mallo. He embraced a monastic life, and went into France, where he was made abbot of Dol, and after that a provincial bishop of Brittany. He afterwards founded a monastery in the island of Jersey, where he died October 14, 575, aged 80. His remains were transported to the suburbs of St. Jaques, and deposited in a monastery of Benedictines which was ceded to the fathers of the oratory in 1628. It is now the seminary of St. Magloire, celebrated on account of the learned men whom it has produced. This saint culti

vated poetry with considerable success; the hymn which is sung at the feast of All Saints, was composed by him; Cælos quos eadem gloria consecrat, &c.

HISTORY.

ZOSIMUS, a Greek historian; who held various civil offices under the younger Theodosius, about the commencement of this century, and left a history of Roman affairs in six books; the first of which furnishes a slight view of the emperors, from Augustus to Diocletian; and the others detail the public events that occured to the second siege of Rome by Alaric, and the pontificate and deposition of Attalus. Something seems to be wanting towards the end. The style of this historian is concise, perspicuous, and pure; but his prejudices against the Christian emperors have misled him; and particularly in his account of Constantine the Great. Leunclairus his attempted to justify him; and it has been allowed that he has divulged some truths which other historians have suppressed. Gibbon says, "credulous and partial as he is, we must take our leave of this historian with regret." The best edition is that of Leipsic, in 1784, 8vo.

SOCRATES, an ecclesiastical historian of this century, born at Constantinople. He professed the law, and pleaded at the bar, whence he obtained the name Scholasticus. He wrote an ecclesiastical history, from the year 309, where Eusebius, ended, down to 440; and wrote with exactness and judgment. An edition of Eusebius and Socrates, in greek and latin, with notes by Reading, was published at London in 1720.

HERMIUS SOZOMEN, or SOZIMENUS, an ecclesiastical historian, was born at Bethulia, a town of Palestine. He was educated for the law, and became a pleader at Constantinople. He wrote an abridgement of ecclesiastical history, in two books, from the ascension of our Saviour till the year 323. This compendium is lost; but a continuation of it in nine books, written at greater length, down to 440, is still extant. He seems to have copied Socrates, who wrote a history of the same period. The style of Sozomenus is more elegant; but in other respects he falls far short of that writer, displaying throughout his whole book an amazing credulity and a superstitious attachment to monks and the monastic life. The best edition of Sozomenus is that of Robert Stephens in 1544. It has been translated and published by Valesius, and republished with additional notes by Reading at London, 1720, in three vols. folio.

CHORENENSIS MOSES, a historian and geographer,

was archbishop of Chorene, now Therona, in Armenia, and flourished about A.D. 462. He was one of the most learned men of his nation. He wrote in his native language a history of Armenia, which was reprinted, with a latin version, in 1736, by the two sons of William Whiston. The other works of archbishop Moses are, "An Abridgement of Sacred Geography," published at Amsterdam in 1668; and "Sacred Canticles.

GELASIUS, of Cyzicus, bishop of Cæsarea, flourished about the year 476. He compiled a history of the Nicene council, in three books, partly from an old manuscript of Dalmatius, archbishop of Cyzicus, and from other authorities. It is a work of no merit, being bad in style and execution.

MARCUS AURELIUS CASSIODORUS, secretary of state to Theodoric, king of the Goths, was born at Squillace, in Naples about A.D. 481. He was also appointed governor of Sicily by the prince; and in 514 was raised to the dignity of consul, in which Theodosius and Vitiges continued him, under whom his reputation was very great. Perceiving the fall of the Gothic kingdom, and tired of the troubles of a public station, he resolved to retire from the world; and accordingly went to to his native place, Squillace, where, having built a hermitage and monastery, he devoted himself to his studies and religion. Here also, he amused himself in making sun-dials, water hourglasses, and perpetual lamps. He died about 577. He wrote a Chronology from the beginning of the world to the year 519; a History of the Goths, of which an abridgement only remains; Letters written while secretary, yet extant and valuable; a Treatise on Orthography; and Commentaries on several passages of Scripture; of the latter, those most esteemed are his Divine Institutions, and his Treatise on the Soul. The best edition of his works is that of father Garret, printed at Rouen in 1679.

ASTRONOMY.

CLEOMEDES, a Greek astronomer, supposed by Peucer to have flourished about the year 427 of the Christian era. He was the author of an astronomical poem, in two books, an edition of which was published by Robert Balfour.

VIKRAMA, or VIKRAMADETYA, a celebrated astronomer and legislator of the Hindoos. In the ninth volume of the Asiatic researches is a learned essay by Mr. Wilford, on the era named after this celebrated personage, who was a monarch, and whose capital was Æugein.

MEDICINE.

ADAMANTIUS, a Greek physician. He was of the Jewish persuasion, and lived at Alexandria. He then went to Constantinople, and became a Christian. He dedicated to the emperor Constantine, a work, in two books, on physiognomy, which has descended to our days, and has often been reprinted, particularly among the Physiognomoniæ Veteres, Gr. et Lat. J. G. Franzii, 8vo. 1780.

ÆTIUS, a famous physician, born at Amida, in Mesopotamia, and the author of several works, which are collections from the writings of former physicians. They consist of sixteen books, divided into four tetrabiblia. They particularly regard diseases of women, and the eye. These works were printed in Greek at Venice, in 1534, folio. There are also some editions in Latin.

PERIOD XXI.

FROM JUSTINIAN I. TO CONSTANTINE III.

[CENT. VI.]

REMARKABLE FACTS, EVENTS, AND DISCOVERIES.

*A.D.

508 Arthur reigns in Britain.

510 Paris made the capital of France.

516 The computation of time by the Christian era introduced by Dionysius. 529 The codex of Justinian published.

534 The kingdom of the Vandals in Africa ends, after continuing 106

years.

540 Antioch destroyed by the Persians.

541 Basilius the last consul elected at Rome.

542 Antioch rebuilt.

550 The kingdom of Poland founded.

553 The empire of the Goths in Italy overturned by Narses.

568 The Lombards found a kingdom in Italy.

569 The Turks first mentioned in history. The exarchate of Ravenna

begins.

575 Monarchy founded in Bavaria.

581 Latin ceased to be spoken in Italy.

584 The origin of fiefs in France.

593 The Gascons settled in Gascony.

596 John of Constantinople assumes the title of universal bishop. 597 Augustin comes to England with 40 other monks.

DURING this period the Eastern empire of the Romans continued to decline. The Goths made themselves masters of nearly the whole of Spain, except some small part which owned subjection to the emperors of Constantinople. Of this part, however, the Goths became masters also in the year 623.

Africa, properly so called, had changed its masters three times during this period. The Vandals had expelled the Romans, and erected an independant kingdom, which was at last overturned by the emperors of Constantinople; and from them the greater part of it was taken by the Goths in 620.

We are on the eve of a great revolution, political as well as ecclesiastical, in the introduction and establishment of Mahommedanism; a religion which, in a short time, overspread the whole East, and a portion of the West.