ANTONINUS PIUS ANTONIUS. 



199 



inundations, and a universal insurrection on the con- ] 

 fines of the empire, from Gaul to the Black sea. 

 Both emperors went to Aquileia, in order to attack 

 the Marcomanni, early in the spring. A part of the 

 enemy submitted for a time, but soon took up arms 

 again. For eight years, they fought with various 

 success. Verus died, A. D. 169, in the first year of 

 the war. A. D. 174, the enemy invaded Italy, and, 

 as the treasury was exhausted, the emperor saw him- 

 self reduced to the necessity of selling the most valu- 

 able furniture of the palace. In the following cam- 

 paigns, the Romans came off conquerors. A. D. 178, 

 when the emperor, in the city of Gran, in the war 

 against the Quadi, was surrounded on every side by 

 his enemies, he was reduced to extremity from want 

 of water. A fearful tempest arose, a sudden shower 

 refreshed the army, and the Quadi were vanquished. 

 Afterwards, the Marcomanni, the Quadi, as well as 

 the rest of the barbarians, sued for peace. The se- 

 dition of the Syrian governor, Avidius Cassius, who 

 had brought Egypt and the region within mount 

 Taurus to own his authority, called off the emperor 

 from his conquests ; but, before he reached Asia, the 

 rebel was slain by his own party. Aurelius pardoned 

 all who were engaged in the revolt, marched in 

 triumph to Rome, and busied himself about the in- 

 ternal concerns of the empire, till new incursions of 

 the Marcomanni compelled him once more to take 

 the field. He conquered the enemy several times, 

 but was taken sick at Sirmium, and died, according 

 to Aurelius Victor, at Vindobona, in the 5Sth year 

 of his age, and 19th of his reign. The best editions 

 of the Meditations, which he wrote in Greek, and in 

 which he acknowledges himself 'a follower of the 

 Stoics, are by Cassaubon, London, 1643 ; Morus, 

 Leipsic, 1775 ; and Schulz, 1802, translated by Schulz 

 and Kulm, witli annotations. Aurelius was one of 

 the best emperors who ever governed Rome, although 

 his philosophy and the natural magnanimity of his 

 character did not restrain him from ordering the per- 

 secution of the Christians in Gaul. 



ANTONINUS Pius (Titus Aurelius Fulvius), of a family 

 originally from Nismes, in Gaul, was born at Lavi- 

 niuiii, in the neighbourhood of Rome, A. D. 86. His 

 father, Aurelius Fulvius, had enjoyed the consulship, 

 and, A. D. 120, he succeeded to the same dignity. 

 He was one of the four persons of consular rank, 

 among whom Adrian divided the supreme adminis- 

 tration of Italy. He then went, as proconsul, to Asia, 

 and after his return to Rome, became more and more 

 the object of Adrian's confidence. By his wife, 

 Faustina, the daughter of Annius Verus, whose licen- 

 tious conduct he wisely endeavoured to conceal from 

 the view of the world, he had four children. They 

 all died but Faustina, who afterwards became the 

 wife of Marcus Aurelius. A. D. 138, he was adopt- 

 ed by Adrian, for which reason he, in his turn, adopt- 

 ed L. Verus and M. Annius Verus (Marcus Aurelius). 

 The same year, he ascended the throne, and under 

 him the empire enjoyed tranquillity and happiness. 

 Temperate and simple in his private life, ever ready 

 to assist the necessitous, an admirer of virtue and 

 wisdom, he was truly the father of his people. He 

 often repeated those beautiful words of Scipio, " I had 

 rather preserve the life of a citizen than destroy a 

 thousand enemies." His wise frugality enabled him 

 to diminish the taxes. The persecutions of the 

 Christians he speedily abolished. He carried on but 

 a few wars, viz. in Britain, where he extended the 

 Roman dominion, and, by raising a new wall, put a 

 stop to the desolating invasions of the Picts and Scots. 

 The senate gave him the surname Pius, i. e, remark- 

 able for filial affection, because, in gratitude to the 

 memory of Adrian, his second father, he had built a 

 temple in honour of him. Conflagrations. floods, and 



earthquakes, spread desolation in many places durintr 

 his reign, but his generosity did much to mitigate the 

 consequences of these unhappy events. He died, A 

 D. 161, 74 years old, having reigned 23 years. His 

 remains were deposited in the tomb of Adrian. The 

 senate built a pillar to his memory, which is yet 

 standing, under the name of the Antonine column. The 

 whole kingdom lamented him, and the following 

 emperors assumed his name as an honour. It has 

 been said of him, " He is almost the only monarch 

 that has lived without spilling the blood of his coun- 

 trymen or his enemies." 



ANTONINUS, the wall of ; a barrier erected by the 

 Romans across the isthmus between the Forth and 

 the Clyde. The whole length of it exceeded 36 

 miles. It was constructed A. D. 140, and consisted, 

 when entire, of a ditch 40 feet wide and 20 feet 

 deep, and a wall on the south side 24 feet thick and 

 20 feet in height, the wall being formed of the earth 

 that was thrown up. This wall is now nearly de- 

 molished by the ploughshare. General Roy, in his 

 35th plate, has traced its course, and given plans of 

 the stations belonging to it. This wall was the third 

 rampart built by the Romans against the incursions 

 of the North Britons. It is called, by the people in 

 the neighbourhood, Graham's dyke. 



ANTONIO, St ; a Dutch fort of Axim, on the Gold 

 Coast of Africa. It belongs to the West India com- 

 pany This is also a name of one of the cape de 

 Verd islands, separated from St Vincent by a narrow, 

 navigable channel, 15 miles broad. The inhabitants, 

 mostly negroes,; about 500 in iiumber, live, not- 

 withstanding all the plenty of the island, hi wretched 

 poverty. Lon. 26' E. ; lat. 18" 4' N. 



ANTONIO, Nicholas ; a native of Seville, in Spain ; 

 born in the year 1617. After 22 years spent at 

 Rome, in the capacity of agent-general for Spain, he 

 returned to Madrid, and obtained a seat at the coun- 

 cil board. His works are, Bibliotheca Hispana Vetus, 

 in two folio volumes ; De Exilio, Lib. Hi., folio, pub- 

 lished in 1659 ; Bibliotheca Hispana Nova, two vols. 

 folio, 1672, reprinted in 1783 ; and Censura de His- 

 toricis Fabulis, folio, 1742. His library was of great 

 value. He died, 1684. 



ANTONIUS, Marcus, the triumvir, son of the prajtor, 

 and grandson of the orator of the same name, born 

 86 years B. C., was connected with the family of 

 Caesar by his mother Julia, a lady of distinguished 

 excellence. Debauchery and prodigality marked 

 his youth. To study eloquence and the art of war, 

 he went to Greece, and from thence followed 

 the consul Gabinius on a campaign in Syria. He 

 showed much activity and courage here, as well 

 as in Egypt, where he aided in the establishment of 

 Ptolemy Auletes. The soldiers, whom he treated 

 with extreme generosity, indulgence, and confidence, 

 conceived a strong affection for him. In Rome, he 

 united with Curio, and, like him, supported the party 

 of Caesar. He became augur and tribune of the 

 people ; but some of his projects excited such odium 

 against him, that, with* Curio and Cassius Longinus, 

 he fled for refuge to the camp of Cajsar. This be- 

 came one of the pretences for civil war. At the 

 breaking out of this war between Caesar and Pompey, 

 A. was appointed by Caasar coinmander-in-chief in 

 Italy : he afterwards led a considerable force to 

 Epirus, to his assistance. In the battl of Pharsalia, 

 he commanded the left wing, and afterwards return- 

 ed to Rome with the appointment of* master of the 

 horse and governor of Italy. He degraded himself 

 so deeply by acts of excess and violence, that, on his 

 return, Caesar treated him with great coldness. 

 About this time, he married Fulvia, the widow of 

 Clodius, who long ruled him. When Caesar returned 

 from Spain, A. regained his favour by the basest 



