ROM 



were fruftrated and puni(hed. During thefe inteftine dif- 

 turbances, Simeon, king of Bulgaria, renewed his inroads on 

 the empire, and penetrated to the gates of Conitantinople. 

 Romanus brought him to accede to terms of peace, and the 

 Roman admiral, about this time, entirely deitroyed a Sara- 

 cen fleet in the harbour of Lemnos. Simeon dying in 927, 

 his fon Peter refumed holtilities, and broke into the Con- 

 ltantinopolitan territory, but peace was concluded, and a 

 marriage entered into with the emperor's grand-daughter to 

 the Bulgarian king. An invafion of the Roman dominions 

 in Alia by the Syrian Saracens was repulfed by the imperial 

 general ; and the commanders of the armies of Romanus 

 had equal fuccefs againft the Ruffians, who had ravaged the 

 empire with a numerous fleet. In the mean time, Romanus 

 loft his eldelt fon Chriitopher, and the two remaining 

 brothers quarrelled with each other, and with their father. 

 The youngeft fon of Romanus formed a confpiracy for his 

 father's dethronement, and in December 944, his apartment 

 was entered by night, and he was conveyed to an illand of 

 the Propontis. He there aflumed the religious habit and 

 life, and died in 946 in this retreat, a true penitent for the 

 injuftice which he had inflicted upon Conftantine. Previoufly 

 to his deceafe, his two fons were banifhed to the fame ifland, 

 whom he reproached, when he met them on the beach, for their 

 ingratitude and unkindnefs to him, neverthelefs he very rea- 

 dily allowed them to lhare of his water and vegetable diet. 

 Lecapenus does not appear, fays Gibbon, to have polleffed 

 either the virtues or vices of a tyrant. The fpirit and acti- 

 vity of his private life dillolved away in the fun-fhine of the 

 throne ; and in his licentious pleafures, he forgot the fafety 

 both of the republic and of his family. Of a mild and re- 

 ligious character, he refpetted the fanftity, the innocence of 

 youth, the memory of his parents, and the attachment of the 

 people. Univer Hift. Gibbon. 



Romanus II., called the Tnung, fucceeded his father, 

 Conftantine Porphyrogenitus, in 959. He had married 

 Theophano, a woman of mean origin, who was charged 

 with having been chiefly inftrumental in the alleged crime of 

 poifoning his father. Romanus was fuppofed to poffefs con- 

 fiderable talents, but he was habitually attached to frivolous 

 amufements and diflolute pleaiures, and reiigned all care of 

 the ftate to his chief chamberlain. In the morning, this 

 luxurious emperor vifited the circus ; at noon he feafted the 

 fenators ; the greatett part of the afternoon he fpent in the 

 tennis-court, the only theatre of his victories ; from thence 

 he pafled over to the Aiiatic fide of the Bofphorus, hunted 

 and killed four wild boars of the largeft iize, and returned 

 to the palace, proudly content with the labours of the day. 

 He banifhed from court his mother Helena, and his two 

 filters, who were reduced to a ftate of great indigence. 



During the fhort reign of this emperor, the two brothers, 

 Nicephorus Phocas and Leo, obtained great fucceffes againft 

 the Saracens in Crete and the Eaft, while the emperor was 

 wafting his time in indolence. According to fome hiftorians, 

 debauchery, but according to others, the evil practices of 

 Theophano, brought his life to a clofe in the year 963, at 

 the age of twenty-four, and in the fourth year of his reign. 

 Univer. Hift. Gibbon, vol. ix. 



Romanus III., named Argyrus, a patrician of an ancient 

 family, was nearly related to Conltantine IX. During the 

 laft illnefs of that emperor, he was offered his daughter Zoe 

 for a wife, with the title of Caelar. He would readily have 

 declined the high honour intended for him. but was told the 

 lofs of his eyes or his life mult be the coufequence of his 

 refufal. His wife, devoted to his welfare, as well as ardently 

 attached to his perfon, made way for a new marriage, by 

 retiring herfelf to a convent, and in 1028 Romanus efpoufed 



ROM 



the princefs Zoe. On the death of Conftantine he fuc- 

 ceeded to the imperial throne, and began his reign by eafing 

 the people of fome of their taxes, and performing other 

 popular adts. In the fecond year of his reign, the Saracens 

 having invaded Syria, the emperor refolved to march in per- 

 fon againft them, but he was defeated, with the lofs of his 

 baggage, and a great part of his army. After his return, 

 feveral public calamities in the empire followed, which occa- 

 fioned him entirely to apply his mind to works of piety. In 

 the mean time the emprefs Zee, who, at an advanced age, 

 continued to follow a licentious courfe of life, attached 

 herfelf to a new lover of mean birth, whom (he wifhed to raifc 

 to the purple, and (he juftified the Roman maxim, that every 

 adulterefs is capable of poifoning her hufband. To effect: 

 her purpofe, fne caufed the deadly cup to be administered 

 to her hufband ; and finding it too flow in its operation, (he 

 employed an affaffin, who fuffocated him in the bath. He 

 died in 1034, after a reign of five years and a half. Gibbon. 

 Univer. Hilt. 



Romanus IV., named Diogenes, a defcendant of Ro- 

 manus Argyrus, in the regency of Eudocia, widow of 

 Conftantine Ducas, engaged in a confpiracy for railing him- 

 lelf to the throne, for which he was tried and condemned to 

 death. This punifhment, on account of his fine perfon, was 

 commuted for a (hort exile, after which the imperial widow 

 nominated him to the command of her armies, and in 1067 

 (he married him, and he was proclaimed emperor. He had 

 not occupied the throne more than two months, before he 

 put himielf at the head of the few troops he could affemble, 

 and eroded the Hellefpont to attack the Turkifh fultan, who 

 had made incurlions into his territories. He came up with 

 the Turks, who were retiring loaded with rich fpoils. He 

 attacked and routed them with great (laughter, and purfuing 

 his blow, recovered Aleppo and Hierapolis. In the two fol- 

 lowing campaigns, Romanus difplayed his military talents to 

 great advantage, and finally drove the Turks acrofs the Eu- 

 phrates. In the fourth campaign he led a numerous army 

 to the deliverance of Armenia. After this he fhared in de- 

 feat, and was, in a general engagement, left alone, almoft in 

 the midft of his enemies, and was taken prifoner by the 

 Turkifh fultan, who obliged him to fign an humiliating 

 treaty, and then fet him at liberty. During his misfortunes, 

 a revolution was effected at Conftantinople : Eudocia had 

 been driven from the throne, and (hut up in a monaftery ; 

 and her eldeft fon, Michael Ducas, had been proclaimed 

 emperor. Romanus was dethroned, and his eyes torn out with 

 circumltances of fo much cruelty that he foon died. This 

 happened in 107 1, after a reign of three years and eight 

 months. Univer. Hift. 



Romanus, pope, was elected to that dignity in the year 

 897, upon the expulfion of Stephen VI. and VII. Little 

 is recorded of him : he is laid by Platina to have annulled 

 the acts of his predeceffor, and, in particular, to have de- 

 clared his proceedings agamft the corpfe and memory of 

 pope Formofus unjuit and illegal. Romanus' dignity was 

 of very (hort duration ; he died before he had been in pof- 

 feffion of it quite four months. Bower. 



ROMAON, St., in Geography, a town of Portugal, in 

 the province of Beira ; 19 miles S.S.E. of Vifeu. 



ROMBACH, a town of the duchy of Wurzburg ; 

 2 miles N. of Hasfurt. 



ROMBLON, or Romblino, one of the fmaller of the 

 Philippine iflands, about 30 miles in circumference. N. lat. 

 12° 40'. E. long. 121 58'. 



ROMBOUTS, Theodore, in Biography, a native of 

 Antwerp, and born in 1597, was a painter of very confi- 

 derable merit. At firft he ltudied under Abraham Janfens ; 



but 



