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Uiereaj" and many fruits of diflcrent fiieoies of " Eugenia," 

 all good to eat. The natives appear more mild and pacific 

 that! thofe of the Admii-alty ifles, thoiij>h they feenn to be 

 more robiirt. They are wliully nakod, ncrt even wearing the 

 fllell. All thefe iflands, and thofe about them, arc covered 

 with trees. Labillardiere. Pinkcrton. The moil fouthcrly 

 point of New Ireland is fituated in S. lat. 4" 59'. E. long. 

 152° 17'. 



luEi.AXD, one of the Bermuda iflands. 



I RELLY, a town of Hindooftan, in Golconda ; 25 miles 

 E. of Hydrabad. 



IRENiEETS, in Bhgraphy, a native Greek, probably of 

 Afia, and bifhop of Lyons, in Gaul, in the fccond century. 

 The time of his birth, and the prccife place of his nativity, 

 cannot be fatlsfadorily afcertained. Dodwell refers his 

 birth to the reign of Nerva, A D. 97, and thinks that he 

 did not outlive the year igo. Grabe dates his birth about 

 the year 108. Dapin fays that he was born a little before 

 the year 140, and died a martyr in 202. Tillemont thinks 

 that he was born about the year 120, and died in 202. It 

 is generally allowed that he was educated in the principles 

 of the Chriilian religion, and that he was a difciple of St. 

 Polycarp ; and it has been fuppofed that he came to Rome 

 with his mailer, in the time of Anicctns, about the year 

 IJ7, and from thence palTcd into Gaul. He was firft 

 prefbyter of the church of Lyons, and fucceeded Pothinus, 

 after his martyrdom in the year 177, as bifliop of that 

 church. Tertullian mentions him as one of the mod: con- 

 fiderable writers of the Chriilian church, and fays of him 

 that he was " a diligent inquirer of nil forts of opinions ;" 

 weaning, probably, that he had well ftudied the fentiments 

 of the heathen philofophers, and of heretics, as well as the 

 principles of the Chriilian religion. It has been commonly 

 iaid that Irenxus died a martyr ; but frcm the filence of 

 Tertullian and Eufcbius, afid others, concerning :hc manner 

 of his death, it is j':ftly argued (fays Lardner) by Cave, 

 Bafn.ige, and Dodwell, that this fuppofition is not well 

 foufided, and that he clofed his life in the ordinary courfe 

 of nature. He was the author of many works, of which 

 r.one are now extant belides his five books " Againfl He- 

 refies," and fragm.ents of fome oilier pieces ; and thofe five 

 books, written by h.im in Greek, now exift only in an an- 

 cient Latin verfion, excepting fome fragments preferved by 

 Eufeb'iis, and other Greek writers who have quoted them. 

 In this large work " Againil Herefies," Irenxus has iTiewn 

 that he was well acquainted with heathen authors, and the 

 abfurd and intricate notions of heretics, as well as with 

 tiie fcriptures of the Old and New Teftnment, which he 

 iias freq':ently and copioufly cited with peculiar and very 

 diilinguilhed refp;tt. In his writings " we have full, ex- 

 prefs, and abundant tedimony to the four gofpels, the afis 

 of the apoftles, and twelve of Paul's epiilles. The oraiffion 

 of the epiitle to Philemon may well be afcribed to its brevity. 

 He knew the epiiUe to the Hebrews, but v/as not fatisfied 

 that it was Paul's. As for the Catholic epillles, we have 

 exprefs quotations of the firll of Peter, and the firft and 

 fecond of John ; and the rcafon of not quoting the third 

 may be well allowed to be its brevity. But to the epiille 

 of James, the fecond of Peter, and the epi^Ue of Jude, 

 there are none, or very obfcure references, hardly any that 

 can be reckoned material. Neverthelefs, on account of a 

 general pafTage concerning the writings of the apodles, it 

 may be queilioned, whether he did not alfo Icnow the 

 epiftles of James and Jude. The book of the Revelation is 

 exprcfsly afcribed to John, the difci|:le of the Lord. His 

 telliir.ony for this book is fo (Irong and ful), that, confi- 

 dcring the age of Irvuxu,*:, he fcems to put it beyond all 



I R E 



qutdiun, that it is the work of John the apodle and cvan"- 

 gelill." 



Irenxus appears to have been very humble and modcR,. 

 and agreeable to his name ( formed of nfwr, /.cjcf) a lover 

 of peace. Tliis is manifcll in his letter to Victor, on oc- 

 cafion of the controverfy about the time of keeping Ealler. 

 Although his writings may not be free from imperfeCHoiis,, 

 he has given fuch j/roofs of learning, integrity, and good 

 fenfe in "the maiuj that a.l good judges muil cfleem him an- 

 ornament to the fed to which he belonged. The works of 

 Irenxus were firft publiflied at Bafil l)y Erafmus, in 1526, 

 in folio ; and they have fincc undergone various impreflions. 

 The moft valuable of thefe are that of Grabe, publifiied 

 at Oxford in 1702, folio ; and that of Maffuet, a Benedidinc 

 of the congrcg-ition of St Maur, publiftied at Paris in 

 1710, folio. Fabricius. Cave. Dupin. Lardner, in his 

 Works, vol. ii. 



IRENARCHA, »;w^X'h compofed of u;nr., peace, ami 

 aix'^:, prince, from y-^yj., command, a military officer in ti e 

 Greek empire, whofe bufinefs was to provide for the peace, 

 fccurity, and tranquillity of the provinces. 



In Juilinian's code it is mentioned, that irenarchs are fer.t 

 into tlie provinces to maintain the public peace, by puni(hi:ig 

 crimes, and puting the laws in execution. 



Befides this there was another irenarcha in the cities, to 

 whom belonged the preferving of peace, and quelling fcdi- 

 tion among the citizens. This officer was fometimes called 

 pnefeUus uriis. 



The emperors Theodofius and Honorius fupprefled the 

 office of irenarchx, on account of their abufing their truft, 

 and diftreffing and perfecuting the people, inllead of main- 

 taining peace among them. 



IRENE, in BiogiT.phy, emprefs of Conftantinople, born 

 in the rear 752, was an Athenian orphan, but being dif- 

 tinguifhed by her great accomplilliments !he was married, 

 at the age of 17. to Leo, fon of the emperor Conllantine \ , 

 This prince afterwards fat upon the imperial throne as 

 Leo IV. and at his death, in 780, left his wife guardian of 

 their fon, ConilantineVL then but 10 years old. During, 

 his childhood, Irene moft ably iind affiduoudy difcharged, in- 

 her public admi.niftration, the duties of a faithful mother ; 

 and her zeal in the reftoration of image?, has given her the 

 title and honours of a faint, which (he lliU holds in the Greek- 

 church. As the young emperor attained the maturity ot 

 youth, the ftruggle for power between him and his mother 

 was carried on with the utmoft ardour. He liftencd to 

 his favourites, who fliared his plcafures, and were am.biticus 

 of his power, and was convinced of his right, and of iiis. 

 ability to reign, and determined to reward the fervices of 

 his mother by a perpetual baniflimcnl to the ilTe of Sicily. 

 She, on the other hand, £iiw through his projcas in time 

 to fruftratCr for the prcfont, his plans. Tiie conteft, how- 

 ever, was not over ; and the foldiers determining for the 

 prince, he was proclaimed lawful en-iperor, and his mother 

 was difmilTed to a life of foIitude._ Here I'he excited a. 

 powerful confpiracy againft Conllantine, and, in 797, not 

 only dctln-oned him, but moil barbarondy caufed him to be 

 deprived of his fight. After this die entered Condantir.oplc. 

 in- a chariot of date, attended by feveral pairiciaus as her 

 Haves, and afl'umed the reins of empire. " But thefe pa- 

 tricians," fays Gibbon, " were for the moft pr.rt eunuchs; 

 and their black ingratitude jullitied, on this occafion, the 

 popular hatred and contempt. Itaifcd, enriched, cntrufted, 

 with the firft dignitieo of the empiie, they bafely confpired 

 againft their benefadlrefs : the great trcafurer Nicepliorus. 

 was fecretly inverted with the purple ; her fuccefi'or wm. 

 introduced into the palace, and crowned at St. Sophia by 



the 



