E P I 
duing all the other Grecian dates; but met with fiich an 
cbftinate refiftance at Lacedaemon, that he was obliged to 
drop the enterprize ; and was foon after killed at the fiege 
of Argos by a woman, who from the wall threw a tile 
upon his head. Deidamia, the grand-daughter of Pyrrhus, 
was the laft that fat on the throne of Epirus. She is faid 
to have been murdered after a flvort reign ; upon which 
the Epirots formed themfelves into a republic. 
Under the new form of government Epirus never made 
any confiderable figure, but became dependent on the 
kingdom of Macedon. The Romans, after conquering 
king Philip, reftored the Epirots to their ancient liberty; 
but they, forgetful of this favour, took up arms in be¬ 
half of Perfeus. As a punifliment for their ingratitude, 
the Romans gave orders to Paulus Emilius to plunder 
the cities of Epirus, and level them with the ground. 
Upwards of feventy cities were difmantled, and the chief 
men of the country carried to Rome, where moll of them 
were condemned to perpetual imprifonment. This ter¬ 
rible blow Epirus never recovered. Upon the diflplution 
of the Achaean league, it was made part of the province 
of Macedon’; but when Macedon became a diocefe, Epi¬ 
rus was again feparated from it, and called the province of 
Old Epirus, to diftinguifh it from New Epirus , another pro¬ 
vince on the eaft of it. On this divilion it fell to the 
emperors of the eafi:, and continued under them till the 
taking of Conftantinople by the Latins, when Michael 
Angelus, a prince nearly related to the Greek emperor, 
feized on Etolia and Epirus, of which he declared him- 
felf prince; and wasfucceeded by his brother Theodorus, 
who took feveral towns from the Latins, and fo far en¬ 
larged his dominions, that he affumed the title of emperor, 
and was crowned by Demetrius archbifhop of Bulgaria. 
Charles, the laft prince of this family, dying without law¬ 
ful ilfue, bequeathed Epirus and Acarnania to his natural 
ions, who were driven out by Amurath II. Great part 
of Epirus was afterwards held by the noble family of the 
Caftriots, who ftyled themfelves princes of Epirus. Upon 
the death of the famous George Caftriot, furnamed Scan- 
derbeg, Epirus fell to the Venetians, from whom it was 
taken by the Turks; in whofe hands it full continues, 
and is now known by the name of Albania. 
EPIS'COPACY, f. [from the Latin epifeopatus, which 
is derived from the Greek ettktjcotto;.] In its primary fenfe 
it means “The office of overlooking or overfeeing and 
thence, as applied by ecclefiaftical writers, it is ufed to 
fignify in a more peculiar manner “ The office of a biftiop, 
who is to overlook and overfee the concerns of the 
church.” The origin of this office is clearly traced back 
to the days of St. Paul: for that apoftle left Timothy at 
Ephefus, and Titus at Crete, for the exprels purpofe of 
exercifing it. The adts, by which thefe two perfons 
fhared a degree of pre-eminence over others in the church, 
were the appointment of pretbyters and deacons by ordi¬ 
nation, and the corredtion of mifeondudt in prelbyters and 
deacons by reproof. However therefore the Scriptures 
may want a Greek word to exprefs epifcopacy, the office, 
with the powers now deemed epifcopal, did virtually exift 
in the earlielt age of Chriftianity. That it prevailed uni- 
verfally, wherever a church was planted, is not fo clear. 
But that in the fecond century this office became more 
general, with the view of preferving peace and fubordi- 
nation among the prelbyters, is very certain. From that 
period for feveral hundred fucceffive years, the church 
government was epifcopal ; that is, under the diredfion 
of bifliops, priefts, and deacons. Writers on the fubjedt 
of epifcopacy and prelbytery have been led into error, 
from not attending to this circumftance ; viz. that every 
bifliop was necelfarily a prefbyter, but every prefbyter 
was not a bifhop. The qualification for epifcopacy was 
the being a prefbyter : but it did not follow that becaufe 
a perfon was a prefbyter he fhould therefore be a bifliop. 
The epifcopacy foon became to be conlidered fo fuperior 
to prelbytery, that a diftindt form of prayer and appro- 
E P I 871 
pria(e folemnities were appointed to be ufed, when a 
prefbyter was advanced to epifcopacy. 
EPIS'C'OPAL, adj. [from epifeopus, Lit.] Belonging 
to a bifliop.—The plot of difeipline fought to eredl a po¬ 
pular authority of elders, and to take away epifcopal jurif- 
didtion. Hooker. —Veiled in a bifliop.'—The apoftle com¬ 
mands Titus not only to be a pattern of good works 
himfelf, but to life his epifcopal authority in exhorting 
every rank and order of men. Rogers. 
EPISCOPA'LI A,y. Synodals, or other cuftomary pay¬ 
ments from the clergy to their bifhop or diocefan ; which 
were formerly collected by the rural deans, and by them 
tranfmitted to the bifliop. Thefe cuftomary payments 
have been otherwife called onus epijeopale ; and were re¬ 
mitted by fpecial privilege to free churches and chapels 
of the king’s foundation, which were exempt from epif¬ 
copal jurifdiblion. 
EPISCOPA'LI ANS, f. An appellation given to thofe 
who prefer the epifcopal government and difeipline to all 
others. By the tell act, none but epifcopalians, or mem¬ 
bers of the church of England, are qualified to enjoy any 
office civil or military. 
EPIS'COPATE, f. ycpifcapalus , Lat.] A biffiopric ; 
the office and dignity of a bifliop. 
EPISCO'PIA, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of 
Naples, and province of Bafiiicata: nineteen miles fouth- 
weft of Tnrfi. 
EPISCO'PIUS (Simon), a learned Dutch divine of 
the feventeenth century, born at Amfterdam in 1583. 
After palling through a courfe of claffioal education in 
his native city, he entered upon academic (Indies at the 
utiiverfity of Leyden, where he took his degree of M. A. 
in 1606. In 1612 he was chofen profelfor of divinity at 
Leyden, in the 100m of Gomarus. To the duties of this 
office, and the private ftudies neceffiiry to the honourable 
difeharge of them, he applied himfelf with the greateft: 
afliduity, and became one of the greateft ornaments and: 
ableft defenders of the Arminian feit. His works, con¬ 
fiding of commentaries, theological inftitutions, contro- 
verfial treatifes, &c. form two volumes in folio ; the firft 
of which contains fuch pieces as were publiflied during 
the author’s life-time, and appeared in 1650, and the 
fecond his pofthumous productions, which were firft: 
given to the public in 1665. They were edited by Ste¬ 
phen Curcellasus, who has prefixed to them an account 
of the author. A larger Life of him was publiflied by 
Philip a Limborch, the foil of his brother’s daughter, 
written in the Dutch language, of which a Latin verfion 
appeared at Amfterdam in 1701, 8vo. 
EPISPHAi'RI A, J. [from t*un, upon, and ertpa^a., Gr. 
a fphere.] The windings of the exterior furface of the 
brain, and veflels upon it: fo called from the fphserical 
fhape of the brain. 
EP'ISODE,y [Gr.] An incidental narrative, or di- 
greliion in a poem, feparable from the main fubjedt, yet 
rifing naturally from it.—The poem hath no other tpifodes 
than fuch as naturally arife from the fubject. Adclifon. 
EPISO'DIC, or Episodical, adj. Contained in an 
epifode ; pertaining to an epifode.— EpiJ'odical ornaments, 
fuch as deferiptions and narrations, were delivered to us 
from the oblervations of Ariftotle. Dryden. —I difeovef 
the difference between the epifodic and principal actions, 
as well as the nature of epifodes. Notes on the Odyf'ey. 
EPISPAS'TIC,yi [from e®-i and cojuw, Gr.] Drawing. 
Bliftering; this is now the more frequent, though lefs 
proper fenfe.—This matter ought to be folicited to the 
lower parts, by fomentations, bathing, epifpa/lics, and blis¬ 
tering. Arbuthnot. , 
EPIS'TASIS,yi [from t-m, and irn/2i, Gr. to flay.] A 
fuppreffion or retention of any of the excretions. Alfo 
the fublfance on the furface of tire urine, from Esair'/ig.ij 
to Hand upon. 
EPISTAX'IS, f. [from E<mrafy } Gr, to diftil from.} 
A violent bleeding of the nofe. 
2 EPIS'TLEg 
