ANT 
Antoninus Philosophus (Marcus Aurelius), the 
Roman emperor, born at Rome, the 26th of April, in the 
121 ft year of the Chriftian .tera. He was called by feveral 
liam^s till he was admitted into the Aurelian family, when 
he'took that of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Adrian, 
upon the death of Cejonius Coinmodus, turned his eyes 
upon Marcus Aurelius; but, as he was not then 18 years 
of age, and confequently too young for fo important afta- 
tion, lie fixed upon Antoninus Pius, whom he adopted, 
upon condition that he Ihoiild likewife adopt Marcus Au¬ 
relius. The year after this adoption, Adrian appointed 
him queftor, though he had not yet attained' the age pre- 
icribed by the law. After the death of Adrian, Aurelius 
married Fauftina, the daughter of Antoniry.is Pius, by 
whom he had feveral children. In the year 139, lie was 
inverted with new honours by the emperor Pius, in which 
he behaved in fuch a manner as endeared him both to the 
prince and the people. 
Upon the death of Pius, which happened in the year 161, 
he was obliged by the fenate to affume the government; in 
the management of which he took Lucius Verus as his 
colleague. Dion Cartius fays, that the reafon of this was, 
that he might have leifure to purfue his ftudies, and on 
account of his ill (fate of health ; Lucius being of a ftrong 
vigorous conftitution, and confequently more fit for the 
fatigues of war. The fame day he took upon him the 
name of Antoninus, which he gave likewife to Verus his 
colleague, and betrothed his daughter Lucilla to him. 
The two emperors difcharged the government in a very 
amicable manner ; but the happinefs Rome enjoyed under 
them was interrupted, in the year 162, by a dreadful inun¬ 
dation of the Tiber, which deftroyed a vaft number of 
cattle, and occafioned a famine. The calamity was follows 
ed by the Parthian war ; and at the fame time the Catti 
ravaged Germany and Rlnetia. Lucius Verus went in 
perfon to oppofe the Parthians ; and Antoninus continued 
at Rome, where his prefence was neceffiary. The Ro¬ 
mans having gained a victory over the Parthians, who were 
obliged to abandon Mefopotamia, the two emperors tri¬ 
umphed over them at Rome 'in the year 166 ; and were 
honoured with the title of Fathers of their country. This 
year was fatal, on account of a famine under which Rome 
laboured : it was now that the Marcomanni, and many 
other people of Germany, took up arms againft the Ro¬ 
mans ; but the two emperors, having marched in perfon 
againft them, obliged the Germans to fue for peace. The 
war, however, was renewed the year following, and the 
two emperors marched again in perfon ; but Lucius Verus 
was feized with an apopleftic fit, and died at Altinum. 
The Romans were now defeated with great faugh ter ; 
and the emperor, not choofingto burden his fubjefts with 
new taxes, expofed to public fale the furniture of the pa¬ 
lace, the gold and fiver plate belonging to the crown, 
and his wife’s rich garments embroidered with gold, and 
a curious collection of pearls, which Adrian had purcha¬ 
sed during his long progrefs through the provinces of the 
empire, and was called Adrian’s cabinet. In 175, Antoni¬ 
nus made a treaty with feveral nations of Germany. Soon 
after, Avidius Cartius, governor of Syria, revolted ; but 
this infurreftion was put an end to by the death of Caiiius, 
who was killed by a centurion named Anthony. In this af¬ 
fair Antoninus behaved with great lenity ': he would not 
put to death, nor imprifon, nor even fit in judgment him- 
felf upon, any of the Senators engaged in this revolt. He 
wrote alfo to the fenate, defiring them to aft with indul¬ 
gence rather than Severity ; not to ftied the blood of any 
perfon whatfoever, but to allow this honour to his reign, 
that, even under the misfortune of a rebellion, none had loft 
their lives, except in the firft heat of the tumult. In 176, 
Antoninus vifited Syria and Egypt. He ftaid feveral days 
at Smyrna ; and, after he had Fettled the affairs of the eaft, 
went to Athens, on which city he conferred feveral ho¬ 
nours. From thence he returned to Rome with his Ion 
Commodus; and on the 23d of December, he entered 
Rome in triumph, with Commodus, on account of the 
Vol. I. No. 49. 
ANT 781 
viftories gained over the Germans. Dion Cartius tells us. 
that he remitted all the debts which were due to himfelf 
and the public treafury during 46 years, and burnt all the 
writings relating to thofe debts. He applied himfelf like¬ 
wife to correct many enormities, and introduced feveral 
excellent regulations. In the year 179, he left Rome to 
go againft the Marcomanni, and other barbarous nations ; 
and the year following gained a conftderable victory over 
them; after which he was feized with an illnefs, which 
carried him off on the 17th of March, 180, in the 59th year 
of his age, and 19th of his reign. The whole empire re¬ 
gretted the lofs of fo valuable a prince, and paid the great- 
eft honour to his memory: he was ranked amonglt the 
gods, and almoft every perfon had a ftatue of him in their 
houfes. His book of meditations is much admired. 
Antoninus’s Wall, the name of the third rampart 
or defence built by the Romans againft the incurfions of 
the North Britons. It is called by the people in the neigh¬ 
bourhood, Graham's Dyke-, from the notion that one Gra¬ 
ham, or Grimus, firft made a breach in it after the retreat 
of the Romans out of Britain. The great number of in- 
fcriptions which have been found in or near the ruins of 
this wall, to the honour of Antoninus Pius, leave us no 
room to doubt its having been built by his direction and 
command. It reached, as fome imagine, from Caer-rid- 
den on the frith of Forth to Old Kirkpatrick on the Clyde ; 
or, as others think, from Kinniel on the eaft, to Dunglafs 
on the weft. Thefe different fuppoiitions hardly make a 
mile of difference in its length, which, from feveral actu¬ 
al menfurations, appears to have been 37 Englifh or 40 
Roman miles. It i9 not a little furprifing, that though it 
is now more than 1600 years fince this work was finifhed, 
and more than 1300 fince it was flighted, we can yet dif- 
cover, from authentic monuments which are ftill remain¬ 
ing, by what particular bodies of Roman troops almoft 
every part of it was executed. This difcovery was made 
from infcriptions upon (tones, which were originally built 
into the face of the wall, and have been found in or near 
its ruins. And, though we cannot difcover exactly hovr 
many years this wall continued to be the boundary of the 
Roman territories in Britain, yet we know with certainty 
that it was not very long. For we are told by an author 
of undoubted credit, that, in the reign of Commodus, 
A. D. 180, “ he had wars with feveral foreign nations, bur 
none fo dangerous as that of Britain. For the people of 
the ifland, having parted the wall which divided them from 
the Romans, attacked them, and cut them in pieces.” 
ANTO'NIO (Nicholas), knight of the order of St. 
James, and canon of Seville, did great honour to the Spa- 
nifh nation by his Bibliotheque of their writers. Fie was 
born at Seville in 1617, being the fon of a prefident of the 
admiralty eftabliftied in that city in 1626. After having 
gone through a courfe of philofcphy and divinity, he went 
to ftudy the law at Salamanca; where he clofely attended 
the leftures of Francifco Ramos del Manzano, afterwards- 
counfellor to the king and preceptor to Charles II. In the 
year 1659, he was fent to Rome by Philip IV. in the cha¬ 
racter of agent-general from this prince, and from the in- 
quifition of Spain. The cardinal of Arragon procured 
him, from pope Alexander VII. a canonry in the church 
of Seville, the income whereof he employed inpurchafing 
books : he had above 30,000 volumes in his library. By 
this help, joined to continual labour, and indefatigable ap¬ 
plication, he at laftfiniftied his Bibliotheca Hifpan. in 4V0IS. 
folio, two of which he publifhedat Rome in the year 1672. 
The work confifts of two parts; the one containing the 
Spanifh writers who flourifhed before the 15th century, 
and the other thofe fince the end of that century. After 
the publication of this work, he was recalled to Madrid 
by Charles II. to take upon him the office of counfellor to 
the crufade; which he difcharged with great integrity till 
his death, which happened in 1684. 
Antonio (St.), one of the Cape deVerd iflands, 15 
miles from St. Vincent’s, from which it is feparated by a 
navigable channel two leagues in breadth. On the north 
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