) There is a letter of Cicero's to Basilus, con-
Syria and Phoenicia ; a successful campaign of gratulating him on the murder of Caesar.
Syria and Phoenicia ; a successful campaign of gratulating him on the murder of Caesar.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - a
He likewise
said to have been the descendant of a prince of the ordered a campaign to be undertaken against the
house of the Arsacidae, who fled to Greece, and warlike sect of the Paulicians, whom his generals
was invested with large estates in Thrace by the brought to obedience. A still greater danger arose
emperor Leo I. Thrax. (451–474. ) There were from the Arabs, who, during the reign of the in-
probably two Arsacidae who settled in Thrace, competent Michael 111. , had made great progress in
Chlienes and Artabanus. The father of Basil, Asia and Europe. Basil, who knew how to choose
however, was a small landowner, the family having good generals, forced the Arabs to renounce the
gradually lost their riches; but his mother is said siege of Ragusa. In 872, he accompanied his
to have been a descendant of Constantine the Great. | Asiatic army, which crossed the Euphrates and
At an early age, Basil was made prisoner by a defeated the Arabs in many engagements, especi-
party of Bulgarians, and carried into their country, ally in Cilicia in 875. In 877 the patriarch Igna-
where he was educated as a slave. He was ran- tius died, and Photius succeeded in resuming his
somed several years afterwards, arrived at Constan- former dignity, under circumstances the narrative
tinople a destitute lad, and was found asleep on the of which belongs to the life of Photius. The
steps of the church of St. Diomede. His naked success which the Greek arms had obtained against
beauty attracted the attention of a monk, on whose the Arabs, encouraged Basil to form the plan of
recommendation he was presented to Theophilus, driving them out of Italy, the southern part of
surnamed the Little, a cousin of the emperor Theo- | which, as well as Sicily and Syracuse, they had
## p. 469 (#489) ############################################
BASILIUS.
469
BASILIUS.
៨ ៖
T3
ai. lt
-; nܐ
gradually conquered during the ninth century. | by F. Morellus, at Paris, 1584, 4tc. ; a second edi-
They had also laid siege to Chalcis; but there tion was published by Damke, with the translation
they were defeated with great loss, and the Greeks of Morellus, Basel, 1633, 8vo. ; the edition of
burnt the grenter part of their flect off Creta. Af- Dransfeld, Göttingen, 1674, 8vo. , is valued for
ter these successes, Basil sent an army to Italy, the editor's excellent Latin translation; and an-
which was commanded by Procopius and his licu- other edition, with the translation of Morellus
tenant Leo. Procopius defeated the Arabs wher-corrected by the editor, is contained in the first
ever he met them; but his glory excited the jea- volume (pp. 143-156) of Bandurius, “ Imperium
lousy of Leo, who abandoned Procopius in the heat Orientale," Paris, 1729.
of a general action. Procopius was killed while (Preface to the Exhortationes, in Bandurius
endeavouring to rouse the spirit of his soldiers, cited above; Zonar. xvi. ; Cedren. pp. 556–592,
who hesitated when they beheld the defection of ed. Paris ; Leo Grammat. pp. 458-474, ed. Paris ;
Leo. Notwithstanding these unfavourable occur- Fabric. Bibl. Gracc. viii. pp. 42, 43. ) [W. P. ]
rences, the Greeks carried the day. Basil imme- BASI'LIUS II. (Bagineros), emperor of the
diately recalled Leo, who was mutilated and sent | East, was the elder son of Romanus II. , of the
into exile. The new commander-in-chief of the Macedonian dynasty, and was born in A. D. 958 ;
Greek army in Italy was Stephanus Maxentius, he had a younger brother, Constantine, and two
an incompetent general, who was soon superseded sisters, Anna and Theophano or Theophania. Ro-
in his command by Nicephorus Phocas, the grand manus ordered that, after his death, which took
father of Nicephorus Phocas who became emperor place in 963, his infant sons should reign together,
in 963. This happened in 885; and in one cam- under the guardianship of their mother, Theophano
peign Nicephorus Phocas expelled the Arabs from or Theophania ; but she married Nicephorus Pho-
the continent of Italy, and forced them to content cas, the conqueror of Creta, and raised him to the
themselves with Sicily.
throne, which he occupied till 969, when he was
About 879, Basil lost his eldest son, Constantine. murdered by Joannes Zimisces, who succeeded to
His second son, Leo, who succeeded Basil as Leo his place. Towards the end of 975, Zimisces re-
VI. Philosophus, was for some time the favourite ceived poison in Cilicia, and died in Constantinople
of his father, till one Santabaren succeeded in in the month of January, 976. After his death,
kindling jealousy between the emperor and his son. Basil and Constantine ascended the throne ; but
Leo was in danger of being put to death for crimes Constantine, with the exception of some military
which he had never committed, when Basil disco- expeditions, in which he distinguished himself, led
vered that he had been abused by a traitor. San- a luxurious life in his palace in Constantinople,
tabaren was punished (885), and the good under and the care of the government devolved upon
standing between Basil and Leo was no more Basil, who, after having spent his youth in luxu-
troubled. In the month of February, 886, Basil ries and extravagances of every description, shewed
was wounded by a stag while hunting, and died himself worthy of his ancestor, Basil 1. , and was
in consequence of his wounds on the 1st of March
one of the greatest emperors that ruled over the
of the same year.
Roman empire in the East.
Basil was one of the greatest emperors of the The reign of Basil II. was an almost uninter-
he was admired and respected by his sub- rupted series of civil troubles and wars, in which,
jects and the nations of Europe. The weak go- however, the imperial arms obtained extraordinary
vernment of Michael III. had been universally success. The emperor generally commanded his
despised, and the empire under him was on the armies in person, and became renowned as one of
brink of ruin, through external enemies and inter- the greatest generals of his time. No sooner was
nal troubles. Basil left it to his son in a flourish- he seated on the throne, than his authority was
ing state, with a well organised administration, shaken by a revolt of Sclerus, who, after bringing
and increased by considerable conquests. As a the emperor to the brink of ruin, was at last de-
legislator, Basil is known for having begun a new feated by the imperial general, Phocas, and obliged
collection of the laws of the Eastern empire, the to take refuge among the Arabs. Otho II. , em-
Babilonal Alatábeis, “Constitutiones Basilicae," or peror of Germany, who had married Theophania,
simply “ Basilica," which were finished by his son the sister of Basil, claimed Calabria and Apulia,
Leo, and afterwards angmented by Constantine which belonged to the Greeks, but had been pro-
Porphyrogeneta. The bibliographical history of this mised as a dower with Theophania. Basil, unable
code belongs to the history of LEO VI. Philosophus. to send sufficient forces to Italy, excited the Arabs
(See Dict. of Ant. s. r. Basilica. ) The reign of of Sicily against Otho, who, after obtaining great
Basil is likewise distinguished by the propagation successes, lost an engagement with the Arabs, and
of the Christian religion in Bulgaria, a most im- on his flight was taken prisoner by a Greek galley,
portant event for the future history of the East. but nevertheless escaped, and was making prepa-
Basil is the author of a small work, entitled rations for a new expedition, when he was poison-
Kepáraia papaivetik, fo'. após tóv éautoù viòx ed. (982. ) In consequence of his death, Basil was
néovta (Exhortationum Cupita LXVI. ad Leonem enabled to consolidate his authority in Southern
filium), which he dedicated to, and destined for, Italy. In different wars with Al-masin, the kba-
his son Leo. It contains sixty-six short chapters, lif of Baghdad, and the Arabs of Sicily, who were
each treating of a moral, religious, social, or politi- the scourge of the sea-towns of Southern Italy, the
cal principle, especially such as concern the duties | Greeks made some valuable conquesis, although
of a sovereign. Each chapter has a superscription, they were no adequate reward either for the ex-
such as, Nepl maidetoews, which is the first; Tlepi penses incurred or sacrifices made in these expedie
τιμής Ιερέων ; Περί δικαιοσύνης; Περί αρχής; | tions. Basil's greatest glory was the destruction
Περί λόγου τελείου, &c. , and Περί αναγνώσεως | of the kingdom of Bulgaria, which, as Gibbon says,
yradwy, which the last. The first edition of was the most important triumph of the Roman
this work was published, with a Latin translation, arms since the time of Belisarius. Basil opened
East;
beton
ܥܳ
:
ܪ ܟ
22
## p. 470 (#490) ############################################
470
BASSAREUS.
BASILIUS.
the war, which lasted, with a few interruptions, multiplies the sum by changing pounds into talents;
till 1018, with a successful campaign in 987; and, but this is either an enormous exaggeration, or the
during the following years, he made conquest after error of a copyist. Basil, though great as a gene-
conquest in the south-western part of that king- ral, was an unlettered, ignorant man, and during
dom, to which Epeirus and a considerable part of his long reign the arts and literature yielded to the
Macedonia belonged. In 996, however, Samuel, power of the sword. (Cedren. p. 645, &c. ed. Paris;
the king of the Bulgarians, overran all Macedonia, Glycas, p. 305, &c. ed. Paris; Zonar. vol. ii. p.
laid siege to Thessalonicam conquered Thessaly, 197, &c. ed. Paris; Theophan. p. 458, &c. ed.
and penetrated into the Peloponnesus. Having Paris. )
(W. P. )
marched back into Thessaly, in order to meet with BA'SILUS, the name of a family of the Minucia
the Greeks, who advanced in his rear, he was gens. Persons of this name occur only in the first
routed on the banks of the Sperchius, and hardly century B. C. It is frequently written Basilius,
escaped death or captivity; his army was destroy- but the best MSS. have Basilus, which is also
ed. " In 999, the lieutenant of Basil, Nicephorus shewn to be the correct form by the line of Lucan
Xiphias, took the towns of Pliscova and Parasth-(iv. 416),
lava in Bulgaria Proper. But as early as 1002, “ Et Basilum videre ducem," &c.
Samuel again invaded Thrace and took Adrianople. 1. (Minucius) Basilus, a tribune of the sol.
He was, however, driven back; and during the diers, served under Sulla in Greece in his campaign
twelve following years the war seegus to have been against Archelaus, the general of Mithridates, B. C.
carried on with but little energy by either party. 86. (Appian, Mithr. 50. )
It broke out again in 1014, and was signalized by 2. M. MINUCIUS BASILUS. (Cic. pro Cluent.
an extraordinary success of the Greeks, who were | 38. )
commanded by their emperor and Nicephorus Xi- 3. MINUCIUS BASILUs, of whom we know now
phias. The Bulgarians were routed at Zetunium. thing, except that his tomb was on the Appian
Being incumbered on his march by a band of way, and was a spot infamous for robberies. (Cic.
15,000 prisoners, Basil gave the cruel order to put ad Att. vii. 9; Ascon. in Milon, p. 50, ed. Orelli. )
their eyes out, sparing one in a hundred, who was 4. L. MINUCIUS BASILUS, the uncle of M.
to lead one hundred of his blind companions to Satrius, the son of his sister, whom he adopted in
their native country. When Samuel beheld his his will. (Cic. de Off. ii. 18. )
unhappy warriors, thus mutilated and filling his 5. L. MINUCIUS Basilus, whose original name
camp with their cries, he fell senseless on the was M. Satrius, took the name of his uncle, by
ground, and died two days afterwards. Bulgaria whom he was adopted. (No. 4. ] He served under
was not entirely subdued till 1017 and 1018, when Caesar in Gaul, and is mentioned in the war against
it was degraded into a Greek thema, and governed Ambiorix, B. C. 54, and again in 52, at the end of
by dukes. This conquest continued a province of which campaign he was stationed among the Remi
the Eastern empire till the reign of Isaac Angelus. for the winter with the command of two legions.
(1185-1195. )
(Caes. B. G. vi. 29, 30, vii. 92. ) He probably
Among the other events by which the reign of continued in Gaul till the breaking out of the civil
Basil was signalised, the most remarkable were, a war in 49, in which he commanded part of Caesar's
new revolt of Sclerus in 987, who was made pri- fleet. (Flor. iv. 2. § 32; Lucan, iv. 416. ) He was
soner by Phocas, but persuaded his victor to make one of Caesar's assassins in B. C. 44, although, like
common cause with him against the emperor, which Brutus and others, he was a personal friend of
Phocas did, whereupon they were both attacked the dictator. In the following year he was
by Basil, who killed Phocas in a battle, and granted himself murdered by his own slaves, because
a full pardon to the cunning Sclerus; the cession he had punished some of them in a barbarous
of Southern Iberia to the Greeks by its king David manner. (Appian, B. C. ii. 113, iii. 98 ; Oros. vi.
in 991; a glorious expedition against the Arabs in 18.
) There is a letter of Cicero's to Basilus, con-
Syria and Phoenicia ; a successful campaign of gratulating him on the murder of Caesar. (Cic. ad
Basil in 1022 against the king of Northern Iberia, Fam. vi. 15. )
who was supported by the Arabs; and a dangerous 6. (MINUCIUS) BASILUR, is attacked by Cicero
mutiny of Sclerus and Phocas, the son of Nicepho | in the second Philippic (c. 41) as a friend of An-
rus Phocas mentioned above, who rebelled during tony. He would therefore seem to be a different
the absence of Basil in Iberia, but who were speed person from No. 5.
ily brought to obedience. Notwithstanding his BA'SSAREUS (Bascapeús), a surname of Dio-
advanced age, Basil meditated the conquest of nysus (Hor. Carm. i. 18. 11; Macrob. Sut. i. 18),
Sicily from the Arabs, and had almost terminated which, according to the explanations of the Greeks,
his preparations, when he died in the month of is derived from Bao cápa or Baooapis, the long robe
December, 1025, without leaving issue. His suc- which the god himself and the Maenads used to
cessor was his brother and co-regent, Constantine wear in Thrace, and whence the Maenads them-
IX. , who died in 1028. It is said, and it cannot selves are often called bassarae or bassarides. The
be doubted, that Basil, in order to expiate the name of this garment again seems to be connected
sins of his youth, promised to become a monk, that with, or rather the same as, Bao capis, a fox (He-
he bore the frock of a monk under his imperial sych. s. v. Bao o ópai), probably because it was ori-
dress, and that he took a vow of abstinence. ginally made of fox-skins. Others derive the name
He was of course much praised by the clergy; but Bassareus from a Hebrew word, according to which
he impoverished his subjects by his continual wars, its meaning would be the same as the Greek apo
which could not be carried on without heavy taxes; Tpúyns, that is, the precursor of the vintage. On
he was besides very rapacious in accumulating trea- some of the vases discovered in southern Italy
sures for himself; and it is said that he left the Dionysus is represented in a long garment which
enormous sum of 200,000 pounds of gold, or nearly is commonly considered to be the Thracian bas-
eight million pounds sterling. Zonaras (vol. ii. p. 2:25) | sara.
[L. 6]
## p. 471 (#491) ############################################
BASSUS.
471
BASSUS.
code
. . ]
Cisterna
42
LIL
o
Fieci
21231
Jade
BASSIA'NA, one of the names of Julia Soemias. and the subject of a witty epigram, in which he
(BASSIANUS, No. 2; Soemias. ]
is recommended to abandon such themes as Meden,
BASSIA'NUS. 1. A Roman of distinction se- | Thyestes, Niobe, and the fate of Troy, and to de-
lected by Constantine the Great as the husband of vote his compositions to Phaethon or Deucalion,
his sister Anastasia, and destined for the rank of i. e. to fire or water. (Martial. v. 53. ) The name
Cacsar and the government of Italy, although pro- occurs frequently in other epigrams by the same
bably never actually invested with these dignities. author, but the persons spoken oi are utterly un-
For, while negotiations were pending with Licinius known.
(W. R. )
respecting the ratification of this arrangement, it BASSUS, occurs several times in the ancient
was discovered that the last-named prince had authors as the name of a medical writer, sometimes
been secretly tampering with Bassianus, and had without any praenomen, sometimes called Julius and
persuaded him to form a treasonable plot against sometimes Tullius. It is not possible to say exactly
his brother-in-law and benefactor. Constantine whether all these passages refer to more than two in-
promptly executed vengeance on the traitor, and dividuals, as it is conjectured that Julius and Tullius
the discovery of the perfidy meditated by his col- are the same person: it is, however, certain that
league led to a war, the result of which is recounted the Julius Bassus said by Pliny (Ind. to H. N. xx. )
elsewhere. [CONSTANTINUS. ] The whole history to have written a Greek work, must have lived
of this intrigue, so interesting and important on before the person to whom Galen dedicates his
account of the momentous consequences to which work De Libris Propriis, and whom he calls Kpá-
it eventually led, is extremely obscure, and depends TIOTOS Báooos. (Vol. xix. p. 8. ) Bassus Tullius is
almost exclusively upon the anonymous fragment said by Caelius Aurelianus (Dé Morb. Acut. iii. 16.
appended by Valesius to bis edition of Ammianus p. 233) to have been the friend of Niger, who may
Marcellinus,
perhaps have been the Sextius Niger mentioned by
2. A Phoenician of humble extraction, who Pliny. (Ind. to H. N. xx. ) He is mentioned by
nevertheless numbered among his lineal descend- Dioscorides (De Mat. Med. i. praef. ) and St. Epi-
ants, in the three generations which followed phanius (Adv. Haer. i. 1. 83) among the writers on
immediately after him, four emperors and four botany ; and several of his medical formulae are
Augustae, - Caracalla, Geta, Elagabalus, Alex- preserved by Aëtius, Marcellus, Joannes Actuarius,
ander Severus, Julia Domna, Julia Maesa, Julia and others. (Fabric. Biblioth. Gr. vol. xiii. p. 101,
Soemias, and Julia Mamaea, besides having an ed. vet. ; C. G. Külin, Addit. ad Elench. Medic. a
emperor (Sept. Severus) for his son-in-law. From Fahr. &c. Exhib. fasc. iv. p. 1, &c. ) [W. A. G. ]
him Caracalla, Elagabalus, and Alexander Severus BASSUS, A'NNIUS, commander of a legion
all bore the name of Bassianus; and we find his under Antonius Primus, A. D. 70. (Tac. Hist.
grand-daughter Julia Soemias entitled Bassiana in iii. 50. )
a remarkable bilinguar inscription discovered at BASSUS, AUFI'DIUS, an orator and histo-
Velitrae and published with a dissertation at Rome rian, who lived under Augustus and Tiberius. He
in 1765. (Aurelius Victor, Epit. c. 21, has pre- drew up an account of the Roman wars in Ger-.
served his name ; and from an expression used by many, and also wrote a work upon Roman history
Dion Cassius, lxxviii. 24, with regard to Julia of a more general character, which was continued,
Domna, we infer his station in life. See also the in thirty-one books, by the elder Pliny. No frag-
genealogical table prefixed to the article CARA-ment of his compositions has been preserved.
CALLA. )
[W. R. ] (Dialog. de Orat. 23; Quintil. x. 1, 102, &c. ;
BASSUS. We find consuls of this name under Senec. Suasor. 6, Ep. xxx. , which perhaps refers
Valerian for the years A. D. 258 and 259. One to a son of this individual; Plin. H. N. Praef. ,
of these is probably the Pomponius Baseus who Ep. iii. 5, 9. ed. Titze. ) It will be clearly per-
under Claudius came forward as a national sacrifice, ceived, upon comparing the two passages last re-
because the Sibylline books had declared that the ferred to, that Pliny wrote a continuation of the
Goths could not be vanquished unless the chief general history of Bassus, and not of his history of
senator of Rome should devote his life for his the German wars, as Bähr and others have asserted.
country; but the emperor would not allow him to His praenomen is uncertain. Orelli (ad Dialog. de
execute this design, generously insisting, that the Orat. c. 23) rejects Titus, and shews from Priscian
person pointed ont by the Fates must be himself. (lib. viii. p. 371, ed. Krehl), that Publius is more
The whole story, however, is very problematical. likely to be correct.
[W. R. ]
(Aurel. Vict. Epit. c. 34 ; comp. Julian, Caes. p. BASSUS, BETILIE'NUS, occurs on a coin,
il, and Tillemont on Claudius II. ) (W. R. ) from which we learn that he was a triumvir mone-
BASSUS. 1. Is named by Ovid as having formed talis in the reign of Augustus. (Eckhel, v. p. 150. )
one of the select circle of his poetical associates, Seneca speaks (de Ira, iii. 18) of a Betilienus
and as celebrated for his iambic lays, “ Ponticus Bassus who was put to death in the reign of Cali-
heroo, Bassus quoque clarus jambo,” but is not gula ; and it is supposed that he may be the same
noticed by Quintilian nor by any other Roman as the Betillinus Cassius, who, Dion Cassius says
writer, unless he be the Bassus familiarly addressed (lix. 25), was executed by command of Caligula,
by Propertius. (Eleg. i. 4. ) Hence is is probable A. D. 40.
that friendship may have exaggerated his fame BASSUS, Q. CAECI’LIUS, a Roman knight,
and merits. Osann argues from a passage in and probably quaestor in B. c. 59 (Cic. ad At. ii.
Apuleius the grammarian (De Orthograph.
said to have been the descendant of a prince of the ordered a campaign to be undertaken against the
house of the Arsacidae, who fled to Greece, and warlike sect of the Paulicians, whom his generals
was invested with large estates in Thrace by the brought to obedience. A still greater danger arose
emperor Leo I. Thrax. (451–474. ) There were from the Arabs, who, during the reign of the in-
probably two Arsacidae who settled in Thrace, competent Michael 111. , had made great progress in
Chlienes and Artabanus. The father of Basil, Asia and Europe. Basil, who knew how to choose
however, was a small landowner, the family having good generals, forced the Arabs to renounce the
gradually lost their riches; but his mother is said siege of Ragusa. In 872, he accompanied his
to have been a descendant of Constantine the Great. | Asiatic army, which crossed the Euphrates and
At an early age, Basil was made prisoner by a defeated the Arabs in many engagements, especi-
party of Bulgarians, and carried into their country, ally in Cilicia in 875. In 877 the patriarch Igna-
where he was educated as a slave. He was ran- tius died, and Photius succeeded in resuming his
somed several years afterwards, arrived at Constan- former dignity, under circumstances the narrative
tinople a destitute lad, and was found asleep on the of which belongs to the life of Photius. The
steps of the church of St. Diomede. His naked success which the Greek arms had obtained against
beauty attracted the attention of a monk, on whose the Arabs, encouraged Basil to form the plan of
recommendation he was presented to Theophilus, driving them out of Italy, the southern part of
surnamed the Little, a cousin of the emperor Theo- | which, as well as Sicily and Syracuse, they had
## p. 469 (#489) ############################################
BASILIUS.
469
BASILIUS.
៨ ៖
T3
ai. lt
-; nܐ
gradually conquered during the ninth century. | by F. Morellus, at Paris, 1584, 4tc. ; a second edi-
They had also laid siege to Chalcis; but there tion was published by Damke, with the translation
they were defeated with great loss, and the Greeks of Morellus, Basel, 1633, 8vo. ; the edition of
burnt the grenter part of their flect off Creta. Af- Dransfeld, Göttingen, 1674, 8vo. , is valued for
ter these successes, Basil sent an army to Italy, the editor's excellent Latin translation; and an-
which was commanded by Procopius and his licu- other edition, with the translation of Morellus
tenant Leo. Procopius defeated the Arabs wher-corrected by the editor, is contained in the first
ever he met them; but his glory excited the jea- volume (pp. 143-156) of Bandurius, “ Imperium
lousy of Leo, who abandoned Procopius in the heat Orientale," Paris, 1729.
of a general action. Procopius was killed while (Preface to the Exhortationes, in Bandurius
endeavouring to rouse the spirit of his soldiers, cited above; Zonar. xvi. ; Cedren. pp. 556–592,
who hesitated when they beheld the defection of ed. Paris ; Leo Grammat. pp. 458-474, ed. Paris ;
Leo. Notwithstanding these unfavourable occur- Fabric. Bibl. Gracc. viii. pp. 42, 43. ) [W. P. ]
rences, the Greeks carried the day. Basil imme- BASI'LIUS II. (Bagineros), emperor of the
diately recalled Leo, who was mutilated and sent | East, was the elder son of Romanus II. , of the
into exile. The new commander-in-chief of the Macedonian dynasty, and was born in A. D. 958 ;
Greek army in Italy was Stephanus Maxentius, he had a younger brother, Constantine, and two
an incompetent general, who was soon superseded sisters, Anna and Theophano or Theophania. Ro-
in his command by Nicephorus Phocas, the grand manus ordered that, after his death, which took
father of Nicephorus Phocas who became emperor place in 963, his infant sons should reign together,
in 963. This happened in 885; and in one cam- under the guardianship of their mother, Theophano
peign Nicephorus Phocas expelled the Arabs from or Theophania ; but she married Nicephorus Pho-
the continent of Italy, and forced them to content cas, the conqueror of Creta, and raised him to the
themselves with Sicily.
throne, which he occupied till 969, when he was
About 879, Basil lost his eldest son, Constantine. murdered by Joannes Zimisces, who succeeded to
His second son, Leo, who succeeded Basil as Leo his place. Towards the end of 975, Zimisces re-
VI. Philosophus, was for some time the favourite ceived poison in Cilicia, and died in Constantinople
of his father, till one Santabaren succeeded in in the month of January, 976. After his death,
kindling jealousy between the emperor and his son. Basil and Constantine ascended the throne ; but
Leo was in danger of being put to death for crimes Constantine, with the exception of some military
which he had never committed, when Basil disco- expeditions, in which he distinguished himself, led
vered that he had been abused by a traitor. San- a luxurious life in his palace in Constantinople,
tabaren was punished (885), and the good under and the care of the government devolved upon
standing between Basil and Leo was no more Basil, who, after having spent his youth in luxu-
troubled. In the month of February, 886, Basil ries and extravagances of every description, shewed
was wounded by a stag while hunting, and died himself worthy of his ancestor, Basil 1. , and was
in consequence of his wounds on the 1st of March
one of the greatest emperors that ruled over the
of the same year.
Roman empire in the East.
Basil was one of the greatest emperors of the The reign of Basil II. was an almost uninter-
he was admired and respected by his sub- rupted series of civil troubles and wars, in which,
jects and the nations of Europe. The weak go- however, the imperial arms obtained extraordinary
vernment of Michael III. had been universally success. The emperor generally commanded his
despised, and the empire under him was on the armies in person, and became renowned as one of
brink of ruin, through external enemies and inter- the greatest generals of his time. No sooner was
nal troubles. Basil left it to his son in a flourish- he seated on the throne, than his authority was
ing state, with a well organised administration, shaken by a revolt of Sclerus, who, after bringing
and increased by considerable conquests. As a the emperor to the brink of ruin, was at last de-
legislator, Basil is known for having begun a new feated by the imperial general, Phocas, and obliged
collection of the laws of the Eastern empire, the to take refuge among the Arabs. Otho II. , em-
Babilonal Alatábeis, “Constitutiones Basilicae," or peror of Germany, who had married Theophania,
simply “ Basilica," which were finished by his son the sister of Basil, claimed Calabria and Apulia,
Leo, and afterwards angmented by Constantine which belonged to the Greeks, but had been pro-
Porphyrogeneta. The bibliographical history of this mised as a dower with Theophania. Basil, unable
code belongs to the history of LEO VI. Philosophus. to send sufficient forces to Italy, excited the Arabs
(See Dict. of Ant. s. r. Basilica. ) The reign of of Sicily against Otho, who, after obtaining great
Basil is likewise distinguished by the propagation successes, lost an engagement with the Arabs, and
of the Christian religion in Bulgaria, a most im- on his flight was taken prisoner by a Greek galley,
portant event for the future history of the East. but nevertheless escaped, and was making prepa-
Basil is the author of a small work, entitled rations for a new expedition, when he was poison-
Kepáraia papaivetik, fo'. após tóv éautoù viòx ed. (982. ) In consequence of his death, Basil was
néovta (Exhortationum Cupita LXVI. ad Leonem enabled to consolidate his authority in Southern
filium), which he dedicated to, and destined for, Italy. In different wars with Al-masin, the kba-
his son Leo. It contains sixty-six short chapters, lif of Baghdad, and the Arabs of Sicily, who were
each treating of a moral, religious, social, or politi- the scourge of the sea-towns of Southern Italy, the
cal principle, especially such as concern the duties | Greeks made some valuable conquesis, although
of a sovereign. Each chapter has a superscription, they were no adequate reward either for the ex-
such as, Nepl maidetoews, which is the first; Tlepi penses incurred or sacrifices made in these expedie
τιμής Ιερέων ; Περί δικαιοσύνης; Περί αρχής; | tions. Basil's greatest glory was the destruction
Περί λόγου τελείου, &c. , and Περί αναγνώσεως | of the kingdom of Bulgaria, which, as Gibbon says,
yradwy, which the last. The first edition of was the most important triumph of the Roman
this work was published, with a Latin translation, arms since the time of Belisarius. Basil opened
East;
beton
ܥܳ
:
ܪ ܟ
22
## p. 470 (#490) ############################################
470
BASSAREUS.
BASILIUS.
the war, which lasted, with a few interruptions, multiplies the sum by changing pounds into talents;
till 1018, with a successful campaign in 987; and, but this is either an enormous exaggeration, or the
during the following years, he made conquest after error of a copyist. Basil, though great as a gene-
conquest in the south-western part of that king- ral, was an unlettered, ignorant man, and during
dom, to which Epeirus and a considerable part of his long reign the arts and literature yielded to the
Macedonia belonged. In 996, however, Samuel, power of the sword. (Cedren. p. 645, &c. ed. Paris;
the king of the Bulgarians, overran all Macedonia, Glycas, p. 305, &c. ed. Paris; Zonar. vol. ii. p.
laid siege to Thessalonicam conquered Thessaly, 197, &c. ed. Paris; Theophan. p. 458, &c. ed.
and penetrated into the Peloponnesus. Having Paris. )
(W. P. )
marched back into Thessaly, in order to meet with BA'SILUS, the name of a family of the Minucia
the Greeks, who advanced in his rear, he was gens. Persons of this name occur only in the first
routed on the banks of the Sperchius, and hardly century B. C. It is frequently written Basilius,
escaped death or captivity; his army was destroy- but the best MSS. have Basilus, which is also
ed. " In 999, the lieutenant of Basil, Nicephorus shewn to be the correct form by the line of Lucan
Xiphias, took the towns of Pliscova and Parasth-(iv. 416),
lava in Bulgaria Proper. But as early as 1002, “ Et Basilum videre ducem," &c.
Samuel again invaded Thrace and took Adrianople. 1. (Minucius) Basilus, a tribune of the sol.
He was, however, driven back; and during the diers, served under Sulla in Greece in his campaign
twelve following years the war seegus to have been against Archelaus, the general of Mithridates, B. C.
carried on with but little energy by either party. 86. (Appian, Mithr. 50. )
It broke out again in 1014, and was signalized by 2. M. MINUCIUS BASILUS. (Cic. pro Cluent.
an extraordinary success of the Greeks, who were | 38. )
commanded by their emperor and Nicephorus Xi- 3. MINUCIUS BASILUs, of whom we know now
phias. The Bulgarians were routed at Zetunium. thing, except that his tomb was on the Appian
Being incumbered on his march by a band of way, and was a spot infamous for robberies. (Cic.
15,000 prisoners, Basil gave the cruel order to put ad Att. vii. 9; Ascon. in Milon, p. 50, ed. Orelli. )
their eyes out, sparing one in a hundred, who was 4. L. MINUCIUS BASILUS, the uncle of M.
to lead one hundred of his blind companions to Satrius, the son of his sister, whom he adopted in
their native country. When Samuel beheld his his will. (Cic. de Off. ii. 18. )
unhappy warriors, thus mutilated and filling his 5. L. MINUCIUS Basilus, whose original name
camp with their cries, he fell senseless on the was M. Satrius, took the name of his uncle, by
ground, and died two days afterwards. Bulgaria whom he was adopted. (No. 4. ] He served under
was not entirely subdued till 1017 and 1018, when Caesar in Gaul, and is mentioned in the war against
it was degraded into a Greek thema, and governed Ambiorix, B. C. 54, and again in 52, at the end of
by dukes. This conquest continued a province of which campaign he was stationed among the Remi
the Eastern empire till the reign of Isaac Angelus. for the winter with the command of two legions.
(1185-1195. )
(Caes. B. G. vi. 29, 30, vii. 92. ) He probably
Among the other events by which the reign of continued in Gaul till the breaking out of the civil
Basil was signalised, the most remarkable were, a war in 49, in which he commanded part of Caesar's
new revolt of Sclerus in 987, who was made pri- fleet. (Flor. iv. 2. § 32; Lucan, iv. 416. ) He was
soner by Phocas, but persuaded his victor to make one of Caesar's assassins in B. C. 44, although, like
common cause with him against the emperor, which Brutus and others, he was a personal friend of
Phocas did, whereupon they were both attacked the dictator. In the following year he was
by Basil, who killed Phocas in a battle, and granted himself murdered by his own slaves, because
a full pardon to the cunning Sclerus; the cession he had punished some of them in a barbarous
of Southern Iberia to the Greeks by its king David manner. (Appian, B. C. ii. 113, iii. 98 ; Oros. vi.
in 991; a glorious expedition against the Arabs in 18.
) There is a letter of Cicero's to Basilus, con-
Syria and Phoenicia ; a successful campaign of gratulating him on the murder of Caesar. (Cic. ad
Basil in 1022 against the king of Northern Iberia, Fam. vi. 15. )
who was supported by the Arabs; and a dangerous 6. (MINUCIUS) BASILUR, is attacked by Cicero
mutiny of Sclerus and Phocas, the son of Nicepho | in the second Philippic (c. 41) as a friend of An-
rus Phocas mentioned above, who rebelled during tony. He would therefore seem to be a different
the absence of Basil in Iberia, but who were speed person from No. 5.
ily brought to obedience. Notwithstanding his BA'SSAREUS (Bascapeús), a surname of Dio-
advanced age, Basil meditated the conquest of nysus (Hor. Carm. i. 18. 11; Macrob. Sut. i. 18),
Sicily from the Arabs, and had almost terminated which, according to the explanations of the Greeks,
his preparations, when he died in the month of is derived from Bao cápa or Baooapis, the long robe
December, 1025, without leaving issue. His suc- which the god himself and the Maenads used to
cessor was his brother and co-regent, Constantine wear in Thrace, and whence the Maenads them-
IX. , who died in 1028. It is said, and it cannot selves are often called bassarae or bassarides. The
be doubted, that Basil, in order to expiate the name of this garment again seems to be connected
sins of his youth, promised to become a monk, that with, or rather the same as, Bao capis, a fox (He-
he bore the frock of a monk under his imperial sych. s. v. Bao o ópai), probably because it was ori-
dress, and that he took a vow of abstinence. ginally made of fox-skins. Others derive the name
He was of course much praised by the clergy; but Bassareus from a Hebrew word, according to which
he impoverished his subjects by his continual wars, its meaning would be the same as the Greek apo
which could not be carried on without heavy taxes; Tpúyns, that is, the precursor of the vintage. On
he was besides very rapacious in accumulating trea- some of the vases discovered in southern Italy
sures for himself; and it is said that he left the Dionysus is represented in a long garment which
enormous sum of 200,000 pounds of gold, or nearly is commonly considered to be the Thracian bas-
eight million pounds sterling. Zonaras (vol. ii. p. 2:25) | sara.
[L. 6]
## p. 471 (#491) ############################################
BASSUS.
471
BASSUS.
code
. . ]
Cisterna
42
LIL
o
Fieci
21231
Jade
BASSIA'NA, one of the names of Julia Soemias. and the subject of a witty epigram, in which he
(BASSIANUS, No. 2; Soemias. ]
is recommended to abandon such themes as Meden,
BASSIA'NUS. 1. A Roman of distinction se- | Thyestes, Niobe, and the fate of Troy, and to de-
lected by Constantine the Great as the husband of vote his compositions to Phaethon or Deucalion,
his sister Anastasia, and destined for the rank of i. e. to fire or water. (Martial. v. 53. ) The name
Cacsar and the government of Italy, although pro- occurs frequently in other epigrams by the same
bably never actually invested with these dignities. author, but the persons spoken oi are utterly un-
For, while negotiations were pending with Licinius known.
(W. R. )
respecting the ratification of this arrangement, it BASSUS, occurs several times in the ancient
was discovered that the last-named prince had authors as the name of a medical writer, sometimes
been secretly tampering with Bassianus, and had without any praenomen, sometimes called Julius and
persuaded him to form a treasonable plot against sometimes Tullius. It is not possible to say exactly
his brother-in-law and benefactor. Constantine whether all these passages refer to more than two in-
promptly executed vengeance on the traitor, and dividuals, as it is conjectured that Julius and Tullius
the discovery of the perfidy meditated by his col- are the same person: it is, however, certain that
league led to a war, the result of which is recounted the Julius Bassus said by Pliny (Ind. to H. N. xx. )
elsewhere. [CONSTANTINUS. ] The whole history to have written a Greek work, must have lived
of this intrigue, so interesting and important on before the person to whom Galen dedicates his
account of the momentous consequences to which work De Libris Propriis, and whom he calls Kpá-
it eventually led, is extremely obscure, and depends TIOTOS Báooos. (Vol. xix. p. 8. ) Bassus Tullius is
almost exclusively upon the anonymous fragment said by Caelius Aurelianus (Dé Morb. Acut. iii. 16.
appended by Valesius to bis edition of Ammianus p. 233) to have been the friend of Niger, who may
Marcellinus,
perhaps have been the Sextius Niger mentioned by
2. A Phoenician of humble extraction, who Pliny. (Ind. to H. N. xx. ) He is mentioned by
nevertheless numbered among his lineal descend- Dioscorides (De Mat. Med. i. praef. ) and St. Epi-
ants, in the three generations which followed phanius (Adv. Haer. i. 1. 83) among the writers on
immediately after him, four emperors and four botany ; and several of his medical formulae are
Augustae, - Caracalla, Geta, Elagabalus, Alex- preserved by Aëtius, Marcellus, Joannes Actuarius,
ander Severus, Julia Domna, Julia Maesa, Julia and others. (Fabric. Biblioth. Gr. vol. xiii. p. 101,
Soemias, and Julia Mamaea, besides having an ed. vet. ; C. G. Külin, Addit. ad Elench. Medic. a
emperor (Sept. Severus) for his son-in-law. From Fahr. &c. Exhib. fasc. iv. p. 1, &c. ) [W. A. G. ]
him Caracalla, Elagabalus, and Alexander Severus BASSUS, A'NNIUS, commander of a legion
all bore the name of Bassianus; and we find his under Antonius Primus, A. D. 70. (Tac. Hist.
grand-daughter Julia Soemias entitled Bassiana in iii. 50. )
a remarkable bilinguar inscription discovered at BASSUS, AUFI'DIUS, an orator and histo-
Velitrae and published with a dissertation at Rome rian, who lived under Augustus and Tiberius. He
in 1765. (Aurelius Victor, Epit. c. 21, has pre- drew up an account of the Roman wars in Ger-.
served his name ; and from an expression used by many, and also wrote a work upon Roman history
Dion Cassius, lxxviii. 24, with regard to Julia of a more general character, which was continued,
Domna, we infer his station in life. See also the in thirty-one books, by the elder Pliny. No frag-
genealogical table prefixed to the article CARA-ment of his compositions has been preserved.
CALLA. )
[W. R. ] (Dialog. de Orat. 23; Quintil. x. 1, 102, &c. ;
BASSUS. We find consuls of this name under Senec. Suasor. 6, Ep. xxx. , which perhaps refers
Valerian for the years A. D. 258 and 259. One to a son of this individual; Plin. H. N. Praef. ,
of these is probably the Pomponius Baseus who Ep. iii. 5, 9. ed. Titze. ) It will be clearly per-
under Claudius came forward as a national sacrifice, ceived, upon comparing the two passages last re-
because the Sibylline books had declared that the ferred to, that Pliny wrote a continuation of the
Goths could not be vanquished unless the chief general history of Bassus, and not of his history of
senator of Rome should devote his life for his the German wars, as Bähr and others have asserted.
country; but the emperor would not allow him to His praenomen is uncertain. Orelli (ad Dialog. de
execute this design, generously insisting, that the Orat. c. 23) rejects Titus, and shews from Priscian
person pointed ont by the Fates must be himself. (lib. viii. p. 371, ed. Krehl), that Publius is more
The whole story, however, is very problematical. likely to be correct.
[W. R. ]
(Aurel. Vict. Epit. c. 34 ; comp. Julian, Caes. p. BASSUS, BETILIE'NUS, occurs on a coin,
il, and Tillemont on Claudius II. ) (W. R. ) from which we learn that he was a triumvir mone-
BASSUS. 1. Is named by Ovid as having formed talis in the reign of Augustus. (Eckhel, v. p. 150. )
one of the select circle of his poetical associates, Seneca speaks (de Ira, iii. 18) of a Betilienus
and as celebrated for his iambic lays, “ Ponticus Bassus who was put to death in the reign of Cali-
heroo, Bassus quoque clarus jambo,” but is not gula ; and it is supposed that he may be the same
noticed by Quintilian nor by any other Roman as the Betillinus Cassius, who, Dion Cassius says
writer, unless he be the Bassus familiarly addressed (lix. 25), was executed by command of Caligula,
by Propertius. (Eleg. i. 4. ) Hence is is probable A. D. 40.
that friendship may have exaggerated his fame BASSUS, Q. CAECI’LIUS, a Roman knight,
and merits. Osann argues from a passage in and probably quaestor in B. c. 59 (Cic. ad At. ii.
Apuleius the grammarian (De Orthograph.
