736
CHRONOLOGY.
A. M. A. D.
4200 1 £)t5 Byzantium taken by Severus after a s'.egfe of three
years, and the inhabitants sold for slaves,
4201 197 Albums, governor of Britain, having set himself up
for emperor, is defeated by Severus near Lionswith great slaughter; upon which Albinos killedhimself.
4209 193 Severus goes against Vologeses III. king of Parthia,
for ha\ mg sided with Niger, and takes his capital,Cfesiphon, by assault, and sold 100,000 of the in-habitants for slaves.
The Caledonians making dreadful havock of theRoman territories in Britain, Lupus, the governor,-is obliged to purchase peace of them for a largesum of money.
Caracalla, the emperor’s eldest son, is declared part-ner with him in the empire, and Geta, his secondson, is instituted Ca:sar.
4206 SO2 Severus publishes an edict forbidding under the se-
verest penalties any of the people’s embracingJudaism or Christianity', which occasioned thefifth general persecution.
4212 208 The northern Britons revolting, and invading the
Roman territories, are driven back into their owncountry'by Severus.
4215 211 Severus dies at York, after he had reigned 17 years,
eight months, and three days ; and is succeeded byhis sons Caracalla and Geta, who reigned jointlyover the empire.
4216 212 Geta murdered by his brother Caracalla, who reigns
alone.
Geta put to death all that were familiar or acquaintedwith his brother to the number of 20,000.
4221 217 Caracalla killed by one Martialis on April 8, after
a very cruel reign of six years, two months, andfour "days; and is succeeded in the empire byMacrinus.
4222 218 Macrinus, after having reigned little more than ayear,
is defeated and killed by Ileliogabalus, who suc-ceeds him in the empire.
4223 219 Artabanus, king of Parthia, defeated by Artaxerxes,
a Persian, in a battle which lasted three days.Thus the Parthians, ivho had commanded thePersians 475 years, became tributaries to the Per-sians, and Artaxerxes became king of Persia andParthia.
4-226 222 Heliogabalus-slain on the 1 lth of March, after having
reigned three years, nine months, and four days;and is succeeded in the empire by AlexanderSeverus, a prince who would not sutler the Chris-tians to be persecuted and caused the famousrule “ Do as you would be done by,” to be setover the gates of his palace, and on many otherpublic edifices, and squared all his actions, there-by ; made strict inquiry into the conduct of thegovernors of the provinces, and banished thosewho had misbehaved, and supplied their placeswith the most virtuous and fit persons, &c. the likehe did in all the public offices of the empire.
The Romans pay the Goths an annual sum to keepthem quiet.
4230 226 Artaxerxes, incroaching upon the Roman dominions,-
is defeated by the Romans, close and obliged tointo the heart of Persia.
4237 233 Artaxerxes, king of Persia, having taken possession
of Mesopotamia, the Roman emperor goes againsthim, and defeats his huge army.
4239 235 Alexander going to suppress the rebellious Germans,
is killed in his tent, in the 14th year of his reign ;and is succeeded in the empire by Maximinus, aThracian hv birth, who associated his son Maxi-minus withnimseW in the government.
The Roman emperor vanquished the Germans inseveral battles.
4241 237 Maximinus gains several victories over the Dacians
and Sarmatiuns, and obliged them to submit to
A. M. A. D.
his own terms. At Rome being monstrouslycruel, and insatiably avaricious, he encouraged in-formers, made plots, and condemned all the ac-cused, and seized the confiscated estates, &c.
The sixth persecution against the Christians.
The people revolt in Africa from Maximinus, andproclaim Gordiamis emperor. Gordianus asso-ciated his son, named also Gordianus, with him-self in the empire. Gordiamis the elder is killedby Capelianus, the governor of Mauritania, aftera reign of one month and six davs; upon w hichthe senate proclaims M. Clodius "Pupicmis Maxi-mus and Decimus Ca-lins Balbinusjoint emperors,Maximus marches against Maximinus, who threat-ens destruction to all opposers.
Tlie two Maximins killed in their tents while be-sieging Aquileia, after having reigned three yearsand a few days; upon which the whole army sub-mitted to Maximus and Balbinus, who reignedwith great humanity, justice, gentleness, and im-partiality.
4242 238 Maximinus and Balbinus slain in their palace by the
pra-torian guards, after having* reigned one yearand two months, and is succeeded in the empireby the young Gordian.
At this time flourished I’orpltvrv, the great enemyof the Christian religion, Theopompus, the phi-losopher at Cherona, Nicanor, the sophister ofAthens, and Africanus, a man of great learning.The city of Istria utterly destroyed by the Carpi,who return to their own country unmolested.
4245 241 A terrible earthquake overturns a great many cities,
and destroyed an immense number of people.
4246 242 Sapor succeeds Artaxerxes in the empire of Persia,
and makes war upon tire Romans, but is soonafter defeated by Gordian.
The Sarmatians and Goths obliged by Gordian toquit Mrcsia, and retire beyond the Danube.
4247 243 Gordian murdered in Persia, after a reign of 5 years
and S months, and is succeeded in the empire bythe two Philips.
4243 244 The Carpi, Dial bad invaded Mrcsia, overthrown by
Philip in two battles, and obliged to repass theDanube.
4249 245 The Burgundians almost extirpated by the Gepida?,
a Gothic nation.
4251 247 The 1000th year of Rome celebrated by Philip and
his son, with great pomp.
4253 249 Philip goes against Decius who had been proclaimed
unperor, and is defeated and killed aftfir havingreigned 5 years, 3 months, and a few days ; and issucceeded by Decius in the empire.
In the reign of the Philips, Christianity was publiclypreached.
4254 250 The seventh persecution against the Christians, which
was the severest the church had yet experienced.Cniva, the Gothic king, took Philippopolis, ravagedThrace and Maccdon, and put 100,000 persons tothe sword;
4255 251 Tire Goths defeated in several battles by the Romans;
the emperor Decius slain; Gulins, tire new em-peror, concludes a peace with the Goths, andagrees to pay them a yearly sum.
4256 252 Gallus and his son Velusiamis revive the edicts of the
late emperor against tire Christians, which are putinto execution with the utmost rigour.
A terrible plague breaks our lint in Ethiopia, andspreads over all the Roman provinces, sweepingolf prodigious numbers of people. . A great fa-mine, geiferal drought, and universal wars, ragedevery where.
Gallus and his son murdered by their own soldiersafter a reign of one year and six months ; and issucceeded in the empire by .•Emilianus, a Moor bybirth, and of very mean descent. -
The