as he was, he had much in common with the Neoplatonic speculations. The last survivor of the systems, which, born of the Socratic thought, had gone out into the world to seek their fortunes, it made its way back to the old home to die. It lingered on a century or more with few adherents, and with little stir, devoting all its industry and erudition to the effort to harmonise the leading principles of the great historic systems, and reconcile the claims of faith and reason in a vast scheme of theosophy to which Greece supplied the method, while the inspiration was borrowed from the East.

At last came the fatal edict of Justinian, which forbade anyone to teach philosophy, or expound the law, at Athens.

Nor was this all. Procopius, a contemporary writer, speaks of the sweeping measure by which the Emperor withheld all the grants of public money made by former rulers to the interests of learning, and goes on to accuse him even of confiscating all the endowments for like objects, due to the liberality of private citizens in view of the common weal. This probably included in its range the little revenues of the Socratic schools, which were at once reduced to poverty and silence.

Till the Justinian

edict of

led to their departure. A.D. 529.

'So seven sages,' as Agathias tells us, 'the flower ii. 30. of the philosophy of those times, abandoned at once

They betook themselves to Persia,

but only to be disappointed of their hopes.

the Roman world, where, by reason of the recent edicts, they could no longer enjoy their civil freedom save by compliance with the established faith. They resolved to live under the rule of Persia, which they thought, like others of their day, to be a Platonic union of philosophy and kingly power, while the people were temperate and just. But they found things far other than they hoped. There were the old familiar vices, or even worse, in common life : arrogance among the nobles; and in the Monarch Chosroes, notwithstanding some slight hankering for philosophy, a total want of higher culture, and a bigoted adherence to the national customs. They soon became home-sick again, though Chosroes liked them and much wished them to remain.'

They gained at least something by their visit, for in the treaty made between the Persian and the Roman empires favourable terms were introduced to enable such of the philosophers as chose to return in safety and live undisturbed. Damascius and Simplicius at least went back, not indeed to teach in public, but to cling as before to the old Hellenic rites, and possibly to enjoy a few years longer the endowments of their school.

Spottiswoode & Co., Printers, New-street Square, London

In course of publication, each volume in fcp. 8vo, complete in itself,

EPOCHS OF
OF MODERN

A SERIES OF BOOKS NARRATING THE

HISTORY OF ENGLAND AND EUROPE

AT SUCCESSIVE EPOCHS SUBSEQUENT TO THE
CHRISTIAN ERA.

EDITED BY

E. E. MORRIS, M A.

Lincoln College, Oxford; Head-Master of the Grammar School,
Melbourne, Australia;

BY

J. SURTEES PHILLPOTTS, B.C.L.
Late Fellow of New College, Oxford; Head-Master of the Bedford
Grammar School;

AND BY

C. COLBECK, M.A.

Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; Assistant-Master on the Modern Side at Harrow School.

Twelve Volumes now published:

The ERA of the PROTESTANT REVOLUTION.
SEEBOHM. With 4 Coloured Maps and 12 Diagrams on Wood.
Price 2s. 6d.

The CRUSADES. By the Rev. G. W. Cox, M.A. late Scholar of Trinity College, Oxford. With a Coloured Map. Price 2s. 6d.

The THIRTY YEARS' WAR, 1618-1648. By SAMUEL RAWSON GARDINER, late Student of Ch. Ch. With a Coloured Map. 2s. 6d. The HOUSES of LANCASTER and YORK; with the CONQUEST and LOSS of FRANCE. BY JAMES GAIRDNER, of the Public Record Office. With 5 Coloured Maps. Price 2s. 6d. EDWARD the THIRD. By the Rev. W. WARBURTON, M.A. late Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford; Her Majesty's Senior Inspector of Schools. With 3 Coloured Maps and 3 Genealogical Tables. Price 2s. 6d.

The AGE of ELIZABETH. By the Rev. M. CREIGHTON, M.A. late Fellow and Tutor of Merton College, Oxford. With 5 Maps and 4 Genealogical Tables.

The FALL of the STUARTS; and WESTERN EUROPE from 1678 to 1697. By the Rev. EDWARD HALE, M.A. AssistantMaster at Eton. With 11 Maps and Plans. Price 2s. 6d.

The FIRST TWO STUARTS and the PURITAN REVOLUTION. BY SAMUEL RAWSON GARDINER, late Student of Ch. Ch. With 4 Coloured Maps. Price 2s. 6d.

The WAR of AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE, 1775-1783. By J. M. LUDLOW, Barrister-at-Law. With 4 Coloured Maps. 2s. 6d. The EARLY PLANTAGENETS. By the Rev. W. STUBBS, M.A. &c. Regius Professor of Modern History in the University of Oxford. With 2 Coloured Maps. Price 2s. 6d.

The AGE of ANNE. By E. E. MORRIS, M.A. Lincoln College, Oxford; Head Master of the Melbourne Grammar School, Australia; original Editor of the Series. With 7 Maps and Plans. Price 7s. 6d.

The NORMANS in EUROPE. By the Rev. A. H. JOHNSON, M.A. late Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford; Historical Lecturer to Trinity, St. John's, Pembroke, and Wadham Colleges. With 3 Maps. Price 2s. 6d.

FREDERICK the GREAT and the SEVEN YEARS' WAR. By F. W. LONGMAN, Ball. Coll. Oxford.

The EARLY HANOVERIANS. By the Rev. T. J. LAWRENCE, B.A. Warden of Cavendish College, late Fellow and Tutor of Downing College, Cambridge.

The FRENCH REVOLUTION to the BATTLE of WATERLOO, 1789-1815. By BERTHA MERITON CORDERY, Author of 'The Struggle against Absolute Monarchy.'

The BEGINNING of the MIDDLE AGES; Charles the Great and Alfred; the History of England in its connection with that of Europe in the Ninth Century. By the Very Rev. R. W. CHURCH, M.A. Dean of St. Paul's.

London, LONGMANS & CO.

GENERAL LIST OF WORKS

PUBLISHED BY

MESSRS. LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.

PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON.

History, Politics, Historical Memoirs, &c.

The HISTORY of ENGLAND from the Accession of James the Second.
By Lord MACAULAY.

STUDENT'S EDITION, 2 vols. crown 8vo. 12s.
PEOPLE'S EDITION, 4 vols. crown 8vo. 168.
CABINET EDITION, 8 vols. post 8vo. 48s.
LIBRARY EDITION, 5 vols. 8vo. £4.

LORD MACAULAY'S WORKS. Complete and Uniform Library Edition. Edited by his Sister, Lady TREVELYAN. 8 vols. 8vo. with Portrait price £5. 5s. cloth, or £8. 8s. bound in tree-calf by Rivière.

The HISTORY of ENGLAND from the Fall of Wolsey to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada. By JAMES ANTHONY FROUDE, M.A. late Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.

LIBRARY EDITION, Twelve Volumes, 8vo. price £8. 188.
CABINET EDITION, Twelve Volumes, crown 8vo. price 72s.

The ENGLISH in IRELAND in the EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. By JAMES ANTHONY FROUDE, M.A. late Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. 3 vols. 8vo. price 48s.

JOURNAL of the REIGNS of KING GEORGE IV. and KING WILLIAM IV. By the late CHARLES C. F. GREVILLE, Esq. Edited by HENRY REEVE, Esq. Fifth Edition. 3 vols. 8vo. 36s.

RECOLLECTIONS and SUGGESTIONS, 1813-1873. By JOHN Earl RUSSELL, K.G. New Edition, revised and enlarged. 8vo. 16s.

On PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNMENT in ENGLAND; its Origin, Development, and Practical Operation. By ALPHEUS TODD, Librarian of the Legislative Assembly of Canada. 2 vols. 8vo. price £1. 17s.

The CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY of ENGLAND, since the Accession of George III. 1760-1860. By Sir THOMAS ERSKINE MAY, K.C.B. D.C.L. The Fifth Edition, thoroughly revised. 3 vols. crown 8vo. price 18s. DEMOCRACY in EUROPE; a History. By Sir THOMAS ERSKINE MAY, K.C.B. D.C.L. 2 vols. 8vo. [In the press.

The NEW REFORMATION, a Narrative of the Old Catholic Movement, from 1870 to the Present Time; with an Historical Introduction. By THEODORUS. 8vo. price 12s.