the bishops of this province, wherein they pray, 'that an immemorial custom of their country might be continued, whereby the bishop of Heraclea had also Panium in his diocese, the bishop of Bizya had Arcadiopolis, the bishop of Cole had Callipolis, the bishop of Subsadia had Aphrodisias:' to which petition the Council agreed, and ordered that no innovation should be made in the matter.' Nor was there any alteration in the time of the Council of Chalcedon; for there 93 we find one Lucian styled 'bishop of Bizya and Arcadiopolis' still. But in the Council of Constantinople under Mennas 94 we meet with some alteration; for there Panium has a distinct bishop from Heraclea, and Callipolis from Cole. And in the Notitia of Leo Sapiens in Leunclavius, Bizya and Arcadiopolis are not only distinct bishoprics, but both of them advanced to the honour of autocephali, or titular metropolitans in the Church. In this province stood also Byzantium, once subject to Heraclea, the metropolis, till it was rebuilt and advanced to be the royal city by Constantine, after which it grew so great and populous as to equal old Rome. Sozomen 95 says Constantine adorned it with many noble oratories; and it appears of Justinian's Novels 96 that in his time four of these churches had no less than five hundred clergy of all sorts belonging to them. The Novatians themselves, as Socrates 97 observes, had three churches within the city: and in the suburbs, or region belonging to the city, the Catholics had many parishes and churches at a considerable distance, as Hebdomum, Sycæ, Marianæ, Hieron, Elæa, Therapea, and Hestiæ, otherwise called Michaëlium, which, Sozomen 98 says, was thirty-five furlongs from the city by water, and seventy by land. 93 Act, 16. (t. 4. p. 799 b.) Λουκιανὸς ἐπίσκοπος Βύζης καὶ ̓Αρκαδιουπόλεως ὁρίσας ὑπέγραψα. 94 Act. 3. et Act. 4. (t. 5. p. 59 e. et p. 73 a.) 95 L. 2. c. 3. (v. 2. p. 48. 12.) Ταύτην μὴν οὖν, ὡσεί τινα νεοπαγῇ Χριστοῦ πόλιν καὶ ὁμώνυμον ἑαυτῷ, γεραίρων Κωνσταντῖνος, πολλοῖς καὶ μεγίστοις ἐκόσμησεν εὐκτηρίοις. 9 Novel. 3. c. I. (t. 5. p. 33.) Εἶναι τὸν πάντα ἀριθμὸν τῶν εὐλαβεστάτων κληρικῶν τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας ἐν τετρακοσίοις εἰκοσιπέντε from one I think it needless to be more particular in the description of this diocese, since these are sufficient indications of the largeness of it. I shall only add concerning this province of Europa, that though Carolus à Sancto Paulo reckons thirteen dioceses in it. 1. Heraclea. 2. Panium. 3. Cœlos. 4. Callipolis. 5. Cyla. 6. Aphrodisias. 7. Theodosiopolis. 8. Chersonesus. 9. Drusipara. 10. Lysimachia. 11. Bizya. 12. Selymbria. 13. Arcadiopolis;-yet really there were but nine for Colos and Cyla, as Holstenius 99 has observed, were two names for the same city, and Callipolis was joined in the same diocese with it; in like manner as Panium was annexed to Heraclea, and Arcadiopolis to Bizya: so that these were anciently dioceses of great extent. 3. In the province of Thracia, properly so called, there were Of Thracia. but four dioceses. 1. Philippopolis. 2. Diocletianopolis. 3. Nicopolis. 4. Diospolis. And the modern Notitia, that of Leunclavius only excepted, have but three; for Nicopolis is not mentioned in them. montis. 4. In the province of Hæmimontis there were anciently six Of Hamidioceses. 1. Adrianopolis. 2. Mesembria. 3. Sozopolis. 4. Plutinopolis. 5. Develtus. 6. Anchialus. The latter Notitia reckon but the four first, and Zoïda instead of the two last, which are omitted, as being sunk or united into one. 5. In the province of Rhodope, Carolus à Sancto Paulo finds Of Rhodope. six dioceses. 1. Trajanopolis. 2. Maximianopolis. 3. Abdera. 4. Maronia. 5. Enus. 6. Cypsela. To which Holstenius adds Topirus, which the other by mistake places in Macedonia: but these were so far from increasing in later ages, that they sunk into three, Trajanopolis, Anastasiopolis, and Perus, which are all that the modern Notitiæ mention. Secunda. 6. In Mosia Inferior, or Secunda, the last of the six Thra- Of Mosia cian provinces, which is now much the same with Bulgaria, Carolus à Sancto Paulo reckons nine dioceses. 1. Marcianopolis. 2. Nicopolis. 3. Novæ. 4. Abritum. 5. Durostorum. 6. Dionysiopolis. 7. Odessus. 8. Apiaria. 9. Comaa. To ....διεστὼς αὐτῆς, πλωτῆρι μὲν ἀμφὶ τριάκοντα καὶ πέντε στάδια, ἑβδομήκοντα δὲ καὶ πρὸς κύκλῳ περιοδεύοντι τὸν διὰ μέσου πορθμόν. 99 Annot. in Car. a S. Paul. p. 131. (ap. Oper. Car. a S. Paul. p. 223. n. 4.) Cyla. Hæc est Cola, quam modo recensuimus. Provinces in the civil diocese of which Holstenius1 adds another, called Trista, [or Tirista], or Prista; by Socrates and Nicephorus Callistus, Ze§avráπpiota : but whether increased or diminished we know not, for there is no account of them in the Notitia of later ages. I make no further remark upon these dioceses, save that they were generally large ones, as any one that will cast his eye upon a map, or examine particular distances of cities, will easily be convinced. And we may make the same general observation upon most of the dioceses of the European provinces in Macedonia, Dacia, and Illyricum, till we come as far as Italy: for which reason, it will be sufficient to give the reader only a catalogue of the names of dioceses in every province of those regions, according to the order and distribution of them in the Church, following the model of the civil government, which divided these countries into three great dioceses and seventeen or eighteen provinces, under the general name of Illyricum Orientale and Occidentale. 7. The first of these are the provinces of Greece, which by the Romans are all comprehended under one common name of Macedonia. the civil dioceses of Macedonia, which, with the diocese of Dacia, Episcopal dioceses in was anciently the district of the Præfectus-Prætorio Illyrici Macedonia Orientalis. In the diocese of Macedonia were anciently six Prima and Secunda. provinces, or, according to the account of Hierocles, seven. 1. Macedonia Prima. 2. Secunda. 3. Epirus Vetus. 4. Epirus Nova. 5. Thessalia. 6. Achaia. 7. The Isle of Crete. Carolus à Sancto Paulo confounds the two Macedonias together, and reckons seventeen dioceses in both. 1. Thessalonica, the metropolis of the first Macedonia. 2. Philippi, the metropolis of the second. 3. Stobi, the old metropolis of the second province. 4. Berrhoea. 5. Dium. 6. Particopolis. 7. Doberus, [or Debor.] 8. Cassandria. 9. Neapolis. 10. Heraclea Pelagoniæ. 11. Torone. 12. Lete. 13. Topiris. 14. Serre. 15. Heraclea Strymonis. 16. Isle of Thassus, [or Thasos.] 17. Hephæstia, in the Isle of Lemnos. To which Holstenius2 adds 1 [Ap. Oper. Car. à S. Paul. (p. 203.) Tirista vel alii Prista, quæ Socrati et Nicephoro Callisto εegavτánρiora, &c. Auxilius presbyter in defensionem Formosi Ântapristenam urbem vocat, &c. ED.] 2 Ibid. p. 114. (ubi supr. p. 197. in text.) Primula Hierocli, in Actis Conc. Constantinopol. sub Flavio: Primopolis, cujus episcopus Timotheus ibidem subscripsit.-Ibid. Zapara Hierocli, Macedoniæ Secundæ Primula and Zapara, but rejects Topiris, as belonging to Rhodope, a province in the Thracian diocese, and observes of Serre, that it was but another name for Philippi. salia. 8. The next province upon the Egean Sea is Thessalia, Of Theswhere Carolus à Sancto Paulo finds but eight dioceses. 1. Larissa, the metropolis. 2. Demetrias. 3. Echinus. 4. Cypera. 5. Metropolis. 6. Lamia. 7. Tricca. 8. Theba Phthioticæ. But Holstenius adds three more, Dicæsarea, Gomphi, and Scarphia, the last of which Carolus à Sancto Paulo confounds with Echinus. The Notitia [of Leo Sapiens] in Leunclavius calls this province Hellas Secunda, and names eleven dioceses in it, four of which retain their old names, by which it is reasonable to conjecture, that Hellas Secunda and Thessalia were but two names for the same province; and the number of dio_ ceses agreeing exactly in both accounts, we may conclude there never was above eleven dioceses in all this province. sus, and 9. The next province to Thessaly is Achaia, which was a Of Achaia, very large province, including not only what the Ancients Peloponnecalled Attica and Achaia, but also all Peloponnesus, and the Euboea. Isle of Euboea. Here Carolus à Sancto Paulo finds twenty-six dioceses, four of which were in the Isle of Euboea. 1. Chalcis, now called Negroponte. 2. Oreum. 3. Porthmus. 4. Carystus. Nine in Peloponnesus. 1. Corinthus, the metropolis of the whole province. 2. Argos. 3. Tegea. 4. Megalopolis. 5. Lacedæmon. 6. Messena. 7. Corone. 8. Petræ. 9. Helice. Thirteen in the other part of Achaia. 1. Athenæ. 2. Megara. 3. Thespiæ. 4. Naupactus. 5. Secorus. 6. Elatea. 7. Opus. 8. Strategis. 9. Theba. 10. Platæa. 11. Tanagra. 12. Marathon. 13. Carsia, or Corissia. Holstenius adds another Corone, or rather Coronea, in Boeotia, beside the Corone civitas in Conc. V. Constantinopol. col. 2. legitur, Sabinianus episcopus Zaparenæ civitatis Illyricianæ dice ceseos. 3 Ibid. p. 115. (ubi supr. p. 197.) Cæsarea vel Dicæsarea Hierocli. Timotheus episcopus Dicæsariensis in Conc. Romano Bonifacii Papæ II. Gomphi Ptolem. Steph. et Hierocli. Eustathius Gomphiensis episcopus legitur in Conc. Bonifacii II. Scarphia Ptolem. ibid. Steph. et Hiero cli. Cyriacus ejus episcopus sub- Of Epirus va. that was in Peloponnesus. The Notitia of Leo Sapiens in Leunclavius and at the seventh chapter of this Book, makes three provinces of this, calling them Hellas Prima, and Peloponnesus Prima, and Secunda, and the number of dioceses is pretty nearly the same, by which we may guess no great alteration was made in them for several ages. The largeness of these dioceses may easily be concluded from the greatness of many of the cities and their large territories, which the reader may find already demonstrated by Dr. Maurice in his Discourse of Diocesan Episcopacy [Lond. 1700. p. 380.] concerning Thebes, Athens, Lacedæmon, Megalopolis, and other cities of this province in particular. 10. The next region is Epirus, separated from Achaia by the river Achelous. This was anciently one kingdom, but the Romans divided it into two provinces, Epirus Vetus and Epirus Nova. In the former Carolus à Sancto Paulo reckons ten dioceses. 1. Nicopolis, the metropolis. 2. Anchiasmus. 3. Phoenicia. 4. Dodone. 5. Adrianopolis. 6. Buthrotum. 7. Euria. 8. Photica. 9. Isle of Cephalenia. 10. Isle of Corcyra. In Epirus Nova only eight. 1. Dyrrachium, or Doracium, the metropolis. 2. Scampes. 3. Apollonia. 4. Aulon. 5. Amantia. 6. Lychnidus. 7. Bullidum, or Bulis. 8. Prina, or Prisna. To which Holstenius adds Listra or Helistra, but with some doubting, whether it do not rather belong to Lycaonia. These were very large dioceses, above forty or fifty miles long: notwithstanding which, two of them were sometimes united together; for in the Acts of the Council of Ephesus, as Holstenius has observed, one Felix is called bishop of Bulis and Apollonia together. In the Greek Notitia of Leo Sapiens, Old Epirus goes by the name of Etolia, and has the same number of ten dioceses only, though not the same names. The other Epirus has sixteen, but then the province of Prævalitana is joined to it, and most of its dioceses taken in to make up the number. Whence I conclude, that the dioceses in these provinces have been of great extent in all ages; the Isle of Corcyra itself being reckoned by some geographers forty-five miles long, and by Pliny no less than ninety-seven. 4 Act. 1. (t. 3. p. 447 c.) ÞýλeKos Απολλωνίας καὶ Βελλιάδος. 5 L. 4. c. 12. (p. 55-37.) Corcyra .... cum urbe ejusdem nominis Cor |