Scythia, and Mæsia’s Lands unmeasurable
Shall be despoiled by their All-conquering Sword:
All Thrace shall fear, the fatal Period’s come.
Zonaras and Cedrinus write this Prophecy the same Way, but differ in the Greek from Socrates, and put for δροσερὴν, ἱερὴν, for λουτροῖο, λουτροῖσι, for ἄγρια μαρμαίροντα, ἄγρα μαργαίνοντα, for καλιρόοιο, κιμμερίοιο. This Prophecy is thus interpreted by Socrates, who tells us, that it was fully accomplished, when Valens built an Aqueduct, which supplied the City with Plenty of Water, when the Barbarous Nations invaded the Territories of New Rome. However, it is capable of being interpreted in another Manner. For after Valens had brought the Aqueduct into Constantinople, Clearchus, the Prefect of the City, built a large Cistern in the Forum of Theodosius, into which the Aqueduct emptied it self, and the People were there entertained at a jovial Feast, and that therefore it was called the plentiful Cistern, which they tell you, was foretold by the Prophecy in the Lines abovementioned. But some Part of this Prophecy was not fulfilled till some Time after, when the Wall of Chalcedon was pulling down by the Order of Valens. At this Time the People of Nicomedia, of Nice, and Bithynia, petitioned the Emperor against it, who being highly displeased with them for it, could hardly be prevailed upon to comply with their Petition; and therefore to disengage himself from an Oath he had made to demolish the Wall, he ordered other Stones to be placed in their Room, as fast as the old ones were taken down. So that you may see at present, what a mean Superstructure is railed upon the Remains of the old Wall, which consisted of Stones of the largest, and most wonderful Size. Zonaras and Cedrinus record it also, that Valens to express his Resentment against the People of Chalcedon, for giving Protection to his Enemy Procopius, commanded the Walls of their City to be demolished, and an Aqueduct to be made of their Stones, which the former Historian sometimes calls the Aqueduct of Valens, and the latter sometimes the Aqueduct of Valentinian; and adds, among other Passages of the History before mentioned, that according to the Prophecy, the Barbarous Nations made their Incursions into Thrace, but were afterwards defeated. The Aqueduct of Valentinian, which is highly arched, passing thro’ the tenth Ward, reaches from the Sides of the fourth, to the Side of the third Hill. I should be much surprized, that the Author of the Description of the Wards, who has taken Notice of the Granaries of Valentinian, has not mentioned it; but that I am sensible he has omitted many other Monuments of Antiquity, which were in Being in his Time. In the Reign of Constantine, the Son of Leo the Emperor (who was a declared Enemy to Images in Churches) and in the Year of our Lord 759, there was so great a Drought at Constantinople, that the Dew ceas’d to fall from Heaven, and all the Cisterns, Bagnio’s, and Fountains of the City were dry’d up; which the Emperor observing, he began to repair the Aqueduct of Valentinian, which continued in good Order, till the Reign of Heraclius, when it was demolished by the Avares. Upon this he sent for Workmen from many Places to rebuild it; from Asia and Pontus he had a Thousand Builders, and two hundred White-washers; from Greece five hundred Brick-makers, and from Thrace a Thousand Day-labourers, over whom there presided a Nobleman, and some of the principal Men of the City, as Surveyors of the Works. When the Aqueduct was finished, the City was again supplied with Water, which was conveyed into the Town through a Passage lying between the ninth and the tenth Ward. There are many subterraneous Aqueducts which run through six of the Hills, but the Aqueduct of Valentinian has its Course above Ground, which the Historians, who have wrote of the Actions of Andronicus tell you, passed through the Great Forum, that the Water of it was clear and pleasant, that it was repaired and enlarged by Andronicus himself, and that he encreased its Current by the River Hydrales. At the Spring-head, from whence this Aqueduct arose, he built a Tower and a Palace, where he used to divert himself in the Summer. He also brought the Water from the same River into the Blachernæ, which is a Part of the Suburbs. The Tower was ruined by Isacius his Successor, in pure Resentment to his Memory. We are told by Procopius, that Justinian repaired the Church of Achatius, when injured by Time; that he placed white Marble Pillars round it, and that he paved and incrusted the Sides of it with the same kind of Marble, so that the whole Building was beautifully white. There were two Portico’s adjoyning to the Church, one which opening to the Forum, is encompassed with Pillars. This Passage is not inserted in the printed Edition of Procopius, which induced me the more to take Notice of it here. Cedrinus writes, that the Church of St. Achatius stood in a Place called the Heptascalum; others say, that it stood in the Scala; but no body at present knows where that Place was. However, if any one hereafter should have the Curiosity to enquire where this Church stood, I would advise him to take along with him the following Direction. Let him enquire where the great House stands, which Historians call the Carya, because there stands in the Area of it a Nut Tree, upon which, they tell you, that Achatius was put to Death, and upon that Occasion, that a Church was built in Memory of him, which some think, was situate in the Neorium, because they have seen it in some Authors, that the Image of St. Achatius, made with Glass Stones, and inlay’d with Gold, was placed in the Church of the Neorium. But the Person of whom this is spoke was another Achatius, who, not only, as many Historians, but as Suidas the Grammarian tells us, was Bishop of Constantinople in the Time of Leo Marcellus, but a Man of so proud and haughty a Spirit, that he commanded many of his Pictures to be placed in Churches, while he was yet alive, from whence he was called Doxomanes. The House of Placidia, I have observed before, stood in the first Ward, so that it may be questioned, whether it ought to be read Domus Placidiæ, or Placillæ, or Placidæ; for Agathius takes Notice of the Palaces of Placidæ or Placidi, in the following Inscription.
The learned Agathius upon a Picture in the Palace of Placidia, set up by the Gentlemen of the LONG ROBE, or new Chancery.
The learned Sages of the Law have plac’d
At their Expence, great Thomas’ Picture here,
Near that which represents his Royal Mistress.
This mighty Honour he’s entitl’d to,