THE eighth Ward, on the Side of the Taurus, is not bounded by the Sea, and may be looked upon to be rather a narrow, than a broad Piece of Ground; yet is this Defect sufficiently amended by its great Length. It contains part of the Forum of Constantine, a Portico on the left Side of it, reaching as far as the Taurus; the Basilica of Theodosius; the Capitol; twenty two Streets; a hundred and eight spacious Houses; five large Portico’s; fifteen private Baths; five private Mills; five Gradus, and two Flesh Markets. It has one Curator, one Vernaculus, seventeen Collegiati, and five Vico-Magistri.
NOTES.
This Ward is wholly encompassed by the Land, and contains part of the Taurus, which was a Street of Constantinople. Zonaras in his Life of Nicephorus Botoniates, takes Notice of it, and tells us, that it contained Part of the Forum of Constantine, a Portico on the left Side of it, reaching as far as the Taurus, the Basilica of Theodosius, and the Capitol: In such magnificent Buildings, more especially, did Constantinople much resemble Old Rome.
The Ninth Ward.
THE ninth Ward is all a Declivity, and bounded by the Sea. It contains the two Churches of Cænopolis, and Omonæa; the Granaries of Alexandria; the House of the most illustrious Arcadia; the Bagnio’s of Anastasia; the Granaries of Theodosius; sixteen Streets; a hundred and sixteen great Houses; two large Portico’s; fifteen private Baths; fifteen private, and four publick Mills. ’Tis governed by one Curator, one Vernaculus, thirty eight Collegiati, and five Vico-Magistri.
NOTES.
The two Churches of Cænopolis, and Omonæa.] I am of Opinion, that the first of these Churches took its Name from some Place in the City. Perhaps it was call’d so from a Spring without the Porta Aurea, which had made the Ground foul, and oozy. Leo, before he came to the Government, as the Story goes, anointed the Eyes of a blind Man with the Dirt of that Place, and he recover’d his Sight. When he arriv’d afterwards to the Imperial Dignity, he dedicated a Church to the Virgin Mary, who foretold his Accession to the Government. Nicephorus, in Lib. XV. Cap. 25. Hist. Ecclesiast. (and Procopius confirms it) says, that in the Suburbs, which was called Fons, or the Spring, Justinian repair’d the Church of the Blessed Virgin. The other Church is call’d Ὁμόνοια, or the Church of Concord; because, probably in the Times of Heathenism, the Temple of Concord stood there; as there were no less than three such Temples at Rome. One of which was dedicated to her by M. Furius Camillus, upon a Suppression of a Military Tumult; the second by M. Manlius Prætor, upon quelling such another Tumult in Gaul; and the third in the Forum Romanum, near the Græcostasis, by L. Opimius the Consul, upon the Defeat of Gracchus and his Party, in Opposition to the strongest Resentments of the People; so that the Inscription over this Temple was Opus Vecordiæ, and not Concordiæ. There was also another Temple dedicated to Concord, which was either built, or repair’d by Livia Augusta, as is observed by St. Austin. Lib. III. Cap. 2. de Civit. Dei. One of these Temples was repaired by Constantine for Christian Worship, as is evident from an antient Inscription in the Lateran.
The Granaries of Alexandria.] There were yearly carried from Alexandria to Constantinople, eight Millions of Medimni of Wheat, (each Medimnus of Attick Measure consisted of six Bushels) for which the Masters of the Ships by an Edict of Justinian, received the Sum of ninety Thousand Aurei. There was antiently rais’d by Order of the Senate, and the principal Inhabitants, the Sum of six hundred and eleven Pounds in Gold, which was lodged in the Hands of the Prefect of the City, for purchasing Provision; to which the Emperor added another Import, for purchasing Corn from Alexandria, Lib. III. Cod. Theod. de Frumen. Urb. Constan. This Corn, when brought to Constantinople, was laid up in Granaries, which were therefore called the Granaries of Alexandria.