the last Greek historian of any note who wrote before the partition of the Roman empire. The date and place of his birth are unknown, but he flourished in the first half of the third century of the Christian era, and seems to have spent most of his life at Rome. His history, which is divided into eight books, embraces the interval between the death of Aurelius Antoninus, A.D. 180, to the accession of the younger Gordian, A.D. 238—comprising the reigns of Commodus, Pertinax, Julian, Niger and Albinus, Severus, Caracalla and Geta, Macrinus, Elagabalus, Alexander Severus, Maximin, the two Gordians, and Balbinus. This period, it will be seen, was one of the deepest historic interest from the frequent changes of emperors, the bloody wars, both foreign and domestic, the reckless struggles for power, the court intrigues, and the gradual decay of the old Roman empire before the inroads of the northern barbarians. Herodian's work, while it makes no pretensions either to critical views of history or to deep philosophy, yet bears an aspect of truthfulness and honesty, and embodies many details which would otherwise have infallibly perished. The best editions of Herodian are those of Irmisch, Leipzig, 1789; and Bekker, Berlin, 1826. Of the German translations the best are those of Gunradi, Frankfort, 1784; and Osiander, Stuttgart, 1830.