a Latin historian, whose name appears in some MSS. as M. Junianus Justinus, and in others as Justinus Frontinus. Of his personal history absolutely nothing is known. He was at one time believed to have flourished in the reign of Antoninus Pius, as the preface of his history was addressed to that emperor. But the passage in which Antoninus' name occurs has now been proved to be spurious, and there is nothing by which to indicate this historian's era until a reference to him by St Jerome fixes it down to some point before the fifth century A.D. Justinus' name has been kept alive by his work entitled Historiarum Philippicarum, libri xii., which he himself describes as derived solely from the Universal History of Pompeius Trogus, a Latin writer of the Augustan age. The work of Trogus has perished, with the exception of a few fragments preserved in quotation by Pliny and others; but the prologi, or abstracts prefixed to each chapter, and giving a synopsis of its contents, still remain, and indicate the general tenor of the history. The work, as its title suggests, was, strictly speaking, an account of the Macedo- nian monarchy; but the author, imitating the example of Herodotus and Theopompus, indulges in frequent digres- sions, and discusses every subject, however remotely connected with the main narrative. The first book is devoted to the Assyrians from the time of Ninus to that of Sardanapalus, and to the Medes and Persians to the reign of Darius Hystaspes. The next five books discuss the wars between Greece and Persia. The way is thus paved for the main theme,—the rise, progress, and decline of the Macedonian empire,—which occupies the next ten books. Then follow six books devoted to Carthage and Sicily. Sixteen books, from the twenty-fourth to the fortieth, are allotted to Greece, Egypt, and Asia, and the gradual subjugation of these countries to the Roman power. The rise of the Parthian monarchy engrosses the next two books. The forty- third is devoted to the early history of Rome and Mar- sellis; and the forty-fourth contains scattered notices of the Ligurians and Spaniards.

Though Justin's work is generally described and criti- cised as an epitome of the great history of Trogus, it is in reality nothing more than a selection from that work of such passages as struck the compiler's fancy. The general idea, however, is that Justin designed to furnish a sys- tematic abridgement of Trogus' work, and on that understand- ing he has been severely censured for the careless and slovenly way in which he has performed his task. There is, indeed, great reason to regret that he has seen fit to dwell at length on trifling subjects, and to dismiss with a few words others of deep importance. At the same time it should not be forgotten that, with all its omissions, intri- cacies, and digressions, Justin's work contains a large mass of valuable learning, which, but for him, would never have been recorded at all. A sufficiently honest, though not very discreet compiler, he might have given a high value to his work by bestowing a little more care on the plan, and, above all, on the chronological and geographical por- tions of it. His style,—very far, indeed, from being per- fect,—has, nevertheless, the merit of clearness, occasionally even of elegance. There have been numerous editions of Justinus. Among the best may be mentioned those of Gravinius, Leyden, 1683; Hearne, Oxford, 1705; Gronovius, Leyden, 1719 (reprinted in the Variorum Classics in 1760); the Bpontine Society, 1802; Wetzel, 1806; and Froeschler, Leipzig, 1827. The English translations by Codrington, 1664; Thomas Brown, 1712; Nicolas Bayley, 1732; John Clark, 1732; and Turnball, 1746, all of which were published in London, have gone through several editions.

JUSTINUS I., Emperor of the East, A.D. 518-527, was a native of Taurenum, in Dardania, who, discontented with his humble lot as a shepherd, set off to Constantinople to seek his fortunes in the capital. Enlisting in the guards of the Emperor Leo, he greatly distinguished himself in his and the two following reigns, and attained successively the rank of tribune, comes, senator, and finally commander-in-chief of the troops which, some years before, he had joined as a private. On the death of Anastasius, in 518, he was raised to the purple by the army, being then in his sixty-eighth year. He was brave, and fond of war; and clergy and people both ratified the choice of the troops. Though he could neither read nor write, and was wholly unskilled in civil affairs, he was always able to preserve order throughout his vast empire, and to select the best men to the special offices of state. He made over the civil administration to the quaestor Proclus, a faithful and able officer, whose policy gave equal satisfaction to the emperor and his subjects. Himself an orthodox churchman, he brought about a recon- ciliation between the Eastern and Western Churches in 520, which was maintained for a considerable time undis- turbed. In that same year he adopted his nephew, the famous Justinian, with whom from this time he shared the cares of state. It was at his nephew's instigation that Jus- tin caused the Goth Vitalianus to be assassinated. This turbulent and unruly spirit had recently been raised to the consulate, and his conduct in that office had roused the jealousy and suspicion of the court. Justin invited him to a sumptuous banquet, and there caused him treacherously to be murdered in presence of himself and Justinian. This cruel act throws a dark stain on the characters both of uncle and nephew, and led to fierce contests between the green faction, by which Vitalian had been beloved, and the blue faction, which enjoyed the favour of the emperor. In 522 a war broke out with Persia, which continued for several years, without any decisive result. It was in this war that Belisarius first gave proof of his military genius. Justin died in 527, soon after having conferred the dignity of Augustus on his illustrious nephew. Though rude, illiterate, and warlike in his tastes, Justin was a wise and successful ruler. He was perfectly honest, a sincere well-wisher of his subjects, and ever ready to promote their best interests. His insight into human character was both deep and sound, and to his tact in singling out and promoting men of talent was due much of the happiness and success of his reign.

JUSTINUS II., Emperor of the East, from A.D. 565 to 578, was the nephew of the great Justinian, and immediately after his uncle's death in 565 was raised to the throne by the senate and the army. The opening of his reign augured well for the future. He paid the debts of his predecessor, distributed large sums of money among the poor, published an edict of universal toleration for religious belief, recalled many persons who had been banished for heresy, and re- stored peace to the church. As soon as he was fairly seated on the throne, however, his real character began to show itself. His rapacity, cruelty, and pride raised a host of enemies against him, abroad as well as at home. One of his victims was the famous eunuch Narses, the exarch of Ravenna, and the great champion of the empire against the Goths. Justin's wife Sophia, a haughty and ambitious woman, hated Narses on private grounds, and persuaded her husband to recall him, adding, in her own hand, that he ought to leave the cares of state to men, and live for the future among the maidens of the palace, who would teach him to spin. Stung to the quick the old general opened negotiations with Alboin, king of the Longobards, and invited him to pour down his hordes upon Italy, an invitation which the barbarian chief was not slow of accepting; Narses, repenting of his treachery, died of a broken heart when he saw the fairest provinces of Italy laid waste by fire and sword. His repentance came too late, and the whole of northern Italy, along with a great portion of the peninsula, was soon lost to the Roman empire. Persia, under its great king Chosroes, next rose in arms against Justin. The fortress of Dara, the bulwark of the empire, was taken, and the fairest provinces of Asia were overrun and devastated as completely as those of Italy had been by the Longobards. These accumulated disasters unmanned the spirit of the emperor, who resigned the conduct of affairs into the hands of his wife. An ignominious peace was obtained from Persia on the payment of a large annual tribute. Justin, hopeless of retrieving his losses, named Tiberius, the captain of his guard, as his successor. This great general had been practically at the head of affairs since the year 574, and in the September of 578 Justin publicly resigned in his favour. This last act of his life showed a sense and wisdom which he had never before displayed. He only survived his abdication by about a month.