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As order was issued by the emperor that the walls of Chalcedon, a
city opposite to Byzantium, should be demolished: for he had sworn to
do this, after he should have conquered the usurper, because the
Chalcedonians had sided with the usurper, and had used insulting
language toward Valens, and shut their gates against him as he passed
by their city. In consequence of the imperial decree, therefore, the
walls were razed and the stones were conveyed to Constantinople to
serve for the formation of the public baths which are called
Constantianae. On one of these stones an oracle was found engraven,
which had lain concealed for a long time, in which it was predicted
that when the city should be supplied with abundance of water, then
should the wall serve for a bath; and that innumerable hordes of
barbarous nations having overrun the provinces of the Roman empire,
and done a great deal of mischief, should themselves at length be
destroyed. We shall here insert this oracle for the gratification of
the studious: 'When nymphs their mystic dance with wat'ry feet
Shall tread through proud Byzantium's stately street; When rage the
city wall shall overthrow, Whose stones to fence a bathing-place
shall go: Then savage lands shall send forth myriad swarms, Adorned
with golden locks aud burnished arms, That having Ister's silver
streams o'erpast, Shall Scythian fields and Moesia's meadows
waste. But when with conquest flushed they enter Thrace, Fate shall
assign them there a burial-place,'
Such was the prophecy. And indeed it afterwards happened, that when
Valens by building an aqueduct supplied Constantinople with abundance
of water, the barbarous nations made various irruptions, as we shall
hereafter see. But it happened that some explained the prediction.
otherwise. For when that aqueduct was completed, Clearchus the
prefect of the city built a stately bath, to which the name of 'the
Plentiful Water' was given, in that which is now called the Forum
of Theodosius: on which account the people celebrated a festival with
great rejoicings, whereby there was, say they, an accomplishment of
those words of the oracle, 'their mystic dance with wat'ry feet
Shall tread through proud Byzantium's stately street.' But the
completion of the prophecy took place afterwards. While the demolition
was in progress the Constantinopolitans besought the emperor to suspend
the destruction of the walls; and the inhabitants of Nicomedia and
Nicaea sending from Bithynia to Constantinople, made the same
request. But the emperor being exceedingly exasperated against the
Chalcedonians, was with difficulty prevailed upon to listen to these
petitions in their favor: but that he might perform his oath, he
commanded that the walls should be pulled down, while at the same time
the breaches should be repaired by being filled up with other small
stones. Whence it is that in the present day one may see in certain
parts of the wall very inferior materials laid upon prodigiously large
stones, forming those unsightly patches which were made on that
occasion. So much will be sufficient on the walls of Chalcedon.
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