Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/669

* STILICHO. 573 STILLINGIA. the German invaders. He was the son of a Vandal who served as an officer in the Roman Army un- der Valens, Emperor of the East (304-378), and himself followed a military career, earning the special recognition of the Emperor Theodo- sius (379-395), who, in 3S3, sent liim at the head of an embassj- to the Court of the Persian King Sapor III. Here, though still a young man, he proved such a successful diplomatist that a very advantageous peace was at once arranged ; and on his return to Constantinople, at the end of 384, he married Serena, the Emperor's niece, and re- ceived the titles of comes stabuli sacri and comes domcsticoium. During the next decade lie was engaged in military operations in various parts of the Empire, attaining the grade of commander- in-chief {magistermilitiun} of the army in Thrace in 385, and directing the campaign in Britain against the Picts, Scots, and Saxons in the same year. In 386 he was battling with his Emperor against the barbarians on the banks of the He- brus. In 392 he was most successful in cam- paigns against the Bastarnfp, Goths, Alani, and Huns, but was prevented from gaining greater glory by the jealousy of the Consul Rufinus, who exercised a great influence over the Emperor. In 394, however, he received a greater honor; for Theodosius made his own son Honorius augustus, giving him the sovereignty of Italy, Spain, Gaul, and Africa, and appointing Stilicho and Serena his guardians. Thus Stilicho found himself on a footing with his hated rival Rufinus, for he be- came the real ruler of the West, with headquar- ters at Rome, as the young Honorius was wholly indifferent to the cares of State. While Theodo- sius lived, Stilicho and Rufinus were forced to maintain a semblance of peace, but no sooner was he dead, in 395, than their rivalry broke out openly. Stilicho had the advantage of a stronger personality and a close connection with the Im- perial family, for his daughter ilaria was be- trothed to his ward, the Emperor Honorius. After successful campaigns on the Rhine, he marched to the East, nominally to arive back the Goths and Huns, whom Rufinus had persuaded to in- vade the Empire, but really with the design of overthrowing Rufinus, and by connivance with these same Goths Stilicho procured his assassina- tion at the close of 395. He was now the virtual master of the Empire, for Honorius and Areadius, the joint Emperors, were mere puppets in his hands; but Stilicho never aspired to the throne for himself, remaining as yet loyal to the worth- less son of his old patron. His attention, indeed, w-as now wholly occupied with the formidable in- vasion of the Goth Alaric, who had forced his way into the Peloponnesus with a great army, and was abetted by Areadius from jealousy of Stilicho. Alaric was almost caught in a trap, but managed to escape northward, where he held his own for six years, often making predatory incursions even into Italy. At the end of 402 the final contest was fought out. Alaric had invaded Northern Italy, and the cowardly Honorius fled from Mediolanum (Milan) to Ravenna. Stilicho gathered all the availalile troops from the west- ern provinces and made a brave stand. He was blockaded in Milan, but early in 403 he broke the blockade and won a victory over Alaric at Pol- lentia, near Turin, and another at Verona. Alaric withdrew from Italy, but retained his power at the Court of Areadius. In 406 a new invasion threatened Italy. A countless horde of Germans and Celts was led down from the north by their chief, Radagaisus, who occupied the hciglits of Fa-suhe, above Florence, where Stilicho, by a brilliant movement, that was regarded as miraculous, hemmed him in and forced him to surrender. Radagaisus was treacherously put to death and all his followers were sold into slavery. This was the last great achievement of Stilicho. His ultimate downfall was due to his ambition to see his own son Eucherius on the throne of Rome; and in this he miglit have suc- ceeded, had it not been for the wily Olynipius, who gained influence over Honorius and warned him of Stilicho's designs. Honorius now for the first time showed signs of energy. He aroused the soldiers by a clever speech and won over many partisans of Stilicho, who, deserted by his friends, met death by assassination at Ravenna in 408. STILL, John (c.1543-1008). An English prel- ate, liorn at Grantham, Lincolnshire. He was educated at Christ's College, Cambridge. He became successively Margaret professor of di- vinity at Cambridge (1570), prebendary of Westminster (1573), ma.ster of Saint .lohn's College, Cambridge (1574), Archdeacon of Sud- bury (1576), master of Trinity College, Cam- bridge (1577), and Bishop of Bath and Wells (1593). To him has been ascribed on insuffi- cient evidence A Ryght Pythy, Plcasaunl. and Mcrie Comedie, intt/tiild Gammer (lurton's Xrdle, the second English comedy extant. It contains the spirited drinking song beginning "Backe and side go bare, go bare." On the authorship of the coniedv, consult Modern Language iS'otes for June, .1892 (Baltimore). stillbirth:. See Aboetion. STIL'LIWGFLEET, Edward (1635-99). An Anglican prelate, born at Cranborne, in Dorset- shire. He received his education at Cambridge. In 1659 he published the Origincs Sacrw, or Ra- tional Account of the Christian Fiiith. as to the Truth and Divine Authority of the Scriptures, a work which made his reputation, and is still esteemed as one of the most masterly treatises extant on the subject of which it treats. In 1664 appeared his Rational Account of the Grounds of the Protestant Religion, a defense of the Church of England from the charge of schism in its separation from Rome, which was received with great favor, and led to his ap- pointment as preacher at the Rolls Chapel. In 1070 he became canon of Saint Paul's Cathedral, and in 1078 was made dean. After the Revolu- tion of 1688 he received the appointment to the Bishopric of Worcester. Stillingfleet's chief works, besides those mentioned, were the Ori- ginrs Britannicoe. or Antiquities of the British Clnirchrs and The Doctrines and Practices of the Church of Rome Truly Represented (1686: 3d ed. 1851). a standard work. His complete works were published in six volumes (London, 1710. with life bv Richard Bentlev, supplemen- tary vol.. 1735).' STILLINGIA, stil-lin'ji-a (Xeo-Lat., named in honor of Benjamin Stillingllcet, an English botanist of the eighteenth century). A genus of plants belonging to the natural order Euphorbia- eeie. The species are mostly trees or shrubs of tropical Asia and America, and of the islands of Bourbon and Mauritius. The leaves are alter- nate, petiolate. One species, Stillingia sylratica.