"Prince," and conducted himself with such conspicuous valour at the battle of Solebay (Southwold Bay) in May 1672 that he won special approbation, and shortly afterwards was made rearadmiral and knighted. In 1675 he was sent to suppress the Tripoline piracies, and by the bold expedient of despatching gun-boats into the harbour of Tripoli at midnight and burning the ships he induced the dey to agree to a treaty. Shortly after his return he undertook a similar expedition against the Algerines. In 1680 he was appointed commissioner of the navy, an office he held till his death in 1688. He was buried at Knowlton church, Kent, where a monument has been erected to his memory. See Charnock, Biog. Nav. i.; Hist. MSS. Comm. 12th Rept. NARCISSUS, in Greek mythology, son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Leiriope, distinguished for his beauty. The seer Teiresias told his mother that he would have a long life, provided he never looked upon his own features. His rejection of the love of the nymph Echo (q.v.) drew upon him the vengeance of the gods. Having fallen in love with his own to oilalagoga bar reflection in the waters of a spring, he pined away (or killed himself) and the flower that bears his name sprang up on the spot where he died. According to Pausanias, Narcissus, to console himself for the death of a favourite twin-sister, his exact counter-io ali vd part, sat gazing into the spring to recall her features by his own. Narcissus, representing the early spring-flower, which for a brief space beholds itself mirrored in the water and then fades, is one of the many youths whose premature death is recorded in Greek mythology (cf. Adonis, Linus, Hyacinthus); the flower itself was regarded as a symbol of such death. It was the last flower gathered by Persephone before she was carried off by Hades, and was sacred to Demeter and Core (the cult name of Perse-ial phone), the great goddesses of the underworld. From its associations Wieseler takes Narcissus himself to be a spirit of the underworld, of death and rest. It is possible that the story thickets in most parts of the north of Europe, but is rare in Scotland. Its leaves are five or six in number, are about I ft, in length and I in. in breadth, and have a blunt keel and flat edges. The stem is about 18 in. long and the spathe single-flowered. The flowers are large, yellow, scented and a little drooping, with a corolla deeply cleft into six lobes and a bell-shaped corona which is crisped at the margin; they appear in March or April. In this species the corona shaped, while the other members are regarded as subspecies or is also very large and prominent, but is more elongated and trumpetvarieties of this. Of this group the most striking one perhaps is N. bicolor, which has the perianth almost white and the corona deep yellow; it yields a number of varieties, some of the best known being Empress, Horsfieldi, Grandee, Ellen Willmott, Victoria, Weardale Perfection, &c. N. moschatus, a native of the Pyrenees and the Spanish peninsula, is a cream-coloured subspecies of great beauty with several forms. N. cyclamineus is a pretty dwarf subspecies, native of Portugal, with narrow linear leaves and drooping corona N. major is a robust form with leaves in, broad and bright flowers with reflexed lemon-yellow segments and an orange-yellow lemon-yellow flowers 2-2 in. long; maximus is a closely-related but still finer form; obvallaris (the Tenby daffodil) is an early form with seasons. uniformly yellow flowers. N. minor and minimus are miniature | other of its preparations, relieve pain, whilst larger doses act repetitions of the daffodil. All these grow well in good garden soil, and blossom from March onwards, coming in very carly in genial as hypnotics, causing deep sleep passing into coma. Cannabis Indica, belladonna and hyoscyamus, are also anodyne in their action. The chief narcotics are mentioned below. Opium is the inspissated juice of the Papaver somniferum, conBesides morphine taining 7.5 to 10.5% of anhydrous morphine. notably papaverine, narceine, meconine, cryptopine and narcotine, some of the other alkaloids contained in it are of a narcotic nature, but the principal anodyne and narcotic effects are due to the mor phine alkaloid. Though seasoned opium takers may take 20 to 30 grs. without noticeable effects, 1 to 3 grs. produces marked symptoms Idiosyncrasy is marked in regard to the in the western races. amount of opium a person can safely take. The medicinal dose is death in an adult is gr. The narcotic properties of Morphine vary up to 2 grs., and the smallest dose that has been known to cause as to whether it is taken by the stomach or injected under the skin; skin is to gr. The smallest dose that has produced death in an 2 grs. by the stomach is dangerous, and a safe medicinal dose by the adult was gr. given hypodermically. The motor centres of the brain and spinal cord are first stimulated by opium and morphine and later depressed; death in fatal cases being from paralysis of the respiratory centre of the medulla. For the treatment of poisoning see under OPIUM. 3. Another group, the mock narcissi or star daffodils, with coronets of medium size, includes the fine and numerous varieties of N. incomparabilis, one of which, with large, double flowers, is known as butter-and-eggs; N. odorus, known as the campernelle jonquil, has two to four uniform bright yellow flowers, and is considered a hybrid between N. Jonquilla and N. Pseudonarcissus. A form with sweet-scented double flowers is known as Queen Ann's jonquil; N. juncifolius, a graceful little plant from Spain, Portugal and south France, has one to four small bright yellow flowers on each scape. The hardier forms of this set thrive in the open border, but the smaller sorts, like Queen Ann's jonquil, are better taken up in autumn and replanted in February; they bloom freely about April or May. N. triandrus-Ganymede's Cup-is a pretty little species with white flowers about 1 in. long; in several of its varieties the flowers are a pale or deeper yellow; they make attractive pot plants. 4. The polyanthus or bunch narcissi form another well-marked group, whose peculiarity of producing many flowers on the stem is indicated by the name. In these the corona is small and shallow as compared with the perianth. Some of the hardier forms, as N. Tazetta itself, the type of the group, succeed in the open borders in light well-drained soil, but the bulbs should be deeply planted, not less than 6 or 8 in. below the surface, to escape risk of injury from frost. Many varieties of this form of narcissus, such as Grand Monarque, Paper white, Soleil d'or, are grown. They admit of being forced into early bloom, like the hyacinth and tulip. They vary with a white, creamy or yellow perianth, and a yellow, lemon, primrose or white cup or coronet; and, being richly fragrant, they are general favourites amongst spring flowers. Many tons of these flowers are exported from the Scilly Isles to the London markets in spring. The Chinese sacred lily" or "joss flower" is a form of N. Tazetta. The jonquil, N. Jonquilla, with yellow flowers, a native of south Europe and Algeria, of which there are single and double flowered varieties, is also grown in pots for early flowering, but does 5. There remains another little group, the poet's or pheasant'seye narcissi (N. poeticus), in which the perianth is large, spreading and conspicuous, and the corona very small and shallow. These pheasant's-eye narcissi, of which there are several well-marked varieties, as radiiflorus, poetarum, recurvus, &c., blossom in succession during April and May, and all do well in the open borders as perma: nent hardy bulbs. N. biflorus, the primrose peerless, a two-flowered whitish yellow-cupped species, equally hardy and easy of culture, is a natural hybrid between N. poeticus and Tazella. N. gracilis, a yellow-flowered species, has also been regarded as a hybrid between N. Tazella and N. juncifolius, and blooms later. Of late years some remarkably fine hybrids have been raised between the various distinct groups of narcissi, and the prices asked for the bulbs in many cases are exceedingly high. One of the most distinct groups is that known under the name of "Poetaz "a combination of poeticus and Tazetta. The best forms of poeticus ornatus have been crossed with the bunch-flowered Tazettas, and have resulted in producing varieties with large trusses of exquisite flowers more or less resembling the ornatus parents, and varying in colour from the purest white to yellow, the rim of the corona being in most cases conspicuously and charmingly coloured with red or crimson. This is an excellent group for cutting purposes, but it will take a few more years to make the varieties common. well outside in a warm border. For an account of the history and culture of the narcissus see F. W. Burbidge, The Narcissus (1875); a more recent scientific treatment of the genus will be found in J. G. Baker's Handbook of Amaryllideae (1888); see also Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening (1886); and J. Weathers, Practical Guide to Garden Plants (1901). NARCOTICS (Gr. vaρkwτikós, making numb), a general term for substances having the physiological action, in a healthy animal, of producing lethargy or stupor, which may pass into a state of profound coma or unconsciousness along with complete paralysis, terminating in death. Certain substances of this class are used in medicine for the relief of pain, and are then called anodynes, whilst another group produce profound sleep, and are consequently known as hypnotics. In one sense, anaesthetics, such as chloroform and ether, may be held to be narcotics, but, as they are usually volatile substances causing unconsciousness for a comparatively short time, they are conveniently separated from the true narcotics, the effects of which are much more lasting. These distinctions are to a great extent artificial, as it is evident that a substance capable of producing partial insensibility to pain, or sleep, will inevitably in larger doses cause profound coma ending in death. Hence we find the same substances sometimes classed as anodynes and at other times as hypnotics. For example, small doses of opium, or of one or medicine is the non-fertilized female spikes of the Cannabis sativa. Cannabis indica or Indian Hemp (see HEMP). The part used in The active constituent is the resin containing cannabin with the active principle cannabinol, the alkaloids cannabinene and tetanocanabine. Cannabis indica is sold in the East under various names. A confection of the drug made in Arabia is called hashisch. Churrus is the resin scraped off the leaves, and the dried leaf is called bang, gunga or ganga being the name given to the dried flowering tops sold for smoking, The medicinal dose is to 1 gr. of the extract, 2 to 3 grs. is a poisonous dose, but there is no recorded fatal case in man. In Eastern countries the smoking of Cannabis indica produces a form of mania. The effects of smaller doses are intoxication of a pleasant character, exaltation, hallucinations and delirium, later is an uncertain anodyne and hypnotic. When large quantities have dilatation of the pupils, drowsiness, sleep and coma. Indian hemp been taken an emetic should be given or the stomach pump used, and endeavour to allay excitement until the effects have passed off. Belladonna and Atropine. The leaves of the Atropa Belladonna or deadly nightshade of which the active principle is atropine principally used as a sulphate. A small dose of belladonna or atropine causes dryness of the throat and mouth, dilatation of the pupils, dimness of vision except for distant objects and often double vision. beats per minute; and there is often a bright red flush over the skin. The pulse becomes quick, rising, in an adult, from 80 to 120 or 160 become confused. There is giddiness, confusion of thought, exciteThe intellectual powers are at first acute and strong, but they soon ment, a peculiar talkative wakeful restiveness, in which the person shows that his mind is occupied by a train of fancies or is haunted by visions and spectres. Often there is violent delirium before sleep comes on. The sleep after a large dose deepens into stupor, with great muscular prostration or paralysis. During all the time the pupils are widely dilated. Death occurs from failure both of the heart's action and of respiration. The minimum lethal dose is not known, but 80 grs. of the root have caused death; to gr hypodermically have caused dangerous symptoms and gr. would almost certainly be fatal. For the medicinal preparations and treatment of poisoning see BELLADONNA. of the Datura Stramonium or thorn apple, the alkaloidal constituent Stramonium. The part of the plant used is the leaves and seed being daturine, a variable mixture of hyoscine and atropine. The physiological action is almost identical with belladonna. Poisoning is usually due to children eating the seeds; the lethal dose is unknown. The symptoms produced are divided into three stagesdelirium, sleep and deep coma. In case of slight poisoning a rash is one of the toxic symptoms. The treatment of poisoning is to give emetics, wash out the stomach and give stimulants and pilocarpine subcutaneously, also to adoly warmth and to use artificial respiration if necessary. Hyoscyamus, the leaves of the Hyoscyamus niger or henbane (q.v.). The active principle is hyoscyamine.. The physiological action is almost similar to belladonna, with excitement and cardiac stimulation and afterwards depression and stupor, but the action of hyoscyamus on the heart is more powerful. In large doses it is a strong cerebral depressant, and produces dilatation of the pupil; gr. of hyoscamine produces marked effects, sleepiness and dryness of the mouth; gr. by subcutaneous injection has produced fatal results. The treatment of hyoscyamus poisoning is similar to that of stra monium. Hops (the Humulus Lupulus), containing the active principle lupuline, and Lactucarium, the juice of the Lactuca virosa (lettuce). containing an alkaloid lactucine, are very feeble narcotics, causing heaviness and sleep if taken in large doses. powerful narcotic, producing prolonged sleep with depression of the Chloral Hydrate is a pure hypnotic which in larger doses is a cardiac and motor centres. It is an intrinsic cardiac poison, the heart being arrested in diastole, with coincident respiratory failure. Chloral hydrate is not uniform in its action, some people manifesting great susceptibility to the drug. It is safe in small doses of 10 to 20 grs. It is difficult to say what is a lethal dose. Cases are recorded of recovery after 336 grs. taken with an equal amount of potassium bromide and even after a dose of 595 grs., but in susceptible persons 10 to 15 grs. have produced toxic symptoms and death has occurred after doses of from 30 to 45 grs. If seen early, the treatment is an emetic, but if the poison should have been already absorbed, stimulants, hot coffee, strychnine or digitalin hypodermically, with perhaps artificial respiration, may be required. Alcohol in large quantities is a strong narcotic, producing the typical stages of preliminary excitement followed by drowsiness and profound coma, during which death may occur. The treatment is washing out the stomach to prevent the absorption of the poison and the use of strychnine hypodermically. NARDI, JACOPO (b. 1476), Florentine historian, occupied various positions in the service of the Florentine republic after the expulsion of the Medici in 1494, and even on their return in 1512 he continued in the public service. In 1527 he joined in the movement for the expulsion of the family and was instrumental in defeating the Medicean troops under Cardinal Passerini, who were attacking the Palazzo della Signoria. When the Medici again definitely became masters of Florence in 1530, Nardi was exiled from the city and his property confiscated. He spent the rest of his days in various parts of Italy, chiefly in Venice, and wrote a statement of the claims of the Florentine exiles against the Medici, addressed to the emperor Charles V. The exact date of his death is unknown. His chief work is his Istorie della Cilla di Firenze, covering the period from 1498 to 1538, in part based on Biagio Buonaccorsi's Diario. L. Arbib's edition of Nardi's history (Florence, 1842) contains a biography of the author, and so does that of Agenore Gelli (Florence, 1888). NARES, SIR GEORGE STRONG (1831- ), English Arctic explorer, son of a captain in the navy, was educated at the Royal Naval College at New Cross, and entered the navy in 1846. After being employed for some time on the Australian station, in 1852 he became mate of the "Resolute" in the Arctic expedition which was sent out in that year. Serving in the Crimea upon his return, he was appointed lieutenant in charge of the naval cadets on the inauguration of the " Britannia training ship, and was then employed in surveying work on the N.E. coast of Australia and in the Mediterranean,, attaining the rank of captain in 1869. While in command of the " Challenger (1872-1874), in the famous voyage of deep-sea exploration round the world, he was ordered home to take command of the Arctic expedition which set sail in the spring of 1875 in the ships "Alert" and "Discovery." He published a narrative of the voyage on his return, and for his services was made K.C.B. (1876). Two years later he was sent in command of the " Alert " to survey Magellan Strait. From 1879 to 1896 he was attached to the Harbour Department of the Board of Trade. He retired from active service in 1886, and became a vice-admiral in 1892. (See POLAR REGIONS.) NARGILE or NARGILEH, the Persian and Turkish name for a "hookah," a tobacco pipe with a long flexible tube for stem passing through a vessel containing water, often perfumed. This bowl was originally made of a coco-nut (Persian närgil), whence the name, but now glass, metal or porcelain, are also used. NARNI (anc. Umbrian Nequinum, Rom. Narnia), a town and episcopal see of the province of Perugia, Italy, 65 m. N. of Rome by rail. Pop. (1901) 5200 (town), 12,773 (commune). It is picturesquely situated on a lofty rock (787 ft. above sea-level), 480 ft. above the Nera valley, at the point where the river traverses a narrow ravine, and commands a fine view. The cathedral and the portico of S. Maria della Pensola are buildings of the 11th century with flat arches; the former has some good Renaissance sculptures. There are other interesting churches; S. Francesco has a good doorway of the 14th century. In the town hall is a "Coronation of the Virgin" by D. Ghirlandaio. The town also contains some picturesque Gothic houses and palaces. Near the station, below the town, are factories of india-rubber and calcium carbide. The Umbrian Nequinum was taken by the Romans after a long siege in 299 B.C., and a colony planted there against the Umbrians, taking its name from the river. It was among the twelve colonies that were punished for refusing help to Rome in 209 B.C. It was considered a suitable point to oppose a threatened march of Has drubal on Rome. It stood on the Via Flaminia, the great bridge of which over the river lies below the town. The original main road ran to Nuceria by Mevania; a branch by Interamna and Spoletium joined it at Forum Flaminii. According to some authors, the emperor Nerva was born at Narnia. The town is mentioned in the history of the Gothic wars. Procopius (B.G. i. 17) describes the site of the town, the river and the bridge-the latter as built by Augustus, and as having the highest arches that he knew. In the middle ages Narni was under the papal power. It was the birthplace of the well-known condottiere Erasmo Gattamelata. See G. Eroli, Miscellanca Storica Narnese (2 vols., Narni, 18581862), and other works by the same author. NARRAGANSETT, a township of Washington county, Rhode Island, U.S.A. on the W. shore of Narragansett Bay, about 25 m. S. of Providence and about 8 m. W.S.W. of Newport. Pop. (1890) 1408; (1900) 1523; (1905) 1469; (1910) 1250. Area about 15 sq. m. It is connected at Kingston Station (about 9 m. N.W.) by the Narragansett Pier railway with the shore line of the New York, New Haven & Hartford railway; an electric line connects with Providence. The southern part of the township is a peninsula, lying between the mouth of Narragansett Bay and an inlet separating this part of the township from South Kingstown. Narragansett Pier, within the township, has a fine bathing beach, which extends along the indented coast between the village and the mouth of the Pattaquamscutt river; the force of the surf is somewhat broken by Point Judith, about 5 m. S. (also in the township), on which there is a lighthouse. On a ridge overlooking the ocean and commanding a fine view is the Point Judith Country Club, with golf courses, tennis courts and a polo-field, on which is held a horse show at the close of each season. Many of the summer visitors at Narragansett Pier are from New England, New York and Philadelphia, but there is a sufficient number from Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Louisville and other Southern cities to give to its society a noticeably Southern tone. Narragansett Pier was so-named from the piers that were built here late in the 18th century and early in the 19th to provide a port for the Narragansett Country, or southern Rhode Island, and it still has a coal wharf, and a yacht landing at the Casino. The development of the place as a summer resort was begun about the middle of the 19th century by the erection of a bathing-house and the conversion of some farm houses into boarding houses. The erection of large hotels and private residences soon followed, and the completion of the railway to the pier in 1876 increased its popularity. The District of Narragansett (in the town of South Kingstown) was organized in 1888 and in 1901 was incorporated as a separate township. The town is named from the Narraganset Indians, a oncepowerful Algonquian tribe, which occupied much of the shore of Narragansett Bay. Under their chief Canonicus (d. 1647) they were friendly to the early Rhode Island settlers, and under Miantonomo (q.v.) entered into a tripartite treaty with the Connecticut colonists and the Mohegans; but after the execution of Miantonomo the Narragansets under Miantonomo's son, Canonchet or Nanuntenoo, were less friendly. Their loyalty to the whites was suspected at the time of King Philip's War, and on the 19th of December 1675, at the Great or Cedar Swamp (Narragansett Fort) in the present town of South Kingstown (immediately west of the town of Narragansett), they were decisively defeated by the whites, under Governor Josiah Winslow of the Plymouth Colony. The site of the engagement is marked by a granite monument erected in 1906 by the Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars. Canonchet escaped, but on the 2nd of August 1676 was captured near Stonington, Connecticut, and on the following day was executed. Most of the survivors of the tribe were later settled among the Niantic, to whom the name Narraganset has been transferred. There are now few survivors of pure Indian blood. NARSES, NARSEH, NARSEUS, king of Persia, son of Shapur I. He rose as pretender to the throne against his grand-nephew Bahram III. in A.D. 292, and soon became sole king. He attacked the Romans, but after defeating the emperor Galerius near Callinicum on the Euphrates in 296 was completely defeated in 297, and forced to conclude a peace, by which western Mesopotamia and five provinces on the left bank of the upper Tigris were ceded to the Romans and their sovereignty over the kingdom of Armenia was acknowledged. This peace, concluded in 297, lasted for forty years. Narses died in 303 and was succeeded by his son Hormizd II. (Ed. M.) NARSES (c. 478-573) an important officer of Justinian, in the 6th century. He was a eunuch, but we are nowhere distinctly informed that he was of servile origin. A native of Persarmenia | (that portion of Armenia which was allotted to Persia by the partition of 384), he may have been prepared and educated by his parents for service in an oriental court. If the statement that he died at the age of ninety-five be correct, he was born about 478. He was probably brought young to Constantinople, and attained a footing in the officium of the grand chamberlain. He rose to be one of the three (spectabiles) "chartularii," a position implying some literary attainment, and involving the custody of the archives of the household. Hence, probably in middle life, he became "praepositus sacri cubiculi," an "illustris," and entitled along with the praetorian prefects and the generals to the highest rank at the imperial court. In this capacity, in 530, he received into the emperor's obedience another Narses, a fellow-countryman, with his two brothers, Aratius and Isaac. These Persarmenian generals, having formerly fought under the standard of Persia, now in consequence of the successes of Belisarius transferred their allegiance to the emperor Justinian, came to Constantinople, and received costly gifts from the great minister. In 532 the insurrection known as the Nika broke out in Constantinople, when for some hours the throne of Justinian seemed doomed to overthrow. It was saved partly by the courage of his wife, Theodora, and partly by the timely prodigality of Narses, who stole out into the capital, and with large sums of money bribed the leaders of the "blue" faction, which was aforetime loyal to the emperor, to shout as of old "Justiniane Auguste tu vincas." The African and Italian wars followed. In the fourth year of the latter war (538) the splendid successes of Belisarius had awakened both joy and fear in the heart of his master. Reinforcements were sent into Italy, and Narses was placed at their head. Belisarius understood that Narses came to serve under him like any other officer of distinguished but subordinate rank, and he received a letter from Justinian which seemed to support this conclusion. But the friends of Narses continually plied him with suggestions that he, a great officer of the household, in the secrets of the emperor, had been sent to Italy, not to serve as a subaltern, but to hold independent command and win military glory for himself. The truth probably lay between the two. Justinian could not deprive his great general of the supreme command, yet he wished to have a very powerful emissary of the court constantly at his side. He would have him watched but not hampered. The two generals met (A.D. 538) at Fermo on the Adriatic coast. The first interference of Narses with the plans of Belisarius was beneficial. John, one of the officers highest in rank under Belisarius, had pressed on to Rimini, contrary to the instructions of his chief, leaving in his rear the difficult fortress of Osimo (Auximum) untaken. His daring march had alarmed the Goths for Ravenna, and induced them to raise the siege of Rome; but he himself was now shut up in Rimini, and on the point of being forced by famine to surrender. Belisarius and his followers were prepared to let him pay the penalty of his rashness and disobedience. But his friend Narses so insisted on the blow to the reputation of the imperial arms which would be produced by the surrender of Rimini that he carried the council of war with him, and Belisarius had to plan a brilliant march across the mountains, in conjunction with a movement by the fleet, whereby Rimini was relieved while Osimo was still untaken. When Belisarius and John met, the latter ostentatiously thanked Narses alone for his preservation. His next use of his authority was less fortunate. Milan, which was holding out for the Romans, was also hard pressed by famine. The two generals who were sent to relieve it loitered disgracefully over their march, and, when Belisarius wished to despatch further reinforcements, the commanders of these new troops refused to stir till Narses gave them orders. Belisarius wrote to the eunuch pointing out the necessity of unity of purpose in the imperial army. At length, grudgingly, Narses gave his consent, and issued the required orders; but it was too late. Milan had been compelled by extremity of famine to surrender, and with it the whole province of Liguria fell into the hands of the enemy. This event forced Justinian to recognize the dangers of even a partially divided command, and he recalled Narses to Constantinople. Twelve years elapsed before Narses returned to Italy. Meanwhile there had been great vicissitudes of fortune both for the Romans and the Goths. Italy, which appeared to have been won by the sword of Belisarius, had been lost again by the exactions and misgovernment of Alexander. Totila had raised up a new army, had more than kept Belisarius at bay in five difficult campaigns (544-548) and now held nearly all the country. Belisarius, however, in this his second series of campaigns, had never been properly seconded by his master. In the spring of 552 Narses set sail from Salona on the Dalmatian coast with a large and well-appointed army. It was a Roman army only in name. Lombards, Heruli, Huns, Gepidae and even Persians followed the standard of Narses, men equal in physical strength and valour to the Goths, and inspired by the liberal pay which they received, and by the hope of plunder. The eunuch seems to have led his army round the head of the Adriatic Gulf. By skilfully co-operating with his fleet, he was able to cross the rivers of Venetia without fighting the Gothic general Teias, who intended to dispute their passage. Having mustered all his forces at Ravenna, he marched southward. He refused to be detained before Rimini, being determined to meet the Gothic king as soon as possible with his army undiminished. The occupation of the pass of Furlo (Petra Pertusa) by the Goths prevented his marching by the Via Flaminia, but, taking a short circuit, he rejoined the great road near Cagli. A little farther on, upon the crest of the Appenines, he was met by Totila, who had advanced as far as Tadini, called by Procopius Tagina. Parleys, messages and harangues by each general followed. At length the line of battle was formed, and the Gothic army, probably greatly inferior in number to the Byzantine was hopelessly routed (July 552), the king receiving a mortal wound as he was hurrying from the battlefield. With Totila fell the last hopes of the Gothic kingdom of Italy. Teias, who was proclaimed his successor, protracted for a few months a desperate resistance in the rocky peninsula of Castellamare, overlooking the bay of Naples. At length want of provisions forced him into the plain, and there by the river Sarno, almost in sight of Pompeii, was fought (553) a battle which is generally named from the overlooking range of Mons Lactarius (Monte Lettere). The actual site of the battle, however, is about half a mile from the little town of Angri, and its memory is still vaguely preserved by the name Pozzo dei Gott (well of the Goths). In this battle Teias was killed. He was the last king of the Ostrogoths. The task of Narses, however, was not yet ended. By the invitation of the Goths an army of 75,000 warlike Alamanni and Franks, the subjects of King Theudibald, crossed the Alps under the command of two Alamannic nobles, the brothers Lothair and Buccelin (553). The great strategic talents of Narses were shown even more conspicuously in this, than in his previous and more brilliant campaigns. Against the small but gallant bands of Totila and Teias he had adopted the policy of rapid marches and imperative challenges to battle. His strategy in dealing with the great host from Gaul was of the Fabian kind. He kept them as long as he could north of the Apennines, while he completed the reduction of the fortresses of Tuscany. At the approach of winter he gathered his troops into the chief cities and declined operations in the field, while the Alamannic brothers marched through Italy, killing and 20 plundering. When the spring of 554 appeared, Lothaire with his part of the army insisted on marching back to Gaul, there to deposit in safety the plunder which they had reaped. In an unimportant engagement near Pesaro he was worsted by the Roman generals, and this hastened his northward march. At Ceneda in Venetia he died of a raging fever. Pestilence broke out in his army, which was so wasted as to be incapable of further operations in Italy. Meanwhile his brother Buccelin, whose army was also suffering grievously from disease, partly induced by free indulgence in the grapes of Campania, encamped at Casilinum, the site of modern Capua. Here, after a time, Narses accepted the offered battle (554). The barbarians, whose army was in the form of a wedge, pierced the Roman centre. But by a most skilful manœuvre Narses contrived to draw his lines into a curve, so that his mounted archers on each flank could aim their arrows at the backs of the troops who formed the other side of the Alamannic wedge. They thus fell in whole ranks by the hands of unseen antagonists. Soon the Roman centre, which had been belated in its march, arrived upon the field and completed the work of destruction. Buccelin and his whole army were destroyed, though we need not accept the statement of the Greek historian (Agathias ii. 9) that only five men out of the barbaric host of 30,000 escaped, and only eighty out of the Roman 18,000 perished. The only other important military operation of Narses which is recorded-and that indistinctly-is his defeat of the Herulian king Sindbal, who had served under him at-Capua, but who subsequently revolted, was defeated, taken captive and hanged by the eunuch's order (565). In the main the thirteen years after the battle of Capua (554-567) were years of peace, and during them Narses ruled Italy from Ravenna with the title of prefect. He rebuilt Milan and other cities destroyed in the Gothic War; and two inscriptions on the Salarian bridge at Rome have preserved to modern times the record of repairs effected by him in the year 564. His administration, however, was not popular. The effect of the imperial organization was to wring the last solidus out of the emaciated and fever-stricken population of Italy, and the belief of his subjects was that no small portion of their contributions remained in the eunuch's private coffers. At the close of 565 Justinian died, and a deputation of Romans waited upon his successor Justin II., representing that they found "the Greeks" harder taskmasters than the Goths, that Narses the eunuch was determined to reduce them all to slavery, and that unless he were removed they would transfer their allegiance to the barbarians. This deputation led to the recall of Narses in 567, accompanied, according to a somewhat late tradition, by an insulting message from the empress Sophia, who sent him a golden distaff, and bade him, as he was not a man, go and spin wool in the apartments of the women. "I will spin her such a hank," Narses is represented as saying, "that she shall not find the end of it in her lifetime "; and forthwith he sent messengers to the Lombards in Pannonia, bearing some of the fruits of Italy, and inviting them to enter the land which bore such goodly produce. Hence came the invasion of Alboin (568), which wrested the greater part of Italy from the empire, and changed the destinies of the peninsula.2 Gibbon's statement that Narses was" the first and most powerful of the exarchs" is more correct in substance than in form. The title of exarch does not appear to be given to Narses by any contemporary writer. He is always "Praefectus Italiae," "Patricius" or Dux Italiae," except when he bears the style of his former offices in the imperial household, "Ex-Praepositus [Cubiculi]" or Chartularius." 2 This celebrated story seems to be unknown to strictly contemporary authors. We find no hint of it in Agathias (who wrote between 566 and 582), in Marius (532-596), or in Gregory of Tours (540-594). The possibly contemporary Liber Pontificalis and Isidore of Seville (560-636) hint at the invitation to the Lombards. Fredegarius (so-called), who probably wrote in the middle of the 7th century, and Paul the Deacon, towards the close of the 8th, supply the saga-like details, which become more minute the farther the narrators are from the action. On the whole, the transaction, though it is too well vouched for to allow us to dismiss it as entirely fabulous, cannot take its place among the undoubted facts of history. Narses, who had retired to Naples, was persuaded by the pope (John III.) to return to Rome. He died there about 573, and his body, enclosed in a leaden coffin, was carried to Constantinople and buried there. Several years after his death the secret of the hiding-place of his vast stores of wealth is said to have been revealed by an old man to the emperor Tiberius II., for whose charities to the poor and the captives they furnished an opportune supply. Narses was short in stature and lean in figure. His freehandedness and affability made him very popular with his soldiers. Evagrius tells us that he was very religious, and paid especial reverence to the Virgin, never engaging in battle till he conceived that she had given him the signal. Our best authorities for his life are his contemporaries Procopius and Agathias. See Gibbon, Decline and Fall, vols. iv. and v., edited by J. B. Bury (1898). (T. H.) NARSINGHGARH, a native state of Central India, in the Bhopal agency. Area, 741 sq. m.; pop. (1901) 92,093; estimated revenue, £33,000; tribute to Holkar, £4000. The chief, whose title is raja, is a Rajput of the Omat clan. The state was founded about 1681 by a minister of Rajgarh, who compelled the ruler of that state to transfer to him half his territory. The town of Narsinghgarh had a population in 1901 of 8778. NARSINGHPUR, a town and district of British India, in the Nerbudda division of the Central Provinces. The town is on the river Singri, and has a railway station 52 m. E. of Jubbulpore; pop. (1901) 11,233. The district has an area of 1976 sq. m. It forms a portion of the upper part of the Nerbudda valley. The first of those wide alluvial basins which, alternating with rocky gorges, give so varied a character to the river's course, opens out just below the famous marble rocks in Jubbulpore, and extends westward for 225 m., including the whole of Narsinghpur, together with the greater part of Hoshangabad. The Satpura hills to the south are here a generally regular range, nowhere more than 500 ft. above the plain, and running almost parallel to the river, at a distance of 15 or 20 m. In the intervening valley, the rich level of black wheat land is seldom broken, except by occasional mounds of gravel or nodular limestone, which afford serviceable village sites. Along the foot of the boundary hills the alluvium gives way to belts of red gravelly soil, rice and sugar-cane take the place of wheat, and forest trees that of mango groves. The population in 1901 was 315,518, showing a decrease of 14.5% in the decade, due to famine. The principal crops are wheat, millets, rice, pulses, oil-seeds and cotton. There are manufactures of cotton, silk, brass and iron-ware. At Mohpani are coal-mines. The Great Indian Peninsula railway runs through the district, with a branch to Mohpani. See Narsinghpur District Gazetteer (Bombay, 1906). NARTHEX (Gr. våpen, the name of the plant giant-fennel, in Lat. ferula), the name applied in architecture, probably from a supposed resemblance in shape to the reed-like plant, to the long arcaded porch forming the entrance into a Christian church, to which the catechumens and penitents were admitted. Sometimes there was a second narthex or vestibule within the church, when the outer one was known as the exonarthex. In Byzantine churches this inner narthex formed part of the main structure of the church, being divided from it by a screen of columnsA narthex is found in some German churches, where, however. it had no ritual meaning but was introduced as a western transept to give more importance to the west end. One of the finest examples to be found in England is that of Ely cathedral, where its northern portion, however, was apparently never completed. NARVA (Rugodiv of Russian annals, also Ivangorod), a seaport and fortress of Russia, in the government of St Petersburg, 100 m. by rail W.S.W. of the city of St Petersburg. Pop. (1897) 16,577. It stands on the Narova river, which flows from Lake Peipus or Chudskoye, and enters the Gulf of Finland in Narva Bay, 8 m. below this town. The town was founded in 1223 by Danes, and changed hands between the Teutonic knights, Danes, Swedes and Russians until it was taken by Peter the Great in 1704, after the Russians had suffered here a terrible defeat at the hands of Charles XII. of Sweden four years |