the same as βασιλικός. A Melkite, then, is a man, in Syria or Egypt, who accepts Chalcedon, the opposite of a Monophysite—in short, an orthodox Catholic. So the name is used down to the great schism between the "Orthodox" and Catholics in the nth century. Since then, though it has still sometimes been used for both sides in that schism,[1] the name Melkite, by a strange accident, is generally restricted to people in these lands who are in union with the Pope and use the Byzantine rite.[2] Now, Byzantine Uniates in Semitic countries are the Melkites. But before the great schism Catholics and "Orthodox" are one, so we may call them indifferently by either name, or Melkites, as opposed to Monophysites and other heretics. Opposed, bitterly opposed, to the Melkites, to the Emperor's Patriarch Proterius, was the great mass of the native Egyptian population. Especially now we see how much politics had to do with this heresy. The native Egyptians, who kept their own language, hating the empire and the Imperial functionaries and soldiers, were ardent Monophysites, loathed Proterius and clung to Dioscor, their national hero. Since the Egyptian language is already Coptic, we may now call these Egyptian Monophysites Copts (p. 215). We shall see that they become the national Church of Egypt. The Emperor sent an additional garrison of 2000 soldiers to Alexandria to keep down the Monophysites and enforce Proterius's authority. Proterius did enforce his authority; he oppressed the natives cruelly. Then came the news of Dioscor's death in 454.[3] This should have helped to bring about order by removing Proterius's rival. Instead, it inflamed his adherents with the memory of his sufferings. The Copts, the great crowd of Egyptian monks, who had never recognized Proterius, clamoured for a successor to Dioscor. Naturally Proterius, the garrison and the Melkites would not admit that Dioscor needed a successor. Just then the Emperor Marcian died (February 1, 457). He was succeeded by Leo I (457–474). The Copts took advantage of the inevitable disturbance at a change of reign to break into open revolt. Their leader was
