A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

The Writers of General History.

FLORENTIUS BRAVO, an English Monk of Winchester, wrote a Chronicle from the Creation * 1.1 of the World to the Year of our Lord 1118. taken in part from that of Marianus Scotus, prin∣ted at London, A. D. 1595. and at Francfurt in 1601. as also a Genealogical Account of the Kings of England, which is likewise annex'd to the London Edition. He died A. D. 1119.

ECKARD, Abbot of Urangen, in the Diocess of Wurtzburg, flourish'd A. D. 1130. and left a * 1.2 Chronicle to Posterity. Trithemius makes mention of a Work of this Author, call'd, The Lantern of Monks, there are also extant certain Letters and Sermons written by him.

HUGH, a Monk of Fleury, compos'd A. D. 1120. a Chronicle from the Creation of the World * 1.3 to the Year 840. which was printed at Munster in 1638. The same Author wrote two Books concerning the Royal Authority and the Sacerdotal Dignity, which were dedicated to Henry I. King of England, and publish'd by M. Baluzius, in the Fourth Tome of his Miscellaneous Works.

ORDERICUS VITALIS, born in England at Attingesham on the River Severn, A. D. 1075. * 1.4 was sent at the Age of eleven Years to Normandy, and plac'd in the Abby of St. Evrou, where he assim'd the Habit of a Monk, and compleated his Studies. He likewise enter'd into Holy Orders, and spent his whole Life in that Monastery; leaving XIII Books of Ecclesiastical History, from the Nativity of Jesus Christ to the Year 1142. which were publish'd by M. du Chesne, in the Volume of the Historiographers of Normandy.

ANSELM, Abbot of Gemblours in Brabant, continu'd Sigebert's Chronicle from the Year 1112. to * 1.5 1137. This Continuation, with two others, the first of which is extended to the Year 1149. and the second to 1225. was set forth by Albertus Miraeus, and printed at Antwerp, A. D. 1608.

The Birth of OTHO, Bishop of Frisinghen, is no less illustrious than the Reputation he acquir'd by writing his History: For he was the Son of Leopold Marquess of Austria, and of Agnes the Daugh∣ter of the Emperor Henry IV. That Princess was twice marry'd, viz. at first to Frederick Duke of Suevia or Schwaben, to whom she brought forth two Sons, namely, Conrad the Emperor, and Fre∣derick Duke of Suevia: But by her second Marriage with Leopold, she had Leopold Duke of Bavaria, Henry Duke of Austria, Gertrude Dutchess of Bohemia, Bertha Dutchess of Poland, Ita Marchioness 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Montferrat, Otho and Conrad. These two last being design'd by their Father for the Ecclesiasti∣cal Functions, Otho obtain'd the Government of a College, which his Father had founded at Neu∣•…•…g, and where he order'd himself to be bury'd: But Otho soon resign'd his Office to Opoldus, and being incited with an ardent desire of becoming Master of the Liberal Sciences, went to Paris, where he compleated his Studies: Some Years after he turned Cistercian Monk, in the Abbey of Morimond, with Fifteen of his Companions. In 1138. the Emperor Conrad, his Brother, conferr'd 〈◊〉〈◊〉 him the Bishoprick of Frisinghen in Bavaria, and honour'd him with the Dignities of Chancellor and Secretary of State. He accompanied that Prince in his Expedition to the Holy Land. A. D. 1147. and at last in 1156. leaving his Bishoprick, retir'd to the Abbey of Morimond, where he died in the Month of September in the same Year.

This Prelate compos'd a Chronological History from the Creation of the World to his time, divided into Seven Books, and annex'd an Eighth concerning the Persecution to be raised by Anti-christ, and the Resurrection of the Dead. He wrote a very fine Style, with respect to the Age in which he liv'd, and much more politely than the other Historians of those Times. He was well versed in Scholastical Divinity, as also in Aristotle's Philosophy; and was one of the first, who (as Rad••ic has observ'd) introduced that Science into Germany. Upon which Account, 'tis not to be admir'd that he has been very favourable to Gillebert de la Porréc, in the Dissertation prefix'd before his History: It was first published by John Cuspinian, and printed at Strasbourg, A. D. 1515. af∣terwards at Basil in 1569. and among the German Historiographers at Francfur•• in 1585. and 1670. Otho, in like manner, wrote two Books containing the History of the Actions of Frederick Barbe∣••ossa, which are subjoyn'd at the end of his Chronicle Moreover Wolfgangus Lazius says, that he

saw an History of Austria compos'd by the same Otho, but there has been no talk of it since; nei∣ther has it as yet appear'd any where in Print.

GODFREY OF VITERBO, so call'd from the Name of his Native Country, who was a * 1.6 Priest, Almoner, and Secretary of State to the Emperors Conrad III. Frederick I. and Henry VI. wrote an Universal Chronicle, dedicated to Pope Urban III. and call'd Pantheon, by reason of the great Variety of Occurrences contain'd therein: It ends at the Year 1186. and is inserted among the Works of the German Historians collected by Pistorius, and printed at Francfurt in 1584. It is reported that this Writer spent Forty Years in travelling; that he made a prodigious Collection of all sorts of Observations during his Voyages; and that he understood the Hebrew, Chaldaick, Greek, and Latin Tongues. Lambecius makes mention of another Work by the same Author, which is to be seen in Manuscript in the Emperor's Library, bearing this Title, The Mirror of Kings, or Ge∣nealogies of all the Kings and Emperors from the universal Floud to the time of Henry VI.

ROBERT OF TORIGNY, a Monk, afterwards Prior of Bec Abbey, and at last Abbot of St. Mi∣chael's * 1.7 Mount, compos'd a Supplement of Sigebert's Chronicle, and a Continuation to the Year 11••4. as also a Treatise of the Monasteries and Abbies of Normandy; the History of that of St. Michael's Mount, a Commentary on St. Paul's Epistles taken from St. Augustin; and the History of the Reign of Henry II. King of England. Father Luke Dachery has caused to be printed at the end of Guibert's Works the Supplement and Continuation of Sigibert's Chronicle, and the Treatise of the Abbeys of Normandy, with a Letter written by the said Robert, and his Preface to the Commentary on St. Paul's Epistles.

OTHO OF S. BLAISIUS, continu'd the Chronicle of Otho of Frisinghen to the Year 1190. * 1.8

JOHN BROMPTON, an English Monk of the Cistercian Order, and Abbot of Jorval in the Diocess of York, is the reputed Author of a certain Chronicle from the Year 588. to 1198. but the learned Mr. Selden assures us, that it was not written by him; that he only caus'd it to be tran∣scrib'd, and that he did not live in this Century.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Florentius Bravo, Monk of Winchest.
• * 1.2

  Eckard, Abbot of Urangen.
• * 1.3

  Hugh, Monk of Fleury.
• * 1.4

  Ordericus Vitalis, Monk of St. Evrou.
• * 1.5

  Anselm, Abbot of Gem∣blours. Otho, Bi∣shop of Fri∣singhen.
• * 1.6

  Godfrey of Viterbo.
• * 1.7

  Robert of Torigny, Abbot of Mount St. Michael.
• * 1.8

  Otho of St. Blaisiue. John Brom∣pton, Abbot of Jorval.