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PAULUS OROSIUS.
PAULUS OROSIUS, a Spanish Priest of Tarracon, S. Augustin's Disciple, flourished under the Emperors Arcadius and Honorius. * 1.1
S. Augustin sent him into Palaestine in the Year 415, to desire S. Jerom's Opinion concerning the Original of the Soul: He brought from thence S. Steven's Relicks. The City of Rome having been taken in the Year 410, by Alaric, King of the Goths, the Heathens, willing to render the Christians odious, accused them of being the cause of that misfortune, and of all the other cala∣mities that oppressed the Roman Empire. To defend them against that reproach, Paulus Orosius, at S. Augustin's request, undertook to write the History of the greatest Events that occurred from Jesus Christ to his own Time, to show that great Calamities had happened from time to time in the World, and that the Roman Empire had never been so free as since the Nativity of Jesus Christ. This Work is intituled Hormesta in some Manuscripts, and is cited under that Name by some Au∣thors; the Original and Explication of which Title is very uncertain. It is a kind of Universal History, divided into Seven Books, which may be of some use. It is not ill written, but not exact. It has many faults against History and against Chronology. He had not read the Greek Historians, and easily credited whatsoever might help his Subject, without examining whether it was well attested or not.
This Author hath written besides a small Treatise, intituled, An Apology for Free-will against Pelagius, which was Printed with his History in the Colen Edition of the Year 1582. By a mi∣stake they inserted several Chapters of S. Augustin's Treatise of Nature and Grace, which were se∣parated by Andreas Schottus in his Edition of it, in the Bibliotheca Patrum.
There is also, among S. Augustin's Works, before the Treatise against the Priscillianists and Origenists, a Letter of Orosius to S. Augustin concerning these Hereticks.
Some, upon the credit of certain Manuscripts, ascribe to him a Commentary upon the Book of Canticles, which is amongst Origen's Works, and a Treatise of Illustrious Men; but this was because they put Orosius's Name for Honorius's.
S. Augustin in his 166th. Letter, saith, That Orosius had great liveliness of spirit, a wonderfull facility of speaking, and a servent zeal. Vigil ing••nio, promptus eloquio, flagrans studio. His Style is close, and his Language pure enough.
Orosius's History was Printed at Paris in 1506, by Petit. The Apology for Free-will was Printed by it self at Louvain in 1558. The best Edition of both these Works, is that of Colen, of the Year 1582. The latter is found in the Bibliotheca Patrum, and the former in the Collections of Hi∣storians.