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.

PRUDENTIUS.

QUintus Aurelius Prudentius Clemens was born in Saragossa, a City of Spain, in the Year 348 a 1.1; and being called to the Bar, was afterwards made a Judge in two considerable * 1.2 Towns, and then promoted by Honorius the Emperor to a very honourable Office. But at the Age of 57 Years, he resolved to mind the things of his Salvation, and to spend the rest of his life in composing of Hymns to the praise of God, and the honour of the Saints; with some Poems against the Pagan Religion, and touching the Duties of Christians. These particulars of his Life are set forth by himself in a Preface to one of his Poems. The Catalogue of his Poetical Works, to the most whereof he gave Greek Titles, is as follows:

Psychomachia, or The Combat of the Soul. There he describes in Hexameter Verse the Conflict of Vertue against Vice in the Soul of a Christian; and particularly of Faith against Idolatry, of Chastity against Uncleanness, of Patience against Anger, of Humility against Pride, of Sobriety against Excess, of Liberality against Covetousness, and of Concord against Dissention.

Cathemerinon, or Poems concerning each days Duty; they contain several Odes or Songs about the most ordinary Exercises of Christianity: As for example; Prayers and giving of Thanks at lying down and rising up, before and after Meals, about Fasting, upon the Death of Kindred or Friends, of the Nativity of Christ, and upon the Epiphany.

After these Hymns come several others, entituled 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or of Crowns, because made in Commendation of Martyrs.

The following Poems regard several Points of the Christian Religion, and are therefore entitu∣led Apotheosis, or Treatises upon the Divinity. In these he refuteth the Errors of the Heathens, of the Jews, Sabellians, Arians, and Apollinarians, and discourses of the Nature of the Soul, of Ori∣ginal Sin, and of the Resurrection.

Hamartigenia is a Treatise concerning the Original of Sin, against the Errors of Marcion.

The two Books against Symmachus oppose Idolatry. In the first is shewed the Original and Baseness of false Deities; and there is an Account of the Conversion of the City of Rome. In the second Petition which Symmachus presented to the Emperors, to obtain the Re-establishment of the Altar of Victory, and of the Service of the Gods, with the Ceremonies of the Pagan Religion, is answered.

The last of Prudentius his Works is an Abridgment of some Histories of the Old and New Testament in Distichs. Gennadius speaks of a Book written by Prudentius, called Dittochaeon, i. e. Double food, wherein he had comprised the Historical Part both of the Old and New Testa∣ment according to the Person's names. This Book is very like that we now speak of, but only written in a looser Style, and far from the beauty of his other Works. And whereas Prudentius calls the Dittochaeon a considerable Book upon the Old and New Testament, this is a small one

upon some places only; which makes me think that it is simply an Epitome of Prudentius's whole Work b 1.3.

However, Gennadius says, that Prudentius wrote a Commentary upon the Hexameron as far as to the Creation and Fall of the First Man: But that Book is lost.

Prudentius is no very good Poet, he often useth harsh Expressions not reconcilable to the Purity of Augustus's Age.

Prudentius's Works were printed and published at Rome, by Aldus Manutius, in the Year 1501, in Quarto. This Edition was followed by those of Germany, and others which are con∣formable to them; where are added Erasmus's Notes upon the Hymns upon Christmas, and the Epiphany, and those of Sichardus upon the Psychomachia. The Edition of Antwerp of 1540. in Octavo, contains the Annotations of Antonius Nebrissensis and Sichardus. That of 1564. was made after the Notes and Corrections of Putmannus, Graffemburgius and Victor Giselinus, who added his own Commentaries. Most of the late Editions, which are numerous, have been made after that. In 1613. Prudentius was printed at Hanover with Weitzius's Notes; and in 1614 the two Books against Symmachus were printed at Paris, with the Commentaries of Grangaeus: The last Edition of Prudentius was at Amsterdam, in 1667, in Twelves, with the Notes and Corrections of Nicolaus Heinsius.

Notes

• a 1.1

  IN the Year 348.] He saith in the Preface to the Cathemerinon, that he was born under the Consulship of Salia; for so we are to read and understand that Place.

  Oblitum veteris me Saliae Consulis arguens Sub quo prima dies mihi.

  Most Authors understood not the meaning of it; as, Aldus, Sixtus Senensis, Possevinus, and even Labbée, who believed that he was Consul in a City called Messalia, which is thought by Labbée to be Marse∣illes; That's a mistake: They took the Name of the Consul Salia, who was Consul with Philippus in the Year 348, for the Name of a Town; and so they ascribed to Prudentius the Consular Dignity that belonged to Salia, under whose Consulship Pruden∣tius came into the World. In the same place he says that he was 57 Years, old when he began to write, which shews that it was in the Year 405.
• * 1.2

  Prudentius.
• b 1.3

  Prudentius his whole Work.] This Abridge∣ment is ascribed by some to Amoenus; and Georgi∣us Fabricius observeth, that it goes under his Name in a Manuscript belonging to one of Strasburg. It is also printed under the same Name in some Editions of the Bibliotheca Patrum. In all the Ma∣nuscripts, Prudentius is said to be the Author of it; and Aldus says, that he saw an Ancient one where the Title of it was Dittochaeon, or Dyrrochaeon: But it is not to be wonder'd at, if the Abridgement of Prudentius's Works made by one Amoenus, should be taken for the very Work of Prudentius, and per∣haps this is the Cause of its being lost.