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.

PAUL Deacon of Aquileia.

PAUL, Deacon of Aquileia, called Winfrid after the Name of his Family, Son of War∣tifred and Theodolinda, was Secretary to Desiderius, the last King of the Lombards. This * 1.1 Prince being taken (An. 774.) by Charlemagne, and his Kingdom utterly destroyed, Paul the Deacon fell into the Conqueror's Hands, who used him very civilly. But his ties to his Prince having brought him into a suspicion of some Conspiracy, he was banished into an Island of the Adriatick Sea [called Diomedea] from whence he escaped to [Anchis] the Duke of Be∣neventum, Desiderius's Son-in-law, and a little after made himself a Monk in Mount-Cassin, where he died in the beginning of the 9th. Century.

This Author wrote * 1.2 the History of the Lombards, divided into 6 Books. They do more-over falsly attribute to him an Abridgment of the Roman History drawn out of several Au∣thors: For, tho' he made an Addition to Eutropius's Epitome, he is not the Author of that Collection, which is rather Anastasius's the Library-keeper. He abridg'd the History of the first Bishops of Metz, which Abridgment is found among the Historigraphers of France, and in the last Edition of the Bibliotheca Patrum [Tom. 13.] The first times of this History, which he brings up to the Apostles, are altogether fabulous. He made this Writing, as he tells us him∣self (Ch. 16. B. 6. of his History of the Lombards) at the request of Ingilram, Bishop of Metz. He composed also, in particular, the Life of S. Arnulphus, Bishop of Metz, which is found

among Bede's Works. There is a relation of S. Cyprian's Martyrdom, under his Name, which is found at the beginning of this Father's Works, of Pamelius's Edition. They publi∣shed, moreover, under his Name, the Lives of S. Benedict, S. Maurus and S. Scholastica. Si∣gebert assures us, he wrote the Life of S. Gregory the Great, which was printed in the last Edi∣tion of that Saint's Works. Besides, they ascribe to him a Commentary upon S. Benedict's Rule, which is not printed. There be some Hymns and Homilies, both Manuscript and Printed, bearing his Name. It is thought, That S. John's Hymn, Ut queant laxis, &c. is his. Lastly, he composed, by Charlemagne's order, a Book of Homilies or Lessons, gathered out of the Holy Fathers for all the [Festival] days of the Year. This Book was printed at Spire, [An. 1472.] by Peter Drach, with a Letter of Charlemagne at the beginning of it, declaring, That this Work was composed by Paul the Deacon, by his order * 1.3. F. Mabillion hath print∣ed this Letter and some Extracts of the Commentaries of the first Homilies, because the Edition of Spire is grown very scarce.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Paul of Aquileia.
• * 1.2

  [This Hi∣story hath been printed by it self at Augsparcy 1515. at Ea∣••il 1532. at Hamburg 161••.]
• * 1.3

  [14••2. Dr. Cave.]