A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

ORIBASIUS. ORIBASIUS. 45
four children when Eunapius inserted the account into Arabic with the title " De Membrorum Anaof his life in his "Vitae Philosophorum et So- tomia." (Wenrich, 1. c.) They were translated
phistarum," that is, at least as late as the year into Latin by J. Bapt. Rasarius, and published
395. (See Clinton's Fasti Ronz.) Of the per- together with the first fifteen books. A Greek
sonal character of Oribasius we know little or edition appeared at Paris, 1556, 8vo. ap. Guil.
nothing? but it is clear that he was much attached Morelium, with the title "Collectaneorum Artis
to paganism and to the heathen philosophy. He Medicae Liber," &c.; and W. Dundass published
was an intimate friend of Eunapius, who praises them in Greek and Latin in 1735, 4to. Lugd.
him very highly, and wrote an account of his life. Bat., with the title " Oribasii Anatomica ex LiHe attended the philosopher Chrysanthius on his bris Galeni." Book 44 was published in Greek
death-bed (Eunap. 1. c. p. 197); and there is a and Latin, with copious notes, byU. C. Bussemaker,
short letter addressed to him by Isidorus of Pelu- Groning. 1835, 8vo.; having previously appeared in
sium (Epist. i. 437, ed. Paris, 1638), and two Greek, together with books 45, 48, and 49, and
epigrams written in his honour in the Greek An- parts of 50 and 51 (but with the omission of all
thology (ix. 199, and Anthol. Planud. iv. 274, the extracts from Galen and Hippocrates), in the
vol. ii. p. 106, iii. 295, ed.'auchn.). He is several fourth volume of Angelo Mai's " Classici Auctores
times quoted by Aetius and Paulus Aegineta. e Vaticanis Codicibus editi." Rom. 1831. 8vo.
Some of his works were translated into Arabic Books 46 and 47 were published by Ant. Cocchi
(see Wenrich, De Auctor. Graecor. Version. at Florence, 1754, fol. in Greek and Latin, with
Syriac. Arab. &c. p. 295); and an abridgement the title " Graecorum Chirurgici Libri," &c.
of them was made by Theophanes at the com- Books 48 and 49 were first published in Latin by
mand of the emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. Vidus Vidius in his "Chirurgia e Graeco in
(See Lambec. Biblioth. Vindob. vi. pp. 261, 264, Latinum a se conversa," &c.; and are to be found
266, ed. Kollar.) in Greek, together with fragments of books 50 and
We possess at present three works of Ori- 51, in Angelo Mai's collection mentioned above.
basins, which are generally considered to be ge- It will appear at once, from the above list of the
nuine. The first of these is called ZovarywyalI editions of the different parts of this work, how'Ia-rptcalr, Collecta Medicinalia, or sometimes much we are in want of a critical and uniform'Eg~o/0WoKv,&LCeAoy, Hebdonzecontabiblos (Paul. edition of those books which still remain; a want
Aegin. lib. i. Praef.), and is the work that was which (as we learn from M. Daremberg's Rapport,
compiled (as was said above) at the command of quoted above) is likely to be supplied by Dr. BusseJulian, when Oribasius was still a young man. maker.
Tt would be impossible to give here an analysis of The second work of Oribasius, that is still extant,
its contents. It contains but little original matter, was written probably about thirty years after the
but is very valuable on account of the numerous above, of which it is an abridgment (:Us'Ol*s).
extracts from writers whose works are no longer It consists of nine books, and is addressed to his
extant. This work had become scarce, on account son Eustathius, for whose use and at whose request
of its bulk, as early as the time of Paulus Aegineta it was composed. This work was translated into
(Paul. Aegin. 1. c.); it was translated into Syriac Arabic by Honain Ibn Ishak, with the title " Ad
in the ninth century by Honain Ibn Ishak and Filium suum Eustathium Libri Novem" (WenIsa Ibn Yahya, with the title " Collectionis Medi- rich, 1. c.), and was known to Haly Abbas, who,
cinalis Libri Septuaginta" (Wenrich, l. c.); but in as well as Paulus Aegineta (1. c.), notices the
the following century, though Haly Abbas was omission of several topics which he considered
aware of its existence, he says he had never seen ought to have found a place in it. It has never
more than one book out of the seventy. (Theor. i. been published in Greek, but was translated into
i, p. 5, ed. 1523.) More than half of this work Latin by J. Bapt. Rasarius, and printed at Venice,
is now lost, and what remains is in some confusion, 1554, 8vo.
so that it is not easy to specify exactly how many The third work of Oribasius is entitled Eubooks are at present actually in existence; it is, 7rdpeo' a, Euporista or De facile Parabilibus, and
however, believed that we possess twenty-five consists of four books. It is addressed to Eu(viz. 1-15, 21, 22, 24, 25, 44-49), with frag- napius, probably his friend and biographer, who
ments of two others (viz. 50 and 51). The first requested Oribasius to undertake the work, though
fifteen books were first published in a Latin trans- Photius says (1. c.) that in his time some copies
lation by J. B3apt. Rasarius (together with the were ascribed to a person of the name of'Eu24th and 25th), Venet. 8vo. without date, but genius. Sprengel doubts (Hist. de la Mid.) the
before 1555. They were published in Greek and genuineness of this work, but probably without
Latin by C. F. Matthaei, Mosqu. 1808, 4to., but sufficient reason: it appears to be the "smaller"
with the omission of all the extracts from Galen, work of Oribasius mentioned by Haly Abbas
Rufus Ephesius, and Dioscorides. This edition, (I. c.), and is probably the treatise that was transwhich is very scarce, is entitled " XXI. Veterum lated into Arabic by Stephanus with the title " De
et Clarorum Medicorum Graecorum varia Opus- Medicamentis Usitatis" (Wenrich, 1. c.). Both
cula." The first and second books had been this and the preceding work were intended as
previously published in Greek and Latin by C. G. manuals of the practice of medicine, and are in a
Gruner, Jenae, 1782, 4to. Books 21 and 22 great measure made up of extracts from his " Colwere discovered in MS. by Dietz about fifteen years'lecta Medicinalia." The Greek text has never
ago, but have not hitherto been published, either been printed. The first Latin translation was
in Greek or Latin. (See Dietz, Schol. in Hippocr. et published by J. Sichard, Basil. 1529, fol. at the
Gal. vol. i. praef.; Daremberg, Rapport adressei a end of his edition of Caelius Aurelianus; the next
Al. le Ministre de l'Instruction Publique, Paris, edition is that by J. Bapt. Rasarius, Venet. 1558,
8vo. 1845, p. 7.) Books 24 and 25 treat of 8vo., which is more complete than the preceding.
anatomy, and may perhaps be the work translated Rasarius united the "Synopsis ad Eustathium,"