ORSISIUS

OSFRITH

159

cient (e.g. v. 18, p. 339, the death of Cato; vi.3, 376, the acquittal of Catiline), it is disfiguredby many mistakes, both as to facts and numbers,and by a faulty system of chronology, blemisheswhich in uncritical ages were not detected, butwhich more recent examination has brought tolight. The general popularity which it enjoyedas the one Christian history, led no doubt to thetranslation of it made into Anglo-Saxon, by Alfredthe Great, of which a portion was published byElstob in 1690, and the whole, with an Englishversion, in 1773, under the superintendence ofDaines Barrington and J. R. Foster. Thiswas reprinted in 1853 in Bohn’s AntiquarianLibrary, under the direction of Mr. B. Thorpe.It was also translated during the 16th centuryinto German and Italian. The 2nd chapter ofthe first book contains a sketch of universal geo-graphy, which is nearly identical with a workcalled the Cosmography of Aethicus, a writer ofwhom nothing certain is known. The systemon which it is founded has borrowed no lightfrom the work of Ptolemy, or other scientificgeographers, but being protected by its supposedorthodoxy, became one of the principal authori-ties for mediaeval map-makers. (Bevan andPhillott, Mediaeval Geography. Introd.) Theearliest printed edition of the history appearedat Augsburg, printed by Schiissler, 1471, from agood MS. Another, without a date, by Her-mann of Cologne, at Vicenza, probably 1475,and others were printed in the 15th and the 16thcenturies at Venice, Cologne, Paris and else-where. An edition by Fabricius, with notes,appeared in 1561, which was reprinted in 1575and 1582. This was again reprinted, withadditional notes, by Andrew Schott, at Mayence,in 1615, and embodied in the BibliothecaPatrum, Lyons, 1677, vol. vi. But the bestedition of the complete works of Orosius whichhas yet appeared is that of Havercamp, in 4to.Leyden, 1738, containing very many valuablenotes, and engravings of coins illustrating the text.It was reprinted by Galland in his Bibliotheca Pa-trum , Venice, 1773, vol. 9; and by Migne, Patrol.vol. 31, Paris, 1846, with the engravings of coins.The history alone from Havercamp’s edition, butwithout the engravings, edited by Dr. Brohm,was published in 2 vols. 8vo. at Thorn, 1877.Other works beside the history have been attri-buted to Orosius, but the only two which canclaim good authority are the Liber Apologeticusde Arbitrii Libcrtate , and the Commonitorium adAugustinum , already mentioned. The former isincluded in Havercamp’s edition, and the latterin the works of St. Augustine, as mentionedabove. [H. W. P.]

ORSISIUS (Orsiesius, ’AptriVios), abbat ofTabenna, a.d. 350, in succession to Petronius.He soon transferred the burden to Theodorus, thefavourite disciple of Pachomius (Soz. iii. 14;Niceph. Call. H. E. ix. 14; Boll. Acta SS. 14Mai. iii. 292, 324, 325, ed. 1866, De SS. Pachom.et Tkeod. ii. 18, and Acta §§ 74, 76; Tillem. vii.479, 481). Two epistles addressed by Athanasiusto Orsisius are printed among the Works ofAthanasius {Pat. Gr. xxvi. 978). [G. T. S.]

ORTIGIUS, bishop, was expelled from hissee by the PrBcillianists in consequence of hisdefence of the Catholic faith (Idatius, Chron.).

He was present at the first Council of Toledo(a.d. 400), which commanded that the churchesfrom which he had been expelled should be re-stored to him (Tejada y Ramiro, Col. de Can. dela Igl. Esp. ii. 197). There is a difficulty aboutthe name of his see; Idatius gives it as Celenaenear Iria, but in the Acta of the Council ofToledo, Exuperantius is named as bishop of thatplace. Gams {Kirchengeschichte von Spanien y ii.393) conjectures that Idatius confused AquaeCelenae with Aquae Oritiinum (Orense), andthat Ortigius was really bishop of the last place.{Esp. Sag. xix. 9.) [F. D.]

OSA (Bosa, M. H. B. 618, note), the sixthbishop of Selsey ; preceded by Aluberht, andsucceeded by Giselhere {M. H. B. 618). Nothingis known of the date of Aluberht, and of Gi-selhere, only that he subscribed charters of780 and 781. The name of Osa occurs in anundated grant of Nunna, king of Sussex, con-firmed by Osmund the king and Osa thebishop, but very difficult to date (Kemble, C. D.1001) ; in a dated grant of Osmund, Aug. 3,765, attested by Osa, and probably genuine {ib.

1008) ; another grant of Osmund, attested by‘Osa archiepiscopus,’ and evidently garbled {ib.

1009) , but bearing the date of 770. All

these are from the Chichester register and latetranscripts. There is, however, in the LambethMS. 1212 {the Canterbury Cartulary ), a grantmade to Oswald, bishop of Selsey, of land inSussex, dated in 772, and attested by Egbertking of Kent, Cynewulf king of Wessex, arch-bishop Jaenberht, Eadbert, Oswald, Diora andWigheah bishops. This seems to be genuine,and to supply both a fixed date and a definiteorthography for the name of the bishop. Osa,if this be genuine, was an abbreviation of Oswald,as Totta is of Torthelm, and Sigga of Sigfrith.

[S.]

OSBALD, a “patrician” of Northumbria,addressed c. 793 along with king Ethelred andthe dux Osberct by Alcuin (ep. 11 in Pat.Lat. C. 157), and no doubt the Osbald mentionedby Hoveden (t. i. p. 15, ed. Stubbs), anno 796,as succeeding Ethelred in the throne of North-umbria for 27 days, afterwards retiring toLindisfarne, and finally taking refuge with theking of the Piets. The Chronicle of Melroserelates that “ king Osbald,” once a dux andpatrician, became an abbat after his expulsion,died an abbat in 799, and was buried in thechurch of York. [C. H-]

OSBERCT, a dux, addressed c. 793, withEthelred, king of Northumbria, and the patricianOsbald, by Alcuin (ep. 11 in Pat. Lat. c. 157);thought to be the Osbert, patrician of theMercians, addressed in two other letters ofAlcuin which are now unknown, but of whichthe fragments survive in William of Malmes-bury {G. R. lib. i. §§ 70, 94, t. i. 103, 130, ed.Hardy), and are also printed at the end ofAlcuin’s letters. {Pat. Lat. c. 512.) [C. H.]

OSBRAN, anchorite and bishop of ClooncrafF,co. Roscommon, died a.d. 752. {Ann. Tig.)

[J. G.]

OSFRIDA, queen. [Osthryd.]

OSFRITH, son of Edwin, king oi Noitnum-bria, and Coenburga his wife, daughter of Cearl,