Paulus, a learned presbyter of Spain, born towards the close of the fourth century at Tarragona, on the shores of the Mediterranean. After spending some time in study in his native country, he passed over to Africa to enjoy the instructions of the celebrated St Augustine, Bishop of Hippo Regius. How long he remained there before returning to Spain cannot be precisely ascertained. It is known, however, that Orosius was despatched by the Spanish bishops Eutropius and Paul (A.D. 414) to consult St Augustine on several abstruse points of doctrine then under dispute. On this occasion Orosius wrote Consultatio sine Commentariis Orosii ad Augustinum de errore Priscillianistarum et Origenistarum; to which Augustine published the reply, Ad Orosium contra Priscillianistas et Origenistas; both of which pieces are to be found in the works of the Bishop of Hippo. During the following year Orosius set out for Palestine, at the recommendation of Augustine, to consult St Jerome, the best scholar and critic of the early church, then engaged on his Latin version of the Scriptures. The active intelligence, gentle bearing, and calm modesty of the young Spaniard, won the heart of the great scholar, and he showed him as much kindness as Augustine had done before him. While resident in Palestine, Orosius had occasion to break a lance with Pelagius. In a synod held at Jerusalem on the 30th July A.D. 415, the Spanish presbyter was called upon to oppose that heretic and his disciples, which led to the publication of the famous treatise *Apologia contra Pelagianum de Arbitrio Libertate*, afterwards appended to the author's *History of the World*. On his way home to Spain in 416 A.D., Orosius took occasion, in accordance with his promise, to visit Augustine at Hippo. Rome had just been captured and pillaged a few years previously by the Visigoths, who were converts to Christianity. This gave rise to the calumnious assertion, industriously promulgated by the heathens of that time, that Christianity had been injurious rather than beneficial to mankind. Augustine took up his pen in defence of the cause; and, in his famous *De Civitate Dei*, showed, by an appeal to historical facts, that precisely the opposite was true. On this work the bishop was engaged when Orosius first visited him; and Augustine endeavoured to induce the zealous Spaniard to embark in a similar undertaking, and do for the facts of general history what he had done for the facts of the history of the church in his *City of God*. This was the origin of Orosius' well-known *Historiarum adversus Paganos Libri VII.*, dedicated to St. Augustine. Part of it is said to have been put together in Africa; and it was probably completed about A.D. 416, the date at which the narrative closes. It is written with great force and brevity, and soon attained a wide popularity. It was lauded by popes, translated by kings, and read by all. The *editio princeps* of the History was printed at Vienna as early as 1471; but the best edition is unquestionably that of Haarlem, Lugd. Bat., 4to, 1738. A number of other pieces have been ascribed to Orosius, but no complete edition of his works has yet appeared. (For further information respecting Orosius, the reader may consult the works of J. W. Moller, 1689; of Dalmasses y Roz, 1702; of C. A. Haumann, 1732; of G. F. H. Beck, 1834; and of P. T. von Moerner, 1844.)

King Alfred transferred the substance of Orosius' History from the original Latin into Anglo-Saxon for the instruction of his people. Of this royal version three separate editions have been published in this country; one by Daines Barrington, with an English translation, 8vo, London, 1773, full of inaccuracies; another by B. Thorpe, with an English translation, 8vo, London, 1853, appended to Paul's *Life of Alfred the Great* in Bohn's "Antiquarian Library"; and a third, with the English version only, but containing an introduction and valuable notes by Dr. Bosworth, London, 1855.

**OROTAVA**, a town of the island of Tenerife, capital of a district of the same name, is built on the slope of a hill on the N. coast, 1200 feet above the level of the sea. It is regularly laid out, the streets extending along the hill one behind the other. Of the two churches of Orotava, one is a handsome building with three naves, and contains a marble tabernacle brought from Genoa. There are also in the town two schools and an hospital. Pop. 8315. About 2 miles off stands a town called Puerto de la Orotava, with a harbour, which serves as the seaport of Orotava. By this a considerable trade is carried on; and it is from hence that the wines of the island are exported. Pop. 4600.

**ORPHEUS**, a celebrated poet and musician, who lived at such an early period that his history is involved in fable, and many doubt if we have any facts respecting him on which dependence can be placed. According to the common mythology, he was a native of Thrace, being born in a cave at Pimpleia, a city of Pieria, which was then included in Thrace (Schol. Apollon. i. 25; Strab. vii. 330, x. 471). He is said to have been son of Apollo, or of Geagrus, King of Thrace, and of the Muse Calliope (Diodor. ii. 64). He was the brother of Linus (Apollodor. ii. 4, 9), and the pupil of Musaeus (Clemens Strom. i. p. 332), or his master (Syncel. p. 156; Paus. x. 7, 1; Suid.) He is Ortery placed by Eusebius eighty-five years before the fall of Troy. He visited Egypt, and was there initiated in all the learning of the priests. When he returned to Thrace, he instituted the mysteries of Bacchus, which, according to Herodotus (ii. 81), included opinions which were afterwards promulgated by Pythagoras. He studied also under the Dactyls Idai of Crete (Diodor. v. 64), and was the friend and companion of Cadmus, the founder of Thebes. He took a distinguished part in the Argonautic expedition, and saved his companions from the fascination of the Sirens by the charm of his golden lyre (Apollodor. i. 9, 25). On the death of his wife Eurydice, he is said to have visited the infernal regions, and, through the intercession of Proserpine, obtained permission from Pluto that Eurydice should return with him to earth, provided he would engage not to look on her till he reached the upper world. He broke his promise, and Eurydice instantly disappeared (i. 3, 2). A different version of the descent into Hades is given by Plato (*Symp.* and *Polit.*), who represents the gods as having imposed upon Orpheus by showing him only a phantasm of his lost wife, as a mark of their detestation of his cowardice in being afraid to die. How and where he died is variously stated. Some say that he died of grief for the loss of Eurydice; others allege that he was killed by lightning, because he revealed to man what the gods intended should be concealed from them; or that he was torn to pieces by the Manades of Thrace for some disrespect shown to Bacchus. Olympus, Pangaeus, and Haemus are all named as the place of his catastrophe. The poets indicated the sweetness of his music by feigning that it was capable of moving the very stones and trees. Lucian tells a story of the head and lyre of Orpheus being thrown by the Thracian women into the Hebrus, and, as they floated down, the motion of the water brought them into contact, and the divine instrument gave forth strains of the most doleful and bewitching sweetness. The head and lyre having reached the island of Lesbos, the former was buried on the spot where the temple of Bacchus afterwards stood, and the lyre was long preserved in the temple of Apollo. According to Eratosthenes (*Catalog.* 24), it was placed by Jupiter in the heavens, and formed the constellation called Lyra.

There can be no doubt that there was an early poet of this name, but Aristotle considered all the works which were circulated under his name as spurious (*Cic.* *De Nat. Deor.* i. 38); and Cicero ascribes them to Cerops, a Pythagorean, or to Onomaecritus (*Clemens, l.c.*). The hymn to Jupiter, quoted by Stoibaeus (p. 40), is certainly very ancient, as it is alluded to by Aristotle (*De Mund.* Op. i. 1, p. 475), and is not to be confounded with the productions of the later Platonic school, which we have under the title of the Orphic Hymns. These hymns present a mixture of the theological ideas of the Greeks, Jews, and even Christians; so that there can be no doubt of the period in which they were written. The editions of the *Orphica* have been very various. That of Hermann, Leipzig, 8vo, 1805, is unquestionably the best. An English version of the Orphic Hymns, with a preliminary dissertation, was published by Thomas Taylor in 1787.

**ORRERY, EARL OF.** See Boyle, Charles.

**ORRY.** See Planetary Machines.

**ORSOVA (Old and New),** the name of two towns on the Danube, the former belonging to Austria, and the latter to Turkey. Old Orsova stands on the left bank of the river, 90 miles S.E. of Temesvar, in the Banat Military Frontier. It is fortified, and has manufactories of leather. Pop. 1000. New Orsova, which belongs to the province of Servia, stands on an island in the river W. of Old Orsova, and is strongly fortified. Pop. 2800. (See Danube.)

**ORTELIUS, ABRAHAM,** a celebrated geographer, called the Ptolemy of his time, was born at Antwerp in 1527. He resided at Oxford in the reign of Edward VI.; came a second time into England in 1577; and is said to have persuaded Camden to write his Britannica. His Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, published at Antwerp in 1570, was the most complete work of the kind which had yet appeared, and gained him great reputation. He also wrote several other geographical works, the principal of which are, his Synopsis Geographica, Antwerp, 1578, and his Thesaurus Geographicus, Antwerp, 1594. He died at Antwerp in 1598.