§ 157. PAUL TIIE DEACON. G79
I. Histories. (1) Chief in importance is the History of the Lombards.1 It is divided into six books, and carries the history of the Lombards from their rise in Scandinavia down to the death of Liutprand in 744. It was evidently Paul's intention to continue and revise the work, for it has no pre face or proper conclusion ; moreover, it has manifest slips in writing, which would have been corrected by a final reading. It is therefore likely that he died before its completion. It is not a model of historical composition, being discursive, indefi nite as to chronology, largely a compilation from known and unknown sources, full of legendary and irrelevant matter. Nevertheless it is on the whole well arranged and exhibits a love of truth, independence and impartiality. Though a patriot, Paul was not a partisan. He can see some good even in his hereditary foes. The popularity of the History in the Middle Age is attested by the appearance of more than fifteen editions of it and of ten continuations.
(2) Some scholars2 consider the History of the Lombards the continuation of Paul's Roman History* which he compiled (c. 770) for Adelperga from Eutropius (Breviarum historice Romance);* Jerome, Orosius (Historia advcrsus Paganos}? Aurelius Victor (De Ccesaribus historia), Jordanis (Dc breviatione chronicorum)f Prosper (Chronicon)? Bcde and others. The Historia is in sixteen books, of which the first ten are mere excerpts of Eutropius, with insertions from other sources. The last six carry the history from Valens, where Eutropius ends, down to Justinian. The plan of these latter books is the same as that of the former : some author is excerpted, and in the excerpts
1 De (jestis Langobardorum, Migne, XCV. col. 433-672.
2 Moramsen quoted by Ebert, I. c. p. 45 ; Weizsacker in Herzog,2 xi. 390.
3 Historia romana, with its additions, Migne, XCV. col. 743-1158.
4 Best edition by Hartel, Berlin, 1872. Eng. trans, in Bohn's Class. Lib. 6 Migne, XXXI. col. 663-1174.
6 Muratori, Rer. Ital. script. I. 222-242. T In Migne, LI. col. 535-608.
680 FOURTH PEEIOD. A. D. 590-1049.
are inserted extracts from other writers. The History is worth less to us, but in the Middle Age it was extremely popular. To the sixteen books of Paul's were added eight from the Church History of Anastasius Bibliothecarius, and the whole called Historia Miscella, and to it Landulph Sagax wrote an appendix, which brings the work down to 813.
Besides these histories several other briefer works in the same line have come down to us.
(8) Life of St. Gregory the Great* a compilation from Bede's Church History of England, and Gregory's own works.
(4) A short History of the bishopric of Metz2 It was written about 784, at the request of Angilram, bishop of Metz. It is in good part only a list of names. In order to please Charle magne, Paul inserted irrelevantly a section upon that monarch's ancestry.
II. Homilies.3 A collection made by request of Charlemagne, and which for ten centuries was in use in the Roman Church. It is in three series. 1. Homilies upon festivals, two hun dred and two in number, all from the Fathers. 2. Homilies upon saints' days, ninety-six in number. 3. Homilies, five in number. Many of the second series and all of the last appear to be original.
III. Letters,4 four in number, two to Charlemagne, one each to Adalhard, abbot of Corbie, in France, and to the abbot Theudemar.
IV. Poems, including epitaphs.5 From the first stanza of De Sancto Joanne Baptista, Guido of Arezzo took the names of the musical notes.
1 Vita S. Gregorii Magni, Migne, LXXV. col. 41-60.
8 Gesta episcoporum Mettensium, Migne, XCV. col. 699-724.
8 Homilarius, ibid. col. 1159-1584.
4 Epistola, ibid. 1583-1592.
5 Carmina, ibid. col. 1591-1604. Ebert discusses these at length, I. c. pp, 48-56.
2 158. ST. PAULINUS OF AQUILEIA. 681