



ORKERiCUS VITALIS. 



OKl.iASH'S. 



circular arch. Those, says Land, who are fond of minute detail in 

 minute things, may consult Baldinncci, Bottari, and Mmmi, concerning 

 Andre* di rione : Kuuiolir however was the first to show his real 

 name, of which Orcaena U a contraction, Lo Archagnuolo to 'ruhagnio 

 1' orehaguo. In painting, Orcagna did not go beyond Giotto; in 

 sculpture he was a worthy follower of the Pisani. His portrait, pub- 

 liahed in Vaari' work, waa taken from one of the figures of the 

 apottles in the above-mentioned tabernacle of the Virgin, which is 

 understood to be hu own. 



( Vaaari, Fitt de' Pittari, Ac., and the Notes to Schorn's German 

 translation of Vaaari; Huniobr, Italicnitcht fortchungen.) 



ORDERICUS VITALIS, the author of one of the moat valuable of 

 our early English or rather Norman chronicles, was an Englishman, 

 as lie styles himself in one of his books, born at Attiuglmm (now 

 Ateham), a village near Shrewsbury, on February 16th, 1075. lli- 

 fatber, Odelirius, was a native of Orleans, and had been a follower of 

 Roger de Montgomery, one of the Norman nobles who aided William 

 in hia conquest, and who, aa a reward, was created Earl of Shrewsbury. 

 The few particulars of the life of Ordericua are gathered from inci- 

 dental notices in hia work, from which we learn that his father was an 

 educated man, in clerk's orders, and possessed of considerable property. 

 Ordrricua waa the eldest son, and when five years of ate was placed at 

 school at Shrewsbury, under a " noble priest," as his pupil atylea him, 

 whose name was Siegward. On the death of the Earl of Shrewsbury, 

 Ordericua became a monk iu the abbey of Shrewsbury, which he bad 

 stitted in founding, and at the same time he devoted to the religious 

 life bis son Ordericua, then ten years old. In a abort time the boy 

 waa sent into Normandy, to the abbey of Ouchc, founded by St. 

 Kvroult His second brother inherited the family estates ; his younger 

 brother became a monk with hia father in the abbey of Shrewsbury. 

 In 1086 he received the tonsure, aud changed his English name of 

 Ordnricus for that of Vitalis, using only the latter name himself; but 

 custom has joined the two in writing of him. Ho devoted himself to 

 study, but did not take priest's orders till 1107, and he never quitted 

 the convent but three times : he once attended n chapter of the order ; 

 once came to England, visiting Worcester and Croyland ; aud once 

 went to Cambray the last two visits being apparently for the purpose 

 of procuring materials for his work. His history is brought down to 

 1141, in which year, or the succeeding one, it is most probable that he 

 died. 'The Ecclesiastical History of England aud Normandy ' com- 

 mences with the birth of Christ, and gives in two books a rapid 

 summary, not always correct, of the succession of the Roman emperors 

 and popes. These two books were an afterthought, and are of no 

 great value. It is with the third book that the interest of the work 

 commences. The early history of the dukedom of Normandy, with 

 the collateral relations of France and Brittany, are given in minute 

 detail. We then enter upon the progress and completion of the con- 

 quest of England ; and so on to the events of which Ordericus was a 

 contemporary observer. In tbU Chronicle we see, in the most distinct 

 manner, the actual life of the first Norman kings of England, and how 

 they moved from the Thames to the Seine, and from the Seine to the 

 Thames, in their barbaric pomp, but always intent upon war and 

 aggrandixement. M. Guiiot, who wrote an Introduction to the l-'r.-iu h 

 Torsion of 1826, says, " No book contains so much aud such valuable 

 information on the history of the eleventh and twelfth centuries ; on 

 the political state, both civil and religious, of society in the west of 

 Europe ; and on the manners of the times, whether feudal, monastic, 

 or popular." An excellent translation of AUe work by Mr. T. Forester 

 was published in l>5:;-4, iu 4 v<>!.-., in ' Holm's Antiquarian Library." 



ORKLLA'NA, FRANCISCO, the first European who traversed the 

 continent of South America, waa born at Truxillo iu Old Spain, about 

 the beginning of the 16th century. He was of a goo,! family, and, 

 like many others of the aame class, went to the New World to seek 

 the wealth which he wanted at home. He accompanied the aucceasful 

 expedition of Francisco Piiarro to Peru in 1531. A cacique having 

 reported that a country existed beyond the mountains east of yuito, 

 abounding in gold and ailver, cinnamon and other aromatic produc- 

 tions, thai love of enterprise and the greediness of the Spaniarda were 

 excited. Goniale* Pizarro, brother to Francisco, undertook to pone 

 traU the trackless foreata and snowy mountains lying between tho city 

 and this desirable country. 



Orellana attached himself to Qonsalex, and they set forward on their 

 expedition iu 1540. Tim natural impediments they met with were 

 severe, and the earthquakes, thunder, lightning, aud torrent* of rain 

 which they experienced, by cutting off their communications, reduced 

 them to the greatest exlrernitiis. At length they reached the province 

 of Xumaco, where they found the cinnamon tree growing iu great 

 abundance. From Xumaco, (iouxales explored tho country to tho 

 east, and followed the course of a rivrr, supposed to be that branch 

 of the liaranon called the Nspo, for 200 leagues, when the supply of 

 roots and berrws on which they had been living becsmo so scanty, 

 that some expedient waa necessary to obtain provisions. Accordingly, 

 Orallaua waa ordered to proceed down the river in the bark which 

 they had built, and having loaded her with provisions, to return 

 immediately, leaving the baggage behind him. Oiellana went forward 

 until be arrived at the confluence of this branch with the main stream. 

 He found hou'-v.T nothing but impenetrable forets and floodf 

 Either the ambition of discovery or the utter inability of hi* exhausted 



crew to row back against the heavy stream induced him to proceed. 

 They were put to the greatest strut*; they oat their shoes aud 

 saddles, many were killed in frays with the Indian* on the shores of 

 the river, and mutinies broke out among bis people, which were only 

 quelled by the firmness of Orellana. Having by his skill nud per- 

 severance overcome all these difficulties, be reached the sea in August 

 1541, having navigated this vast river above one thousand league*. 

 On his return to Spain he spread such wonderful reports of the ' El 

 Dorado' that be had passed through, of the temples roofed with gold, 

 and of the Amazons inhabiting the banks of the river, that be soon 

 obtained numerous followers, and tho king of Spain granting him 

 extensive possessions, be returned to the river Amazon ii 1549, but 

 shortly after fell a victim to one of the diseases prevalent in the low 

 and swampy situations of the tropics. 



ORFILA, P., an eminent French physician and lexicologist, wa< 

 born at Hahon, in the island of Minorca, on the 24th of April 17-7. 

 He was sent to Paris to study medicine, and wa< naturalised in France 

 in the year 1815. He early displayed a love for the science of 

 chemistry, and iu the application of this science to the investigation 

 of poisons and their treatment became thu most distinguished man iu 

 Europe. Ho was professor of medical chemistry iu the Faculty of 

 Medicine at Paris, and wag subsequently for many years dean of that 

 faculty. He was a correspondent of the Institute and a member of 

 the Council of Hospitals. He wrote many works on the subject of 

 toxicology, as well as ou medical jurisprudence generally. Hi 

 published work was produced in Ibl7, and was entitled ' Elements of 

 Chemistry applied to Medicine aud the Arts.' This work was many 

 times republished. From time to time he published lectures on various 

 departments of legal medicine. In 1821 he commenced the publica- 

 tion of a course of ' Lectures on Legal Medicine,' which was completed 

 in 1823. Another series of lectures ou the treatment of persons 

 poisoned or asphyxiated was published in 1818. In 1830, conjointly 

 with M. Leseur, he published a work ' On the Appearances pn - 

 by Dead Bodies after Exhumation, Drowning. Suffocation iu Cesspools, 

 or by Gases.' He was also one of the editors of the ' Nouveau 

 Dictiounaire des Termes de Mddecine, Chirurgie, Pharmucie, Physique, 

 Chimie, Histoire Naturelle,' <tc. 



His greatest work on medical jurisprudence was his ' Traitd do 

 MiSdeciue Logale,' iu 4 vols,, and published from 1835 to 1847. His 

 special papers on poisoning ore very numerous, and those on the 

 absorption of lead, corrosive sublimate, silver, arsenic, and other metals, 

 ore most valuable contributions to toxicology. He devoted much 

 attention to the subject of public health, and wrote a little work 

 entitled ' Hygienic Precepts for the Use of Childreu iu Primary 

 Schools ' (1845). One of his last papers was ' On the Pernicious Kffects 

 of Tobacco, aud the Danger of Smoking Havannah Cigars." He died 

 in the month of March 1853. 



oKKOItli. KARL OF. [WAU-OLE, HOKACK.] 



OKIUA'SIUS, an eminent physician aud the intimate friend of tho 

 Emperor Julian, was born at Sanies, the capital of Lydia, according to 

 Suidas aud Philustorgius (' Hist. Ecclt.-.,' viii. 15), or rather, according 

 to Kunapius (' De Vitis Philosoph. et Sophist.'), who was his contem- 

 porary, at Pergatuum, a celebrated city of Mysia, aud the birthplace 

 of (ialeu. After enjoying the advantage of a good education, he 

 became a pupil of Zeuo, an able physician of Cyprus, to whom the 

 Emperor Julian addressed a letter still extant. (' Kpi.-t.' 47.) Oriba- 

 sius soon became BO famous iu the practice of his profession aa to 

 induce Julian, upon being raised to the rank of Caesar, to take him 

 with him into Oaul as his physician, A.D. 365. Kim.tpius seems (iu 

 an ambiguous passage) to assert that it was partly by the assistance 

 uf Oril>oiu* that Julian was declared emperor, and says that he has 

 given the particulars of the transaction, iu another of hia works, which 

 is lost. But however this may be, it is certain that they were upon 

 the moat intimate toims, as ia proved by one of Julian's l.-tt r- 

 addressed to Oribasius, which still remains (' Epiet.' 17), mul is ut the 

 same time a monument of their superstition and pagan idolatry. 

 . I ulion succeeded to the empire, on tho death of CouatantiuH, 

 A. U. 361, he raised Oribasius to the rank of quiustor of C<>iu,tantinpi<- 

 (Suidas), and afterwards sent him to consult the Oracle of I 1 

 whence he brought back the celebrated answer, that the Oracles had 

 ceased to utter predictions. (Cedrenus, ' Chronic.,' p. 304, ed. Paris, 

 Oribasius accompanied the emperor in his expedition against 

 Persia, and waa present at bis death. (Philoatorg., loc. cit.) He 

 afterwards fell into disgrace through the envy of his enemies, had all 

 bis estate confiscated, and was banished by Valeutinian and Valens. 

 He supported his misfortunes with fortitude, and by bis medical 

 taleuU gained so much love and reverence, that the barbarians (as tht-y 

 are called) began almost to adore biui as a god. At last the emperors, 

 fouling their loss of his professional skill, recalled him from banish- 

 ment, restored his confiscated fortune, and loaded him with honours. 

 He waa still alive when Kuuapiui, who waa his intimate friend, wrote 

 his account of bis life, which is placed by Larduer (' Heathen Testi- 

 monies,' Ac.) about the year 40U (laidur. Pelusiot., ' Kpiet.,' lib. i. p. 

 437, ed. Paris. foL, 1638), and aa this waa more than fifty years after 

 his attending .luli m in (iaul, ho must have lived to a good old age. 

 There are in the Greek -Anthology two epigrams written in i 

 of him (lib. i. p. 85, aud lib. iv. p. 486). 



He was the author, uctording to Suidas aud Puotius, of several 



