515 
Erasmus’ down to the latest Paris reprint,* contains, among the Spuria, 
a composition in three books, entitled, ‘‘ De Mirabilibus Sacre Scrip- 
turze,’”’ the prologue of which bears the superscription ‘‘ Venerandissi- 
mis urbium et monasteriorum Episcopis et Presbyteris, maxime Car- 
thaginensium,} AuGuUsTINUS per omnia subjectus, optabilem in Christo 
salutem.”’ In the course of the prologue, the writer mentions the in- 
junction which his spiritual father, Eusebius, had laid upon him to com- 
pose the work; and he closes it by a modest reference to two individuals 
of the same church, whose names, Bathanus{ and Manchinanus,§ indi- 
eate their Irish extraction, the former being a latinized version of the 
well-known name Baetan or Baedan, and the latter of the equally familiar 
Mainchine. 
The period at which our author wrote the tract is ascertained from 
a very explicit chronological note, which not only fixes his date, but 
his native country. Treating of the miracle recorded in the Book of 
Joshua, || where ‘‘ the sun stood still upon Gibeon, and the moon in the 
valley of Ajalon,’”’ he observes that this detention of the luminaries 
caused no disturbance in nature, because both orbs rested synchronously 
in their course. For if one luminary had run on while the other was 
at rest, it would have deranged the constituted order of months and years. 
The moon was arrested in her course, not that she could afford any aid 
to the adversaries of Israel, but, as a handmaid, to await the accompany- 
ing motion of the sun. Then he proceeds to treat of the great cycle of 
532 years, namely, the product of the solar cycle of 28 multiplied by 
the lunar cycle of 19; and having recounted the most important events 
of Scripture history which marked its recurrence, he adds :—‘‘ Donee 
decimus inde oriens, nonagesimo secundo anno post passionem Salva- 
* The treatise is not found in the editio princeps of St. Augustin’s works, by John 
Amorbach (Basil. 1506); but it appears in the edition of Erasmus (Par. 1531), tom. iii. 
fol. 150 a-161 4. Also in the Paris edit. 1555, tom. iii. fol. 159 J-1710; Basil. edit, 1569, 
tom. iii. col. 705-762; Venet. 1670, tom. iii. fol. 234 a-252 a; Antwerp, 1576; “per 
Theologos Lovanienses,” tom. iii, Append. pp. 394-410; Paris. “‘ Opera et Studio Mona- 
chorum Ordinis S. Benedicti e Congr. S. Mauri,” tom. iii. part ii. Append. col. 1-32 ; 
Antwerp, reprint, 1700, tom. iii. Append, col. 1-26; Bassani, 1797, 4to, in which edition 
the spuria, including this treatise, are thrown together in the sixteenth volume. The 
latest edition, Paris, 1837, 8vo, restores the tract to its original place, tom. iii., part ii., 
col. 2716-2719. 
+ The Benedictine editors, in the margin, propose ‘‘forte Cantuariensium.” See, 
however, what is urged in the course of this paper. 
} So the name is written in all the MSS., except that of St. Audoen of Rouen, which 
reads Barbanus. But the Benedictine editors rightly suggest ‘‘forte Baithanus: qui 
fuit Scotus episcopus, apud Bedam, lib. 2, Hist. c. 19.” We find Batthanusin Adamnan, 
Vit. S. Col. ii. 24 (ed. Reeves, p. 137); and he latinizes the name of king “ Baedan 
filius Maic Erce” by Baitanus Filius Maie Erce, ib. i. 12 (p. 40). Baoithin, on the other 
hand, is latinized Baitheneus. Baithanus or Baitanus of Bede is Baetan of the Four 
Masters, 663. 
§ The name appears further on in the form Manicheus. The Rouen MS. here reads 
Manchianus, which is a nearer approach to the Irish form. 
|| Chap. x, 12, 13. 
