berg, and after this ventured to take possession of his living.

He was afterwards invited to Basil in 1515, where his erudition procured him so high a reputation, that they honoured him with the degree of D. D. About the same time Erasmus came to Basil to publish his annotations on the New Testament, and confesses that he profited by the assistance of Oecolampadius, who, when Erasmus's work was finished, went to Augsburgh, but did not remain there long, for having conceived a favourable opinion of the reformation, partly to avoid the necessity of declaring his sentiments before they should be fully matured, and partly from the love of retirement and study, in 1520, when he was thirty-eight years old, he entered into a convent near Augsbourg. Here, in the first instance, he stipulated with the brethren to have liberty both for his faith and studies, and then informed Erasmus of his change of life. Erasmus, in his reply, wished his new situation might be auswerable to his hopes, but was afraid he would find himself disappointed; and such indeed proved to be the case, when Oecolampadius began to speak his sentiments with freedom. He had not been there long, before he wrote a letter to a friend, in which he says, "I will now speak my mind freely of Martin (Luther), as I have often done before. I am so fully persuaded of the truth of several of his doctrines, that I should not be driven from my opinion, even though an angel of heaven should contradict it." He proceeded even to publish a book on "Confession," containing such doctrines as were not well relished by his fraternity; and he had not been among them much more than a year, when the stipulated liberty was denied him. Upon this, he quitted the convent*, and arrived safe at Basil in

1522.

Here he translated "St. Chrysostom's Commentaries upon Genesis" into Latin, and was made professor of divinity and city-preacher by the council; by whose consent he began the execution of his trust, with abolishing several usages of the Roman church. In particular, he commanded the sacrament of baptism to be administered in the mother-tongue, and that of the Lord's supper to be re

* Capito tells us, that his book of "Confession" gave particular offence to Glassio, a Franciscan, and chaplain to the emperor Charles V. who

and

brought him into great danger ;
upon that account, at the solicitation
of his friends, and by the consent of
his fraternity, he departed in safety.

ceived in both kinds. He taught that the mass was not a sacrifice for the living and the dead, or for those who were in purgatory, but that perfect satisfaction was made for all believers by the passion and merits of Christ. He dissuaded them from the use of holy water, and other superstitious observances, and was thus employed when the dispute about the Eucharist commenced between Luther and Zuinglius. In that controversy, he strenuously defended the opinion of the latter, in a piece entitled, "De vero intellectu verborum Domini, Hoc est corpus meum, which did him great honour. But although he agreed with Zuinglius in the nature of the doctrine, he gave a different sense of our Lord's words. Zuinglius placed the figure of these words, "This is my body," in the verb is, which he held to be taken for signifies. Oecolampadius laid it upon the noun, body, and affirmed that the bread is called, the body, by a metonymy, which allows the name of the thing signified to be given to the sign. Such were the arguments by which transubstantiation was combated at that distant period. The Lutherans in Suabia and Bavaria, decried the doctrine of Oecolampadius in their sermons, which obliged him to dedicate a treatise upon the words of the institution of the Lord's supper to them, printed at Strasburg in 1525. Whether this was a different work from the "De vero, &c." or only a new edition, does not appear, as his biographers have not affixed dates to all his publications. Erasmus, however, speaking of this book, says, "That it was written with so much skill, such good reasoning, and persuasive eloquence, that, if God should not interpose, even the elect might be seduced by it." As soon as it appeared, the magistrates of Basil consulted two divines and two lawyers, to know whether the public sale of it might be permitted. Erasmus, who was one of these divines, says, "That, in giving his answer upon the point, he made no invectives against Oecolampadius;" and so the book was allowed to be sold. The matter, however, did not rest so. The Lutherans answered our author's book in another, entitled "Syngramma;" to which he replied in a piece called "Antisyngramma." In proceeding, he disputed publicly with Eckius at Baden, and entered also into another dispute afterwards at Berne.

In 1528 he entered into the matrimonial state, and the same year entirely finished the reformation of the church at Basil; as he did also, jointly with others, that of Ulm. In

1529, he assisted in the conference at Marspurg; and, returning thence to Basil, fell sick, and died, December 1, 1531, aged 49. His disorder was the plague; and, from the moment he was seized, he shewed sentiments of solid and consistent piety, in the presence of many ministers, who attended him at his dissolution. He was interred in the cathedral of Basil, where there is a monument to his memory. He died in poor circumstances, leaving a son and two daughters. His wife, who had been the widow of Cellarius, according to Hoffman's account, was afterwards married to Wolfgangus Capito, and to Martin Bucer, all men of great eminence.

His writings evince a vast compass of learning. Among the principal are, "Annotations on many books of the Holy Scriptures." His controversial treatises "on the real presence.' "An exhortation to the reading of God's word." "Of the dignity of the Eucharist." "Of the joy of the Resurrection." "A speech to the Senate of Basil." "A Catechism." "Annotations on Chrysostom." "Enchiridion to the Greek tongue." "Of Alms-deeds." "Against Julian the Apostate." "Of true faith in Christ." "Of the praises of Cyprian." "Of the life of Moses." "Against usury;" with many controversies against the Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Anabaptists, who appeared in his time under Stork and Muncer, and created not only a controversy, but a rebellion attended with desolation and bloodshed. He published also a great many translations from the Fathers; and his own works, originally in Latin, were translated by his friends into German. He left several manuscripts behind him, which are probably in some of the German libraries. His exposition of Daniel, and two or three small tracts, were translated into English in the sixteenth century. He appears to have been held in high estimation even by some of his adversaries, as he had the proper temper as well as the abilities and zeal of a reformer.1

OECUMENIUS, an ancient Greek commentator on the Scriptures, was bishop of Trica in Thessaly in the tenth century, but of his personal history nothing is known. His commentaries upon the Acts of the Apostles, and the fourteen epistles of St. Paul, and the seven Catholic epis

1 Melchior Adam.-Dupin.-Chaufepie.-Mosheim and Milner's Ch, Hist.Bezæ Icones.

tles, contain, besides his own remarks and notes, a com-
pilation of the notes and observations of Chrysostom, Cyril
of Alexandria, Gregory Nazianzen, Theodoret, and others.
He is thought also to have written a commentary upon the
The works of
four gospels, but this is not now extant.
Oecumenius were first published in Greek at Verona in
1532, and in Greek and Latin at Paris in 1631, in two
volumes folio. To the second volume of the Paris edition
is added the "Commentary" of Arethas upon the book of
Revelation.'

OEDER (GEORGE CHRISTIAN), an eminent botanist, was born at Anspach, Feb. 3, 1728, and studied physic, but particularly botany, at Gottingen, under the celebrated Haller, through whose recommendation he was appointed professor of botany at Copenhagen. While in this station the "Flora Danica" was intrusted to him, of which he completed three volumes, containing 540 plates, when he resigned the chair, and the work was consigned to Muller, He was induced, by the patronand afterwards to Vahl. age of the unfortunate Struensee, to quit his situation and pursuits in 1773, Struensee having procured for him a considerable appointment in the college of finances, but on the death of his patron soon after, he left this place. He was afterwards appointed to the office of landvogt at Oldenburgh, which he retained until his death, Feb. 10, "Elementa 1791. His other botanical publications are, Botanica," published at Copenhagen, in two parts, in 1764 and 1766; "Nomenclator Botanicus," 1769; and "Enumeratio Plantarum Flora Danicæ," 1770. The Oedera, of Linnæus, was so called in honour of him."

2

OESER (FREDERIC), professor of painting, and director of the electoral academy of painting at Leipsic, was born at Presburgh in Hungary, in 1717. He became a student in the academy of painting at Vienna, and his "Sacrifice of Abraham" won the first prize, when he was in his eighteenth year. He learnt modelling of Raphael Donner, the sculptor. In 1739 he went to Dresden, and acquired some celebrity by his historic pictures. When the academy at Leipsic was founded by the elector Christian, Oeser was appointed director; and his best works are in St. Nicholas church in that city, where he died March 18, 1799.

1 Cave, vol. II.-Lardner's Works.-Fabric. Bibl. Græc.-Blount's Censura. -Saxii Onomast.

? Gent. Mag. vol. LXI.-Rees's Cyclopædia, art. Oedera.

VOL. XXIII.

X

Fuseli is of opinion that, had he seen Italy, studied the antique with greater assiduity, and submitted less to the dastard taste of his age, he probably would have more than rivalled Mengs, whom he excelled in invention and fire. Winkleman, with whom he became acquainted at Dresden, appears to have been indebted to him for the formation of his taste. Oeser has etched some of his own compositions in a free and picturesque manner. '

OFIHELY (MAURICE), archbishop of Tuam, was otherwise called Maurice DE PORTU, from having been born. near the port of Baltimore, in the county of Cork, though others say he was born at Down, or Galway. He was some time a student at Oxford, where he became a Franciscan. He afterwards travelled to Italy, and studied philosophy, and school-divinity at Padua. About 1480 he removed to Venice, where he was employed by Octavian, Scott, and Locatelli, as corrector of the press, which was then considered as an employment worthy of the greatest scholars. In 1506, after he had taken his degree of D. D. at Padua, pope Julius II. made him archbishop of Tuam in Ireland. In 1512 he assisted at the first two sessions of the Lateran council, and in the following year set out for Ireland, but died at Galway, May 25, 1513, where he landed, before he could take possession of his archbishopric. He was at this time not quite fifty years of age. He was buried in a church at Galway, where his humble monument is yet shown. He was a learned, pious, and amiable prelate, and held in such veneration by some authors, that they have given him the name of "Flos Mundi," the flower of the world. His works are, 1. "Expositio in questiones dialecticas Divi Joan. Scoti in Isagogen Porphyrii," Ferrara, 1499; Venice, 1512, fol. 2. "Commentaria doct. subtilis Joan. Scoti in XII. lib. metaphysicæ Aristotelis," &c. Venet. 1507, fol. 3. "Epithemata in insigne formalitatum opus de mente doctoris subtilis," &c. Venice, 1514, fol. This is what Possevin calls "Theorems for the explanation of the sense of Scotus." 4. "Dictionarium sacræ scripturæ," &c. Venice, 1603, fol. which reaches no farther than the word extinguere, but there is said to be a complete MS. of it in the Bodleian, as far as the word 5. "Enchiridion fidei," 1509, 4to. &c. &c.*

zona.

1 Pilkington, by Fuseli.

Ath. Ox. vol. I. new edit.➡Harris's edition of Ware.-Tanner.