became one of the grandest organs of literary expression was first discovered and revealed. The inspiring idea of the poem was accepted, purified of all alien material, and realized in artistic shape by Virgil in his national epic. He deliberately imparted to that poem the charm of antique associations by incorporating with it much of the phraseology and sentiment of Ennius. The occasional references to Roman history in Lucretius are evidently reminiscences of the Annales. He as well as Cicero speaks of him with pride and affection as “Ennius noster.” Of the great Roman writers Horace had least sympathy with him; yet he testifies to the high esteem in which he was held during the Augustan age. Ovid expresses the grounds of that esteem when he characterizes him as
A sentence of Quintilian expresses the feeling of reverence for his genius and character, mixed with distaste for his rude workmanship, with which the Romans of the early empire regarded him: “Let us revere Ennius as we revere the sacred groves, hallowed by antiquity, whose massive and venerable oak trees are not so remarkable for beauty as for the religious awe which they inspire” (Inst. or. x. 1. 88).
Editions of the fragments by L. Müller (1884), L. Valmaggi (1900, with notes), J. Vahlen (1903); monographs by L. Müller (1884 and 1893), C. Pascal, Studi sugli scrittori Latini (1900); see also Mommsen, History of Rome, bk. iii. ch. 14. On Virgil’s indebtedness to Ennius see V. Crivellari, Quae praecipue hausit Vergilius ex Naevio et Ennio (1889).
ENNODIUS, MAGNUS FELIX (A.D. 474–521), bishop of Pavia,
Latin rhetorician and poet. He was born at Arelate (Arles) and
belonged to a distinguished but impecunious family. Having
lost his parents at an early age, he was brought up by an aunt
at Ticinum (Pavia); according to some, at Mediolanum (Milan).
After her death he was received into the family of a pious and
wealthy young lady, to whom he was betrothed. It is not certain
whether he actually married this lady; she seems to have lost
her money and retired to a convent, whereupon Ennodius
entered the Church, and was ordained deacon (about 493) by
Epiphanius, bishop of Pavia. From Pavia he went to Milan,
where he continued to reside until his elevation to the see of
Pavia about 515. During his stay at Milan he visited Rome
and other places, where he gained a reputation as a teacher of
rhetoric. As bishop of Pavia he played a considerable part in
ecclesiastical affairs. On two occasions (in 515 and 517) he was
sent to Constantinople by Theodoric on an embassy to the
emperor Anastasius, to endeavour to bring about a reconciliation
between the Eastern and Western churches. He died on the
17th of July 521; his epitaph still exists in the basilica of St
Michael at Pavia (Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, v. pt. ii.
No. 6464).
Ennodius is one of the best representatives of the twofold (pagan and Christian) tendency of 5th-century literature, and of the Gallo-Roman clergy who upheld the cause of civilization and classical literature against the inroads of barbarism. But his anxiety not to fall behind his classical models—the chief of whom was Virgil—his striving after elegance and grammatical correctness, and a desire to avoid the commonplace have produced a turgid and affected style, which, aggravated by rhetorical exaggerations and popular barbarisms, makes his works difficult to understand. It has been remarked that his poetry is less unintelligible than his prose.
The numerous writings of this versatile ecclesiastic may be divided into (1) letters, (2) miscellanies, (3) discourses, (4) poems. The letters on a variety of subjects, addressed to high church and state officials, are valuable for the religious and political history of the period. Of the miscellanies, the most important are: The Panegyric of Theodoric, written to thank the Arian prince for his tolerance of Catholicism and support of Pope Symmachus (probably delivered before the king on the occasion of his entry into Ravenna or Milan); like all similar works, it is full of flattery and exaggeration, but if used with caution is a valuable authority; The Life of St Epiphanius, bishop of Pavia, the best written and perhaps the most important of all his writings, an interesting picture of the political activity and influence of the church; Eucharisticon de Vita Sua, a sort of “confessions,” after the manner of St Augustine; the description of the enfranchisement of a slave with religious formalities in the presence of a bishop; Paraenesis didascalica, an educational guide, in which the claims of grammar as a preparation for the study of rhetoric, the mother of all the sciences, are strongly insisted on. The discourses (Dictiones) are sacred, scholastic, controversial and ethical. The discourse on the anniversary of Laurentius, bishop of Milan, is the chief authority for the life of that prelate; the scholastic discourses, rhetorical exercises for the schools, contain eulogies of classical learning, distinguished professors and pupils; the controversial deal with imaginary charges, the subjects being chiefly borrowed from the Controversiae of the elder Seneca; the ethical harangues are put into the mouth of mythological personages (e.g. the speech of Thetis over the body of Achilles). Amongst the poems mention may be made of two Itineraria, descriptions of a journey from Milan to Brigantium (Briançon) and of a trip on the Po; an apology for the study of profane literature; an epithalamium, in which Love is introduced as execrating Christianity; a dozen hymns, after the manner of St Ambrose, probably intended for church use; epigrams on various subjects, some being epigrams proper—inscriptions for tombs, basilicas, baptisteries—others imitations of Martial, satiric pieces and descriptions of scenery.
There are two excellent editions of Ennodius by G. Hartel (vol. vi. of Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Vienna, 1882) and F. Vogel (vol. vii. of Monumenta Germaniae historica, 1885, with exhaustive prolegomena). On Ennodius generally consult M. Fertig, Ennodius und seine Zeit (1855–1860); A. Dubois, La Latinité d’Ennodius (1903); F. Magani, Ennodio (Pavia, 1886); A. Ebert, Allgemeine Geschichte der Litt. des Mittelalters im Abendlande, i. (1889); M. Manitius, Geschichte der christlich-lateinischen Poesie (1891); Teuffel, Hist. of Roman Literature, § 479 (Eng. tr., 1892). French translation by the abbé S. Léglise (Paris, 1906 foll.).
ENNS, a town of Austria, in upper Austria, 11 m. by rail S.E.
of Linz. Pop. (1900) 4371. It is situated on the Enns near its
confluence with the Danube and possesses a 15th-century castle,
an old Gothic church, and a town hall erected in 1565. Three
miles to the S.W. lies the Augustinian monastery of St Florian,
one of the oldest and largest religious houses of Austria. Founded
in the 7th century, it was occupied by the Benedictines till the
middle of the 11th century. It was established on a firm basis
in 1071, when it passed into the hands of the Augustinians.
The actual buildings, which are among the most magnificent in
Austria, were constructed between 1686 and 1745. Its library,
with over 70,000 volumes, contains valuable manuscripts and
also a fine collection of coins. Enns is one of the oldest towns in
Austria, and stands near the site of the Roman Laureacum.
The nucleus of the actual town was formed by a castle, called
Anasiburg or Anesburg, erected in 900 by the Bavarians as a post
against the incursions of the Hungarians. It soon attained
commercial prosperity, and by a charter of 1212 was made a
free town. In 1275 it passed into the hands of Rudolph of
Habsburg. An encounter between the French and the Austrian
troops took place here on the 5th of November 1805.
ENOCH (חַנֹך,חַנֹוך, Ḥănōkh, Teaching or Dedication). (1)
In Gen. iv. 17, 18 (J), the eldest son of Cain, born while
Cain was building a city, which he named after Enoch; nothing
is known of the city. (2) In Gen. v. 24, &c. (P), seventh in descent
from Adam in the line of Seth; he “walked with God,” and after
365 years “was not for God took him.” [(1) and (2) are often
regarded as both corruptions of the seventh primitive king
Evedorachos (Enmeduranki in cuneiform inscriptions), the two
genealogies, Gen. iv. 16-24, v. 12-17, being variant forms of the
Babylonian list of primitive kings. Enmeduranki is the favourite
of the sun-god, cf. Enoch’s 365 years.[1]] Heb. xi. 5 says Enoch
“was not found, because God translated him.” Later Jewish
legends represented him as receiving revelations on astronomy,
&c., and as the first author; apparently following the Babylonian
account which makes Enmeduranki receive instruction in all
wisdom from the sun-god.[1] Two apocryphal works written in
the name of Enoch are extant, the Book of Enoch, compiled from
documents written 200–50 B.C., quoted as the work of Enoch,
Jude 14 and 15; and the Book of the Secrets of Enoch, A.D. 1–50.
Cf. 1 Chron. i. 3; Luke iii. 37; Wisdom iv. 7-14; Ecclus. xliv. 16,
xlix. 14. (3) Son, i.e. clan, of Midian, in Gen. xxv. 4; 1 Chron.
i. 33. (4) Son, i.e. clan, of Reuben, E. V. Hanoch, Henoch, in Gen.
xlvi. 9; Exod. vi. 14; Num. xxvi. 5; 1 Chron. v. 3. There may
have been some historical connexion between these two clans
with identical names.
