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 FLORENCE

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FLORIAN

potTLOS. XporoAoYtKov cTTj^etw/ua ntp'i Tijs ei* •tAwpefTia AijffTtKJjj avv6Sov in Nta Siuii' (1905). II. 414-19; Nicholas of Cusa, Cardinal and Reformer in Catholic Quarterly Review (Philadel- phia, 19061. LXII, 120-147; KoNlG, Kardinal Giordano Orsini, EinLcbcnsbildausdpr Zeit dcr grossen Konzilien und des Human- ismus (Freiburg im Br., 1906); Zlacisti. Die Gesandschaft des Baseler KomiU nach Avignon und Konstantinopel, lhS7~lU33 (Halle, 190S).

L. V.\N DER Essen.

Florence of Worcester, English chronicler. All that is known of his personal history is that he was a monk of Worcester and that he died in 1118. His "Chronicon ex Chronicis" is the first attempt made in England to write a universal chronicle from the creation onwards, but the universal part is based en- tirely on the work of Marianas Scotus an Irish monk who died at Mainz about 1082. To this Florence added a number of references to English history taken from Bede, the " Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ' ', and various biographies. The portions borrowed from the "Chronicle" are of value because he used a version which has not been preserved. Florence begins to be an independent authority in 10.30, and his " Chronicle " goes down to 1117; it is annalistic in form, but a very useful record of events. John, another monk of Worcester, continued the "Chronicon" to 1141, and other writers took it down to 1295. It has been ed- ited for the English Historical Society by Benj. Thorpe (London, 1S4S-9, 2 vols.), and translated by Stevenson (Church Historians of England, Vol. II, pt. I, London, 1853); there is also an English version in Bohn's Antiquarian Library (London, 1854).

Die. Nat. Biog., XIX, 335-6; Gross. Sources and Literature of English History etc. (London, 1900). No. 1866.

F. F. Urquhart.

Florentina, Saint, Virgin; b. towards the middle of the sixth century; d. about 612. The family of St. Florentina furnishes us with a rare example of lives genuinely religious, and actively engaged in fur- thering the best interests of Christianity. Sister of three Spanish bishops in the time of the Visigothic dominion (Leander, Isidore and Fulgentius), she con- secrated her virginity to God, and all four have been canonized by the Church. Florentina was born about the middle of the sixth century, being younger than her brother Leander, later Archbishop of Seville, but older than Isidore, who succeeded Leander as arch- bishop of the same see. Before his elevation to the episcopal dignitj', Leander had been a monk, and it was through his influence that Florentina embraced the ascetic life. She associated with herself a number of virgins, who also desired to forsake the world, and formed them into a religious community. Later sources declare their residence to have been the con- vent of S. Maria de Valle near Ecija (Astigis), of which city her brother Fulgentius was bishop. In any case, it is certain that she had consecrated herself to C!od before the year 600, as her brother Leander, who died either in the year 600 or 601, wrote for her guidance an extant work dealing with a nun's rule of life and with contempt for the world (" Regula sive Libellus de institutione virginum et de contemptu mundi ad Florentinam sororem", P. L. LXXII, 873 sqq.). In it the author lays down the rules according to which cloistered virgins consecrated to God should regulate their lives. He strongly advises them to avoid inter- course with women living in the world, and with men, especially youths; recommends strict temperance in eating and drinking, gives advice concerning the read- ing of and meditation on Holy Scripture, enjoins equal love and friendship for all those living together in community, and exhorts his sister earnestly to remain true to her holy state. Florentina regulated her life according to the advice of her brother, entered with fervour into the spirit of the religious life, and was honoured as a saint after her death. Her younger brother Isidore also dedicated to her his work " De fide catholica contra Juda-os", which he wrote at her

request. Florentina died early in the seventh century and is venerated as the patroness of the diocese of Plasencia. Her feast falls on 20 June. The name is written Florentia in the Roman martyrology, but Florentina is without doubt the correct form.

Acta SS., June. IV, 18-20; cf. January. I, 972 sqq^, and April, I, 331 sqq.; Yepes, Hist, de la gloriosa virgen S. Floren- tina (Madrid, 1584); Wright in Diet. Christ. Biog., s. v.; Le- CLERCQ, L'Espagne chretienne (Paris, 1906), 275 sqq.; (^ams, Die Kirchengeschichte von Spanien (Ratisbon, 1862), I.

J. P. ISJHSCH.

Florentini. See Theodosids.

Florez, Enrique, Spanish theologian, archaeolo- gist, and historian ; b. at Valladolid, 14 February, 1701 ; d. at Madrid, 20 August, 1773. While still very young (1715) he joined the Order of St. Augustine, and there- after he devoted his entire life to great works on his- tory and antiquities, which are valuable contributions to the civil and ecclesiastical history of Spain. He was one of the most learned men produced by Spain, and on account of his learning enjoyed the respect and friendship of the most eminent men of his time. His best-known and most important work is " La Espaiia Sagrada, 6 teatro geografico-historico de la Iglesia de Espaiia" (51 vols., Madrid, 1747 ), a work follow- ing the same plan as the " Gallia Christiana" of Sainte- Marthe and the " Italia sacra" of L'ghelli. It is a his- tory of the Church in Spain, with biographies of bishops, and its value is enhanced by the insertion of ancient documents which are not to be found elsewhere. But the work was of such large scope that he did not live to finish his task, so that, of the fifty-one volumes of which the history consists, Florez wrote and published only a little more than half (twenty-nine volumes), the rest being written and published after his death by two other Augustinians, Fathers Risco and Fernan- dez. This and other works of Father Florez are en- riched by carefully made illustrations which serve still further to increase their value. In 1743 he published his historical work, the curious "Llave historial", a work similar to the French " Art de verifier les dates ", but having the advantage of priority over the latter, which did not appear until 1750. This book passed through several later editions in 1774, 1786, and 1790. It did not, however, add much to the literary fame of its author. Father Florez had pursued studies in numismatics and published " Espana carpetana; med- allas de las colonias, municipios, y pueblos antiguos de Espaiia" (3 vols., Madrid, 1757), dealing with the history of Spain when that country was occupied by the Romans. Other works of Florez were "Cursus Theologia;" (5 vols., Madrid, 1732-38), one of his earlier works, and " Memorias de las reynas Catolicas" (2 vols., Madrid, 1761, 1770, and 1779), a genealogi- cal history of the royal house of Leon and Castile.

Mendez, Noticia de la Vida y Escritos de Enrique Florez (Mad- rid, 1780).

Ventura Fuentes.

Florian, Jean-Pierre Claris, Chevalier de, a French poet and novelist, b. at the chateau of Florian (Gard), 6 March, 1755; d. at Sceaux, 13 Sept., 1794. An orphan at an early age, he was brought up by his grandfather and studied at St-Hippolyte. At ten years of agehewastakenbyoneof his uncles who was related to Voltaire, to the chateau of Femey. The influence of the philosopher was already beginning to be felt by the child when he was sent in 1768 to the Duke of _Pen- thievre, to act as a page. His sojourn at the chateau of Anet was verj' beneficial to him. Not only did the duke interest himself in his studies, and direct his readings, but he gave him good advice and made him promise that he would never write except with reserve and decency. Upon leaving the service of the Duke of Penthievre, he entered the military school at Ba- paume, obtained a commis.sion in the dragoons of Pen- thievre, but soon abandoned the army for hterature and began to write comedies. He was elected to the