of Baṣra, an 8th-century writer; see Bedjan's edition, and Chabot, Livre de la chasteté, p. 63. Assemani (B.O. i. 445) had placed him late in the 6th century, and Chabot (De S. Isaaci Ninivitae vita, &c.) in the second half of the 5th. Lamy (op. cit. iv. 364-366) has pointed out that several of the poems are in certain MSS. attributed to Ephraim. Possibly the author of the orthodox poems was not named Isaac at all. Assemani's list of 104 poems (B.O. i. 254-234) is completely covered by Bickell's. The metre of all the published homilies is heptasyllabic. References Syriac writers