ii: 



ALFlll''. 



ALQAKIU, ALKSSANDRO. 



whloh b* bad nadrrUkeo ; ant nevertiwl***. hen bo had 

 tl.i. look. an! turned lit] from Latin into th. English 

 It in 



_ , b* aftrrvani* ompoed it in versa, M it it now don*. And 

 the] BOW pray*, and for God * take implore* every on* of tho** whom 

 it list* to rred 0,i. book, that be wouM pray for him, and not blam* 

 ham if b* man rightly understand it tl.an he rouM. For every man 

 mod, ceordinc to th* meacure of hi* understanding, and according 

 .k that which be (peak*, and do ih.t which b* doe*." 

 Notwiih.landig what i. here mid. th* version niiblwbed by Mr. Car- 

 1*1* exhibit* no verao; and Mr. Wright ha* stated *om* oonodcrationa, 

 from hkh he conclude* that the wne translations of the metrical 

 pa****** ia th* original, which are given in Kawlinsun'* edition, cannot 

 have been compoer.1 by Alfred. 5. The Geoeral Hutory of Orosius, 

 pablb*d by th* Hon. lain Barrington, under tlie title of ' The 

 Anglo-Saxon Version from the Hi-torian Oro-iun, by Aelfred the 

 Otvat . . ith an English Translation from the Anglo-Saxon,' 



'. This translati'in is rrmarkable as containing, in 

 a idiu-in to the original text, a sketch of the geography of Germany in 

 Alfr d's own day, and a curious relation of two voyages made in the 

 north- rn a- M, a* given to Alfred by the navigators themselves, Ohtbere 

 and WulftUa. Thrae voyage* had been previously printed more than 

 once. . Th* EcoUaiattiol History of the Knglish by Bed*. This is 

 alo a vrry free translation, but it* deviations from the original con- 

 ai*t more frequently of abridgement* than of addition*. 5. A trans- 

 lation of a election from the Soliloquir* of St. Auguttine, mentioned 

 by Mr. Turner M extant in the Cottoninn manuscript Vitellius, A 15. 

 Of other works which have been attributed to Alfred, some, if they 

 ever existed, are lost, and other*, such as the metrical venion of the 

 Ps*lm-, tran-lationa of other part* of Scripture, and the collection of 

 Terse, entitled ' Alfred'* Proverb*,' are not believed to be genuine. 

 Alfred'* will wa* published in 4 to, at Oxford, in 17S8, with a trans- 

 lation and notrs by the Rev. Owen Manning. Alfred's Laws are in 

 th* collection published by Wdkinn, fol., London, 1721 ; and also in 

 the new Record Commi**ion edition by Mr. Benjamin Thorpe, foL 



(A**rus, Dt Atifrtdi Ktbnt OtKit ; Chronictm Saionicun : Ingul- 

 pbus. 7/iona Jfowucern Croyl-iudeiait ; Will Malmsburiensis Dt 

 i.sfu Xeyum Axylorum ; Lift of Jilfred, by Sir John Spelman, 8vo, 

 ixford, 1 70 . Turner, llittory of the A nglo-Saxoni ; Wright, Biograph ia, 

 JlrHnrnira Lilrrana ; Paulli, Life of Alfred.) 



ALFUIC, AKI.KIUC, or ELFRIU, tyled Abbot, or the Abbot, and 

 alfo Grammatical, or the Grammarian, is the author, or supposed 

 author, of more of the Anglo-Saxon literature that has come down to 

 n* than any other writer. Eighteen distinct works have been attributed 

 to him. It U not quit* certain however that all even of the work* 

 that bear the name of Alfrio are by the same writer. In the greater 

 number of them the author call* himself Alfrio the Abbot (in Saxon, 

 A booth; in Utin, Abba*); in others, Alfric the Monk (Monachus or 

 Moouc); in a few, Alfrio the Bishop (Episcopu* or BUcop). The 

 biography of the Alfric whom these several designations have com- 

 monly bean all supposed to' indicate i* extremely obscure, and has 

 beca th* subject of much controversy. He was probably born before 

 th* middle of the lOtli century; and, if we may believe Matthew 

 Paricv b* wa* of very noble descent, hi* father being ealderman or 

 earl of Kent In hi* Preface to Grnesi* he speaks of having once had 

 a secular or ma** priest for his teacher, who scarcely understood Latin ; 

 bat h afterwards became one of the scholars of the learned Kthel- 

 woll, a* be has himself mentioned, both in a I-atin preface to his 

 Homilies and in another to hi* Grammar. He probably rtudied under 

 Etuelwold both at Abingdoo, and afterwards in the more famou* 

 wool which that penoa up*rintended at Winchester, of which see 

 he became bubop in MS. Th. next fact regarding him that i* cer- 

 tainly known i* that about the year 988 he was sent by the then 

 "hop * Winchester, Alf heh, to take charge of the abbey of Cerne 

 ia DoTMtohir*, at the request of it* founder, Ethelmer, earl of Corn- 

 wall Thi be tell* n. himself, in a Saxon preface to hi* Homilies. 

 II* ia aUo supposed to have been the Alfric who wa bishop of 



I'ilton (now SalMbury), and then arclibwhop of Canterbury, and who 

 tad in 100; while other* suppose he wa* the Alfric, archbi.hop of 



*, who died in 1041. The latc*t investigation of the hi.tory of 

 Alfric the Grammarian, and the mot complete account that has been 

 firm of hi* work., i* contained in Mr. Wright'. 'Uiograpliia llritannioa 



JJJ""* 1 ' Tnl ' PP- <8<M94 - un <ler the head of Alfrio of Canterbury.' 



The writing* of Alfric attracted the attention of the reformer, in 

 the 16th century, by tome pa**oge* (in hi* Puobal Srmon and else- 

 where) which art opposed to the Roman Catholic doctrine of traosub- 

 MMUaUon ; and Ih. dwcovrry of the** paoages appear* to have had a 

 Mia influence in reviving the study of the Anglo^jaxon language and 

 The author of th* Preface to Arobbiahop Parker's edition 

 ehl Smnoa,' .tat** some curious fact*, making it probable 

 **P***e5** hi qnntion owed thir preservation to the circuin- 

 ?2ST "* no * tb * Varaaa> Conquest having been unable to 

 ic writing* also contain many notice* of the manner* 

 *> in which he lived ; and *om* of them are of 



Hi* Hoailie*,' Mr. Wright observe^ "are* written Tn vel^easy Anglo^ 



'ho i* 



chiefly distinguished however aa a sculptor. Ha wai tha son of a stlk- 

 t>f Bologna, where he wa* born about 1600, or even earlier, but 

 the dat. s given !> th various writer* who have written notices of him 

 are so oontra/liotory, that it is impossible to give a preference with any 

 degree of certainty. He entered the celebrated tchool of the Carraoci, 

 but finding that sculpture was more suitable to hi* taste than pni 

 he became the pupil of Oiulio Cesare Convent!, a sculptor of oelul>ritv 

 in hii day. * At the age of twenty," says Bcllori, " he accompanied 

 Oabriello Bertauuoli, the architect, to Mantua, and was intro'luced to 

 the Duke Ferdinand, with whom be apparently became a fav 



from him fo 



a* h* received many MIM!! couiuii^'ioua from him for mo loin, anM -.:.> 

 aftarwaril* sent by him to Rome with an introduction to the pope'K 

 nephew, Cardinal Ludovisj : he arrived in Rome in 1625. 

 mil employed him chiefly in the restoration of ancient stntues; nn<l ho 

 received some employment from the Koman jeweller*. 1 1 

 original productions in Koine were two statues in stucco, for the 

 Capella Bondiui in the church of San Silrestro on Monte Cavallo. ![ 

 obtained these commiasions through the iuteroeasion of his : 

 iJomenichino : they were a John the Baptist, and a Magdalen, and 

 obtained for Algardi a considerable reputation ; he had however Mill 

 to depend upon the jewellers for support. His patron I'Vi-iliirmd, 

 duke of Mantua, died shortly after his arrival in Rome ; he qmu 

 with Domeuichiuo, and for many years he hod no other occup >' : 

 a sculptor than that of restoring ancient fragment*, liut about, 1640 

 bin prospect* changed; he was chosen by Pietro Buoncomp 

 execute the statue of San Filippo Neri for the eacrUty of th'- 

 dell' Oratorio of Rome ; he made a group in marble of two coloenl 

 figure*, the saint, and an angel kneeling by his side presenting him a 

 book ; and he displayed so much judgment and taste in working the 

 marble, that he raUed himself to an equality with the most tV. 

 of his contemporaries ; and the Cardinal Benardino Spada, in conse- 

 quence of the success of this group, gave him a commission to execute 

 a colossal group in marble of two figures representing the decapitation 

 of St. Paul, for the church of the Padri Bernabiti at Bologna. St. Paul 

 was represented kneeling, with his hands bound together before him ; 

 the executioner, entirely naked, wag behind the saint, with his sword 

 raised ready to strike. The success of this group was complete ; it ia 

 technically a work of very great excellence, but in the attitudes it is 

 forced or affected ; it however established for Algardi the reputation 

 of the greatest sculptor of his age. He now produced many works in 

 rapid succession, chiefly in metal, both for Bologna and Rome. Tho 

 principal of these were the monument of Leo XL in St. Peter's, and 

 Attila checked by St. Leo, an alto rilievo of enormous size, for one of 

 the altars of the same church. 



Algardi's prosperity increased after the accession of Innocent X. 

 in 1614, whose niece, Costanza Panfili, was married to Algardi' .- 

 aud patron, Prince Nicolo Ludovisi, the nephew of Gregory \ V., 

 and himself a Bolognese. Don Camillo Panfili, another of the pope's 

 nephews, entrusted to Algardi the erection of a villa without the gate 

 of San Pancrazio, now well known as the Villa Panfili. As an archi- 

 tectural design it is a work of little merit, though it i 

 most successful effort in architecture : it is richly ornamented with 

 sculpture. 



Algardi executed also the bronze statue of Innocent X., which was 

 decreed by the Roman people or senate in consideration of hi- 

 completed the CapitoL Innocent built the north-cost wing, or Xuovo 

 Palazzo di>' Conservator!. The senate had voted the execution of the 

 work to Francesco Mochi : why it was not executed by Mochi does 

 not appear ; Innocent probably interfered in Algardi's favour. The 

 first casting failed; the second howevor was completely successful 

 Innocent is represented sitting, giving the papal benediction, and i* 

 placed in that part of the Capitol which was built by him. When the 

 statue was completed, tha pope was so well satisfied with it that he 

 placed with his own bauds a cross aud chain of gold upou Alg.tnli'n 

 neck, and created him a Cavaliere dell' Abito di Ci-isto. 



The Attila, or La Fuega d' Attila, as it is called, is the largest alto- 

 rilievo in the world ; the two principal figures of St. l.co and 

 are about ten fvct high. The design contains many other : 

 is treated pictorially, which treatment however involves many disa- 

 greeable effects, us the parts in high relief catt their shadows ii|n>n 

 those in low relief, which an intended to be at a greatw distant- 

 the spectator, aud destroy their tfluct entirely; the high light also of 

 the principal figures coming in immediate contrast with their deep 

 shadows, gives an insignificant and mottled effect to the accessory 

 part*. In addition to these objections, there ia another still more 

 detrimental to pictorial effect, that is, the fact of the shadows being 

 vertical a* well a* horizontal, for they fall upou the ground to which 

 the figures are attached, aa well as upon that on which they stand. 

 This alto-rilievo, however, which ia in in trl'le, i nf itself a work of 

 great merit, though it may not de*ervo all the praises it has obt 

 nor perhaps, on the other hand, does it merit all the censure it ban 

 received. Count Cicognara has severely criticised it. 



Algardi received for it 10,000 scudi, a sum probably equivalent at 

 that time to 60002. sterling now, and more than two hundred times a* 

 much a* hi* old friend L>omenicbino received a few yean before for 

 hi* ' Communion of St. Jerome,' one of tbe finest pictures in Home. 

 The rilievo was executed in great part by Domenico Guidi of Naples, 

 and was finished in 1650. 



