CORT, CORNELIUS. 



CORTES, HERNAN. 



.onerous beauties, the masterly foreshortening, the grace, the oolour, 

 and the .le-ign, to excited Titian', admiration, that he is reported to 

 km Mid. If I were not Titi.D, I would be Correggio." ID the 

 gallery at Dresden are the ' Notte,' or rather Dmwn 1 a (trud pic- 

 ture on the mbject of the Nativity, aud a masterpiece of chiaroscuro 

 -aud a liitb cabinet picture, the ' Penitent Msgdalen, 1 in which the 

 lot U represented lying on the ground reading. A blue mautle 

 envelopes the form ; the heaH, shoulders, boaoni, and feet are bare ; 

 a hady nook raabriiMa the taint Her brow rest* upon one band, au.i 

 a tender aeUnchofr tremble* on her lips. The toft feature*, the 

 delicate boeom. the gentle arms, are of the rarest beauty. It in 

 perhaps) the uio*t perfect woman ever painted. In our own National 

 Gallery are three or four of bii belt picture* : ' Mercury instructing 

 : in the preaenoe of Venui ' (formerly in the possession of 

 Charles I., who purchased it of the Duke of Mantua, and uniren&lly 

 allowed to be one of the artist's maitcrpieoei), and an ' Eoce Homo ' 

 (in which the Madonna U painfully true to suffering nature, but 

 isdBsmsJ by his usual beauty of form and expression) ; these two 

 picture* were purchased by the British government in 1834 of the 

 Marquis of Londonderry for 10,0001. There is also a Holy Family, 

 known as LSI Vierge au Fanier,' and formerly in the Royal Gallery at 

 Madrid small in site, but of the most exquisite beauty. Another U 

 1 Christ's Atony in the Qarden,' a duplicate of the one in the pos- 

 session of the Duke of Wellington. Two of the most celebrated of 

 Correggio's picture) were destroyed, it U said, by order of the Regent 

 Duke of Orleans, for the too great freedom of the design the 'Danae ' 

 and the ' Io' a strange story for a man of bis character. The former 

 i pieced together again by Coypel ; of the latter a duplicate still 



Corrrggio had many good pupils, among whom may be reckoned 

 bis son, who painted a fresco in the cathedral at Parma, which has 

 been much commended. He abandoned painting however before he 

 died. 1'armigiauo may be reckoned among the followers and imitators 

 of Correggio, though not among his pupils. 



(Tiraboschi; Vaaari; Mengi; Ratti ; I.anzi, &c.) 



CORT. CORNELIUS, a designer and very celebrated engraver, was 

 born at Horn in Holland in 1536. He worked in his youth for Jerome 

 Cook, a printeeller of Antwerp. He then went to Italy, where in 

 Venice he was received by Titian into his house, and engraved 

 several of bis pictures for him in (at that time) an unusually large 

 sixe : they are dated 1668. Cort however settled finally in Rome, and 

 established a school of engraving there, in which Agostino Caracci is 

 said to have studied. This however is doubtful, as Agottino was only 

 twenty years of age when Cort died, if 1578, as is believed from the 

 letters on an old portrait, waa the year of his death. The earliest 

 prints of Agostino are dated 1582, four years after the death of Cort. 

 That Agostino studied the prints of Cort, and to a great extent 

 adopted him as a modrj, his works sufficiently evince. Cort's prints 

 are large and his outline correct ; they display great mastery of the 

 graver, but a want of perception of the more delicate qualities, such 

 as oolunr and relative distance; he was alw deficient in discriminating 

 the more delkate indications and varieties of expression. His works, 

 for their ti*e and style, and considering the comparative shortness of 

 U* life (forty-two years), are very numerous; they exceed 150. He 

 saaHs the first engraving after the ' Transfiguration ' by Kaffaelle ; he 

 engraved also toe Battle of the Elephants,' and the ' Battle of Con- 

 staotine,' after KaftWle. He executed also several prints after Federigo 

 Zoooaro, and others after Taddeo Zuocaro, O. Muzaiano, Polidoro da 

 Carravagfio. Correttio, Michel Angrlo, Sabbatini, and many other 

 eelebraUd mast, rs, Italian and Finnish ; and likewise some from his 

 own designs. (Oandelliiii, .Vufuie Itioncke deyli tnlayliaturi, <tc. 

 H.ioekeo, JXcHtmnoirt <U$ Artuta, <cc.) 



CORTES, HERMAN, waa bom in 1485 at MedelUn, a village of 

 Estfwaadnra, in Spain. He wa cent to study law at Salamanca ; but 

 being of a turbulent and dissipated disposition, his father wished him 

 to go to Italy as a military adventurer under the Great Captain 

 (Oooialo). Mot succeeding in this, be in 1502 obtained permission to 

 follow bis kinsman Ovando, who was appointed governor of Hispaoiola ; 

 bat an accident which befell him in scaling a lady's window prevented 

 Us joining Ovaodo till 1604. In IS 11 he distinguished himself under 

 Velasquea In the conquest of Cuba, and in 1518 was .elected by this 

 gowroor to undertake the conquest of Mexico, then jost discovered 

 by Urijalra. Accordingly, CorUs set sad from St Jago de Cuba the 

 1Mb of Howmber 1518, with tea vessels, ten pUoes of osnnon, eighteen 

 honeoea, 000 infantry, thirteen only of whom were mutktteen, and 

 the rest eroAvbownen. He touched at various places, and among 

 them at Havaanab In search of nor* adventurer* ; and setting out 

 again February 10th, 161. brat bis couree to Cotumel, I. ft that i.land 

 oo the 4th of Match, and proceeded up the river CJrijalva or Tabasco. 

 Vela*qtt*s soon after he had despatched his Umiteoant with the 

 brilliant prospects of ooonoeet, nvoked hi* omnmisaioo, and attempted 

 to get him brought back under arrest; but the vigilance of Cortes 

 frustrated all the schemes of to* gnvrrnor. 



Hating taken the town of Tabasco, with much slaughter, he 

 received from its cacique gold and provision*, and twenty female 

 slave* One of these, who mak'S a great figure in the history of the 

 conquest, under the name of Don* Marina, being a native of Mexico, 

 became highly awful as interpreter, in conjunction with Jerome de 



Apuilar. who had been eight yean prisoner in the island of Cozuni 1. 

 Advancing into the interior, Cortes met at San Juan de Ulloa tome 

 Mexican chiefs, who were anxious to know his intentions. Cortes 

 laid great stress upon the importance of his mission from the great 

 monarch of the east, and the necessity of his waiting upon their king. 

 Native painters in the meantime were delincnting on cotton cloth the 

 ships, hone*, artillery, kc., of the ominous visitors, in onlir to 

 acquaint their sovereign with the wonders which word* could not 

 describe. To awe them still more, Cortes displayed the evolutions of 

 his men and horses, and th.- havoc made on trees by the terrific thuuder 

 and discharge of cannon-balls. Several of the terrified Indians 1\!1 t . 

 the ground, and so many ran away, that it was difficult to subdue their 

 alarm and regain their confidence. 



During the negotiations for his progress to the capital, Cortes 

 founded the colony of Villa Rioa do Vera Cruz, and defeated the 

 "action of the partizans of Velasquez, who, hi the midst of the expe- 

 dition, were in full readiness to revolt. Not satisfied with this, to 

 prevent all farther hesitation and division among his followers, by 

 leaving them no other chance of safety than iu union and thecoi, 

 of a hostile country in which he shut them up with himself, he 

 deliberately broke his ships to pieces. Cortes moreover gained over 

 the caciques who were impatient of the Mexican yoke, Tha cacique 

 of Zempoalla implored his assistance, and furnished him with pro- 

 visions and 200 Indians to carry burdens, an invaluable service in a 

 country where beasts of burden were unknown. On arriving at the 

 confines of the Tloscalans, Cortes was attacked by them, under sus- 

 picion of his seeking the friendship of the Mexicans, their implacable 

 enemies ; but after an incredible slaughter, 6000 of them joined the 

 conquerors. With this reinforcement Cortes reached the territory of 

 the Cholulans, who, being the ancient enemies of his new auxiliaries, 

 refused to admit them into their holy city of CholuLa. However in 

 obedience to Montezuma's injunction, thi-y received the Spaniards, but 

 at the same time, according to the Spaniards, formed a plot against 

 them. Cortes, anticipating their treachery, destroyed 6000 of 

 without the lo8 of a single soldier. The perplexity of the Mexican 

 councils increased with the boldness of the invader.', who were now 

 regarded as those descendants of the sun, destined by prophetic 

 tradition to come from the east, and subvert the Aztec empire. 

 Accordingly, on the 8th of November 1519, they were received at 

 Tenochtitlan, the Mexican capital, as Teules, or divinities. Soon after 

 however an attack was made by the natives, acting under secret or,U-r., 

 tipon Vera Cruz, and the head of a prisoner was carried in triumph 

 through the country up to tha court, to disprove the immortality of 

 the Spaniards. Cortes, on this, carried off the emperor Muteczuma, 

 or Montezuma, to his quarters, although he asserted his innocence, 

 and offered to deliver up the chief aggressor. But Cortes demanding 

 also the sou of this officer and five officers more, hod them all burnt 

 alive in front of the imperial palace, on a pile made of the v. 

 which were kept in store for the defence of the state. During the 

 execution, the emperor was loaded with irons. Subsequently be 

 acknowledged Charles V. as his lord, but ho constantly refused to 

 embrace Christianity ; and when Cortes led his soldiers to stop the 

 human sacrifices and throw down the idols in the grand temple, both 

 priests and people rose in arms and forced him to detist. After thin 

 provocation, the Mexicans became resolved to expel the Spaniards, and 

 Montetuma, tumuli a prisoner, assumed the tone of a sovereign, and 

 ordered Cortes to depart 



After six months occupation of Mexico, wbeu the danger of the 

 Spaniards had increased, 18 ships with 80 horsemen, 800 infantry, 120 

 cross-bowmen, and 12 pieces of artillery, were sent under Pauiphilo 

 de Narvaei by Vela-quiz against Cortes. Cortes, deriving lr> h 

 courage from his disappointment and indignation, persuaded Monte- 

 zuinn that he was going to meet his friends. Leaving him and the 

 capital in charge of Pedro de Alvarado with only 150 men, he nit 

 with 250 against Narvaei, attacked him in the dead of night near 

 Zempoalla, made him prisoner, and with the new army hastened luck 

 to Mexico, which had revolted in his absence. Although lie resumed 

 bis former position there, be had soon to maintain a desperate conflict, 

 and to retreat for safety after Montezuma had perished in attempting 

 to appease his subjects. This success of the Mexicans led to their 

 total defeat in the battle which they fought and lost in the plain of 

 Otompan, or Otumbo, July 7, 1520. This victory enabled Cortes to 

 subdue come of the neighbouring territories with the assistance of the 

 TUscalnni, to attach 10,000 more of them to bis service, to attack 

 Mexico again six months alter his retreat, and to retake it the loth of 

 August 1621, after seventy-live day* of fierce snd almost daily fighting. 

 The uativ. s onoe more reduced to despair rose again, and again they 

 I to superior discipline, though on no occasion did native 

 Americans so bravely oppose European troops. Thus a daring adven- 

 turer, regarded and treat* d by bis countrymen as a rebel, after a bloody 

 struggle, gained possession of a country which for more tiian thrca 

 centuries formed one of the brightest gems in the Caatiliau crown. 

 The atrocities of Cortes were of the most terrible and merciless 

 character; but it lia< been pleaded in extenuation of them th 

 was a soldier by profession, and while the Inquisition burnt Jcwa and 

 I'rotestanto in Spain, he could learn from his chaplains no other or 

 better means of converting heathens than by fire and the sword : and 

 to a certain extent the plea may be admitted. 



