755 



STRADA, FAMIANO. 



STRAFFORD, EARL OF. 



756 



but of this we believe only the first volume is yet published. The 

 'Chrestomathia' is printed in Hudson's ' Minor Geographers,' and in 

 the editions of Almeloveen, and of Falconer. An English translation 

 by Mr. H. C. Hamilton, forma three volumes of Bonn's ' Classical 

 Library.' There is a French translation of Strabo in 5 vols. 8vo (1805- 

 1819), by La Porte du Theil, Koray, and Gossellin ; the sixteenth and 

 seventeenth books are by Letronne. Strabo was translated into Italian 

 by Ambrosoli, Milan, 4 vols. 8vo and 4to. The valuable German trans- 

 lation of Groskurd, in 3 vols. 8vo (1831-34), is founded on a corrected 

 text, and is accompanied with critical notes and explanations. 



A full account of the editions, translations, and various works in 

 illustration of Strabo is contained in Hoffmann's 'Lexicon Biblio- 

 graphicum." 



STRADA, FAMIA'NO, born at Rome in 1572, entered the order of 

 the Jesuits, and became professor of rhetoric in the Gregorian college 

 at Rome, where he spent the greater part of bis life, and where he died 

 in 1649. He wrote ' Prolusiones,' or Latin essays, upon rhetoric and 

 literature, which were admired at the time. In these essays the author 

 comments upon several of the Roman classical writers, and he intro- 

 duces his own imitations of their style. He speaks very unfavourably 

 of Tacitus, whom he accuses of malignity, impiety, and want of 

 veracity, though he praises his style. But the work for which Strada 

 is remembered, is entitled ' De Bello Belgico ab Excessu Caroli V. ad 

 Annum 1590,' being a history of the revolt and war of the Netherlands 

 against Spain, which he wrote in Latin about the same time as his 

 contemporary Bentivoglio wrote the history of the same war in Italian. 

 Strada brought his narrative down to the year 1590, and the work was 

 continued by two other Jesuits (fathers Dondini and Galluzzi), who 

 wrote the sequel as far as the year 1609 : their compositions however 

 are very inferior to Strada's in style. It appears that Strada undertook 

 his work at the desire of the Farnese family, one of whose members, 

 Alessandro Farnese, duke of Parma, became illustrious in the wars of 

 Flanders, as commander of the Spanish armies. The history of Strada 

 is not without merit, though it can hardly be expected to be quite 

 impartial. His rival historian, Cardinal Bentivoglio, was also biassed 

 in favour of Catholic Spain against the Protestant Netherlander, yet 

 he wrofe with considerable freedom, and the work of the cardinal is 

 generally preferred to that of the Jesuit, but this preference may be 

 partly attributed to the circumstance that Strada's work is written in 

 a dead language. 



STRADA, or STRADA'NUS, JOHN, or STRADANO, GIOVANNI, 

 as he is called by Italian writers, was born in the year 1536, of an 

 illustrious family, at Bruges, where he studied the art of painting. 

 He went while very young to Italy, and soon acquired so much pro- 

 ficiency and reputation as to obtain employment at Florence in the 

 jmlace of the duke, Cosmo I., and in those of several of the nobility. 

 From Florence he went to Rome, where he devoted himself with the 

 greatest ardour to the study of the antique and the works of Rnffaelle 

 and Michel Angelo. By this means he so much improved his taste, 

 knowledge of composition, and correctness of design, that he was 

 ranked among the most eminent artists of his time ; and before he left 

 Rome he was employed in the pope's palace, in conjunction with Daniel 

 da Volterra and Francesco Salviati. At Naples and other cities of 

 Italy to which he was invited, he executed many considerable works in 

 fresco and in oil ; but he fixed his residence in Florence, in which city 

 there are still some fine performances of his ; the most celebrated is 

 ' The Crucifixion;' which is a grand composition, with numerous figures 

 larger than life, and near the cross are the Virgin, St. John, and Mary 

 Magdalen. 



Though he chiefly painted subjects from sacred history, he was fond 

 of painting animals, hunting parties, and sometimes battles, all of 

 which he executed in a noble style, and with great spirit. It is not 

 possible to reconcile the statements of authors respecting the birth 

 and death of Strada : Sandrart and others say that he was born in 

 1536, and died in 1604, aged sixty-eight ; and these, or the dates given 

 by Baldinucci, who says he was born in 1536, and died in 1605, are 

 probably correct. De Piles and Resta say he was born in 1527, and 

 died in 1604, aged seventy-seven. The authors of the 'Abre'ge' de la 

 Vie des Peintres' say that he died at the age of eighty-two ; yet they 

 fix his birth in 1536, and his death in 1605, which would make him 

 only sixty-nine years of age. 



STRADELLA, ALESSANDRO, a composer much celebrated in 

 musical history, was born at Naples about the middle of the 17th 

 century. Hia works, most of which are to be found in the British 

 Museum and in the library of Christchurch, Oxford, are chiefly of a 

 miscellaneous kind, consisting of airs, duets, cantatas, madrigals, &c. 

 One oratorio and one opera comprise the whole of his dramatic com- 

 positions that Dr. Burney's diligent search enabled him to discover. 

 The former 'San Giovanni Battista' is highly extolled by the 

 musical historian, who has in his fourth volume given a duet from it, 

 as a specimen of the whole; but in the ' Fitzwilliam Music' is a 

 quintet from the same of a far superior order. It seems to be agreed 

 that the study of hi* worns contributed largely in forming the taste of 

 many great composers of our own Purcell, of Clari, Steffani, A. Scar- 

 latti, and Pergolesi, and this alone is sufficient to bestow on him a 

 lasting reputation. 



The personal history of Stradella is full of interest when fully 

 narrated, but we have only space for a brief sketch of it here. He 



was not handsome, but remarkable for the symmetry of his form, for 

 bis wit and polished manners, and these, added to his exquisite style 

 of singing, made his company desirable in the highest circles. At 

 Venice he wag engaged by a nobleman to instruct a young lady of high 

 birth, named Hortensia, who, notwithstanding her family rank, sub- 

 mitted to live with the noble Venetian in criminal intimacy. After a 

 time the fascinating qualities and accomplishments of her teacher 

 raised a new flame in her bosom. The passion was mutual, the lovers 

 were married and fled to Rome, whither they were pursued by two 

 assassins, engaged by the Venetian to punish the inconstancy of his 

 mistress and avenge the injury his pride had sustained. These found 

 the couple in the church of San Giovanni Laterano, and they deter- 

 mined to carry their design into execution as the fugitives retired, in 

 a dark evening, at the conclusion of the sacred service. But while 

 waiting the favourable moment, they heard the musician sing, and 

 were so overcome by the charms of his voice and strains, that, con- 

 fessing to him what had been their object, they declared their deter- 

 mination to abandon it The intended victims immediately retired to 

 Turin. There they were pursued by two other hired murderers, and 

 though taken under the protection of the Duchess of Savoy, and lodged 

 in her palace, Stradella received three stabs in his breast, and the 

 assassins found a sanctuary in the hotel of the French ambassador, 

 who refused to surrender them. The wounds, though most dangerous, 

 did not prove mortal; and as a year elapsed after the recovery of the 

 sufferer, and no fresh attempt on his life was made, he considered 

 himself secure for the future. But the resentful Venetian only awaited 

 a more certain opportunity for gratifying his unquenchable revenge. 

 Stradella accepted an engagement at Genoa, to compose an opera, 

 whither he went with his wife. Their enemy, informed of this move- 

 ment, followed them by the agents of his unrelenting revenge, who, 

 rushing into their chamber, stabbed both of them to the heart. This 

 event Walther, in his ' Lexicon,' fixes in the year 1670 ; but Dr. Burney 

 shows that it must have occurred some years later. 



STRAFFORD, THOMAS WENTWORTH, EARL OF, was born 

 in Chancery-lane, London, on the 13th of April 1593. He was the 

 eldest son of Sir William Wentworth, of Wentworth Woodhouse, in 

 the county of York, where his family are said to have been settled 

 since the time of the Conquest. His family was one of the most 

 opulent as well as ancient of the class known in England under the 

 name of gentry, and had frequently intermarried with the higher aris- 

 tocracy. The estate which Wentworth inherited from his father was 

 worth 6000?. a year, a very large sum at that time, probably equal to 

 more than three times the amount in the present day. (Strafford's 

 'Letters and Despatches,' vol. ii., pp. 105-6, folio, London, 1739, and 

 Dr. Knowler's Dedication prefixed to them.) He received part of his 

 education at St. John's College, Cambridge. In 1611 he married the 

 Lady Margaret Clifford, the eldest daughter of Francis, erl of Cum- 

 berland. The accuracy of this date, as that of his first marriage, 

 given by his friend Sir George Radcliffe, appears to be established by 

 a letter dated the llth of January 1611, from Sir Peter Frechevile to 

 his father Sir William Wentworth ; although the compilers of his 

 Life in the 'Biographia Britannica' have chosen, in direct opposition 

 to the statement of Radcliffe, the old and intimate friend of Went- 

 worth, to place his marriage after his return from the Continent, 

 towards the end of 1612 (by the old mode of reckoning, according to 

 which the legal year began on the 25th of March, but by the new 

 about the beginning of 1613), instead of in 1611, before his going 

 abroad. The same letter also shows that he was from his early years 

 of studious and regular habits. He appears to have taken almost as 

 much pains as Cicero recommends for the education of an orator. Sir 

 George Radcliffe informs us that the excellence possessed by him in 

 speaking and writing he attained "first by reading well-penned authors 

 in French, English, and Latin, and observing their expressions ; 

 secondly, by hearing of eloquent men, which he did diligently in 

 their sermons and public speeches ; thirdly, by a very great care and 

 industry which he used when he was young in penning his epistles 

 and missives of what subject soever ; but above all, he had a natural 

 quickness of wit and fancy, with great clearness of judgment, and 

 much practice, without which his other helps of reading and hearing 

 would not have brought him to that great perfection to which he 

 attained. I learned one rule of him," adds Sir George, "which I 

 think worthy to be remembered : when he met with a well-penned 

 oration or tract upon any subject or question, he framed a speech 

 upon the same argument, inventing and disposing what seemed fit to 

 be said upon that subject before he read the book ; then reading the 

 book, compare his own with the author, aud note his own defects, and 

 the author's art and fullness ; whereby he observed all that was in the 

 author more strictly, and might better judge of his own wants to 

 supply them." (Strafford's ' Let. and Desp.,' vol. ii., p. 435.) 



In some of Strafford's earlier letters, particularly those to Sir George 

 Calvert, principal secretary of state in the time of James I., there is, 

 though no marks of profound scholarship, a somewhat pedantic dis- 

 play of trite Latin quotations. From these however, though we may 

 judge so far of the extent of Strafford's scholarship, it would be 

 incorrect to estimate his abilities, for they are mostly confined to his 

 early letters, and, among them, to his letters to courtiers. Upon his 

 early habits still further light is thrown by some advice which he gives 

 to his nephew Sir William Savile, in a letter dated " Dublin Castle, 



