518 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 



into other countries. According to the laws ', 

 of the Order of the Garter in the time of i 

 Henry VIII., Knights Templars were required 

 in taking oath to touch the book and kiss the 

 cross. Since the Reformation the taking of 

 oaths by kissing the Bible has not been per- j 

 mitted in Scotland. In other portions of 

 Great Britain it is the common method. 



French Renaissance. " Renaissance " 

 is the name given to the style of art, espe- 

 cially architecture, in Europe which succeeded 

 the Gothic and preceded the rigid copyism of 

 the classic revival in the first half of the pres- 

 ent century. It is also used to denote the time 

 during which this style of art prevailed, and 

 also to include the development of the Euro- 

 pean races in other lines as well as art. The 

 name signifies the " new birth." The date of 

 the beginning of this period coincides with 

 that of the fall of the Byzantine Empire, and 

 the latter was no doubt the cause of the former ; 

 for when the Turks took possession of Con- 

 stantinople all the memorials, paintings, books, 

 etc., that could be removed from the destroy- 

 ing hand of the invaders were hastily conveyed 

 to Italy. These inspired just admiration 

 among the Italian people, and aroused not only 

 a desire to emulate the construction of such 

 worthy works, but also an interest in ancient 

 works and models. In 1494 Charles VIII., 

 King of France, made a warlike expedition 

 into Italy, and on his return brought some 

 Italian workmen to supervise the construction 

 of the royal buildings. , This was the first in- 

 troduction of the renaissance into France. 

 Communication between France and Italy was 

 also stimulated by this expedition, and the 

 growth of Italian ideas among the French was 

 steady, though slow. In the reign of Louis 

 XII., 1498-1515, the work was further stimu- 

 lated by the founding of a school of architec- 

 ture under an artist from Verona. But it was 

 under Francis I., 151 5- '47, that the new 

 growth was most stimulated and aided. This 

 prince was possessed both of learning and in- 

 tellectual power. He had a sincere love for 

 literature, science, and art, and a keen appre- 

 ciation of the beautiful in these departments. 

 He invited a number of Italian artists to his 

 court. Among the most famous of these were 

 Leonardo da Vinci and Benvenuto Cellini. 

 These and others introduced Italian details in 

 their designs, which native architects applied 

 to old forms, with which they were familiar ; 

 so that the French renaissance was similar to 

 that of Italy, but different from it in many 

 important respects. All lines of art felt the 

 renaissance spirit ; and not merely architecture, 

 painting, and sculpture, but also music, poetry, 

 and literature were stimulated. The minor 



plastic and decorative arts, engraving, work- 

 ing in wood and metals, pottery, tapestry, etc., 

 were cultivated with eagerness and skill. The 

 study of the classics also received a new im- 

 pulse, and this era had, in France, some of the 

 greatest scholars of the times. Historical 

 writers usually consider the renaissance period 

 as one of the most important influences in has- 

 tening the growth of individuality and tlie 

 work of the Reformation, and in ushering in 

 the progress that has marked the modern his- 

 tory of the world. In Germany, Russia, and 

 every country in Europe, tho renaissance pre- 

 vailed in a manner similar to that above de- 

 scribed. 



Lollards, or Lollhards, acquired their 

 name from their practice of singing dirges at 

 funerals the Low German word fallen, or 

 lollen, signifying to sing softly or slowly. The 

 Lollards were a semi-monastic society formed in 

 Antwerp about the year loOO, the members of 

 which devoted themselves to the care of the sick 

 and the dead. They were also called, from their 

 frugal life and the poverty of their appearance, 

 Matemans ; also, from their patron saint. 

 Brethren of St. Alexius: and on account of 

 their dwelling in cells, Fratre* Cellifd;. In the 

 frequent pestilences of that period, the Lollards 

 were useful and everywhere welcome, and the 

 i order spread through the Netherlands and 

 Germany. Owing to the fact that they were 

 j persecuted and reproached with heresy by the 

 : clergy and begging-friars, their name wasafter- 

 [ ward very commonly given to different classes 

 of religionists ; and in England it became a 

 designation of the followers of Wycliffe. 



French Academy, The, had its origin in 

 a literary coterie which held meetings in 

 Paris during the time of Louis XIV., jind its 

 purpose and unity were given to it by Cardinal 

 Richelieu. His object was to have a fixed 

 standard of grammar and rhetoric given to 

 the language, believing that this would tend to 

 the unification and peace of France. The 

 duties which were imposed upon the members 

 of the Academy were " to purify and fix the 

 national tongue, to throw light upon its 

 obscurities, to maintain its character and 

 principles, and at their private meetings to 

 keep this object in view. Their discussions 

 were to turn on grammar, rhetoric, and poetry ; 

 their critical observations on the beauties and 

 defects of classical French authors, in order 

 I to prepare editions of their works, and to 

 compose a new dictionary of the French lan- 

 guage." The original Academy was swept 

 away in 1793, and the present Academy pre- 

 serves but little of its original character of a 

 mere coterie of grammarians. This present 

 Academy came into existence with the restora- 



