

C E L 





C E L 



tilated Ganymede of Grecian workmanship, with sur- 

 prising art. Being disappointed of this, ne engaged 

 in a crucifix with much anxiety, with which there 

 teems to have been mingled a grtMt degree of devo- 

 tion. He was the more stimulated to exertion, from 

 believing himself the first who sculptured crucifixes 

 in this substance. This work, which Cellini present- 

 ed to his patron, the grand duke, received the same 

 applause with his other performances, and gave birth 

 to several soi.tiets from admirers of the arts. 



Cellini was now advanced in life, and it does not 

 appear that he produced any thing more of great ce- 

 lebrity, though his presence was courted by crowned 

 heads in other kingdoms. He died 13th February, 

 1 ,">70, and was interred with great ceremony in the 

 church of the Nunziata in Florence, the whole mem- 

 bers of the Florentine academy being present. 



Cellini, as an artist, rivalled, if he did not surpass, 

 all his contemporaries, the celebrated Michael Angelo 

 being scarcely excepted. His jewellery, medals, va- 

 ses, casts, and sculptures, have been alike prized, and 

 are still the objects of anxious search. He enjoyed the 

 good fortune of living at a time when eminent abi- 

 lities, and not constrained or artful commendation, 

 could bring their possessor into notice, and when 

 genuine taste for elegant design and sculpture pre- 

 vailed. Neither did he languisn in obscurity ; for he 

 perhaps experienced more distinguished patronage 

 than any other artist can boast. But all his successes 

 were interrupted by a violent and irascible temper, 

 which constantly involved him in difficulties, which 

 prompted him to commit more than one assassina- 

 tion, and which would scarcely permit him to treat 

 his superiors with deference. He was jealous of 

 those talents which he was too conscious he possessed, 

 and though he respected those of Michael Angelo, 

 Donato, and a few of his contemporaries, he was ac- 

 customed to undervalue the qualifications of many 

 artists whom the public admired. 



Besides the productions of art which came from Cel- 

 lini's hand, he wrote his own memoirs in the Italian 

 language, a narrative replete with entertainment. But 

 he wisely abstained from publishing it, which was done 

 long after his decease. He also composed a skil- 

 ful work on the arts that he chiefly practised, which 

 was published towards the close or his life. This is 

 highly celebrated by Vasari, and it certainly bears 

 incontestible evidence of comprehensive genius and 

 originality : unlike his memoirs, it exhibits temperate 

 reasoning. It is divided into two parts, in the first 

 of which he treats of jewellery, enamelling, coining, 

 the art of making gold and silver vases, and of silver 

 statues larger than life. The second is dedicated to 

 details on the mode of casting statues in bronze, on 

 the quality of marble for statuary, the fabrication of 

 colossal figures, and a discourse on the art of design. 

 The originals of these works is extremely rare in 

 Britain. See Life of Cellini ; Vasari Vile de Pittori 

 Museum Florentiiiiim, torn. v. ; Cellini due traltati 

 a'eir Ori/tceria. (c) 



CELLULAR SUBSTANCE. See ANATOMY, p. 

 746. 



CELOSIA, a genus of plants of the class Pen- 

 tandria, and order Monogynia. See BOTANY, p. 156. 



CELSIA, a genus of plants of the class Didyna- 

 mia, and order Angiospermia. See BOTANY, p. 250. 



C ELS US, an Epicurean philosopher, who flour. 



ished in the second century, and is chiefly distinguish- 

 ed as one of the early and most violent oppotcrs of ^T^" 

 Christianity. Of his life nothing is now known ; but 

 it was probable that he was a person of some cele- 

 brity, as Lucian has dedicated to him his P*rw/f>- 

 innnlis. His principal work, which he wrote again*,*: 

 the Christians, and which he entitled xyf *>.<,#*, Thr. 

 True Word, is now lost ; but its arguments and ob- 

 jections are preserved in the excellent answer of Ori- 

 gen, which Du Pm characterises as the complete*! 

 and best written apology for the Christian religion 

 which the ancients have left us. In this treatise, 

 Origen has not merely given us the substance of Ccl- 

 sus's objections, but has fairly stated them in the 

 very words, and in the order in which they were srt 

 forth by their author ; so that from these extracts 

 we are enabled to form a tolerably correct estimate 

 of Celsus's reasoning and abilities. Though it must 

 be admitted that many of his objections are frivo- 

 lous, scarcely deserving a serious refutation, and be- 

 tray rather a spiteful desire of throwing obloquy 

 upon the Christians, than an honest wish of meet- 

 ing their opinions and morals with logical reasoning, 

 and a candid statement of facts, yet we cannot join 

 entirely with those who represent him as a trifling 

 caviller, or a futile calumniator.' His arguments dis- 

 play considerable ingenuity and learning, and prove 

 him to be perfectly versed in all the arts of contro- 

 versy. It is indeed no small praise, that his book 

 was considered worthy of an answer from the pen of 

 Origen ; and, to its credit, we may also observe, that 

 it may be considered as the great armoury from which 

 almost every weapon has been drawn which has been 

 pointed against our religion since the days of Celsus. 

 Modern cavillers have gone over the same ground, 

 and insisted upon the same objections, as their great 

 predecessor ; and their answer, as well as his, is to be 

 found in the Apology of Origen. But however the 

 opponents of Christianity may have been indebted to 

 him for their principal arguments, its advocates have 

 also profited by his admissions ; and, consequently, 

 we are disposed to be equally grateful with them for 

 the advantages that may be derived from his writ- 

 ings. His testimony to the books of the New Tes- 

 tament is peculiarly valuable ; for, while he misrepre- 

 sents and perverts the facts which they contain, he 

 bears evidence of their truth ; and this evidence is the 

 more considerable, as it is altogether beside the in- 

 tention of the author. Of the fragments of Celsus's 

 work, which are preserved by Origen, there are three 

 summaries in the English language, viz. one by Dr 

 Doddridge, one by Dr John Leland of Dublin, and 

 another by Dr Sherlock. Besides his Xayej *r.ti t 

 piece against magic is ascribed to him both by Ori- 

 gen and Lucian ; and he is also said to have promised 

 another work, in which he undertook to shew, how 

 men should live who would follow the rules of philo- 

 sophy ; but it is not known whether that work ever 

 appeared. See Lardner's Works, vol. viii. p. 6, &c.; 

 Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, vol. i. p. 163 ; Du 

 Pin, vol. ii. p 454- ; Fabr. Bib. Grcec. torn. ii. p. 809; 

 and Paley's Evidences, vol. i. p. 29-t, &c. (p) 



CELSUS, A. CORNELIUS, an eminent physician 

 and philosopher, who is supposed to have written 

 towards the end of the reign of Augustus, or, at 

 latest, in the beginning of that of Tiberius. All that 

 is known of his history, is merely that he was a R- 



