CHRIST-CHURCH COLLEGE CHRISTIAIN. 



217 



ed as being of a handsome, manly stature and coun- 

 tenance. Among the existing representations of 

 Christ, the most ancient is in a basso-relievo of marble, 

 on a sarcophagus, of the second or third century, in 

 the Vatican. Christ is there exhibited as a youni 

 man without beard, with Roman features, flowing an' 

 slightly curled hair, wearing a Roman toga, and seat- 

 ed upon a curule chair. In the same place, there is 

 another Christ, of the fourth century, with an oval 

 face, Oriental features, parted hair, and a short, 

 straight beard. This representation was the model 

 which the Byzantine and Italian painters followed 

 until the time of Michael Angelo and Raphael. Since 

 the sixteenth century, the Italian school has general- 

 ly taken the heads of Jupiter and Apollo as the 

 models for the pictures of Christ. Different nations 

 have given his image their own characteristic fea- 

 tures. The head ot Christ has become the highest 

 point of the art of painting among Christian nations ; 

 and men of the greatest genius have laboured to im- 

 body their conceptions ot his divinity, the union of 

 the different virtues of his character, his meekness 

 and firmness, and the full perfection of his Godlike 

 nature. The representations of the Saviour by Titian, 

 Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, &c., are among the 

 sublime^st productions of modern art. Christ's head 

 is, for the modern artist, what the head of Jupiter or 

 Apollo was for the ancient, with this difference, how- 

 ever, that it has become more especially the ideal of 

 the painter, whilst the others principally furnished 

 subjects for the genius of the sculptor ; and this cir- 

 cumstance shows the difference in the character of the 

 two periods of art, which must, of course, be most 

 apparent in their highest productions. Some of the 

 most elevated expressions of the countenance of the 

 Saviour, e. g. the glowing love of his divine soul, 

 cannot be well represented by the marble. There 

 exist, however, excellent statues of Christ. The two 

 best of modern times are that of Thorwaldsen at Co- 

 penhagen, and that of Dannecker at Stuttgart. 



CHRIST-CHURCH COLLEGE. See Oxford. 



CHRIST'S HOSPITAL (generally known by the 

 name of Blue coat school, the title having reference 

 to the costume of the children educated there) ; a 

 school in London, founded by Edward VI., for sup- 

 porting poor orphans. At the same time St Bartho- 

 lomew's hospital was founded, for the wounded and 

 diseased, and Bridewell was assigned as a place of 

 confinement for vagabonds. Charles II. connected a 

 mathematical school with it. There are generally 

 from 1000 to 1200 boys and girls at this establish- 

 ment, receiving instruction, board, and clothing. The 

 great hall at Christ's hospital is remarkable for some 

 very fine pictures. 



CHRISTIAN II., king of Denmark, born at Co- 

 penhagen, 1481, was educated with little care. 

 While yet a youth, his violent character led him into 

 great extravagances. King John, his father, punish- 

 ed him severely, but hi vain. In 1507, he was called 

 to Bergen, to suppress some seditious movements, 

 where he conceived a violent passion for a young 

 Dutch woman, named Dyveke, whose mother kept 

 an inn. Dyveke became the mistress of Christian, 

 who allowed her, and particularly her mother, an un- 

 limited inf.uence over him. He was viceroy in Nor- 

 way, until the declining health of his father recalled 

 him to Copenhagen. After he had ascended the 

 throne, he married, in 1515, Isabella, sister of Charles 

 V. He afterwards remonstrated with Henry VIII. 

 of England, on account of the piracies committed by 

 the English ships, renewed the treaties which had 

 been made with the grand-duke of Moscow, and en- 

 deavoured to deprive the Hanse towns of their com- 

 merce. The hopes which this conduct excited 

 among liis subjects were soon annihilated by the hor- 



rible scenes caused by the death of Dyveke. The re- 

 lations of Torbern Oxe, governor of the castle of Co- 

 penhagen, were accused of having poisoned her. 

 Oxe acknowledged a former passion for her, and the 

 king ordered him to be beheaded. Several other ex- 

 ecutions spread horror through the whole kingdom. 

 Christian hated the nobility, and protected the com 

 mons and the peasantry against then- oppressions. Ir 

 1516, a papal legate arrived in the North, in order 

 to dispose of indulgences. Christian received him, 

 hoping that he might be useful to him in Sweden, in 

 obtaining the crown, at which he was then aiming. 

 The Swedes were divided into several parties. Gus- 

 tavus Trolle, archbishop of Upsal, a sworn enemy 

 of Stenon Sture, administrator of the kingdom, had 

 secretly united himself with Christian ; but the Swed- 

 ish states protected Sture, dismissed Trolle, and caus- 

 ed his castle to be demolished. The nuncio, who ar- 

 rived during these events in Sweden, was gained 

 over by Sture, discovered to him the plans of Chris- 

 tian, and justified the Swedes to the pope against the 

 charges of Trolle. Christian finally arrived at Stock- 

 holm, in 1518, for the sake of an interview with the 

 administrator, receiving^ for his own security, six 

 hostages from the first families. When these hosta- 

 ges, among whom was Gustavus Vasa, arrived at the 

 Danish fleet, the faithless monarch treated them as 

 prisoners, and returned to Denmark. He appeared 

 in Sweden, in 1520, in the middle of winter, at the 

 head of an army. The Swedes were beaten at Boge- 

 sund, Jan. 19, and Sture was mortally wounded. 

 The Danes pursued their advantage. Trolle presid- 

 ed over the assembly of the states-general at Upsal, 

 and proposed to them to acknowledge Christian for 

 their king. Although many were disinclined to the 

 union, they were, nevertheless, obliged to submit to 

 it. A general amnesty was proclaimed, and aL 

 hastened to profit by it. The capital, to which the 

 widow of the administrator had repaired, offered some 

 resistance. As soon as the sea was open, Christian 

 appeared with his fleet before Stockholm, which did 

 not surrender to him. The summer was passing 

 away; his provisions were nearly exhausted; his 

 troops murmured. At last, he resolved to send 

 Swedish messengers to the inhabitants. His prom- 

 ises, aided by famine, effected what his arms had not 

 been able to accomplish. The gates were opened to 

 him. He promised to maintain the liberty of Sweden, 

 and to forget the past. He arrived at Stockholm 

 near the end of October, demanded from the bishops 

 and senators an act acknowledging him as their here- 

 ditary king, and caused himselt to be crowned, two 

 days after, by Trolle. He bestowed the honour of 

 knighthood only on foreigners, and declared that he 

 would confer this dignity on no Swedish subject, be 

 cause he had conquered the country by force of arms. 

 In spite of the general consternation, he ordered pub- 

 lic rejoicings, during which he knew how to gain the 

 favour of the multitude. He determined to strengthen 

 the royal authority in Sweden, and to effect his pur- 

 pose by the annihilation of the first families. His ad- 

 visers differed only as to the means. Finally, Slag- 

 hoek, the king's confessor, reminded him of the ex- 

 communication of the enemies of Trolle, and added 

 that, though, as a prince, he might forget the past, 

 he ought to extirpate the heretics, in obedience to 

 the commands of the pope. Accordingly, Trolle de- 

 manded the punishment of the heretics ; the king ap- 

 pointed commissioners before whom the accused ap- 

 peared. Christina, the widow of the administrator 

 was among them. To vindicate her husband's memo- 

 ry, she produced the decree of the senate passed hi 

 1517. Christian obtained possession of it, and form- 

 ed from it his list of proscriptions. The accus. 

 ed were declared guilty, and ninety-four victhm 



