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 PREACHERS

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PREACHERS

Choralia'", no. 182 du catalogue 120 de M. Ludwig Rosenthal" in "Revue des Bibliotheques", 1908). Jerome of Moravia, about 1250, composed a "Trac- tatus de Musica" (Paris, Bib. Nat. lat. 16,663), the most important theoretical work of the thir- teenth century on Hturgical chant, some fragments of which were placed as preface to the Dominican hturgy of Humbert of Romans. It was edited by Coussemaker in his "Scriptores de musica medii aevi", I (Paris, 1864). (Cf. Kornmtiller "Die alten Musiktheoretiker XX. Hieronymus von Mahren" in "Kirchcnmusikahsches Jahrbuch", IV, 1889, 14.) The Preachers also left numerous liturgical composi- tions, among the most renowned being the Office of the Blessed Sacrament by St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the masterpieces of Catholic liturgy (jVIandonnet, "Des ecrits authentiques de S. Thomas d'Aquin", 2nd ed. p. 127). Armand du Prat (d. 1306) is the author of the beautiful Office of St. Louis, King of France. His work, selected by the Court of Philip the Bold, came into universal use in France ("Script. Ord. Prsed." I, 499; "Notices et extraits des manuscrits de la Bib. Nat.", XXVII, 11th pt., 369, n. 6). The "Dies Ira;" has been attributed to Cardinal Latino Malabranca who was in his time a famous composer of ecclesiastical chants and offices ("Scritti vari di Filologia", Rome, 1901, p. 488).

(x) Humanistic works. — The order felt more than is commonly thought the influence of Humanism, and furnished it with noteworthy contributions. This influence was continued during the following period in the si.xteenth century and reacted on its Biblical and theological compositions. Leonardo Giustiniani, Archbishop of Mytilene, in 1449, com- posed against the celebrated Poggio a treatise "De vera nobilitate", edited withPoggio's "De nobilitate" (Avellino, 1657). The Sicilian Thomas Schifaldo wrote commentaries on Perseus about 1461 and on Horace in 1476. He is the author of a "De viris illustribus Ordinis Pra;dicatorum", written in human- istic style, and of the Office of St. Catherine of Siena, usually but incorrectly ascribed to Pius II (Cozzuli, "Tommaso Schifaldo umanista siciliano del sec. XV", Palermo, 1897, in "Documenti per servire alia storia di Sicilia", VI). The Venetian Francesco Colonna is the author of the celebrated work "The Dream of Poliphilus" ("Poliphili Hypnerotomachia, ubi humana omnia non nisi somnium esse docet", Aldus, Venice, 1499; cf. Popelin, "Le songe de Poliphile ou hypnerotomachia de Frfere Francesco Colonna", Paris, 1880). Colonna's work aims to condense in the form of a romance all the knowledge of antiq- uity. It gives evidence of its author's profound classical learning and impassioned love for Graeco- Roman culture. The work, which is accompanied by the most perfect illustrations of the time, has been called "the most beautiful book of the Renaissance" (Ilg, "Ueber den kunsthistorisches werth der Hypnerotomachia Poliphili", Vienna, 1872; Ephrusi, "Etudes sur le songe de Poliphile" in "Bulletin de Bibliophile", 1887; Paris, 1888; Dorez, "Desorig- ines et de la diffusion du songe de Poliphile" in "Revue des Bibliotheques", VI, 1896, 239; Gnoli, "II sogno di Polifilo" in "Bibliofila", 1900, 190; Fabrini, "Indagini sul Polifilo" in "Giorn. Storico della letteratura Italiana", XXXV, 1900, I; Poppel- reuter, "Der anonyme Meister des Polifilo" in "Zur Kunstgesch. des Auslandes", XX, Strassburg, 1904; Molmenti, "Alcimi documenti concernenti I'autore della (Hypnerotomachia Poliphili) " in "Archivio storico italiano", Ser. V, XXXVIII (906, 291). Tommaso Radini Todeschi (Radinus Todischus) composed under the title "Callipsychia" (Milan, 1511) an allegorical romance in the manner of Apuleius and inspired by the "Dream of Poliphilus". The Dalmatian, John Polyoarpus Severitanus of Sebenico, commentated the eight parts of the dis-

course of Donatus and the Ethics of Seneca the Younger (Perugia, 1517; Milan, 1520; Venice, 1522) and composed "Gramatices histories;, methodics etexegeticae" (Perugia, 1518). The Bolognese Leandro Albert! (d. 15.50) was an elegant Latinist and his "De viris illustribus ordinis praedicatorum " (Bologna, 1517), written in the humanistic manner, is a beau- tiful specimen of Bolognese publishing ("Script. Ord. Prted.", II, 137; Campori, "Sei lettere inedite di Fra Leandro Albert!" in "Atti e memorie della Deput. di Storia patria per le prov. Modenes! e Parmensi", I, 1864, p. 413). Finally Matteo Ban- dello (d. 15.55), who was called the "Dominican Boccacio", is regarded as the first novelist of the Italian Cinquecento and his work shows what an evil influence the Renaissance could exert on churchmen (Masi "Matteo Bandello o vita italiana in un novel- liere del cinquecento", Bologna, 1900).

(g) The Preachers and Art. — The Preachers hold an important place in the history of art. They con- tributed in many ways to the artistic life of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Their churches and convents offered an extraordinary field of ac- tivity to contemporary artists, while a large number of the Preachers themselves did important work in the various spheres of art. Finally by their teaching and religious activity they often exercised a pro- found influence on the direction and inspiration of art. Primarily established under a regime of evan- gelic poverty, the order took .severe measures to avoid in its churches all that might suggest luxury and wealth. Until the middle of the thirteenth century its constitutions and general chapters energetically legislated against anything tending to suppress the evidence of poverty ("Archiv. f. Litt.-und Kirch- gesch.", I, 225; "Acta Cap. Gen.", I, passim). But the order's intense activity, its establishment in large cities and familiar contact with the whole general movement of civilization triumphed over this state of things. As early as 1250, churches and convents appeared called opus sumpluosum (Finke, "Die Freiburger Dominikaner und der Munster- bau", Freiburg, 1901, p. 47; Potthast, op. cit., 22,426). They were, however, encouraged by eccle- siastical authority and the order eventually re- linquished its early uncompromising attitude. Nevertheless ascetic and morose minds were scan- dalized by what they called royal edifices (Matthew Paris, "Hist. maj., ad. arm. 1243; d'Achery, "Spicelegium", Paris, 1723, II, 6.34; Cocheris, "Philobiblion", Paris, 1856, p. 227). The second half of the thirteenth century saw the beginning of a series of monuments, many of which are still famous in history and art. "The Dominicans," says Cesare Cantil, "soon had in the chief towns of Italy magnificent monasteries and superb temples, veri- table wonders of art. Among others may be men- tioned: the Church of Santa Maria Novella, at Flor- ence; Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, at Rome; St. John and St. Paul, at Venice; St. Nicholas, at Tre\'iso; St. Dominic, at Naples, at Perugia, at Prato, and at Bologna, with the splendid tomb of the founder, St. Catherine, at Pisa; St. Eustorgius and Sta Maria delle Grazie, at Milan, and several others remarkable for a rich simplicity and of which the architects were mostly monks" ("Les Heretiques de I'ltalie", Paris, 1869, I, 165; Berthier, "L'eglise de Sainte Sabine k Rome", Rome, 1910; Mullooly, "St. Clement, Pope and Martyr, and his Basilica in Rome", Rome, 1873; Nolan, "The Basilica of St. Clement in Rome", Rome, 1910; Brown, "The Dominican Church of Santa Maria Novella at Florence, An historical, architectural and artistic study", Edinburgh, 1902; Berthier, "L'eghsede la Minerve i Rome", Rome, 1910; Marchese, "San Marco convento dei Padri Predicatori in Firenze", Florence, 1853; Malaguzzi, "La chiesa e il convento di S. Domenico a Bologna