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 BATTEUX

350

BAUBERGER

11; Ancona, 1742), or a history of the world during the seventeenth century in the form of annals. HcRTER, NoTnendatoT, II; Bauer in Kirchenlei., II.

Francis J. Sch.5;fer.

Batteux, Charles, abb^ and wTiter on philosophy and aesthetics, b. near Vouziers, France, 6 May, 1713; d. at Paris, 14 July, 1780. He was professor at Paris of the humanities and rhetoric, then of Greek and Roman philo.sophy, and was made a member of the .\cademy of Inscriptions and of the Acad^mie Fran(aise. His works on Epicurus and other Greek philosophers attracted much attention. At the time of his death he was issuing a large collection of me- moirs on China; the series was continued by Br^ quigny and de Guignes. Of Batteux's writings those that received at once the most praise and blame were the following three works: "Beaux-arts r6duits a un meme principe", "Cours de belles- lettres", and "Traits de la construction oratoire". These were issued later in five volumes under the common title: "Cours des belles-lettres", and in a new edition of six volumes, in 1824, as "Principes abr^ges de la litt^rature".

Following Aristotle, but taking at the same time a somewhat one-sided and superficial \-iew of the philosopher's meaning, Batteux deduced art from the free imitation of nature, that is, from the free copying of nature in its beautiful forms. Utility is the aim of the mechanical arts; beauty, the end of the fine arts, and both utility and beauty the aim of the beautifying arts. Architecture and oratory belong to the last category. The arts aim to in- fluence either sight or hearing and are divided, therefore, into two classes. Besides these the rhyth- mical arts, music and dancing, and, in addition, painting and poetry are closely related to one an- otlier. In these writings there is a lack of compre- hensive definitions of the different arts; those given are often inexact and uncertain. Ne\"ertheless, Bat- teux may be regarded as the real founder of aesthetics in France. Of his works devoted exclusively to rlieto- ric and poetry mention should be made of "Les quatres po^tiques d'Aristote, d'Horace, de Vida, et de Boileau" in two volumes.

Critical mention of Batteux may be found in: Necrologe des hommes cclebres de France, XVI; Annee lilteraire, 17S0; ScHAS- LER, Gesch. der ^sthetik; Zimmermann, Gesch. der ^.■EsthetiJc. G. GlETM.\NN.

Battista, Giovanni Giuda Giona (his original name was Jehuda Jona Ben-Isaac), b. of Jewish parents at Safed in Galilee, on the 28th of October, 1588; d. at Rome, 26 May, 1668. As a Jewish rabbi he undertook an extensive journey through Europe, and it was during his stay in Poland that he was converted to Catholicism. After his conversion he was sent by the Iving of Poland on a mission to Con- stantinople, where he was arrested as a spy, and narrowly escaped ■with liis life through the inter- vention of the ambassador of Venice. Later he went to Italy, where he taught Hebrew and Aramaic at the Academy of Pisa and then at the Propaganda at Rome. Among his pupils was Giulio Bartolocci, who is indebted to his learned master for the idea and plan of his famous work " Bibliotheca Magna Rabbinica". Battista 's principal work was the translation of the Gospels from Latin into Hebrew, published, with a preface by Clement IX, at Rome, 1668.

F. X. E. Albert.

Battle Abbey, founded by William the Conqueror on the site of the Battle of Senlac or Hastings (1066), nearly seven miles from the town of Hastings, in the County of Sussex, England. The building was begun in the following year, but was erected on such a great scale that it was not finished till the reign of William

Rufus. It was designed for one hundred and fortv monks, though there were never more than sixty in residence at any one time. The first monks were from the Benedictine Abbey of Marmoutier in Nor- mandy; the new foundation was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, St. Mary, and St. Martin, and was consecrated on 11 February, 1094. The king offered there his father's sword and coronation robes, and the abbey was enriched by many privileges, including the right of sanctuary, of treasure trove, of free warren, and of inquest, and the inmates and tenants were exempt from all episcopal and secular jurisdic- tion. It was ruled by a mitred abbot who afterwards had a seat in Parliament and who had the curious privilege of pardoning any criminal he might meet being led to execution. The monastic buildings were about a mile in circuit and formed a large quadrangle, the high altar of the church being on the spot where Harold fell. At the Abbey was kept the famous "Roll of Battle Abbey" which was a list of all those who accompanied William from Nor- mandy. As time went on and the honour of descent from one of these Norman families was more higlily thought of, unauthentic additions seem to have been made, and the present state of the text of the RoU is unsatisfactory from a critical point of \iew. At the time of the suppression of the Abbey (May, 1538), there were seventeen monks in residence and the income was returned as £987 which would be more than £10,000 in present value. Abbot Hammond, the last of the line of thirty-two abbots, was pensioned off and the buildings were gi\'en to Sir Antony Browne, a royal favourite, who pulled down the abbey, and built a mansion on its site. The entrance gate and considerable ruins now alone remain of the original buildings. In 1719, Lord Montague sold Battle Abbey to Sir Tliomas Webster whose descendants held it until 1858, when it was bought bj' Lord Harry Vane, afterwards Duke of Cleveland. On the death of the Duchess of Cleveland in 1901 it was purcliased by Sir Augustus Webster, a descend- ant of its former owners. Through the eighteenth century a small Catholic congregation continued to exist at Battle, and now there is a Catholic church and a resident priest in the to^\'n.

The Chronicle of Bailie Abbey. 1066-1176, ed. Lower (Lon- don, 1851); Chronicon Monast.de Bella in .inglia Christiana (London, 1S46); Dl-gdale, Monasticon (London, 1S21). III. 233-259; Custumats of Battle Abbey 12SS-1S12 (Camden Society, 18S7), New Series, XLI; Duchess of Cleveland. The Battle Abbey Roll (London, 1889), 3 vols.; Clarke, Cata- logue of Munimejiis of Battle Abbey (London, 1835), in 97 folio volumes.

Edwin Burton.

Bauberger, Wilhelm, German physician, novel- ist, and poet, b. at Thannhausen in Swabian Bavaria. 3 March, 1809; d. at the same place, 8 February, 1883. As a physician he was greatly esteemed for his skill, but more so for his kindhness of manner. His fame rests chiefly, however, on his tales. The earliest of these, "Die Beatushohle", written at the age of nineteen, while the author was still a medical student, met with such extraordinary success among all classes of readers that Bauberger published all liis subsequent tales as by the author of " Die Beatushohle". He drew his most successful themes from history and legend. His recognized model for the spirit and tone of his stories was Christoph Sclmiid.

Bauberger also essayed lyrical and dramatic compositions, but with indifferent success, for, along with much that is strong and beautiful, his verse contains more that is feeble and commonplace. His fame as a writer suffered no permanent eclipse from the inferiority of his poetry, for new tales, exhibiting all the chann of his early work, constantly appeared to redeem his dramatic failures or half- successes. Bauberger's literary activity continued