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 FURNESS

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FTJRSET

Among the Catholic historians whom Germany has produced in the last three decades Funk was un- doubtedlj' the greatest authority and the chief histori- cal writer on early Christian times. Clear and purely critical in method, his sole aim was the establishment of historical truth. _ His character was frank and conscientious; his life was blameless, as became a minister of God. As a controversialist he could be severe when an opponent allowed himself to be swayed by any other motive than the demonstration of exact truth. His method has created a school among the Catholic historians of Germany which has been a benefit to the advancement of earnest historical in- vestigation and scholarly criticism.

BtHLMETER, Frarifois Xavier von Funck in Reiiuc d'histoire ecdesiastigue (1907), 620-423.

J. P. KiRSCH.

Furness Abbey, situated in the north of Lancashire about five miles from the town of Ulverston. Origi- nally a Benedictine monastery of the Savigny Reform it afterwards became Cistercian. Vitalis, the founder of Savigny and the disciple of Robert d'Arbrissel, came to England in 1119, and Stephen, Count of Boulogne and afterwards King of England, offered him land at Tulketh on the Ribble, one mile below Preston. Ac- cordingly, in 1124, Ewan d'Avranches, with a colony of monks, was sent from Savigny to estabhsh the mon- astery at Tulketh. In 1127 Stephen gave to these monks his forest of Furness in Lancashire and thither they removed. This grant was most munificent, for it included large possessions in woods, pastures, fisher- ies, and mills, with a large share in the salt works and mines of the district. Development was so rapid that in 11.31 a colony of monks was sent forth to establish Calder near the Scotch border. Besides Calder, SwjTieshead and Rushin were also colonized, and from Calder the famous Abbey of Byland was founded. By the year 1 148 the Cistercian Reform, under the leader- ship of St. Bernard, was everj-where attracting atten- tion and aU the Savigny monks, those of Furness in- cluded, became Cistercians. In 1249 the Cistercian CJeneral Chapter placed four Irish monasteries under the control of Furness, viz. Fermoy, Wethirlaghn, In- islounagh, and Corcumcrae. Through the foundation of Rushin there was frequent communication be- tween Furness and the Isle of Man and more than one monk of Furness became Bishop of Man. This, no doubt, was due to the privilege held by the Abbey of Rushin of appointing the bishop, subject to the con- sent of the JIanxmen. Nicholas de Meaux, a native of the Orkneys and once a canon of Wartre, was a monk at Meaux, a monk and Abbot of Furness, and finally Bishop of Man. Jocelin, a monk of Furness and afterwards of Iniscourcy, in Ireland, WTote the life of St. Patrick at the command of Thomas, Archbishop of Armagh; other works attributed to him are: " Book of British Bishops"; "Life of St. Waldeve, Second abbot of Melrose"; " Life of St. Kentigern or Mungo". The names of thirty-two abbots of Furness are known, the last being Roger Pj'le. In October, 1 535, the royal commissioners visited the abbey; a little later the monks were accused of being implicated in the Pil- grimage of Grace and two of them were imprisoned at Lancaster. The final disruption came on 9 April, 1537, when the abbot, prior, and twenty-eight monks were forced to sign the deed of surrender. The site and lands were at first held by the Crown. Later they were assigned to the Earl of Salisbury and afterwards came into the possession of the Prestons of Preston Patrick. They were next acquired by Lord George Augustus Cavendish, and now belong to the Dukes of Devonshire. The buildings were renowned more for their grandeur than for their richness and beauty; por- tions of the ruins still remain to show this.

Beck, A Dexcription of Furness Abbey (1865); Idem, Annates Fumesienaes (Ix>ndon, 1844); West. AnliquMes of Furness (Ulverston, 1813); Tanner, Notilia Monaslica (London, 1787),

s. V. Lancashire; Hope, The Abbey of SI. Mary in Fumesa; DUGDALE, Uonaslicon (London. 1846), V, 244 sqq

G. E. Hind.

Fumi, a titular see in Proconsular Africa, where two towns of this name are known to have existed. One discovered in the ruins of El-Msaadin, near Tebourba, had a bishop as early as the third century, Geminius Victor, who died shortly before St. Cyprian. Another bishop, Simeon, assisted at the Council of Carthage in 525. The second Furni was discovered at Henchir- Boudja about seven miles from Zama. A Donatist bishop of the see assisted at the s>'nod held at Carth- age in 411. The town was made famous by the cour- age of the martyr Mansuetus of Urusi, who was burned alive, according to Victor of Vita (Histor. persec. Vandal., I, 3) at the gate of Urusi, also known as the gate of Fumi. In 305, during the same perse- cution, the basilicas of Furni and Zama had been burned. At Henchir-Boudja may be seen the ruins of a Byzantine fortress.

TouLOTTE. Geographic de VAfrique Ckrelienne Proconsu- laire, 175-77.

S. Vajlhe.

Fumiss, John, a well-known children's missioner, b. near Sheffield, England, 19 June, 1809; d. at Clap- ham, London, 16 Sept., 1865. His father was a wealthy master-cutler. He was educated at Sedgley Park, Oscott, and LTshaw College, where he became a priest in 1834. He was resident priest at Doncaster for five years, but his health having given way he travelled during eight years through Europe and the East, rather as a pilgrim than a tourist. After his re- turn home, 1847, he spent some time at Islington, London, working for the welfare of the waifs and strays, for "Suffer little children to come to me" was his motto then as in after years. He became a pro- fessed member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer at St. Trond, Belgium, 1851, and after- wards gave missions in England and Ireland ; but from 1855 until his death he devoted himself wholly to giv- ing missions to chiUlren. He was the founder of cliil- dren's missions and " the children's Mass", and by his WTitings systematized the philosophy of religious training. These missions lasted sometimes three weeks, and were given not only to school-children, but to working boys and girls. His maxim was that "nothing so disgusted children as monotony", and therefore he had the prayers at Mass and the Rosary sung to simple airs, and his sermons seldom lasted more than twenty minutes. He entered fully into the mode of thought of the child-mind, and, speaking quietly but with great dramatic power from a plat- form, he always riveted their attention. He was a wonderful story-teller, seldom moving to laughter but often to tears. He spent his spare time writing books for children which, though written with the utmost simplicity of language, are models of good English. His chief works are "The Sunday-School Teacher" and "God and His creatures", which has been pub- lished in French. He wrote a scathing answer to an attack on his works by the " Saturday Review ", which was then the great organ of unbelief in England. His writings were assailed as " infamous publications" by the rationalist historian Lecky in his "History of European Morals", chiefly on account of the some- what lurid eschatology of the children's books. More than four millions of his booklets have been sold throughout English-speaking countries.

Livios, Father Fumiss and His Work for Children (London, 1896); Bridgett, Blunders and Forgeries (London, 1900); DuHAMEL, Le Missionnaire des enfants (Tournai).

Albert Barry.

Fursey, Saint, Abbot of Lagny, near Paris, d. 16 Jan., about 650. He was the son of Fintan, son of Finloga, prince of South Munster, and Gelgesia, daugh-