Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 03.djvu/26

LEFT CLAUDIUS I. land, Spain, and Germany are adorned with his painting-s; that on which he him- self set the greatest value being the painting of a small wood belonging to the Villa Madama (Rome). He excelled in luminous atmospheric effects, of which he made loving and elaborate studies. His figure work, however, was inferior, and the figures in many of his paintings were supplied by Lauri and Francesco Allegrini. He made small copies of all his pictures in six books known as "Libri di Verita" (Books of Truth), which form a work of great value (usually called the LibA' Veritatis), and much esteemed by students. CLAUDIUS I., TIBERIUS DRUSUS NERO, surnamed Germanicus, and Britannicus, the fourth Emperor of Rome; born in Lyons, 10 B. c. After spending 50 years of his life in a private station, unhonored, and but little known, he was, on the murder of Caligula, his nephew, A. d. 41, proclaimed Emperor by the soldiers, and confirmed in the sov- ereignty by the Senate. At first he per- formed some praiseworthy acts, but he soon became contemptible for his de- bauchery and voluptuousness; and he died, A. D. 54, of poison administered by his second wife, Agrippina. Claudius went to Britain two years after his ac- cession, and made it a Roman province. He built the port of Ostia, the Claudian aqueduct, and executed other great works. CLAUDIUS II., MARCUS AURELIUS FLAVIUS, surnamed Gothicus, Roman Emperor; born in Illyria, A. D. 214, was raised to the throne on the death of Gal- lienus, in 268, and by his virtues as well as his splendid victories over the Goths, proved himself worthy of his exalted sta- tion. He died in A. D. 270. CLAUDIUS CRASSUS, APPIUS, a Roman decemvir (451 and 450 B. c), who gained the high favor of his fellow- citizens by his ability and activity. In the latter year, however, he began to show his real aims toward absolute and illegal power. The growing indignation o± the Roman populace reached a height on account of his grossly tyrannous ac- tion toward Virginia, daughter of a re- spected plebeian named Lucius Virginlus, who was abroad vsdth the army. The proud patrician gained possession of the I person of the maiden by pretending that she was the born slave of one of his cli- ents. Her lover Icilius summoned her father Virginius from the armv, but an- other mock-trial again adjudged the g'lrl to be the property of the decemvir's client. To save his daughter from dis- honor, the unhappy father seized a knife 10 CLAXTON and slew her. The popular indignation and the father's appeal to the army over- threw the decemviri, and the proud Ap- pius was flung into prison, where he died by his own hand. The story is spe- cially familiar to English readers from Macaulay's "Lays." CLAUSEWITZ, KARL VOi: (klouz'e- vetz), a Prussian militai-y officer; born In Burg, June 1, 1780. He served with distinction In several campaigns In the Prussian and Russian services In 1815, became chief of a Prussian army corps, and was ultimately director of the army school, and inspector of artillery. He died in Breslau, Nov. 16, 1831. Of his works the best known are his great book "Of War" (3 vols., 4th ed., 1880), and his "Life of Scharnhorst." CLAVARIA, a genus of fungi, some species of which are edible. CLAVERHOUSE. See GRAHAM, JOHN. CLAVICHORD, a key and stringed In- strument, not now In use, being super- seded by the pianoforte. Its form Is that of a small pianoforte; It has no quills, jacks, or hammers. The strings are all muffled, and the tone Is produced by little brass wedges, placed at the ends of the keys, which, when pulled down, press against the middle of the strings, acting as a bridge to each. CLAVIGERO, FRANCESCO SA- VERIO (kla-ve-ha'ro), a Spanish his- torian; born In Vera Cruz, Mexico, about 1720. He was educated as an ecclesiastic, and resided 36 years In the provinces of New Spain, where he ac- quired the languages of the Mexicans and other Indigenous nations, collected many of their traditions, and studied their historical paintings and other monuments of antiquity. On the sup- pression of the Jesuits by the Spanish government in 1767 Clavigero went to Italy, the Pope assigning him a resi- dence In Cesena. where he wrote his "Mexican History," and died in 1793. CLAXTON, KATE (MRS, CHARLES A. Stevenson), an American actress; born in Somerville, N. J., In 1848. She made her debut at Daly's Theater before she was out of her teens, but her success dates from 1873 when she acted Mathilda in "Led Astray." As Louise in "The Two Orphans" she attained great celeb- rity. She was playing the part at the Brooklyn Theater when, on the night of Dec. 5, 1876, that structure was de- stroyed by fire with great loss of life. After 1896 she toured the country In emotional plays with her own company, retiring from the stage In 1904.