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 first instructions in art. His father placed him under an inferior painter of the name of Baschueber, with whom he remained four years. He returned to his father's house, and became a student of the engravings of Callot and Le Clerc, whose peculiarities were of great influence in forming his style. He then studied at Vienna under Hans Graaf, a painter of small landscapes with figures, fairs, &c., but more permanently under Joseph Orient, a well-known landscape-painter, in whose house he lived for three years, and often painted the figures for him in his landscapes. In 1718 he left for Vienna and settled for some years at Bamberg. Meeting with the landscape-painter Alexander Thiele at Leipzig, he went with him to Dresden, and worked for some time with him there. He soon gained a great reputation for small landscapes and sea-pieces with figures, and for fairs and peasant scenes in the style of Ostade, Berchem, and Poelenburg. These were executed, often on copper, with great care and industry, well coloured and exquisitely finished. He eventually came to London and settled there. Here, though he found plenty of employment, he drifted into depressed circumstances, which were rendered worse by an imprudent marriage. His works were no sooner executed than they were hurried off to the pawnbroker. One night in 1740 he was found dead in the street, not far from his lodgings, in a condition of great destitution. He was one of the artists employed in the Chelsea china manufactory. His pictures are frequently met with in private collections in England and in public galleries abroad, notably Brunswick, Dresden, and Vienna. A set of the ‘Four Seasons’ was engraved by T. Major, and others by F. Vivares, J. Wagner, C. G. Geyser, and others, including two pictures engraved in the ‘Galerie Lebrun.’ Ferg also executed some etchings of great merit, mostly landscapes of a small size with figures and ruins; also a larger plate of ‘Boors Carousing,’ in the style of Ostade. These are among the Sheepshanks collection in the print room at the British Museum. A portrait of him was engraved by J. F. Bause.

[Descamps' Vie des Peintres, iv. 269; Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Bryan's Dict. of Painters and Engravers; Nagler's Monogrammisten, vol. ii. No. 2088; J. T. Smith's Nollekens and his Times, ii. 232; Catalogues of the Galleries at Dresden, Vienna, &c.] 

FERGIL or VIRGILIUS, (d. 785), bishop of Salzburg, was son of Moeliduin, a descendant of Niall of the Nine Hostages. His studies gave him the foremost place among the learned of his age and country. Having attained the dignity of abbot of Aghaboe in the Queen's County, he gave it up, and about 745 left Ireland, intending to visit the Holy Land, ‘according to the custom of the pious Irish clergy.’ On arriving in France he was honourably received by Pepin, with whom he remained two years at Cressy, near Compiègne. Thence he proceeded to Bavaria, at the invitation of Duke Otilo, to whom he had been strongly recommended by Pepin. Here he became abbot of St. Peter's at Salzburg some time before the death of the duke, which took place in 748. It was while occupying this position that he came into collision with St. Boniface [q. v.] An ignorant priest having in the office of baptism used the words ‘baptizo te in nomine patria et filia et spiritu sancta,’ Boniface ordered Virgilius to repeat the baptism in the proper form. Virgilius maintained that the administration was valid, and Pope Zachary decided in his favour. Boniface afterwards complained to the pope that Virgilius was sore because he had shown him to be in error on the subject of ‘catholic doctrine;’ and that he had given out that he was absolved by the pope in order to obtain a bishopric then vacant. The term ‘absolutus’ is taken to mean ‘authorised’ by Dr. Lanigan, but there seems no sufficient reason for departing from the usual meaning. Boniface's most serious charge was that in his lectures he had taught that there was another world, and other people beneath the earth. Zachary regarded Virgilius's theory as a dangerous error, implying a second human race. Virgilius may have derived his knowledge from the early Greek astronomers, or more probably from Marcianus Capella, one of the text-books of the Irish schools. Zachary in his reply denies that he had acquitted him, and orders Boniface, if his teaching is such as described, to ‘call a council, deprive him of his priesthood, and expel him from the church.’ He also says he intends summoning him to Rome. Whether the summons was ever sent, or if sent obeyed, we are not informed. On the death of Zachary and Boniface Virgilius was appointed bishop of Salzburg in 756, and laboured zealously to provide the town with a cathedral and other religious establishments. At this time a son and nephew of Boruth, duke of Carinthia, were living at Salzburg as hostages, and by their father's desire were baptised, and appear to have received instruction from Virgilius. The nephew, Chetimar, who was very pious, eventually succeeded to the dukedom, and retained with him a priest ordained by Virgilius. Some time after he requested Virgilius to visit his territories, and confirm his subjects in the Christian faith. Being unable, owing to political troubles, to leave Salzburg, Virgilius sent a bishop and a staff of missionary clergy, and kept up the oversight of Carinthia during the time of Chetimar and his successor, and by his diligent care gained the title of the Apostle of Carinthia. Towards the end of his life he made a personal visitation of the scenes of his missionary labour, in order to eradicate the remains of idolatry and confirm the people in the