Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/1160

COL COLIGNI,, a celebrated French admiral, and leader of the protestants, was the son of the Marshal Coligni and of Louise Montmorency, sister to the famous duke and constable of that name. He was born on 16th February, 1517. He accompanied Francis I. throughout the Italian campaign of 1543, and was conspicuous for his coolness in the field. In the following year he and his brother Francis served in Italy under the duke d'Enghien, and distinguished themselves at the battle of Cérisolles. Gaspard Coligni next assisted the dauphin in repelling the invasion of Champagne by Charles V. and Henry VIII. After the death of Francis he was made colonel-general of infantry, and afterwards, in 1552, admiral of France, by Henry II. The courage and skill which he displayed at the battle of Renti in 1554, and in the defence of St. Quentin in 1557, added greatly to his reputation and influence. After the death of Henry II. the admiral joined the party of the Huguenots, and, next to the prince of Condé, became their principal leader. In the civil war which ensued, he fought at the battles of Dreux, St. Denis, Jarnac, and Moncontour; and by his indomitable energy and activity contributed greatly to repair the losses which the Huguenots met with in the field. After the conclusion of peace in 1570, the admiral was invited to court, and flattered and caressed by Charles IX., for the purpose of lulling the veteran and his friends into a fatal security. On the 22nd of August, 1572, as Coligni was returning from the Louvre to his lodgings, he was severely wounded by a musket-shot fired out of a window, at the instigation of the duchess of Nemours, widow of Francis, duke of Guise. The king pretended to be highly indignant at the dastardly attack, but on the evening of the same day the massacre of the protestants, which had long been meditated, was finally arranged. It commenced at midnight, August 24th. As soon as the signal was given, a party, headed by the duke of Guise attacked the admiral's house, forced open the doors, and rushing into the room where the admiral was sitting, murdered the defenceless veteran in cold blood. His body was then thrown out of the window at the command of the duke of Guise himself; and after being subjected to the vilest indignities by the populace, was at last chained by the feet to the common gallows, and the head was cut off and carried to the queen-mother, Catherine de Medici, the prime instigator of the infamous transaction. The body of the admiral was afterwards secretly buried in the vaults of the chateau of Chantilly, and finally transferred to Maupertuis, where a monument was erected to his memory.—J. T.  COLLARD-ROYER. See.  COLLÉ,, the most renowned fabricator of chansons in his day in France, as well as the author of several very successful dramatic pieces, was born at Paris in 1709. At a very early age he displayed a passion for poetry and the theatre. Apprenticed to a lawyer, he spent his time reading La Fontaine and Molière, or associating with Péron, Galert, the younger Crebillon, and others, who were at once convivial and literary. This association led to the establishment of the celebrated "Caveau," so called from the place of meeting, and which may justly be denominated the academy of song. Thence issued the sprightliest and best lyrics of the day, and Collé was the most distinguished of the contributors. From 1729 to 1739, these joyous "noctes" were continued, till at length wealth and rank found an entrance which should be conceded to genius alone, and the Caveau, like other pleasant societies, fell to pieces. We next find Collé filling nominally the post of secretary to the duke of Orleans, but in reality writing comedies for his patron. In this occupation he continued twenty years, producing some admirable pieces, though it must be admitted they were occasionally open to censure for their freedom of language and morals. Collé tried his hand, too, at sentimental comedy, and with remarkable success; and one of these pieces, the "Partie de Chasse," still keeps its place on the French boards. It is, however, as a chansonnier that Collé is principally famous. He may be considered as one of the best representatives—Beranger always excepted, who, indeed, followed in his steps—of the French chanson; uprightly yet sentimental, piquant and graceful, warm—often too much so—but rarely vulgar or actually gross. He died on 2nd November, 1783.—J. F. W.  COLLE,, born at Colle, near Citta San Sepolcro, probably at the beginning of the sixteenth century. This painter is generally regarded as the pupil and assistant of Raphael in the Farnesina and the Vatican. He painted cartoons after the designs of Bronzino for the tapestry of Cosmo I. He kept a school at San Sepolcro whence proceeded Gherardi, Vecchi, and other artists, some of whom may have surpassed him in genius, but none in grace, or finish, or conscientiousness The date of his death is not known.—W. T.  COLLENUCCIO,, born at Pesaro—the date of his birth is not recorded—died in 1504. He was employed in several embassies and public negotiations by the city of Venice, and exercised the office of "podesta," or governor in several Venetian cities.. Pandolfo became an object of suspicion to Sforza, who accused him of a secret correspondence with Cæsar Borgia, and had him thrown into prison, where he was strangled. His principal works are a "History of Naples," and some essays on Pliny's Natural History. He translated into Italian Plautus' Amphitryon.—J. A., D.  COLLES,, M.D., a surgeon of great eminence in Dublin, was born in 1773 at Millmont, near Kilkenny. In 1799 he was elected resident surgeon to Steevens' hospital; in 1804 was appointed lecturer on anatomy and surgery to the royal college of surgeons in Ireland, and in 1826 became professor of surgery to the same institution. His health having in 1835 begun to give way, he was compelled, in the following year, to resign his professorship in the college of surgeons, on which occasion the college assembled, and presented him with a superb piece of plate and a complimentary address. The college also ornamented their board-room with his full length portrait by Cregan, and their museum with a marble bust by Kirk. The honour of a baronetcy was offered to Mr. Colles, but was declined. He expired in 1843 in the seventy-first year of his age. Among his principal writings are a volume on "Surgical Anatomy;" essays on the injury which has since been designated Colles' fracture of the radius; on ligature of the subclavian artery, published in the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal; several papers in the Dublin hospital reports, of which valuable series he was one of the originators; his great work on "The Use of Mercury;" lastly, some posthumous papers have recently appeared in the Dublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science, having been prepared for publication by his son Dr. William Colles.—W. D. M.  COLLETET,, born at Paris in 1598; died in 1659. While yet at school he showed some talents for versification, and he was unlucky enough to have his rhymes praised by Malherbe. He studied law, and in due time became an advocate, but soon gave up the practice of his profession, assigning an impediment of speech as the cause. It is probable that the real motive which influenced him was his passion for literature. He was among the first members of the French Academy, and a discourse read by him in 1636, on the "Oratory of the Ancients," attracted great attention. Colletet was one of five authors pensioned by Richelieu. (See .) He was the great prize poet of his day—the very ideal of a laureate. He became rich, and possessed country seats as well as his town house. But he married successively three servant-maids, and on his last marriage, his home was invaded and occupied by his wife's tribe, and became a low cabaret. Colletet was literally eaten out of house and home, by the strange associates to whom his marriage introduced him. He at last died, and was buried by subscription. Colletet wrote a history of French poetry. It contains the lives of one hundred and thirty poets. No member of the academy is among them. Much of Colletet's poetry is very pleasing.—J. A., D.  COLLETT,, a Norwegian minister of state, was born on his father's estate, Rönnebeksholm, in Zealand, in 1772. He was educated at the university of Copenhagen, and devoted himself to the study of the law. In 1814 he was elected a member of the preparatory chamber, and when the national assembly had declared the independence of Norway, he was appointed privy councillor, and head of a department. He acted as minister of home affairs from that year till 1822, and on the resignation of count von Wedel-Jarlsberg, he became minister of finance, trade, and customs. In 1829, he was elected to the presidency of the privy council. In 1836 he retired from public life, desiring to spend the remainder of his days in rural and literary pursuits. Collett had the honour of leaving the financial affairs of his country in so flourishing a condition that the succeeding storthing (parliament) abolished all direct impost and reduced many duties, appropriating at the same time large sums to the completion of fortifications, the augmentation of the <section end="1160Zcontin" />