Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/1177

CON first of the "Four Books" is the "Ta-heo, or the School of Adults;" the second, the "Choong-yoong, or Infallible Medium;" the third, the "Lun-yu," consisting of the conversations and sayings of Confucius recorded by his disciples; and the fourth, the "Meng-tse," which contains the additions and commentary of Meng-tse or Mencius, one of the disciples of Confucius. The "Five Canonical Books" are—the "Y-king, or Sacred Book of Changes," which has been termed the Encyclopædia of the Chinese, and embraces a great variety of subjects—metaphysics, physics, and morals; the "Chou-king," which consists of a historical narrative of the events of early Chinese history; the "Chi-king, or Book of Sacred Songs;" the "Li-king, or Book of Rites and Ceremonies;" and the "Tchuntsiou," which is a continuation of the "Chon-king," and contains a history of the philosopher's own times. Confucius was undoubtedly a very remarkable man, and the influence which he has exercised over his countrymen has rarely been paralleled in the history of mankind. A full account of the system of the Chinese philosophers will be found in "The Works of Confucius," by Marshman, Serampore, 1809, and in the writings of Sir J. F. Davis and Dr. Gutzlaff.—J. T.  CONGLETON. See.  CONGREVE, , born 1669; died 1728; a gentleman of old and good family. He was educated at Trinity college, Dublin, and on leaving it, entered of the middle temple. At twenty-one he published a novel, which neither enjoyed nor deserved success. In 1693 his first play, "The Old Bachelor," was acted under the patronage of Dryden with universal applause. Although the weakest in style and plot of his four comedies, it has some brilliant and facile writing to allay its vulgarities of conception and commonplaces of execution. Next year appeared "The Double Dealer," a better play which was less successful. All the humour and spirit of a matchless comic style could neither redeem nor conceal the defects of a machinery at once violent and intricate. Nevertheless, in this unfortunate comedy, there are scenes of such wit and power as to eclipse Sheridan at his strongest, and Molière at his weakest; no slight praise for any dramatist. "Love for Love" was brought out on the opening of a theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields; it was the most successful of Congreve's comedies, and is all but the most perfect. In 1697 came out "The Mourning Bride," a patched and padded tragedy, rouged to the eyes, and as violent as Lady Willfort, the memorable heroine of his last and greatest work. "The Way of the World" appeared in 1700, and failed: we have had no such comedy since. Congreve, according to Swift, was rescued from early and degrading poverty by the gift of two sinecures from the political party which enjoyed and appreciated his adherence; on these and his flirtations, he lived a refined and inactive life, cut short by gout and the overturn of a carriage. At his death he left a fortune of £10,000 to the duchess of Marlborough—a legacy which might have been better employed either as a gift to Mrs. Bracegirdle the actress, or as a prop to the fortunes of his family: the former had enjoyed his friendship for years; the latter was reduced to all but destitution. The duchess expressed her regret by lavishing upon a was figure of her deceased friend, all the attentions which he had required when alive. The minor works of Congreve are dull and empty, but for one or two songs which read like fragments of a comedy patched with metre. All that is worthy of notice in the man he has put into four plays; and his main title to our admiration is the union in these works of broad and refined humour. His intellect is clear, cold, and narrow; it has the force and brightness of steel; the edges of it, so to speak, are cut out hard and sharp. There is more weight and matter in Congreve than in any English dramatist since the restoration; and at worst he is no coarser than his time. In Congreve all is plain and clear, if hard and limited; he makes no effort to escape into the region of moral sentiment; if his world is not healthy, neither is it hollow;. and whatever he had of noble humour and feeling was genuine and genial. His style is a model of grace and accurate vigour, and his verbal wit the most brilliant and forcible in English literature. We do not say that it was pure and exalted; such properties belong to other times and other minds. But, as a comic writer, he stands above the best who came after him, and beside the best who went before.—A. C. S.  CONGREVE,, Bart., a distinguished military engineer, and inventor of the rocket called by his name, was born in 1772, and was the eldest son of Sir William Congreve of Walton, Staffordshire. He entered the artillery service at an early age, and in 1816 attained the rank of lieutenant-general, and returned from the army in 1820. He was successively member of parliament for Gatton and Plymouth. The celebrated Congreve rockets were first used against Boulogne in 1806, and were subsequently employed with great effect in the Basque roads, at Walcheren, in the peninsular campaigns, at Leipzig, and in the attack upon Algiers, and have long been in permanent use in military and naval tactics. Sir William was rewarded for the invention by a liberal grant of money from the national funds. He published in 1812 an "Elementary Treatise on the Mounting of Naval Ordnance," and in 1815 a "Description the Hydro-Pneumatic Lock." Sir William died at Toulouse in 1828.—J. T.  CONNOR,, M.D., an eminent Irish physician, was born in the county of Kerry about the year 1666, and died in 1698. He became physician to John Sobieski, king of Poland, but during the latter part of his life resided as a practitioner in London. There is a curious work of his, entitled "Evangelium Medici," &c., in which, as Orme says, "the author endeavours to show that the miraculous cures performed by our Lord and his apostles may be accounted for on natural principles."  CONON, a renowned Athenian general and admiral, who held several important commands in the latter part of the Peloponnesian war. He was one of the two generals who superseded Alcibiades about 406 ., but was soon after completely defeated at Mitylene by Callicratides, the Lacedemonian general. In the following year Conon and his colleagues stationed the Athenian fleet at a place called Ægospotami, in the straits of the Hellespont, and having imprudently suffered their men to go on shore, were surprised by Lysander, the Spartan commander, and totally routed. Conon himself escaped with nine triremes, but all the remaining vessels, one hundred and ninety in number, were captured, and their crews taken prisoners. This terrible disaster led to the annihilation of the Athenian empire, the capture of Athens, and the overthrow of its constitution. Conon took refuge with Evagoras, prince of Salamis, in the island of Cyprus, where he remained for seven years. He was subsequently appointed commander of the Persian fleet along with Pharnabazus, and inflicted a terrible defeat upon the Lacedæmonians, near Cnidus, 394. Their expulsion from the Ægean, the revolt of their allies, and the overthrow of their empire speedily followed. Conon then returned to Athens, restored its fortifications, and rebuilt its famous Long Walls—an event of vast importance to its future security and influence. He was afterwards, in 392 ., sent as envoy to the Persian court, and is supposed to have died in Cyprus, 388 .—J. T.  CONRAD I., Emperor of Germany, was duke of Franconia and a grandson of the Emperor Arnulf. He succeeded to the imperial throne by national election in 911, at the death of Louis, surnamed the Child; Otto, duke of Saxony, having declined the vacant dignity. His reign was disturbed by the intrigues of Otto's son, Henry the Fowler, who defeated him, near Merseburg, in 915. Three years later, Conrad died without issue, charging his brother Eberhard to promote the election of his rival.—W. B.  CONRAD II., surnamed, also of the ducal house of Franconia, was elected emperor in 1024, and one of his first acts was to render the fiefs of the lesser nobles hereditary. He was solemnly crowned at Rome in 1027, and held the imperial sceptre for fifteen years, displaying much prudence and energy in the disputes respecting the succession to the Burgundian throne, in the suppression of repeated revolts in Italy, and in compelling the turbulent Poles and Hungarians to acknowledge the authority of the empire. He died in 1039, and was buried in the cathedral of Spires, which he had founded.—W. B. <section end="1177H" /> <section begin="1177I" />CONRAD III., who was of the Hohenstauffen or Swabian family, succeeded to the throne at the death of Lothaire III., in 1138, in opposition to Henry the Proud, Lothaire's son-in-law. The contests which ensued belong to the well-known struggle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines (in German, Welf, and Waiblinger), Henry being descended from the house of Guelph or Welf, while the town of Wibelung in Franconia gave its name to the other party. Conrad took part in the crusades with Louis VII. of France, returned home in 1149, and died three years afterwards, being succeeded by his nephew, Frederick Barbarossa.—W. B. <section end="1177I" /> <section begin="1177Zcontin" />CONRAD IV., son of the Emperor Frederick II., was nominated <section end="1177Zcontin" />