Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/773

 CAPUCHINS CAPYBARA 763 of the amphitheatre, built of tiles and faced with white marhle, are an object of attraction to antiquaries. The remains of old Capua have Remains of Amphitheatre at Capua. been described by Rinaldo in his Memorie iitoriche della cittd di Capua (Naples, 1753), and in Rucca's Vetere Capua (Naples, 1828). The site of old Capua is now occupied by the large village of Santa Maria di Capua, or Santa Maria Maggiore. CAPUCHINS, a religious congregation belong- ing to the Franciscan order, instituted by Mat- teo Baschi about 1525. Believing that he was divinely commissioned to revive the old spirit of his order, and learning that the modern habit of the brethren was different from that of St. Francis, he appeared in a garb consisting of a coarse garment without any scapulary, and a capuche, or hood shaped like a sugar loaf; hence the name of the order. This being con- demned by his superiors as a novelty, he had recourse to Pope Clement VII., who gave him permission to wear the hood, and also permit- ted those who wished to imitate him to form a congregation. In 1526 Clement VII. gave them further permission to wear the habit and also a beard ; and in 1528, by a new bull, he confirmed the new order, which took the name of Capuchins. They were to reside in solitary places, and live as hermits. The rules of the order are very strict ; they are obliged to recite the canonical hours without singing, and the matins are to be said at midnight ; an hour is to be spent every morning and evening in mental prayer and in silence ; their food is of the simplest kind, one kind of meat only being allowed, and on fast days they are only allowed a kind of cheese called cotta. In 1624 Urban VIII. caused a new church to be built for them at Rome, near the Barberini palace, and in 1631 the Capuchins took possession of it. The church contains the famous painting of St. Michael the archangel, by Guido. This order has been established in various countries of Europe, and also in Egypt, Turkey, Persia, and India. It was introduced into France in 1574, and extended rapidly, many persons of rank en- tering it. Cardinal Richelieu was a great pro- tector of the order. It sent out missionaries to Brazil, the West Indies, Acadia (now Maine) and the adjacent British provinces, and also to Louisiana. Their institutions in Europe were broken up by the French revolution and its consequent movements, but have been renewed from time to time. In the United States they have houses at Milwaukee, Utica, Syracuse, New York, and Trenton ; and the archbishop of Halifax is a member of the order. Among its eminent men are St. Felix of Cantalice, F. Jo- seph du Tremblai (baron de Matiai), founder of the nuns of the congregation of Calvary, F. Ange de Joyeuse (duke de Joyeuse), and F. Bernardin de Pequigny, author of a highly esteemed commentary on the Epistles of St. Paul. The members of the order generally write after the name O. Min. Cap. (Ordinis Minorum Capuceinorum). Nuns of this rule were first established at Naples in 1538 by Mother Maria Lorenza Longa. CAPYBARA (hydrochairus capybara), the lar- gest of living rodent animals, confined exclu- sively to South America. It is more than 3 ft. long, with feet so short that its bulky hog- like body, clothed with long coarse hair, almost touches the ground. The dental formula is : incisors, |-, and very large ; molars, ^j = 20, rootless. The head is large, the lips thick and not cleft, the muzzle prominent and blunt ; eyes small and high on the head, and ears small; fore feet with 4 toes, hind feet with 3, partly connected by membrane, and ending in pig- like hoofs; tail wanting. The color is a dingy gray, with a yellowish tinge. According to Owen, the molars of rodents, as well shown in this animal, come near those of the elephant, the number of transverse plates increasing with the jaw with age, the whole number not com- ing into use at once. The whole appearance of the capybara is so swinish that it has been called the water hog, as its generic name indi- cates ; it is one of the connecting links between Capybara. the rodents and the pachyderms. It is an ex- cellent swimmer and diver, and able to remain beneath the surface at least 10 minutes; the