Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/376

* CATALAN LANGUAGE. 320 CATALOGUING. the Gallic group, and has not yet been satis- factorily explained. In no other of the Romance literatures are prose and poetry so sharply difl'erentiated. Throughout the earlier part ot the Jliddle Ages, down to the end of the 'rhirleonth Century, the Catalan jioets continued to write in the lan- guage of the Troubadours, a more or less im- ]ierfect Proveni.al ; and even at a much later date, when the language had become better adajited to ]>oetry, thanks to its numerous prose v.ritors, the Catalan poets still clung to certain words and idioms characteristic of the Trouba- dours or the i)oetry of the Toulouse Academy. In Catalan poetry, three periods are recognized: (1) That from King Peter IV.. who in 1378 wrote c-ohles to his son, King Martin of Sicily, down to nearh- the middle of the Fifteenth Century. (2) The middle portion of the Fifteenth Cen- tury, which owes its fame to the works of Auzias March and the younger poets who gather round him as their head, and is characterized by a strong coloring of Italian influence. In the Cants d'aiiior and Canis de mart of Auzias Jlarcji there are many poems of real beauty; but they are marred by his obscurity, which, in- deed, is a characteristic fault of the school. (3) The period of decline has no name of real merit, but is interesting to the student for the changes it sliows in its metres and the first symptoms of Castilian influence. While the Catalan poetry was an exotic production, the prose was a more original growth, and shows some names worthy of remembrance. Among these the philosopher Ramon Lull, usually called Raymond Lully (died 1315), and the historians JIuntaner and Desclot desene mention. After the Sixteenth Century the language sank once more to the level of a patois. Recently, through the renewal of the old-time jochs florals, or floral games, at Barcelona (ISjP), popular enthusiasm has been aroused, resulting in a revival of the language for literary purposes, which the fra- ternal relations established with the Fclibres, or modern Provencal poets, have done much to promote. The most notable modern Catalan writers are the poets Balaguer and Verdaguer. The best works upon the Catalan language are: Jlila y Fontanals. Estiidios de lengua calalnna (Barcelona, 1875) ; Morel-Fatio, in Oniber's (Iruiidriss der 'ro»ianisr)ien Philoloyic (Strass- burg. 1888). For Catalan literature, consult Morel-Fatio, in Griiber's Grundriss, Vol. II. (Strassburg, 1802). CAT'ALAU'NIAN PLAIN (Lat. Campi ('alaluiniici, named from the Gallic tribe of ('alalfni)ii or Catclintiii ) . The ancient name of the wide plain surrounding CbAlons-sur-Marne, in the old Province of Champagne, France, cele- brated as the field of battle where the Visigoths and the forces under the Roman general Aetius successfully encountered Attila in a.d. 451, thus arresting the westward progress of the Huns. A wild tradition (made the subject of a strik- ing picture by Kaulbach, "Die Ilunnenschlacht," or "The Rattle of the Iluns") tells that three days after the great fight the ghosts of the fallen myriads apjieared on the plain and renewed the conflict. This engagement is usually spoken of as the battle of Chjllons, but recent research makes it probable that it was fought at some dis- tance from that city. CATALDI, k:i-t;Ll'd6, Piktro Axto.nio (1548- 102). An Italian niatbematician. He was suc- cessively professor of mathematics in Florence (1563), Perugia (1572), and Bologna (1584), and is chiefly known as a pioneer in the use of continued fractions, the common form of which he invented (1G13) and employed in the extraction of square roots. (See Fk.vctioxs. ) His method, however, is more novel than prac- tical, and is quite inferior to that of Cardan. Besides a work on ])erfcct numbers (1003), a treatise on Diirer's constnictiim of regular pen- tagons (1(')20), and a three-volume edition of Euclid (1020-25), his chief works are: Trallato del modo hrevissimo di trovarc la radice quad- rata del niimeri (1013); Trattato dell' algebra propor:;ionale (1613); L'alijfhra dim-orsiva mi- merale et lineare (1618); and L'aUjcbra appH- cata (1022). CAT'ALI'NA. A town and port of entry on Trinity Bay. Newfoundland, 00 miles north- northwest of Saint .John's (Map: Newfoundland, G 4). It has a fine harbor of refuge, with a prominent lighthouse. Population, 1700. CAT'ALEPSY (Lat., from Gk. rard^.^'f. katalepsis, seizure, from Kara, kata, down + y.aii. pdvciv, laiiibanriii, to take). A condition of i)ar- lial or complete iinconsciousness, in which the patient voluntarily assumes, or may be caused to assume, an attitude which he retains for several minutes. It occurs in hysteria (q.v. ), or under the influence of hypnotism (q.v.) more conmionly, but is also seen in atonic melancholia (q.v.) and a variety of mania called katatonia. The patient may assume the attitude of atten- tion, with hand and forefinger raised as if to command silence, or may raise the arm as if to protect himself, etc. In all instances the facial expression comports with the gesture, and the whole body remains rigid till the arm falls slowly by griivity and relaxation. .- arm or leg may be slowly raised into a position which will be retained for several minutes. If the sub- conscious condition lasts over a day, as in the eases occurring in insane patients, they must be fed with the stomach-jiump. Circulation, respi- ration, urination, defecation, and digestion con- tinue normally. Trance, lethargy, and the sleep that is prolonged for days are all cataleptic states, and are due to hysteria or to auto-hyp- nosis. It is williin the range of ]iossibility that this condition may be mistaken for death; but ordinary tests will easily decide, though the sensibility for pain or heat may be lost. In many cases the patients hear and respond to suggestion. All jirolonged cases should be fed artificially, and close scrutiny will result in the detection of simulation in some instances. The immediate cause of catalepsy is unknown. Con- sult Uana. Text-book of Xervous Diseases (New York, I'.iOl). CATALOGUE OF SHIPS. A name com- monly given to the last 3!I4 lines of the second book of Momer's Iliad, in which the (ireek forces hich proceeded against Troy are enumerated in detail. CATALOGUING. The work of making cata- logues and bililiograiihics, both of which deal with entire books as units. The cataloguing of books and literary material preserved in libraries is a matter of great imjiortance. A large library