Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/432

* DOMENICHINO. 370 DOMESDAY BOOK. died suddenly in 1641. It is supposed that he was poisoned. He was a man of modest disposi- tion, dilipent and conscientious in his work, and capable of line and high emotions. Donionicliino and tJuido Kcni were the most important of the pupils of the Carracci, and Do- menichino was the most naturalistic of them all. His art is midway between that oi the I'arracci and Caravafjgio. His works are uneven in color, and the dominatinj; tone is a soft pray. He was fond of usiny landscapes as backgrounds, which were of high decorative value, llis portraits belong to the best done by the Bolognese School, good examples being his own portrait and that of Cardinal Agucchi, in the Ullizi Gallery, in Florence. As an architect he did some creditable work, but as a sculptor lie was less successful. Consult the authorities referred to under BoLO- GXE.<E School of l'AiXTi.N(i. DOMESDAY BOOK, or DOOMSDAY BOOK. A statistical account of the state of Kngland in the latter part of the eleventh century, prepared b.v command of William the Conqueror in the year or years just preceding I08(i. It is one of the oldest and most valuable of Eng- lish historical records. The origin and signifi- eanee of the name is a matter of dis|)ute. The Anglo-Sa.xon Domas were laws or dooms, and the term Dom-boc occurs in the laws of I'Cing -Kthel- slan and in the ecclesiastical laws of ling Kdgar. In a specific sense, the Anglo-Sa.xon (iosi)els use the word domesdwy for "judgment day.' The in- ference, therefore, is that, as applied to the fa- mous record which became the embodiment of the King's will and the ultimate basis for the adjustment of all future land relations, the term contains the two ideas of supreme author- ity and of final judgment or doom. The book has been known by several other names. It is mentioned as the liuiulus Wintonie, or the '■Win- chester Roll"; fieri pi II r<r Thatniiri Rtfiix, or "The Writings of the King's Treasury"; Liber dc Win- Ionia, or the "Book of Winchester"; and Liber Her/is, or "The King's Book." The book itself Iiears in its colophon or seal the simple title Descriptio. An anonymous contemporary has told the story of the Domesday Book in simi)lo and vig- orous language, and a translation of "this plain and faitliful narrative will best describe the way in which the work was first set on foot: "In the year 108.5. . . . nt midwinter, the King (Wil- liam the Conqueror) was at CUoucester with his Great Coimcil. and there held his court five days; and afterwards the archbishop and dergv* had a synod of three days. There were Maurice chosen bishop for London, and William for Nor- folk, and Robert for Cheshire. They were all the King's clerks. After this the King had a great consultation and very deep sjieech with his coun- cil about this land — how it was peopled, or by what men. He then sent his men all over Eng- land, into every shire, and eaiised them to nseer- tain how many hundred hides of land it con- tained, and what lands the King had in it, what castles there were in the sj-veral <ounties, and how much revenue he ought to get yearly from each. He also caused them to write down how much land ludongcd to his archbishojis, his bish- ops, his abbots, and his earls, and — that I may be brief — what property every inhabitant of Eng- land possessed in land or in cattle, and how much money this was worth. 8o very straitly did he cause the survey to be made that there was not a single hide nor a yardland of ground, nor — it is shameful to say what he thought no shame to do — was there an ox or a cow or a pig passe<l by that was not set down in the accounts, and then all these writings were brought to him." The suney was made by the King's commission- ers, but they seem to have bail the aition. many errors and omis- sions were made. The same fact is noted when the Domesday Book is comiiared with the Exeter Domesday, an original return for the five south- western counties of England. The enumeration of the cattle and swine, which the chronicler thought so shameful, is recorded in the original return for these counties, but is omitted from the Domesday Book. The omission was doubtless intentional, because such data could have no per- manent importance. The errors and omissions, however, indicate beyond doubt thai the persons who collected the original information were not the compilers and writers of the Domesday Book. The local jury made the inquest as to (he name of the place, who held it in King Edward's time (1042-CO), and who was the actual ])ossessor. They ascertained the number of hides in the manor, and what portion was reserved in the lord's own hand. The villeins, cotters, and serfs, freemen and socmen were enumerated. A census was made of the wood, meadow, and i)asture, to- gether with the number of mills and lish ponds. Of all this there was to be a thrcef<il<l return or valuation — as the land was held in King Ed- ward's days, as it had been given lv King Wil- liam, and as it stood at the time the survey was made — and the jurors were to say further wheth- er the assessment coidd now. be raised. On the basis of the divisions of the countrj' given in Domesday the taxes were levied. The value of Domesday as an historical docu- ment can bc^it be understood from an enu- meration of the subjects which it elucidates. Be- sides jriving the names of all those who held land under King Edward, and of the fortunate Xormans who supplanted them after the Con- quest, the hook treats of the ancient customs of the realm in great detail. It describes the duties of the cities and townis when the King visited them, sets forth all the titular distinctions of the period, ecclesiastic. olTicial. and lay, and mentions the dilferent trades and occupations of the time. There is a classified census of the peo- ple, together with an account of the condition of the country, town, and city population. The measures of land arc amply recorded, as are also the territorial names, jurisdictions, franchises, tenures, and services. Lists of foreicn tenants and lands held by foreign monasteries have been compiled from the names enumerated in the book. Ca-itles. manors, and markets find mention, as well as the condition of the churches, with their en<lo«-ments and tithes. The book contaiiK infor- mation about the metals in use at the time, and aNo about the quarries of stone and the sprinca from which salt was obtained. Eight varieties