Painting

Flemish:—

• Franz Snyders, 1579-1657.
• Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640.
• Gaspard de Craeyer, 1582-1669.
• Jacob Jordaens, 1594-1678.
• Justus Sustermans, 1597-1681.
• David Teniers, 1610-1690.

Spanish:—

• Pacheco, 1571-1654.
• Herrera, 1576-1656.
• Zurbaran, 1598-1662.
• Velasquez, 1599-1660.
• Cano, 1601-1676.
• Murillo, 1618-1682.

French:—

In the distant past which we call the age of fable lived the cunning craftsman Dædalus of Athens. One of his most curious inventions was a labyrinth which he constructed for Minos, the king of Crete. Having at length displeased this king he resolved to flee from the island with his son Icarus. It was impossible to escape by way of the sea without detection, but Dædalus was not discouraged.

Writers:—

• Ben Jonson, 1573 or 1574-1637.
• Robert Herrick, 1591-1674.
• George Herbert, 1593-1632.
• Edmund Waller, 1605 or 1606-1687.
• Sir William Killigrew, 1605-1693.
• Sir John Suckling, 1608 or 1609-1641 or 1642.
• John Milton, 1608-1674.
• Thomas Killigrew, 1611-1682.
• John Evelyn, 1620-1706 (author of "Memoirs").

Architect:—

• Inigo Jones, 1572-1653.

Royalists:—

(By Sir Peter Lely, after Van Dyck)

Charles I of England was the second king of the Stuart dynasty, whose despotic tendencies made the seventeenth century a memorable period in history. He ascended the throne at the age of twenty-five, and began at once to assert his belief in the divine right of kings. Indignant at the restraints which Parliament set upon his power, he dissolved this body and ruled alone.

On the summit of Monte Pellegrino, in the island of Sicily, stands a colossal statue of St. Rosalia. Like the old Greek statue of Victory on the island of Samothrace,[8] or to use a modern instance, like the statue of Liberty on Bedloe's Island in New York harbor, St. Rosalia serves as a beacon to mariners. The Sicilians hold the saint in great reverence, and celebrate her memory in two annual festivals. From the eleventh to the fifteenth of July are horse-races, regattas, illuminations, and all sorts of gayeties in her honor. In September there is a solemn procession to her chapel.

(Detail of Children of Charles I.)

The Prince Charles of our picture was the son of Charles I. and Henrietta Maria, and bore the title of the Prince of Wales. He was born on the morning of May 29, 1630, and there was great rejoicing in the royal household that he was a fine strong baby. The king at once rode in state to St. Paul's Cathedral to give thanks for the birth of an heir. While the procession was on its way a bright star appeared in the noonday sky. This was hailed as a good omen, and an epigram was composed on the occasion:—

St. Martin was born during the reign of the Emperor Constantine the Great, and was the son of a Roman soldier. He himself entered the army at an early age, and was sent into Gaul with a regiment of cavalry. Among his comrades he was loved for his mildness of temper and his generosity.

This is the legend of St. Catherine.

She was the daughter of King Costis and his wife Sabinella, who was herself the daughter of the king of Egypt. When she came into the world, a glory of light was seen to play around her head, and when she was yet a little child, she gave such signs of wisdom that she was a wonder to all about the court of Egypt. When she was no more than fourteen years old, she was a marvel of learning. She could have answered all the hard questions the Queen of Sheba asked Solomon, and she knew her Plato by heart.

Vasco da Gama (died 1525), discoverer.

The legend of St. Cecilia is not so tragic as that of St. Catherine. According to the story, Cecilia was a beautiful young girl who belonged to a noble Roman family of the third century.