purchased from the Coptic monks. They do not appear, however, to be aware of the value of their treasures, or to have much care for their preservation; for Mr. Curzon, in a visit to one of the Abyssinian monasteries, found that some of the MSS. were used as coverings for pickle-jars, among which was a fine and ancient copy of the Gospels lying on the floor. A closet in the oil-cellar of the same monastery, on being opened, was found filled two feet deep with leaves of MSS.: these were the valuable Syriac MSS. now in the British Museum. The arrangements of libraries in Abyssinian monasteries is very curious, and probably unchanged from the earliest times. A wooden shelf is continued all round the walls of the room, underneath which project pegs of about a foot and a half in length; on these the books are hung, two or three on a peg. In the library instanced by Mr. Curzon, fifty books were thus hung round the room. They were chiefly bound in red leather, or boards carved in curious devices, and kept in cases tied up with leather thongs, by means of which they were hung to the pegs. Papyrus was used very extensively in the East, and also occasionally in the West, probably on account of the scarcity of vellum. In some early French MSS. vellum and papyrus are used in alternate pages. It would seem that the invention of inks caused the manufacture of softer materials than wood and ivory, which were used to a great extent by Western nations, until parchment and paper became attainable. It is said that Julius Cæsar first caused MSS. to be folded into pages in the form of modern books: until then, they had always been kept in rolls, in which form MSS. are occasionally seen of as late a date as the seventh century. Mr. Curzon, in his interesting account of the monasteries of the Levant,* gives a minute description of the manner in which the modern Abyssinian scribes pursue at this day the art of ornamental writing, preserving the traditions and curious habits of ancient times. The modes of representing and colouring sacred pictures have, wherever the Eastern Church holds rule, remained unalterable ever since the eighth century, when the Second Council of Nicæa decreed that it was not the invention of the painter which creates the picture, but an inviolable law, a tradition of the Catholic Church.' The utensils and manner of writing are probably still more ancient, having descended from the Egyptians. The ancient Coptic books are chiefly written on cotton paper, as are also the Arabic MSS. The use of this paper, which was discovered at Memphis, is very ancient. It was a kind of skin found in certain trees, between the bark and the wood, and called libes. The modern scribe sits on the ground after the ancient custom, his ink-horn stuck into the ground beside him, and his vellum held on the knee, or in the palm of the left hand. Each letter is painted separately with the Eastern reedpen, one page being considered a good day's work. The figure outlines are generally drawn first with the pen, and then filled in with the primitive brush, made by chewing a reed into threads, and then biting it *From which the following account is borrowed. 5 VOL. 9. PART 49. to a point. The colours, which are chiefly composed of ochres, are mixed with the yolk of an egg, and any mistakes are smeared off with a wet finger and thumb. This sketch of the primitive artistic customs of the monks of the Levant, may serve as an introduction to some remarks on Byzantine art. The first school of Illumination took root at Byzantium, and from thence spread through Europe, marking with its peculiarities all the national schools with which it came in contact, but gradually dying away with the development of intellectual vigour and freedom of thought.* (To be continued.) TRADITIONS OF TIROL. XI. NORTH TIROL-THE INNTHAL. INNSBRUCK (continued); FERDINAND I., THE HOFKIRCHE, MAXIMILIAN'S CENOTAPH, ITS BAS-RELIEF, STATUES; MIRAKEL-BILD DES H. ANTON; FÜRSTENCHOR; ABJURATION OF QUEEN CHRISTINA-INTRODUCTION OF JESUITS, RESULTS THE FROMME SIECHIN FERDINAND II., HIS PEACEFUL TASTES, ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT, PHILIPPINE WELSER, MÉNAGE AT SCHLOSS AMBRAS, COLLECTIONS, CURIOSITIES, PORTRAITS; PHILIPPINE'S END. 'Many centuries have been numbered, Brighter grow and gleam immortal, Longfellow. FERDINAND THE FIRST's reign has many mementos in Innsbruck. He built the Franciscan church, otherwise called the heiligen Kreuzkirche and the Hofkirche, which, tradition says, had been projected by his grandfather, Kaiser Max, though there is no written record of the fact; and he raised within it a most grandiose and singular monument to him, which has alone sufficed to attract many travellers to Tirol. The original object of the foundation of the church seems to have been the establishment of a college of canons in this centre, to oppose the advance * Our readers will remember that mention of the text quoted in this paper, though it could not well be omitted as an instance of the grotesque in art, must not be taken as a sanction for irreverent application of Scripture.-ED. of Lutheran teaching. It was begun in 1543, the first design having been rejected by Ferdinand as not grand enough; and consecrated in 1563. He seems to have been at some pains to find a colony of religious willing to undertake, and competent to fulfil, his requirements; and not coming to an agreement with any in Germany or the Netherlands, ultimately called in a settlement of Franciscans from Trent and the Venetian provinces, consisting of twenty priests and thirteen laybrothers. The chief ornament of the building itself are the ten largebut too slender-red marble columns, which support the plateresque roof. The greater part of the nave is taken up with Maximilian's monument— cenotaph rather, for he lies buried at Wiener-Neustadt, the oft-contemplated translation of his remains never having been carried into effect. It was Innsbruck's fault, as we have seen, that they were not originally laid to rest there, and it is her retribution to have been denied the honour of housing them hitherto. The monument itself is a pile upwards of thirteen feet long, and six high, of various coloured marbles raised on three red marble steps; on the top is a colossal figure, representing the Kaiser dressed in full imperial costume, kneeling, his face being directed towards the altar-a very fine work, cast in bronze by Luigi del Duca, a Sicilian, in 1582. The sides and ends are divided by slender columns into twenty-four fine white marble compartments,* setting forth the story *For the convenience of the visitor to Innsbruck, but not to interrupt the text, I subjoin here a list of the subjects. (1.) The marriage of Maximilian (then aged eighteen) with Mary of Burgundy at Ghent. (2.) His victory over the French at Guinegate, when he was twenty. (3.) The taking of Arras thirteen years later; not only are the fighting folk and the fortifications in this worthy of special praise, but there is a bit of by-play, the careful finish of which must not be overlooked; and the figure of one woman in particular, who is bringing provisions to the camp, is a masterpiece in itself. (4.) Maximilian is crowned King of the Romans. The scene is the interior of the Cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle: the Prince is seated on a sort of throne before the altar; the Electors are busied with their hereditary part in the ceremony; the dresses of the courtiers in the crowd, and the ladies high above in their tribune, are a perfect record for the costumier, so minute are they in their faithfulness. (5.) The Battle of Castel della Pietra, or Stein am Calliano, the landscape background of which is excellent; the Tirolese are seen driving the Venetians with great fury before them over the Etsch. (Adige.) (6.) Maximilian's entry into Vienna (1490) in course of the contest for the crown of Hungary after the death of Matthias Corvinus; the figure of Maximilian on his prancing horse is drawn with great spirit. (7.) The siege of Stuhlweissenburg, taken by Maximilian the same year; the horses in this tableau deserve particular notice. (8.) The eiglith represents an episode which it must have required some courage to record among the acts of so glorious a reign; it shews Maximilian receiving back his daughter Margaret, when, in 1493, Charles VIII. preferred Anne of Brittany to her. The French envoys hand to the Emperor two keys, symbols of the suzerainty of Burgundy and Artois, the price of the double affront of sending back his daughter and depriving him of his bride, for Anne had been betrothed to him. [Margaret, though endowed with the high qualities of her race, was not destined to be fortunate in her married life: her hand was next sought by Ferdinand V. of Spain for his son Don Juan, who died very shortly after the marriage. She was again married, in of his achievements in lace-like relief. If the treatment of the facts is sometimes somewhat legendary, the details and accessories are most painstakingly and delicately rendered, great attention having been paid to the faithfulness of the costumes and buildings introduced, and the most exquisite finish lavished on all. They were begun in 1561 by the brothers Bernhard and Arnold Abel of Cologne, who went in person to Genoa to select the Carrara tablets for their work; but they both died in 1563, having only completed three. Then Alexander Collin of Mechlin took up the work, and with the aid of a large school of artists completed them in all their perfection in three years more. Around it stands a noble guard of ancestors historical and mythological, cast in bronze, of colossal proportions, twenty-eight in number. It is a solemn sight as you enter in the dusk of evening, to see those stern old heroes keeping eternal watch round the tomb of him who has been called 'the last of the Knights,'—der letzte Ritter. They have not, perhaps, the surpassing merit of the Carrara reliefs, but they are nobly conceived nevertheless; 1508, to Philibert Duke of Savoy, who died without children three years later. As Governess of the Netherlands, however, her prudent administration made her very popular.] (9.) Maximilian's campaign against the Turks in Croatia. (10.) The League of Maximilian with Alexander VI., the Doge of Venice, and the Duke of Milan, against Charles VIII. of France; the four potentates stand in a palatial hall joining hands, and the French are seen in the background fleeing in dismay. (11.) The investiture at Worms of Ludovico Sforza with the Duchy of Milan. The portraits of Maximilian are well preserved on each occasion that he is introduced, but in none better than in this one: Maria Bianca is seen seated to the left of the throne, Sforza kneels before them; on the waving standard, which is the token of investiture, the ducal arms are plainly discernible. (12.) The marriage at Brussels, in 1496, of Philip der Schöne, Maximilian's son, with Juana of Spain; the Archbishop of Cambrai is officiating, Maximilian stands on the right side of his son: Charles Quint was born of this marriage. (13.) A victorious campaign in Bohemia in 1504. The 14th represents the episodes of the siege of Kufstein, recorded in the second chapter of these Traditions. (1504.) (15.) The submission of Charles d' Egmont to Maximilian, 1505. The Kaiser sits his horse majestically; the Duke of Gueldres stands with head uncovered; the battered battlements of the city are seen behind them. (16.) The League of Cambrai, 1508. The scene is a handsome tent in the camp near Cambray; Maximilian, Julius II., Charles VIII., and Ferdinand V., are supposed to meet, to unite in league against Venice. (17.) The Siege of Padua, 1509; the first result of this League; the view of Padua in the distance must have required the artist to have visited the place. (18.) The expulsion of the French from Milan, and reinstatement of Ludovico Sforza, 1512. (19.) The second battle of Guinegate: Maximilian fights on horseback; Henry VIII. leads the allied infantry. 1515. (20.) The conjunction of the Imperial and English forces before Terouenne: Maximilian and Henry are both on foot. 1513. (21.) The battle of Vicenza, 1513. (22.) The siege of Marano, on the Venetian coast. The 23rd represents a noble hall at Vienna, such details as the pictures on the walls not being omitted: Maximilian is treating with Uladislaus, King of Hungary, for the double marriage of their offspring-Anna and Ludwig, children of the latter, with Ferdinand and Maria, grandchildren of the former-an alliance which had its consequence in the subsequent incorporation of Hungary with the Empire. (24.) The defence of Verona by the Imperial forces against the French and Venetians. for lightness of poise, combined with excellence of proportion and delicacy of finish, I think the figure of our own King Arthur commends itself most to my admiration; but that of Theodoric is generally reckoned to bear away the palm from all the rest. They stand in the following order. Starting on the right side of the nave on entering, we have: 1. Clovis, the first Christian King of France. 2. Philip the Handsome,' of the Netherlands, Maximilian's son, reckoned as Philip I. of Spain, though he never reigned there. 3. Rudolf of Hapsburg. 4. Albert (II.) the Wise, Maximilian's great-grandfather. 5. Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths. (455-526.) 6. Ernest der Eiserne, Duke of Austria and Styria. (1377-1424.) 7. Theodebert, Duke of Burgundy. (640.) 8. King Arthur of England. 9. Sigismund der Münzreiche, Count of Tirol. (1427-96.) 10. Maria Bianca Sforza, Maximilian's second wife. (died 1510.) 11. The Archduchess Margaret, Maximilian's daughter. 12. Cymburgis of Massovica, wife of Ernest der Eiserne. (died 1433.) 13. Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, father of Maximilian's first wife. 14. Philip the Good, father of Charles the Bold, Founder of the Order of the Golden Fleece. This completes the file on the right side; on our walk back down the other side we come to 15. Albert II., Duke of Austria, and Emperor of Germany. (1397-1439.) 16. Emperor Frederick I., Maximilian's father. (1415-95.) 17. St. Leopold, Margrave of Austria; since 1506 the patron saint of Austria. (1073-1136.) 18. Rudolf, Count of Hapsburg, grandfather or uncle of 'Rudolf of Hapsburg.' 19. Leopold III., 'the Pious,' Duke of Austria, Maximilian's greatgrandfather; killed at Sempach, 1439. 20. Frederick IV. of Austria, Count of Tirol, surnamed 'mit der leeren Tasche.' 21. King Albert I., Duke of Austria, afterwards Emperor. (born 1248; assassinated by his nephew John of Swabia, 1308.) 22. Godfrey de Bouillon, King of Jerusalem in 1099, died in 1100. 23. Elizabeth, consort of the Emperor Albert II., daughter of Sigismund, King of Hungary and Bohemia. (1396-1442.) 24. Mary of Burgundy, Maximilian's first wife. (1457-82.) 25. Eleonora of Portugal, wife of the Emperor Frederick III., Maximilian's mother. |