A Century of Emblems
Title: A Century of Emblems
Author: George Spencer Cautley
Release date: October 6, 2011 [eBook #37648] Most recently updated: January 8, 2021
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37648
Credits: Produced by Chris Curnow, David E. Brown and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
[i]
A CENTURY OF EMBLEMS
[ii]
Printed by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh.
[iii]
A
Century of Emblems
BY
G. S. CAUTLEY
VICAR OF NETTLEDEN, AUTHOR OF 'THE AFTERGLOW,' AND 'THE THREE FOUNTAINS.'
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
By the Lady Marian Alford, Rear-Admiral Lord W. Compton, Venble. Lord A. Compton, R. Barnes, J. D. Cooper, and the Author
London MACMILLAN AND COMPANY 1878
[iv]
[v]
[vi]
[vii]
To the Memory OF CHARLES DOUGLAS, MARQUIS OF NORTHAMPTON, THIS LITTLE BOOK, MAINLY DUE IN ITS PRESENT FORM TO HIS GENEROSITY AND COUNSEL, IS DEDICATED, IN ALL GRATEFUL AND TENDER RECOLLECTION BY THE AUTHOR.
[viii]
[ix]
PREFACE.
This small volume is the latest of above three thousand[1] of a similar kind, which, under the general title of "Books of Emblems" have followed in the wake of the Libellus Emblematum,[2] a work, much resembling a child's primer in outward appearance, published at Augsburg in A.D. 1532, and composed by Andrea Alciati, a famous lawyer, antiquary, and litterateur of Milan.
This book consisted of nearly a hundred Latin Epigrams, some original, some translated or paraphrased from the Greek, and each accompanied by a[x] rude woodcut illustration. Alciati was the first author who gave the name of Emblem to this form of expressing his ideas: and the notion for so doing was suggested by the original meaning of the word Emblem, which signifies anything inserted. The Greeks and Romans used to insert small pictures or bas-reliefs in the sides of vases, drinking-cups, and various other utensils: these little works of art were called Emblems: they were sometimes accompanied by mottoes or verses, and often made removable at pleasure, so that they formed no necessary part of the article which they adorned.
Alciati, therefore, considering that the illustrations formed no necessary portion of his book, and that they were only inserted, as he says himself, to make his moral and philosophical teaching more attractive, gave to his collection of poems and pictures the name of "Book of Emblems."
This idea took greatly with the public of his day, and for upwards of two hundred years afterwards, and generated a class of books now reckoned among the fossils of literature, which may be dug out of ancient libraries, or procured by chance here and there through the agency of those useful purveyors, the publishers of Catalogues of second-hand works.
[xi]Now Emblem books have had their day, and are no longer regarded as a means of instruction or delight. They have done their duty as ornamental wits and lively educators, and now make way for others more suited to the age. There will be found very few theological teachers of our day who would, like Sebastian Stockhamer,[3] not only advise a patron to have the Emblems of Alciati always at hand at home and abroad, but suggest that he should do as Alexander did with the works of Homer, sleep with them under his pillow.
He, therefore, who ventures to put forth his own conceits, clothed in this old-fashioned dress, before the present world of critical thinkers and impatient novel readers, must apologise for his intrusion and crave indulgence. Some, perhaps, who may look into these pages, will sympathise with the Author in the pleasure he has enjoyed in following the footsteps of the ingenious Emblematists of old, and will accept the subjoined Emblem as an illustration of their common feeling upon the subject:—
Though the new be gold, some love the old.
[xii]
The Author thinks it necessary to say, that circumstances over which he had no control prevented him from carrying out his original idea, which was that every set of verses should be accompanied by an illustration; and it is only by the assistance of many friends, to whom his best acknowledgments are due, that he has been able to provide the comparatively few accompanying woodcuts.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] See p. 8 of Preface to "Andrea Alciati and his Book of Emblems," etc., by Henry Green, M.A.; London, Trübner and Co., 1872, in which the learned writer states he has "formed an index of Emblem Books of which the titles number upwards of 3000, and the authors above 1300.
[2] This little book was followed by another of the same description published at Venice 1546. These two were afterwards combined into one volume.
[3] See p. 5 of his edition of A. Alciati Emblemata, 1556.
[xiii]
CONTENTS.
[xvii]
ILLUSTRATIONS.
A CENTURY OF EMBLEMS
[1]
PROEM.
FOOTNOTE:
[A] Orpheus.
[3]
EMBLEMS EVERYWHERE.
THE SUN AN EMBLEM OF THE CREATOR.
[5]
SUNSET ON CAMPAGNA OF ROME.
[7]
CUPID REFORMED.
Love trained is Heaven gained.
COLOSSAL HAND IN MUSEUM AT ROME,
A.D. 1856.
[9]
PURITANS AND RITUALISTS.
[10]
THE BEACON CREST.
To the Memory of Spencer, Marquis of Northampton.
[11]
ROOKS.
[12]
UNA.
[13]
LIGHTHOUSE BUILT LIKE A CHURCH.
CHURCH IN THE VALLEY.
[15]
CHURCH BELLS AND SHEEP BELLS.
[16]
THE BROOK AT SUNSET.
THE CHURCH TOWER AT SUNSET.
[18]
SUMMER SUNSET.
[19]
THE COMET.
THE ROCKET.
[21]
THE GIRANDOLA AT ROME.
[22]
THE MOON
On Earth disowned, in Heaven enthroned.
[24]
HEAVEN LIGHTS AND HOME LIGHTS.
[25]
CLOUD EMBLEM.
[26]
COTTAGE SMOKE ASCENDING.
SMOKE NOT ASCENDING.
[28]
THE CARELESS SHEPHERD.
[29]
CHILD AND SNAKES.
[31]
INNOCENCE.
[32]
HILARION.
[33]
THE FOOLISH COLT.
TROUTS.
[35]
THE PLATYPUS.
[36]
THE RAPE OF PROSERPINE.
GIRLS RUNNING.
THE SIREN.
[39]
THE STRANGE CHOICE.
THE PUDDLE.
[41]
THE MIRY LANE.
[42]
THE DOUBTFUL RACE.
THE SLIDING BOY.
[44]
YOUTH.
[45]
THE FERRY OF DEATH.
THE FORGE AND THE SUNSET.
[47]
THE UNDERGROWTH.
[48]
WINTER IN MAY.
THE SOLITARY.
[50]
THE GOLDEN MEAN.
[51]
AUTUMN.
JUSTISSIMA TELLUS.
THE FLINTY FIELD.
[54]
HOME AND ABROAD.
DISTANT SOUNDS.
[56]
THE FRIENDLY THORN.
[57]
HAPPINESS.
[58]
BRIDEGROOM TO BRIDE.
To the happy all things are heavenly.
[59]
THE EAR-RING.
THE GARDEN POOL.
[60]
THE SCARECROW.
[62]
WE JUDGE OTHERS BY OURSELVES.
[63]
THE LAY FIGURE.
Vanità che par persona.—Dante, Inf. 6.
[64]
THE WINDMILL.
FAIRIES AND FACTORIES.
[66]
RIGHTEOUS OVERMUCH.
[67]
INEXPERIENCE.
Eye of stranger magnifies danger.
THE SUNKEN IRON-CLAD.
[69]
THE MASTER'S WILL.
[70]
NOW OR NEVER.
He who loses luck abuses.
LABOUR LOST.
[72]
THE LOST FISH.
[73]
STRIKING THE TENT.
THE TURKISH BRIDGE.
[75]
THE CROCODILE.
[76]
THE MOUNTAINS OF EL TIH.
DAMASCUS IN THE EVENING.
THE TWO GOATS.
[79]
THE ARAB WELL.
THE DEAD CROCODILE.
THE HYÆNA.
[82]
GRATITUDE.
THE NUBIAN BOATMEN.
[84]
THE CHRISTIAN PILGRIM.
[85]
THE FORGET-ME-NOT.
TEXTS ON TOMBSTONES.
[87]
ROSE GARDEN AT ASHRIDGE.
[88]
THE HEIFER DEPRIVED OF HER MATES.
DUCKS AT PLAY.
[90]
THE TAME HARE.
[91]
THE WATCHFUL DOG.
THE PUPPIES AND THE THUNDER.
[93]
EMBLEM OF TRUE PHILOSOPHY.
[94]
THE GUIDE-POST.
THE WAYSIDE MONITOR.
[96]
THE BOOMERANG.
[97]
THE WRONG PLACE.
THE WRONG TIME.
[99]
TRAVELLING FOR EXCITEMENT.
[100]
THE HAWSER.
TRAINED CORMORANTS.
[102]
THE BAT.
[103]
WATERFALL BY THE SEA.
THE DYING SWAN.
THE PEACOCK.
[106]
THE HUNTER.
True Faith.
THE RACER.
[109]
THE SYBARITES.
Valour, not ornament, Wins the life tournament.
[110]
FRANCIS PERRIER THE ENGRAVER.
With our needs change our deeds.
ROME.
[112]
THEODORIC.
"Conscience makes cowards of us all."
[113]
SOCIAL LIFE A PICNIC.
[117]
THE HIPPOCAMPUS, OR SEA-HORSE.
[119]
BIVALVES
[120]
[121]
BIVALVES.
Printed by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh.[136]
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:
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