A French poet and
romancer
(1755-94).
Warner - World's Best Literature - v29 - BIographical Dictionary
In 1010, after 35 years of labor, was
completed his first heroic epic, the "Shāh-
Vāmah' (King's Book) in about 60,000 distichs :
it recounts the ancient Persian traditions of
heroism. His other great poem, Jussuf and
Zulikha,' a religious-romantic epos, is founded
on the Biblical story of Joseph and Potiphar's
wife. There are English translations of sun-
dry passages from the (Shāh-Nāmah,' and a
German translation of the whole of the Jussuf
and Zulikha. *
Firenzuola, Agnolo (fé-rents-woʻlä). (Prop-
erly Girolamo Giovannini. ] An Italian poet;
born in Florence, Sept. 28, 1493; died at Prato
or in Rome, about 1545. His works consist
of burlesque poems; two comedies, including
(The Shining Ones); a translation of Apu-
leius's (Golden Ass); a didactic story, Dis-
courses about Animals); Dialogue on the
Beauties of Women'; and ten (novels, mostly
stories in the vein of Boccaccio. He writes in
a style of great elegance, but with unpardon-
able lubricity. *
Firmenich-Richartz, Johannes Matthias
(fēr'men-ich-rich'ärts). A German poet, phil-
ological literary critic and student, and drama-
tist; born in Cologne, July 5, 1808; died in
Potsdam, May 10, 1889. His play (Clotilde
Montalvi) (1840), a romantic tragedy, and
After a Hundred Years,' a humorous compo-
sition in dialogue, as well as poems in vari-
ous languages, are highly meritorious; but his
monumental achievement is (Germany's Folk-
Voices: A Collection of German Dialect
Poems, Songs, Fables, Sagas, etc. ) (1843-66.
sup. 1868), showing the most profound learning
and scholarly acuteness.
Fischart, Johann (fish'ärt). A famous Ger-
man satirist (about 1545-91). He took the doc-
tor's degree in the University of Basel 1574,
and afterward was an official of the Imperial
Chamber of Justice at Spires. The period of
his literary production lies between 1575 and
1581, while he assisted his brother-in-law
Jobin, who had a printing-office in Strasburg.
He was a man of deep patriotic feeling, a
notable poet, and the greatest Protestant pub-
licist of his time. Among his compositions
in verse may be mentioned : “The Jester in
Rhyme,' a satire on the Dominicans and
Franciscans (1571); Description of the Four-
Cornered Hat) (1580), against the Jesuits; the
(Flohhatz Weibertratz) (1573), in which he
describes a contest at law between fieas and
women; Podagramic Book of Consolation)
(1577), showing how the gout (podagra) spares
the laboring poor and kindly chastens the rich,
while leaving their minds free for wit and
humor ; (The Hive of the Holy Roman Swarm)
(1579). In imitation of Rabelais's 'Gargantua,'
but giving free play to his own native humor
and wit, he wrote of (The Wondrous Deeds,
Thoughts, and Words of the Famous Heroes
and Lords Grandgusier, Gargantua, and Pan-
tagruel (1575). Here, in full accord with the
spirit of the Reformation, he contrasts the
sound human understanding with the vagaries
of idealism, the common people's bluntness
and uncouthness with the aristocratic-romantic
perversity of the upper class )); all the while
glorifying intellectual progress. As a treasury
of ingeniously contrived word compounds the
work is of great value to the philologist.
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190
FISCHER-FLAGG
Fischer, Johann Georg (fish'er). A German
poet; born at Gross Süssen, Würtemberg, Oct.
25, 1816. His lyric poems are in 8 vols. (1854-
91). He excels in popular songs and ballads :
he has the gift of combining humor with grav-
ity. In his love songs he nobly idealizes nature
and passion. He wrote four dramas: (Saul)
(1862); (Frederic II. of Hohenstaufen) (1863);
(Florian Geyer) (1866); (Emperor Maximilian
of Mexico) (1868). In (From Bird Life) (1863)
he notes the characteristic phenomena of the
psychic life of animals with the acuteness of a
naturalist and the sympathy of a poet.
Fischer, Kuno. A German historian of phi-
losophy; born at Sandewalde, in Silesia, July
23, 1824. He was interdicted from teaching
philosophy at Heidelberg in 1853; but after
filling professorships in Berlin and Jena, he
had the satisfaction of being called to the
chair of philosophy at Heidelberg in 1872. He
is of the school of Hegel. Ilis principal writ-
ings are: (Diotima: The Idea of the Beautiful)
(1849); (Logic and Metaphysic, or the Doctrine
of Science (1852); (History of Modern Phi.
losophy) (8 vols. , 1852-93), his greatest work,
written in the form of brilliant monographs on
Descartes, Kant, Fichte, Schelling, and other
great philosophers down to Schopenhauer;
(Francis Bacon and his Successors) (1856);
(Lessing's Nathan the Wise) (1864); (Spino-
za's Life and Character) (1865); (Origin and
Evolution-Forms of Wit) (1871). *
Fisher, George Park. An American divine
and writer ; born in Wrentham, Mass. , Aug. 10,
1827; became professor of divinity at Yale
(1854), and professor of ecclesiastical history
(1861). Included in his works are : Essays on
the Supernatural Origin of Christianity); (His-
tory of the Reformation) (1873); (Faith and
Rationalism) (1879); (Outlines of Universal
History); History of the Christian Church)
(1888); Nature and Method of Revelation)
(1890); "Colonial History of the United States. )
Fiske, Daniel Willard, scholar and librarian;
born in Ellisburg, Jefferson County, N. Y. , Nov.
II, 1831 ; was educated at Hamilton College,
N. Y. , and Upsala University, Sweden. He
was secretary of the New York Geographical
Society, and attached to the American Lega-
tion at Vienna under Motley. He is an adept
in many modern languages; in 1869 was made
professor of North-European languages, and
librarian, at Cornell; and has been a volu-
minous contributor to Swedish, German, Ice-
landic, Italian, English, and American journals.
He has made the largest existing collections
of Icelandic and of Petrarch, and the largest
in America of Dante. He is now engaged in
trying to create a written Egyptian language.
Fiske, John. An American historian; born
at Hartford, Conn. , March 30, 1842. He grad-
uated at Harvard College in 1863, and in 1865
took his degree in law, but never practiced.
He was for a while lecturer on philosophy at
Harvard, and in 1872-79 assistant librarian.
He is author of Myths and Myth-Makers)
(1872); (Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy) (2
vols. , 1875), his principal work, in which he
gives an exposition of the philosophy of nat-
ural evolution ; (The Unseen World) (1876);
Darwinism (1879); (The Idea of God (1885).
On phases of American history, he has writ-
ten : (American Political Ideas) (1885); (The
Critical Period of American History, 1783–89)
(1888); (The Beginnings of New England)
(1889); (The American Revolution) (3 vols. ,
1891); Discovery of America) (2 vols. , 1892). *
Fitch, William Clyde. An American play-
wright and author; born in 1865. He was edu-
cated at Hartford, Conn. , and Amherst College,
Amherst, Mass. He has written and adapted
a number of successful plays, among them
(Beau Brummell) and (Bohemia. He is also
the author of "The Knighting of the Twins,
and Ten Other Tales) (1891); (Some Corre-
spondence and Six Conversations) (1896).
Fitts, James Franklin. An American jour-
nalist and novelist; born in Lockport, N. Y. ,
in 1840; died there, Jan. II, 1890. During the
Civil War he distinguished himself on several
occasions, and was rewarded with promotions.
After the war he devoted himself to miscella-
neous writing. Of his novels the most popu-
lar were : (The Parted Veil); (A Version);
(A Modern Miracle); (Captain Kidd's Gold.
Fitzgerald, Edward. A great English poet ;
born at Bredfield House, near Suffolk, March
31, 1809; died June 14, 1883. (Fitzgerald was
his mother's family name, assumed by his father
John Purcell. ) His writings are mostly remod-
eled translations of foreign poems; among them
are versions of (Six Dramas from Calderon)
(1853), and two more, and far finer (The
Mighty Magician and (Such Stuff as Dreams
are Made ON) subsequently; (The Rubáiyát
of Omar Khayyam (1859), which ultimately
won him assured immortality, though at first
published anonymously and utterly neglected ;
Æschylus's (Agamemnon) and Sophocles's
(Edipus) plays, and part of Attár's (Bird Par-
liament. *
Fitzgerald, Percy Hethrington. A pleasing
Irish novelist and biographical essayist; born
in Fane Valley, Louth, Ireland, 1834. He
wrote: (The Romance of the English Stage
(1874); Lives of the Sheridans) (1887); and
of novels, Never Forgotten, (Diana Gay,'
(Bella Donna, Dear Girl,' etc.
Fitzpatrick, William John. An Irish bio-
grapher and topical historian; born in Dublin,
Aug. 31, 1830. From the day of his graduation
at the Catholic College in Clongowes Wood,
he devoted himself to the study of Ireland's
rights and wrongs, and of the actors in Irish
history. Lord Edward Fitzgerald and his
Betrayers) (1859); “The Sham Squire and the
Informers of 1798) (1866); and Daniel O'Con-
nell, the Liberator) (1888), are a few among
his many widely read productions.
Flagg, Edmund. An American novelist and
journalist; born in Wiscasset, Me. , Nov. 24,
(
## p. 191 (#207) ############################################
FLAGG- FLETCHER
191
1815. He was the author of a number of novels
and other prose writings. His best work is
(Venice, the City of the Sea) (2 vols. , 1853).
He contributed to the New World Magazine
seven historical romances, based on the dramas
of Victor Hugo. Edmond Dantès,' a sequel
to (Monte Cristo,' was written by him, as also
were Mary Tudor) and other dramas.
Flagg, Wilson. An American naturalist,
scientific and political writer; born in Beverly,
Mass. , Nov. 5, 1805; died in North Cambridge,
Mass. , May 6, 1884. Some of his books are:
"Studies in the field and Forest) (1857); (Hal-
cyon Days); A Year among the Trees) (1881);
and A Year among the Birds. ?
Flammarion, Camille ( Ha-ma-re-ôn”). A
French astronomer, writer on descriptive as-
tronomy, and (astronomical novelist); born
in Montigny-le-Roi, Feb. 25, 1842. He was
designed by his parents for the Church, but
went over to science, and by a long course of
writings of a more or less popular character
has made his name widely known. ( The Plural-
ity of Inhabited Worlds) (1862); (Celestial
Wonders) (1865); (The Atmosphere) (1872);
(Urania) ( 1889 ); and “The Planet Mars and
its Habitability) (1892), are his best-known
works, not to mention an experiment or two
in romance of the astronomical creation. "
Flash, Henry Lynden. An American writer
of verse; born in Cincinnati, O. , Jan. 20, 1835.
He is the author of Poems) (1860), and of
many popular ballads which appeared during
the Civil War.
Flassan, Gaétan Raxis, Count de (fläs-än').
A French diplomatist and historian of diplo-
macy; born at Bedouin, Venaissin, 1770; died
in Paris, March 20, 1845. His career in the
diplomatic service was fairly distinguished,
enabling him to gather material for a valu-
able History of French Diplomacy from the
Foundation of the Monarchy to Aug. 10, 1792)
(1808-11), and one or two works of less im-
portance.
Flaubert, Gustav (fő-bãr'). A distinguished
French novelist; born at Rouen, Dec. 12, 1821 ;
died there, May 8, 1880. His greatest novel
was his first, Madame Bovary) (1857). He
next wrote a historical novel, “Salammbộ, the
scene laid in the most fourishing period of
Carthage,-a splendid description of ancient
Punic life, but having lively interest as a story;
(The History of a Young Man (1869), like
Madame Bovary) a pessimistic picture of so-
cial life; (The Temptation of St. Anthony)
(1874), a piece of imaginative writing dealing
with philosophical problems; and (Three Sto-
ries) (1877), which had a favorable reception.
The posthumous novel ( Bouvard and Pécuchet)
(1881) is a satire on humanity in general. His
comedy (The Candidate) (1874) failed on the
stage. *
Fléchier, Esprit (fā-shyā'). A notable
French pulpit orator and writer; born at
Pernes, in the Venaissin, June 10, 1632 ; died at
Montpellier, Feb. 16, 1710. His funeral orations,
especially those on Montausier and Turenne,
are models of elegiac oratory. He wrote a
(History of Theodosius the Great' (1679);
(Panegyrics of aints ) (1690); History of
Cardinal Ximenes) (1693).
Fleming, George. See Fletcher, Julia.
Fleming, Mrs. May Agnes (Early). A
Canadian story-writer; born in New Brunswick,
1840; died 1880. She was a prolific author of
romances, mostly sersational, among them be-
ing: Guy Earlscourt's Wife); Lost for a
Woman); (Pride and Passion); etc.
Fleming, Paul (flem'ing). A distinguished
German poet; born at Hartenstein in Saxony,
Oct. 5, 1609; died at Hamburg, April 2, 1640.
As an attaché of an embassy to Russia and Per-
sia, he had an opportunity (1635-39) of studying
many peoples. His "German Poems, which
appeared in 1642, were often republished. His
poetry is a true reflection of his inmost thought :
he is seen to be a man of unsophisticated tastes,
of childlike piety, and yet of virile sense and
passion. *
Fletcher, Giles. An English clergyman and
poet, cousin to John; born in London about
1580; died at Aldertoni in 1623. His only
notable composition was a sacred poem en-
titled (Christ's Victorie and Triumph in Heaven
and Earth over and after Death (1610), rich
in imagery and descriptions of natural scenery.
Parts of it were utilized by Milton in his
Paradise Regained. '
Fletcher, John. An English dramatist; born
in Rye, Sussex, in December 1579; died in Lon-
don during the plague, in August 1625. His
partnership with Beaumont is called by Swin-
burne “the most perfect union in genius and
friendship. ” (The Woman Hater,' published
anonymously in 1607 and usually accorded to
Fletcher, Swinburne and Bullen assign to Beau-
mont. Fletcher survived his friend nine years,
during which he produced many plays with and
without collaborators; the latter include Mas-
singer, Middleton, Rowley, Shirley, and others.
It is certain that he wrote alone (The Faithful
Shepherdess, Bonduca, Valentinian, (The
Wild Goose Chase, and Monsieur Thomas,
his greatest works; Rule a Wife and Have a
Wife); (The Loyal Subject); (Wit Without
Money); A Wife for a Month); (The Chances);
(The Mad Lover); and (The Humorous Lieu-
tenant. Bullen, the most authoritative critic
of Elizabethan literature, says he had Massin-
ger's aid in “The Knight of Malta,' (Thierry
and Theodoret, (The Little French Lawyer,'
(The Beggar's Bush,' (The Spanish Curate,
(The False One,' and (A Very Woman. The
same authority gives (The Queen of Corinth)
with Massinger, Rowley, and Middleton ; (The
Jeweller of Amsterdam) with Massinger and
Field ; (The Bloody Brother) with Ben Jonson,
revised by Middleton ; (Two Noble Kinsmen)
with Massinger, after Shakespeare's death; and
considers (Henry VIII. the work of Fletcher
a
## p. 192 (#208) ############################################
192
FLETCHER-FOGAZZARO
and Massinger with Shakespearean passages.
* (See Beaumont and Fletcher. ')
Fletcher, Julia Constance. (“George Flem-
ing. ”] An American novelist; born in Rio
Janeiro, Brazil, about 1850; daughter of James
C. Fletcher, who was a missionary to Brazil
and wrote (Brazil and the Brazilians. Among
her novels are : Kismet) (1877); “The Head
of the Medusa (1880); (Andromeda) (1885);
(The Truth about Clement Ker' (1889); and
(For Plain Women Only. '
Fleury, Claude (flė-re'). A French Church
historian and pedagogue; born in Paris, Dec.
6, 1640; died there (? ), July 14, 1723. His
learning and unaffected simplicity made him
a notable figure at the court of Louis XIV. , and
later at that of Louis XV. , whose confessor he
became. An Ecclesiastical History' (1691-
1720) forms his claim to enduring renown;
the work coming down to 1414, at which point
a later writer has attempted, although not sym-
pathetically, to round out the master's perform-
ance. A History of French Law) (1674) and
a Historical Catechism' (1679) are less im-
portant achievements.
Fleury-Husson, Jules. See Champfleury.
Flint, Timothy. An American clergyman
and miscellaneous writer; born in North Read-
ing, Mass. , July 11, 1780; died in Salem, Mass. ,
Aug. 16, 1840. He was a Congregational min-
ister during 1812-14; subsequently he devoted
himself to editorial work, descriptive writing,
and fiction. In these departments his most
important work is included in: (The Geogra-
phy and History of the Mississippi Valley);
(Indian Wars in the West); and in fiction,
Francis Berrian); “George Mason); and “The
Shoshone Valley. )
Floquet, Pierre Amable (fő-kā'). A French
historian and biographical writer; born in
Rouen, July 9, 1797; died in Formentin, Aug. 6,
1881. He made Normandy's annals and per-
sonages the objects of his painstaking study
in Norman Anecdotes); History of the Par-
liament of Normandy) (1840-43); (Studies in
the Life of Bossuet! (1855); of which the last
two were crowned by the Academy. Subse-
quent volumes show the rich harvest the field
has yielded him.
Florez, Henrique (fõ'reth). A Spanish his-
torian and antiquarian; born in Valladolid,
Feb. 14, 1701; died in Madrid, Aug. 20, 1773.
He was an Augustinian ordinary who taught
theology and history with brilliant success,
and charmed his classes by presenting dogmas
and annals from the standpoint of their human
interest. “Sacred Spain) (1747-73), on the his-
tory and dominion of the Church in the penin-
sula, brought down to the present time by a
recent writer; “Memorials of Catholic Queens);
and other works of importance, justify the high
opinion entertained of him.
Florian, Jean Pierre Claris de (fő-ryon').
A French poet and romancer (1755-94). At
10 he captivated Voltaire by his quick repartee
and sprightliness. He made his debut with
some pleasing farces (1779), and added greatly
to his fame with the two pastoral stories (Gala-
tea' (1783) and Estelle (1787); but both are
sentimental romances in the dominant taste of
that time. A like judgment is to be passed on
his metrical romances Numa Pompilius) (1786)
and (Gonsalvo of Cordova) (1791). He also
wrote (Medleys of Poetry and Literature); and
(Florian's Youth,' in which he recounts the
story of his boyhood. *
Flourens, Marie Jean Pierre (flö-ron'). An
eminent French writer on physiology and anat-
omy; born in Maurilhan, Hérault, April 15,
1794; died at Montgeron, near Paris, Dec. 5,
1867. His special studies were neurology, oste-
ology, and cellular pathology. The following
partial list of his writings indicates his wide
scope and massive knowledge: Physical Re-
searches into Irritability and Sensibility) (1822);
(General Anatomy of the Skin and of its Mu-
cous Membranes) (1843); Life and Intelli-
gence) (1857); Natural Ontology) (1864); and
works in which he traces with admirable lucid-
ity the connection between the respective as-
pects of physical, intellectual, and ethical states.
Flower, Benjamin Orange. An American
editor and author; born in Illinois in 1859.
He was until recently the publisher and editor
of the Arena, Boston, Mass. Among his nu-
merous works are: (Civilization's Inferno; or
Studies in the Social Cellar (1893); (The New
Time) (1894); Persons, Places, and Ideas);
"Gerald Massey: Poet, Prophet, and Mystic)
(1895). He is now editor of The New Time.
Flower, Frank Abial. An American histor-
ical writer; born in Cottage, N. Y. , May 11, 1854.
Has written several local histories. Among
his works are to be found : (Old Abe, the Wis-
consin War Eagle) (1880); (The Life of Mat-
thew H. Carpenter) (1883); and a (History of
the Republican Party) (1884). He is curator
of the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Flügel, Johann Gottfried (flü'gel). A Ger-
man lexicographer and compiler of language
manuals; born in Barby on the Elbe, Nov. 22,
1788; died in Leipsic, June 24, 1855. He spent
many years in this country in business, diplo-
matic, and official occupations, and compiled
(with J. Sporschil) a (Complete English-Ger-
man and German-English Dictionary) (1830),
besides publishing A Series of Commercial
Letters) (9th ed. 1874); Practical Handbook
of English Business Correspondence) (9th ed.
1873); (Triglot; or Mercantile Dictionary in
Three Tongues — German, English, French)
(2d ed. 1854); and other useful manuals, all
revised, or brought down to contemporary
needs, by his son.
Flygare-Carlén. See Carlén.
Fogazzaro, Antonio (fő-gäts-är'o). An Ital.
ian poet and story-teller; born at Vicenza, 1842.
He first came into notice with Miranda, a
story in verse (1874), and added greatly to his
reputation as a poet with Valsonda,' a volume
## p. 193 (#209) ############################################
FOGLAR - FONTENELLE
193
-e. 8
of lyrics (1876). He is author of several novels
which were received with marked favor, among
them (Master Chicco's Fiasco) (1885); Daniel
Cortis) (1887); (The Poet's Mystery) (1888).
Foglar, Ludwig (fõ'glär). An Austrian poet;
born in Vienna, Dec. 24, 1819; died at Kam-
mer, Aug. 15, 1889. Among his poems, mostly
lyric, are (Cypresses) (1842); “Sunbeams and
Shadows) (1846); (Clara von Vissegrad) an
epic (1847); (Freedom's Breviary) (1848); Joy.
ful and Sorrowful' (1867); (Saint Velocipede)
(1869), a satire (under the pseudonym Leb-
erecht Flott”).
Fokke Simonsz, Arend (fok'é). A Dutch
essayist; born at Amsterdam, July 2, 1755; died
there, Nov. 15, 1812. All his writings, especially
his (Catechism of Arts and Sciences) (11 vols. ,
1785-1804), give proof of the extraordinary
compass of his learning; but he is most cele-
brated for his popular scientific works, mostly
written in a burlesque or a satiric vein. From
him we have the delightful literary satires (The
Modern Helicon (1792) and (Apollo, Sergeant
of the Burghers' Guard); Life of Lucifer)
(1799), a history of demonology in form of a
comic romance; the psychological disquisition
(The Different Aspects of Human Life) (1786);
(Woman Is Boss) (1807).
Folengo, Teofilo (fő-len'go). [Pseudonym
"Merlino Coccajo. ”] An Italian poet (1491-
1554). He was the first to win fame as a writer
of macaronic verses. His Macaronic Work of
Merlino Coccajo, Mantuan Poet) – first pub-
lished in 17 cantos (1517), and four years later
in 25-comprises the comico-heroic poems
(Baldus) and (Moscæa) (War of the Midges).
His satire is mostly against monachism. He
writes in cynic humor, but under his burlesque
lies a vein of serious purpose : to him Rabelais
owes not a little. Under the pseudonym “Li-
merno Pitocco” he wrote in Italian the epic sat-
ire (Orlandino) (1526) in ridicule of the story
of Roland; then, partly in macaronic, partly in
pure Italian, partly in pure Latin, «The Chaos
of Three by One) (1527), in which he darkly
recounts the events of his own life. He wrote
them while a vagrant from his monastery; he
returned later and composed some religious
poems of little value.
Follen, August (föl'len). A German poet
of patriotism, and popular song writer; born
in Giessen, Jan. 21, 1794; died in Bern, Dec.
26, 1855. He was a little of a soldier, a little
of a lawyer, and a good deal of an enthusiast,
suffering imprisonment for alleged demagogy.
He became intensely popular as the author of
(Sons of Fatherland,' a patriotic hymn; (Ma-
legys and Vivian' (1829), a romance of chivalry ;
and numerous fine translations and poetic ap-
peals to the instinct for liberty.
Follen, Eliza Lee (Cabot). An American
prose-writer and poet; born in Boston, Aug.
15, 1787; died in Brookline, Mass. , Jan. 26,
1800. She was the wife of Charles T. C. Fol-
len, whose memoir she wrote (1842). Her other
works are: “Poems) (1839); (Twilight Stories)
(1858); and (Home Dramas) (1859).
Folz, Hans (fõlts). A German master-
singer; native of Worms; died about 1515, at
Nuremberg, where he followed the trade of
barber-surgeon. He is best known for his
Shrove Tuesday plays; but he wrote also many
jests, New-Year's lays, minstrel songs, etc. ,
highly prized by his contemporaries, but all of
them marred by indelicacy. In better tone are
some of his poems on the events of his time,
as “The Plague) (1482); 'Investiture of the
Emperor Maximilian (1491).
Fontan, Louis Marie (fôn-tän'). A French
dramatist, pamphleteer, and journalist; born
in Lorient, Nov. 4, 1801; died in Thiais, Seine,
Oct. 10, 1839. His newspaper articles and
political pamphlets, particularly 'The Rabid
Sheep' (1829), got him into prison, from which
he was freed by the Revolution of July. His
eminence as a writer for the stage rests upon
(The Reckless Girl Jeanne); (The Monk);
(The Count of St. Germain); and a few others.
He produced also a volume of 'Odes and Epis-
tles) (1825).
Fontana, Ferdinand (fon-ta'nä). An Italian
poet; born in Milan, Jan. 30, 1850. He made
his mark early in journalism, and wrote some
good librettos- (Colomba! (1887); but
his is essentially a poet's fame,-(The Song
of Hate, (Socialism, and “The Meeting' being
effective and beautiful compositions.
Fontane, Theodor (fontä'nė). A German
poet and novelist; born at Neu-Ruppin, Dec. 30,
1819. He visited England several times on lit-
erary quests, particularly of old ballad poetry.
Among his writings are three volumes on Eng.
land, one A Summer in London (1854); (The
Sleswick-Holstein War of 1864' (1866), and
other war histories. His first volume of lyrics,
Men and Heroes,' was published in 1850 ; his
collected (Ballads) in 1892. They are full at
once of fire and of firmly exact phrasing. He
is the author of many masterly stories of North
German life, as (Count Petöfy); Under the
Pear-Tree) (1885); (Mrs. Jenny Treibel (1892).
He is a thorough realist, yet has a kindly, homely
humor.
Fontanes, Marquis Louis de (fôn-tän'). A
French poet and statesman; born at Niort,
March 6, 1757; died March 17, 1821. Pro-
scribed by the Revolution for editing papers
opposed to the Terror, he fed to England,
where he became intimate with Châteaubriand.
Returning when it was safe, he attained high
office under Napoleon and the restored Bour-
bons. He was a brilliant orator and also lit.
erary critic; and wrote several most graceful
descriptive poems - among them (The Forest
of Navarre (1778); (The Carthusian Nun'; and
(All-Souls) (1796), an imitation of Gray's
(Elegy) -- and a translation of Pope's Essay
on Man.
Fontenelle, Bernard le Bovier de (fônt-nel').
A distinguished French essayist; born at Rouen,
13
## p. 194 (#210) ############################################
194
FONVIELLE - FORBES
Feb. II, 1657; died at Paris, Jan. 9, 1757. A
gift of luminous popular exposition made his
historical, philosophical, moral, and scientific
writings highly esteemed. Best known among
his prose writings are: Dialogues of the Dead,
after the Manner of Lucian) (1683); Conver-
sations on the Plurality of Worlds) (1686),
which was translated into many languages and
is still republished; History of the Oracles)
(1686). He was unsuccessful as a writer for
the stage.
Fonvielle, Wilfried de (fôn-vyāl or fôn-
vyā'). A French popular scientific prose-writer;
born in Paris, July 21, 1824. He has long aimed
to propagate scientific truths by his writings, of
which the best known are: (Fossil Man' (1865);
(Balloons in the Siege of Paris) (1871); (The
Physics of Miracles) (1872); (The Conquest of
the North Pole) (1877); (The Wonders of the
Invisible World (5th ed. 1880); and (Thun-
ders and Lightnings) (4th ed. 1885); — besides
one or two minor historical works.
Fonvizin (Von Wisin), Denis Ivanovich
(fon-vis'in). A Russian dramatist, satirist, and
epistolary writer; born in Moscow, April 14,
1745; died in St. Petersburg, Dec. 12, 1792.
His fame as the Molière of his country arises
from the merit of two comedies, (The Briga-
dier) (1766) and (The Minor) (or Mother's
Favorite Son): 1782), ridiculing certain pecul-
iarities of Russian character. A burlesque,
(Court Grammar, and mock (correspond-
ence) of a facetious sort, add to his renown.
Foote, Henry Stewart. An American states-
man and author; born in Fauquier County, Va. ,
Sept. 20, 1800; died in Nashville, Tenn. , May
20, 1880. In 1847 he was chosen to the United
States Senate; resigning in 1852 to serve as
governor of his State. Subsequently he was
elected to the Confederate Congress. His pub-
lications include: (Texas and the Texans)
vols. , 1841); (The War of the Rebellion, or
Scylla and Charybdis) (1866); and (Personal
Reminiscences.
Foote, Mary (Hallock). An American nov-
elist, descriptive writer, and illustrator ; born at
Milton, N. Y. , Nov. 19, 1847; married a mining
engineer, and lives mainly in the Rocky Mount-
ain districts. She is the author of several
novels and collections of short stories on the
life of these regions : (The Led Horse Claim )
(1883); John Bodewin's Testimony) (1886);
(In Exile); (The Chosen Valley); (Coeur d'-
Alène); (The Cup of Trembling and Other
Stories); etc.
Foote, Samuel. An English wag, imperson-
ator, and comic playwright; born at Truro
in Cornwall, 1720; died at Dover, Oct. 21,
1777. From Oxford he went to London to
study law, but had to go on the stage for a
living; tried tragic parts and failed; then
began to give entertainments of a sort now
familiar but then new, impersonating real and
imaginary people and acting little farces by
himself. Later he wrote regular farce-plays, 22
in number; the most notable being "The Mi.
nor) (1700), a skit at the Methodists; (The
Liar); 'The Mayor of Garratt. His repartees
are famous, and have been collected into a
volume. *
Foran, Joseph K. A Canadian poet and
novelist; born in Greenpark, Aylmer, P. Q.
1857. Among his poems the best known are
a Lament for Longfellow) and Indian Trans-
lations. From 1879 till 1883 he published a
series of essays on monuments, coins, art; and
subsequently (Irish-Canadian Representatives:
Their Past Acts, Present Stand, and Future
Prospects); (The Spirit of the Age); also two
novels - (Tom Ellis, a Story of the Northwest
Rebellion,' and (Simon, the Abenakis. )
Forbes, Archibald. A British war corre-
spondent and journalist; born in Morayshire,
Scotland, 1838. He became famous during the
Franco-German war and the Paris communard
insurrection by the vivid power of his letters
to the London Daily News. He also did dis-
tinguished work during the Russo-Turkish war.
His books include: Drawn from Liſe) (1870);
(My Experiences of the War between France
and Germany) (1871); 'Chinese Gordon, a Suc-
cinct Record of his Life) (1884), a very able
work; (Soldiering and Scribbling! ; 'Glimpses
through the Cannon Smoke); Life of Colin
Campbell, Lord Clyde (1895); (Memories and
Studies of War and Peace (1895); Czar and
Sultan); etc.
Forbes, David. An English geologist and
traveler; born at Douglas, Isle of Man, Sept.
6, 1828; died in London, Dec. 5, 1876. As a
civil engineer he traveled all over the world,
studying rock formations and fossils, and writ-
ing On the Relations of the Silurian and
Metamorphic Rocks of the South of Norway)
(1855); (On the Geology of Bolivia and South-
ern Peru) (1861); and kindred treatises.
Forbes, Edward. An eminent English nat-
uralist ; born in Douglas, Isle of Man, Feb. 12,
1815; died in Edinburgh, Nov. 18, 1854. Scarcely
any department of botany, paläontology, geol-
ogy, and the allied sciences, remained without
obligation to his energy and research. The
(History of British Starfishes) (1841), (De-
scription of Fossil Invertebrate from South
India (1846), (Zoology of the European Seas)
(posthumous, 1859), and like studies, remain
monuments of his scientific attainments.
Forbes, Henry 0. A Scotch naturalist; born
in Drumblade, Aberdeen, Jan. 30, 1851. His
learning, supplemented by pilgrimages to Java,
Sumatra, Timor, and New Guinea, has enriched
the literature of science with A Naturalist's
Wanderings in the Eastern Archipelago) (1885);
(Three Months' Exploration in the Tenimbur
Islands of Timor Laut) (1884); and New
Guinea) (1886), which last domain he has most
exhaustively explored.
Forbes, James. An English writer of me-
moirs, and Indian civil servant; born in Lon.
don, 1749; died at Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany,
## p. 195 (#211) ############################################
FORBES - FORNEY
195
23, 1868.
Aug. I, 1819. He lived almost a generation in
the vicinity of Calcutta, where he obtained his
material for the Oriental Memoirs) (1813-15),
a narrative of his experiences and impressions.
Forbes, James David. A noted English
physicist; born in Edinburgh, April 20, 1809;
died in Clifton, Dec. 31, 1868. He investigated
glacial formation, recording his deductions in
(Travels through the Alps of Savoy) (1843);
Illustrations of the Viscous Theory of Glacier
Motion) (1845); Norway and its Glaciers)
(1853); etc. ; in addition to which a (Review
of the Progress of Mathematical and Physical
Science (1858), and Experiments on the Tem-
perature of the Earth' (1846), must be cited.
Force, Manning Ferguson. An American
general in the Civil War; born in Washing.
ton, D. C. , Dec. 17, 1824. He joined the Fed-
eral Army in 1861, and continued in active
service until the close of the war. His public
cations include: (From Fort Henry to Corinth)
(1881); Marching Across Carolina! (1883);
(The Mound Builders); Prehistoric Man);
and (Personal Recollections of the Vicksburg
Campaign) (1885).
Force, Peter.
completed his first heroic epic, the "Shāh-
Vāmah' (King's Book) in about 60,000 distichs :
it recounts the ancient Persian traditions of
heroism. His other great poem, Jussuf and
Zulikha,' a religious-romantic epos, is founded
on the Biblical story of Joseph and Potiphar's
wife. There are English translations of sun-
dry passages from the (Shāh-Nāmah,' and a
German translation of the whole of the Jussuf
and Zulikha. *
Firenzuola, Agnolo (fé-rents-woʻlä). (Prop-
erly Girolamo Giovannini. ] An Italian poet;
born in Florence, Sept. 28, 1493; died at Prato
or in Rome, about 1545. His works consist
of burlesque poems; two comedies, including
(The Shining Ones); a translation of Apu-
leius's (Golden Ass); a didactic story, Dis-
courses about Animals); Dialogue on the
Beauties of Women'; and ten (novels, mostly
stories in the vein of Boccaccio. He writes in
a style of great elegance, but with unpardon-
able lubricity. *
Firmenich-Richartz, Johannes Matthias
(fēr'men-ich-rich'ärts). A German poet, phil-
ological literary critic and student, and drama-
tist; born in Cologne, July 5, 1808; died in
Potsdam, May 10, 1889. His play (Clotilde
Montalvi) (1840), a romantic tragedy, and
After a Hundred Years,' a humorous compo-
sition in dialogue, as well as poems in vari-
ous languages, are highly meritorious; but his
monumental achievement is (Germany's Folk-
Voices: A Collection of German Dialect
Poems, Songs, Fables, Sagas, etc. ) (1843-66.
sup. 1868), showing the most profound learning
and scholarly acuteness.
Fischart, Johann (fish'ärt). A famous Ger-
man satirist (about 1545-91). He took the doc-
tor's degree in the University of Basel 1574,
and afterward was an official of the Imperial
Chamber of Justice at Spires. The period of
his literary production lies between 1575 and
1581, while he assisted his brother-in-law
Jobin, who had a printing-office in Strasburg.
He was a man of deep patriotic feeling, a
notable poet, and the greatest Protestant pub-
licist of his time. Among his compositions
in verse may be mentioned : “The Jester in
Rhyme,' a satire on the Dominicans and
Franciscans (1571); Description of the Four-
Cornered Hat) (1580), against the Jesuits; the
(Flohhatz Weibertratz) (1573), in which he
describes a contest at law between fieas and
women; Podagramic Book of Consolation)
(1577), showing how the gout (podagra) spares
the laboring poor and kindly chastens the rich,
while leaving their minds free for wit and
humor ; (The Hive of the Holy Roman Swarm)
(1579). In imitation of Rabelais's 'Gargantua,'
but giving free play to his own native humor
and wit, he wrote of (The Wondrous Deeds,
Thoughts, and Words of the Famous Heroes
and Lords Grandgusier, Gargantua, and Pan-
tagruel (1575). Here, in full accord with the
spirit of the Reformation, he contrasts the
sound human understanding with the vagaries
of idealism, the common people's bluntness
and uncouthness with the aristocratic-romantic
perversity of the upper class )); all the while
glorifying intellectual progress. As a treasury
of ingeniously contrived word compounds the
work is of great value to the philologist.
## p. 190 (#206) ############################################
190
FISCHER-FLAGG
Fischer, Johann Georg (fish'er). A German
poet; born at Gross Süssen, Würtemberg, Oct.
25, 1816. His lyric poems are in 8 vols. (1854-
91). He excels in popular songs and ballads :
he has the gift of combining humor with grav-
ity. In his love songs he nobly idealizes nature
and passion. He wrote four dramas: (Saul)
(1862); (Frederic II. of Hohenstaufen) (1863);
(Florian Geyer) (1866); (Emperor Maximilian
of Mexico) (1868). In (From Bird Life) (1863)
he notes the characteristic phenomena of the
psychic life of animals with the acuteness of a
naturalist and the sympathy of a poet.
Fischer, Kuno. A German historian of phi-
losophy; born at Sandewalde, in Silesia, July
23, 1824. He was interdicted from teaching
philosophy at Heidelberg in 1853; but after
filling professorships in Berlin and Jena, he
had the satisfaction of being called to the
chair of philosophy at Heidelberg in 1872. He
is of the school of Hegel. Ilis principal writ-
ings are: (Diotima: The Idea of the Beautiful)
(1849); (Logic and Metaphysic, or the Doctrine
of Science (1852); (History of Modern Phi.
losophy) (8 vols. , 1852-93), his greatest work,
written in the form of brilliant monographs on
Descartes, Kant, Fichte, Schelling, and other
great philosophers down to Schopenhauer;
(Francis Bacon and his Successors) (1856);
(Lessing's Nathan the Wise) (1864); (Spino-
za's Life and Character) (1865); (Origin and
Evolution-Forms of Wit) (1871). *
Fisher, George Park. An American divine
and writer ; born in Wrentham, Mass. , Aug. 10,
1827; became professor of divinity at Yale
(1854), and professor of ecclesiastical history
(1861). Included in his works are : Essays on
the Supernatural Origin of Christianity); (His-
tory of the Reformation) (1873); (Faith and
Rationalism) (1879); (Outlines of Universal
History); History of the Christian Church)
(1888); Nature and Method of Revelation)
(1890); "Colonial History of the United States. )
Fiske, Daniel Willard, scholar and librarian;
born in Ellisburg, Jefferson County, N. Y. , Nov.
II, 1831 ; was educated at Hamilton College,
N. Y. , and Upsala University, Sweden. He
was secretary of the New York Geographical
Society, and attached to the American Lega-
tion at Vienna under Motley. He is an adept
in many modern languages; in 1869 was made
professor of North-European languages, and
librarian, at Cornell; and has been a volu-
minous contributor to Swedish, German, Ice-
landic, Italian, English, and American journals.
He has made the largest existing collections
of Icelandic and of Petrarch, and the largest
in America of Dante. He is now engaged in
trying to create a written Egyptian language.
Fiske, John. An American historian; born
at Hartford, Conn. , March 30, 1842. He grad-
uated at Harvard College in 1863, and in 1865
took his degree in law, but never practiced.
He was for a while lecturer on philosophy at
Harvard, and in 1872-79 assistant librarian.
He is author of Myths and Myth-Makers)
(1872); (Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy) (2
vols. , 1875), his principal work, in which he
gives an exposition of the philosophy of nat-
ural evolution ; (The Unseen World) (1876);
Darwinism (1879); (The Idea of God (1885).
On phases of American history, he has writ-
ten : (American Political Ideas) (1885); (The
Critical Period of American History, 1783–89)
(1888); (The Beginnings of New England)
(1889); (The American Revolution) (3 vols. ,
1891); Discovery of America) (2 vols. , 1892). *
Fitch, William Clyde. An American play-
wright and author; born in 1865. He was edu-
cated at Hartford, Conn. , and Amherst College,
Amherst, Mass. He has written and adapted
a number of successful plays, among them
(Beau Brummell) and (Bohemia. He is also
the author of "The Knighting of the Twins,
and Ten Other Tales) (1891); (Some Corre-
spondence and Six Conversations) (1896).
Fitts, James Franklin. An American jour-
nalist and novelist; born in Lockport, N. Y. ,
in 1840; died there, Jan. II, 1890. During the
Civil War he distinguished himself on several
occasions, and was rewarded with promotions.
After the war he devoted himself to miscella-
neous writing. Of his novels the most popu-
lar were : (The Parted Veil); (A Version);
(A Modern Miracle); (Captain Kidd's Gold.
Fitzgerald, Edward. A great English poet ;
born at Bredfield House, near Suffolk, March
31, 1809; died June 14, 1883. (Fitzgerald was
his mother's family name, assumed by his father
John Purcell. ) His writings are mostly remod-
eled translations of foreign poems; among them
are versions of (Six Dramas from Calderon)
(1853), and two more, and far finer (The
Mighty Magician and (Such Stuff as Dreams
are Made ON) subsequently; (The Rubáiyát
of Omar Khayyam (1859), which ultimately
won him assured immortality, though at first
published anonymously and utterly neglected ;
Æschylus's (Agamemnon) and Sophocles's
(Edipus) plays, and part of Attár's (Bird Par-
liament. *
Fitzgerald, Percy Hethrington. A pleasing
Irish novelist and biographical essayist; born
in Fane Valley, Louth, Ireland, 1834. He
wrote: (The Romance of the English Stage
(1874); Lives of the Sheridans) (1887); and
of novels, Never Forgotten, (Diana Gay,'
(Bella Donna, Dear Girl,' etc.
Fitzpatrick, William John. An Irish bio-
grapher and topical historian; born in Dublin,
Aug. 31, 1830. From the day of his graduation
at the Catholic College in Clongowes Wood,
he devoted himself to the study of Ireland's
rights and wrongs, and of the actors in Irish
history. Lord Edward Fitzgerald and his
Betrayers) (1859); “The Sham Squire and the
Informers of 1798) (1866); and Daniel O'Con-
nell, the Liberator) (1888), are a few among
his many widely read productions.
Flagg, Edmund. An American novelist and
journalist; born in Wiscasset, Me. , Nov. 24,
(
## p. 191 (#207) ############################################
FLAGG- FLETCHER
191
1815. He was the author of a number of novels
and other prose writings. His best work is
(Venice, the City of the Sea) (2 vols. , 1853).
He contributed to the New World Magazine
seven historical romances, based on the dramas
of Victor Hugo. Edmond Dantès,' a sequel
to (Monte Cristo,' was written by him, as also
were Mary Tudor) and other dramas.
Flagg, Wilson. An American naturalist,
scientific and political writer; born in Beverly,
Mass. , Nov. 5, 1805; died in North Cambridge,
Mass. , May 6, 1884. Some of his books are:
"Studies in the field and Forest) (1857); (Hal-
cyon Days); A Year among the Trees) (1881);
and A Year among the Birds. ?
Flammarion, Camille ( Ha-ma-re-ôn”). A
French astronomer, writer on descriptive as-
tronomy, and (astronomical novelist); born
in Montigny-le-Roi, Feb. 25, 1842. He was
designed by his parents for the Church, but
went over to science, and by a long course of
writings of a more or less popular character
has made his name widely known. ( The Plural-
ity of Inhabited Worlds) (1862); (Celestial
Wonders) (1865); (The Atmosphere) (1872);
(Urania) ( 1889 ); and “The Planet Mars and
its Habitability) (1892), are his best-known
works, not to mention an experiment or two
in romance of the astronomical creation. "
Flash, Henry Lynden. An American writer
of verse; born in Cincinnati, O. , Jan. 20, 1835.
He is the author of Poems) (1860), and of
many popular ballads which appeared during
the Civil War.
Flassan, Gaétan Raxis, Count de (fläs-än').
A French diplomatist and historian of diplo-
macy; born at Bedouin, Venaissin, 1770; died
in Paris, March 20, 1845. His career in the
diplomatic service was fairly distinguished,
enabling him to gather material for a valu-
able History of French Diplomacy from the
Foundation of the Monarchy to Aug. 10, 1792)
(1808-11), and one or two works of less im-
portance.
Flaubert, Gustav (fő-bãr'). A distinguished
French novelist; born at Rouen, Dec. 12, 1821 ;
died there, May 8, 1880. His greatest novel
was his first, Madame Bovary) (1857). He
next wrote a historical novel, “Salammbộ, the
scene laid in the most fourishing period of
Carthage,-a splendid description of ancient
Punic life, but having lively interest as a story;
(The History of a Young Man (1869), like
Madame Bovary) a pessimistic picture of so-
cial life; (The Temptation of St. Anthony)
(1874), a piece of imaginative writing dealing
with philosophical problems; and (Three Sto-
ries) (1877), which had a favorable reception.
The posthumous novel ( Bouvard and Pécuchet)
(1881) is a satire on humanity in general. His
comedy (The Candidate) (1874) failed on the
stage. *
Fléchier, Esprit (fā-shyā'). A notable
French pulpit orator and writer; born at
Pernes, in the Venaissin, June 10, 1632 ; died at
Montpellier, Feb. 16, 1710. His funeral orations,
especially those on Montausier and Turenne,
are models of elegiac oratory. He wrote a
(History of Theodosius the Great' (1679);
(Panegyrics of aints ) (1690); History of
Cardinal Ximenes) (1693).
Fleming, George. See Fletcher, Julia.
Fleming, Mrs. May Agnes (Early). A
Canadian story-writer; born in New Brunswick,
1840; died 1880. She was a prolific author of
romances, mostly sersational, among them be-
ing: Guy Earlscourt's Wife); Lost for a
Woman); (Pride and Passion); etc.
Fleming, Paul (flem'ing). A distinguished
German poet; born at Hartenstein in Saxony,
Oct. 5, 1609; died at Hamburg, April 2, 1640.
As an attaché of an embassy to Russia and Per-
sia, he had an opportunity (1635-39) of studying
many peoples. His "German Poems, which
appeared in 1642, were often republished. His
poetry is a true reflection of his inmost thought :
he is seen to be a man of unsophisticated tastes,
of childlike piety, and yet of virile sense and
passion. *
Fletcher, Giles. An English clergyman and
poet, cousin to John; born in London about
1580; died at Aldertoni in 1623. His only
notable composition was a sacred poem en-
titled (Christ's Victorie and Triumph in Heaven
and Earth over and after Death (1610), rich
in imagery and descriptions of natural scenery.
Parts of it were utilized by Milton in his
Paradise Regained. '
Fletcher, John. An English dramatist; born
in Rye, Sussex, in December 1579; died in Lon-
don during the plague, in August 1625. His
partnership with Beaumont is called by Swin-
burne “the most perfect union in genius and
friendship. ” (The Woman Hater,' published
anonymously in 1607 and usually accorded to
Fletcher, Swinburne and Bullen assign to Beau-
mont. Fletcher survived his friend nine years,
during which he produced many plays with and
without collaborators; the latter include Mas-
singer, Middleton, Rowley, Shirley, and others.
It is certain that he wrote alone (The Faithful
Shepherdess, Bonduca, Valentinian, (The
Wild Goose Chase, and Monsieur Thomas,
his greatest works; Rule a Wife and Have a
Wife); (The Loyal Subject); (Wit Without
Money); A Wife for a Month); (The Chances);
(The Mad Lover); and (The Humorous Lieu-
tenant. Bullen, the most authoritative critic
of Elizabethan literature, says he had Massin-
ger's aid in “The Knight of Malta,' (Thierry
and Theodoret, (The Little French Lawyer,'
(The Beggar's Bush,' (The Spanish Curate,
(The False One,' and (A Very Woman. The
same authority gives (The Queen of Corinth)
with Massinger, Rowley, and Middleton ; (The
Jeweller of Amsterdam) with Massinger and
Field ; (The Bloody Brother) with Ben Jonson,
revised by Middleton ; (Two Noble Kinsmen)
with Massinger, after Shakespeare's death; and
considers (Henry VIII. the work of Fletcher
a
## p. 192 (#208) ############################################
192
FLETCHER-FOGAZZARO
and Massinger with Shakespearean passages.
* (See Beaumont and Fletcher. ')
Fletcher, Julia Constance. (“George Flem-
ing. ”] An American novelist; born in Rio
Janeiro, Brazil, about 1850; daughter of James
C. Fletcher, who was a missionary to Brazil
and wrote (Brazil and the Brazilians. Among
her novels are : Kismet) (1877); “The Head
of the Medusa (1880); (Andromeda) (1885);
(The Truth about Clement Ker' (1889); and
(For Plain Women Only. '
Fleury, Claude (flė-re'). A French Church
historian and pedagogue; born in Paris, Dec.
6, 1640; died there (? ), July 14, 1723. His
learning and unaffected simplicity made him
a notable figure at the court of Louis XIV. , and
later at that of Louis XV. , whose confessor he
became. An Ecclesiastical History' (1691-
1720) forms his claim to enduring renown;
the work coming down to 1414, at which point
a later writer has attempted, although not sym-
pathetically, to round out the master's perform-
ance. A History of French Law) (1674) and
a Historical Catechism' (1679) are less im-
portant achievements.
Fleury-Husson, Jules. See Champfleury.
Flint, Timothy. An American clergyman
and miscellaneous writer; born in North Read-
ing, Mass. , July 11, 1780; died in Salem, Mass. ,
Aug. 16, 1840. He was a Congregational min-
ister during 1812-14; subsequently he devoted
himself to editorial work, descriptive writing,
and fiction. In these departments his most
important work is included in: (The Geogra-
phy and History of the Mississippi Valley);
(Indian Wars in the West); and in fiction,
Francis Berrian); “George Mason); and “The
Shoshone Valley. )
Floquet, Pierre Amable (fő-kā'). A French
historian and biographical writer; born in
Rouen, July 9, 1797; died in Formentin, Aug. 6,
1881. He made Normandy's annals and per-
sonages the objects of his painstaking study
in Norman Anecdotes); History of the Par-
liament of Normandy) (1840-43); (Studies in
the Life of Bossuet! (1855); of which the last
two were crowned by the Academy. Subse-
quent volumes show the rich harvest the field
has yielded him.
Florez, Henrique (fõ'reth). A Spanish his-
torian and antiquarian; born in Valladolid,
Feb. 14, 1701; died in Madrid, Aug. 20, 1773.
He was an Augustinian ordinary who taught
theology and history with brilliant success,
and charmed his classes by presenting dogmas
and annals from the standpoint of their human
interest. “Sacred Spain) (1747-73), on the his-
tory and dominion of the Church in the penin-
sula, brought down to the present time by a
recent writer; “Memorials of Catholic Queens);
and other works of importance, justify the high
opinion entertained of him.
Florian, Jean Pierre Claris de (fő-ryon').
A French poet and romancer (1755-94). At
10 he captivated Voltaire by his quick repartee
and sprightliness. He made his debut with
some pleasing farces (1779), and added greatly
to his fame with the two pastoral stories (Gala-
tea' (1783) and Estelle (1787); but both are
sentimental romances in the dominant taste of
that time. A like judgment is to be passed on
his metrical romances Numa Pompilius) (1786)
and (Gonsalvo of Cordova) (1791). He also
wrote (Medleys of Poetry and Literature); and
(Florian's Youth,' in which he recounts the
story of his boyhood. *
Flourens, Marie Jean Pierre (flö-ron'). An
eminent French writer on physiology and anat-
omy; born in Maurilhan, Hérault, April 15,
1794; died at Montgeron, near Paris, Dec. 5,
1867. His special studies were neurology, oste-
ology, and cellular pathology. The following
partial list of his writings indicates his wide
scope and massive knowledge: Physical Re-
searches into Irritability and Sensibility) (1822);
(General Anatomy of the Skin and of its Mu-
cous Membranes) (1843); Life and Intelli-
gence) (1857); Natural Ontology) (1864); and
works in which he traces with admirable lucid-
ity the connection between the respective as-
pects of physical, intellectual, and ethical states.
Flower, Benjamin Orange. An American
editor and author; born in Illinois in 1859.
He was until recently the publisher and editor
of the Arena, Boston, Mass. Among his nu-
merous works are: (Civilization's Inferno; or
Studies in the Social Cellar (1893); (The New
Time) (1894); Persons, Places, and Ideas);
"Gerald Massey: Poet, Prophet, and Mystic)
(1895). He is now editor of The New Time.
Flower, Frank Abial. An American histor-
ical writer; born in Cottage, N. Y. , May 11, 1854.
Has written several local histories. Among
his works are to be found : (Old Abe, the Wis-
consin War Eagle) (1880); (The Life of Mat-
thew H. Carpenter) (1883); and a (History of
the Republican Party) (1884). He is curator
of the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Flügel, Johann Gottfried (flü'gel). A Ger-
man lexicographer and compiler of language
manuals; born in Barby on the Elbe, Nov. 22,
1788; died in Leipsic, June 24, 1855. He spent
many years in this country in business, diplo-
matic, and official occupations, and compiled
(with J. Sporschil) a (Complete English-Ger-
man and German-English Dictionary) (1830),
besides publishing A Series of Commercial
Letters) (9th ed. 1874); Practical Handbook
of English Business Correspondence) (9th ed.
1873); (Triglot; or Mercantile Dictionary in
Three Tongues — German, English, French)
(2d ed. 1854); and other useful manuals, all
revised, or brought down to contemporary
needs, by his son.
Flygare-Carlén. See Carlén.
Fogazzaro, Antonio (fő-gäts-är'o). An Ital.
ian poet and story-teller; born at Vicenza, 1842.
He first came into notice with Miranda, a
story in verse (1874), and added greatly to his
reputation as a poet with Valsonda,' a volume
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FOGLAR - FONTENELLE
193
-e. 8
of lyrics (1876). He is author of several novels
which were received with marked favor, among
them (Master Chicco's Fiasco) (1885); Daniel
Cortis) (1887); (The Poet's Mystery) (1888).
Foglar, Ludwig (fõ'glär). An Austrian poet;
born in Vienna, Dec. 24, 1819; died at Kam-
mer, Aug. 15, 1889. Among his poems, mostly
lyric, are (Cypresses) (1842); “Sunbeams and
Shadows) (1846); (Clara von Vissegrad) an
epic (1847); (Freedom's Breviary) (1848); Joy.
ful and Sorrowful' (1867); (Saint Velocipede)
(1869), a satire (under the pseudonym Leb-
erecht Flott”).
Fokke Simonsz, Arend (fok'é). A Dutch
essayist; born at Amsterdam, July 2, 1755; died
there, Nov. 15, 1812. All his writings, especially
his (Catechism of Arts and Sciences) (11 vols. ,
1785-1804), give proof of the extraordinary
compass of his learning; but he is most cele-
brated for his popular scientific works, mostly
written in a burlesque or a satiric vein. From
him we have the delightful literary satires (The
Modern Helicon (1792) and (Apollo, Sergeant
of the Burghers' Guard); Life of Lucifer)
(1799), a history of demonology in form of a
comic romance; the psychological disquisition
(The Different Aspects of Human Life) (1786);
(Woman Is Boss) (1807).
Folengo, Teofilo (fő-len'go). [Pseudonym
"Merlino Coccajo. ”] An Italian poet (1491-
1554). He was the first to win fame as a writer
of macaronic verses. His Macaronic Work of
Merlino Coccajo, Mantuan Poet) – first pub-
lished in 17 cantos (1517), and four years later
in 25-comprises the comico-heroic poems
(Baldus) and (Moscæa) (War of the Midges).
His satire is mostly against monachism. He
writes in cynic humor, but under his burlesque
lies a vein of serious purpose : to him Rabelais
owes not a little. Under the pseudonym “Li-
merno Pitocco” he wrote in Italian the epic sat-
ire (Orlandino) (1526) in ridicule of the story
of Roland; then, partly in macaronic, partly in
pure Italian, partly in pure Latin, «The Chaos
of Three by One) (1527), in which he darkly
recounts the events of his own life. He wrote
them while a vagrant from his monastery; he
returned later and composed some religious
poems of little value.
Follen, August (föl'len). A German poet
of patriotism, and popular song writer; born
in Giessen, Jan. 21, 1794; died in Bern, Dec.
26, 1855. He was a little of a soldier, a little
of a lawyer, and a good deal of an enthusiast,
suffering imprisonment for alleged demagogy.
He became intensely popular as the author of
(Sons of Fatherland,' a patriotic hymn; (Ma-
legys and Vivian' (1829), a romance of chivalry ;
and numerous fine translations and poetic ap-
peals to the instinct for liberty.
Follen, Eliza Lee (Cabot). An American
prose-writer and poet; born in Boston, Aug.
15, 1787; died in Brookline, Mass. , Jan. 26,
1800. She was the wife of Charles T. C. Fol-
len, whose memoir she wrote (1842). Her other
works are: “Poems) (1839); (Twilight Stories)
(1858); and (Home Dramas) (1859).
Folz, Hans (fõlts). A German master-
singer; native of Worms; died about 1515, at
Nuremberg, where he followed the trade of
barber-surgeon. He is best known for his
Shrove Tuesday plays; but he wrote also many
jests, New-Year's lays, minstrel songs, etc. ,
highly prized by his contemporaries, but all of
them marred by indelicacy. In better tone are
some of his poems on the events of his time,
as “The Plague) (1482); 'Investiture of the
Emperor Maximilian (1491).
Fontan, Louis Marie (fôn-tän'). A French
dramatist, pamphleteer, and journalist; born
in Lorient, Nov. 4, 1801; died in Thiais, Seine,
Oct. 10, 1839. His newspaper articles and
political pamphlets, particularly 'The Rabid
Sheep' (1829), got him into prison, from which
he was freed by the Revolution of July. His
eminence as a writer for the stage rests upon
(The Reckless Girl Jeanne); (The Monk);
(The Count of St. Germain); and a few others.
He produced also a volume of 'Odes and Epis-
tles) (1825).
Fontana, Ferdinand (fon-ta'nä). An Italian
poet; born in Milan, Jan. 30, 1850. He made
his mark early in journalism, and wrote some
good librettos- (Colomba! (1887); but
his is essentially a poet's fame,-(The Song
of Hate, (Socialism, and “The Meeting' being
effective and beautiful compositions.
Fontane, Theodor (fontä'nė). A German
poet and novelist; born at Neu-Ruppin, Dec. 30,
1819. He visited England several times on lit-
erary quests, particularly of old ballad poetry.
Among his writings are three volumes on Eng.
land, one A Summer in London (1854); (The
Sleswick-Holstein War of 1864' (1866), and
other war histories. His first volume of lyrics,
Men and Heroes,' was published in 1850 ; his
collected (Ballads) in 1892. They are full at
once of fire and of firmly exact phrasing. He
is the author of many masterly stories of North
German life, as (Count Petöfy); Under the
Pear-Tree) (1885); (Mrs. Jenny Treibel (1892).
He is a thorough realist, yet has a kindly, homely
humor.
Fontanes, Marquis Louis de (fôn-tän'). A
French poet and statesman; born at Niort,
March 6, 1757; died March 17, 1821. Pro-
scribed by the Revolution for editing papers
opposed to the Terror, he fed to England,
where he became intimate with Châteaubriand.
Returning when it was safe, he attained high
office under Napoleon and the restored Bour-
bons. He was a brilliant orator and also lit.
erary critic; and wrote several most graceful
descriptive poems - among them (The Forest
of Navarre (1778); (The Carthusian Nun'; and
(All-Souls) (1796), an imitation of Gray's
(Elegy) -- and a translation of Pope's Essay
on Man.
Fontenelle, Bernard le Bovier de (fônt-nel').
A distinguished French essayist; born at Rouen,
13
## p. 194 (#210) ############################################
194
FONVIELLE - FORBES
Feb. II, 1657; died at Paris, Jan. 9, 1757. A
gift of luminous popular exposition made his
historical, philosophical, moral, and scientific
writings highly esteemed. Best known among
his prose writings are: Dialogues of the Dead,
after the Manner of Lucian) (1683); Conver-
sations on the Plurality of Worlds) (1686),
which was translated into many languages and
is still republished; History of the Oracles)
(1686). He was unsuccessful as a writer for
the stage.
Fonvielle, Wilfried de (fôn-vyāl or fôn-
vyā'). A French popular scientific prose-writer;
born in Paris, July 21, 1824. He has long aimed
to propagate scientific truths by his writings, of
which the best known are: (Fossil Man' (1865);
(Balloons in the Siege of Paris) (1871); (The
Physics of Miracles) (1872); (The Conquest of
the North Pole) (1877); (The Wonders of the
Invisible World (5th ed. 1880); and (Thun-
ders and Lightnings) (4th ed. 1885); — besides
one or two minor historical works.
Fonvizin (Von Wisin), Denis Ivanovich
(fon-vis'in). A Russian dramatist, satirist, and
epistolary writer; born in Moscow, April 14,
1745; died in St. Petersburg, Dec. 12, 1792.
His fame as the Molière of his country arises
from the merit of two comedies, (The Briga-
dier) (1766) and (The Minor) (or Mother's
Favorite Son): 1782), ridiculing certain pecul-
iarities of Russian character. A burlesque,
(Court Grammar, and mock (correspond-
ence) of a facetious sort, add to his renown.
Foote, Henry Stewart. An American states-
man and author; born in Fauquier County, Va. ,
Sept. 20, 1800; died in Nashville, Tenn. , May
20, 1880. In 1847 he was chosen to the United
States Senate; resigning in 1852 to serve as
governor of his State. Subsequently he was
elected to the Confederate Congress. His pub-
lications include: (Texas and the Texans)
vols. , 1841); (The War of the Rebellion, or
Scylla and Charybdis) (1866); and (Personal
Reminiscences.
Foote, Mary (Hallock). An American nov-
elist, descriptive writer, and illustrator ; born at
Milton, N. Y. , Nov. 19, 1847; married a mining
engineer, and lives mainly in the Rocky Mount-
ain districts. She is the author of several
novels and collections of short stories on the
life of these regions : (The Led Horse Claim )
(1883); John Bodewin's Testimony) (1886);
(In Exile); (The Chosen Valley); (Coeur d'-
Alène); (The Cup of Trembling and Other
Stories); etc.
Foote, Samuel. An English wag, imperson-
ator, and comic playwright; born at Truro
in Cornwall, 1720; died at Dover, Oct. 21,
1777. From Oxford he went to London to
study law, but had to go on the stage for a
living; tried tragic parts and failed; then
began to give entertainments of a sort now
familiar but then new, impersonating real and
imaginary people and acting little farces by
himself. Later he wrote regular farce-plays, 22
in number; the most notable being "The Mi.
nor) (1700), a skit at the Methodists; (The
Liar); 'The Mayor of Garratt. His repartees
are famous, and have been collected into a
volume. *
Foran, Joseph K. A Canadian poet and
novelist; born in Greenpark, Aylmer, P. Q.
1857. Among his poems the best known are
a Lament for Longfellow) and Indian Trans-
lations. From 1879 till 1883 he published a
series of essays on monuments, coins, art; and
subsequently (Irish-Canadian Representatives:
Their Past Acts, Present Stand, and Future
Prospects); (The Spirit of the Age); also two
novels - (Tom Ellis, a Story of the Northwest
Rebellion,' and (Simon, the Abenakis. )
Forbes, Archibald. A British war corre-
spondent and journalist; born in Morayshire,
Scotland, 1838. He became famous during the
Franco-German war and the Paris communard
insurrection by the vivid power of his letters
to the London Daily News. He also did dis-
tinguished work during the Russo-Turkish war.
His books include: Drawn from Liſe) (1870);
(My Experiences of the War between France
and Germany) (1871); 'Chinese Gordon, a Suc-
cinct Record of his Life) (1884), a very able
work; (Soldiering and Scribbling! ; 'Glimpses
through the Cannon Smoke); Life of Colin
Campbell, Lord Clyde (1895); (Memories and
Studies of War and Peace (1895); Czar and
Sultan); etc.
Forbes, David. An English geologist and
traveler; born at Douglas, Isle of Man, Sept.
6, 1828; died in London, Dec. 5, 1876. As a
civil engineer he traveled all over the world,
studying rock formations and fossils, and writ-
ing On the Relations of the Silurian and
Metamorphic Rocks of the South of Norway)
(1855); (On the Geology of Bolivia and South-
ern Peru) (1861); and kindred treatises.
Forbes, Edward. An eminent English nat-
uralist ; born in Douglas, Isle of Man, Feb. 12,
1815; died in Edinburgh, Nov. 18, 1854. Scarcely
any department of botany, paläontology, geol-
ogy, and the allied sciences, remained without
obligation to his energy and research. The
(History of British Starfishes) (1841), (De-
scription of Fossil Invertebrate from South
India (1846), (Zoology of the European Seas)
(posthumous, 1859), and like studies, remain
monuments of his scientific attainments.
Forbes, Henry 0. A Scotch naturalist; born
in Drumblade, Aberdeen, Jan. 30, 1851. His
learning, supplemented by pilgrimages to Java,
Sumatra, Timor, and New Guinea, has enriched
the literature of science with A Naturalist's
Wanderings in the Eastern Archipelago) (1885);
(Three Months' Exploration in the Tenimbur
Islands of Timor Laut) (1884); and New
Guinea) (1886), which last domain he has most
exhaustively explored.
Forbes, James. An English writer of me-
moirs, and Indian civil servant; born in Lon.
don, 1749; died at Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany,
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FORBES - FORNEY
195
23, 1868.
Aug. I, 1819. He lived almost a generation in
the vicinity of Calcutta, where he obtained his
material for the Oriental Memoirs) (1813-15),
a narrative of his experiences and impressions.
Forbes, James David. A noted English
physicist; born in Edinburgh, April 20, 1809;
died in Clifton, Dec. 31, 1868. He investigated
glacial formation, recording his deductions in
(Travels through the Alps of Savoy) (1843);
Illustrations of the Viscous Theory of Glacier
Motion) (1845); Norway and its Glaciers)
(1853); etc. ; in addition to which a (Review
of the Progress of Mathematical and Physical
Science (1858), and Experiments on the Tem-
perature of the Earth' (1846), must be cited.
Force, Manning Ferguson. An American
general in the Civil War; born in Washing.
ton, D. C. , Dec. 17, 1824. He joined the Fed-
eral Army in 1861, and continued in active
service until the close of the war. His public
cations include: (From Fort Henry to Corinth)
(1881); Marching Across Carolina! (1883);
(The Mound Builders); Prehistoric Man);
and (Personal Recollections of the Vicksburg
Campaign) (1885).
Force, Peter.
