Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 7.djvu/156

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HAMMER-PUR6STALL


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HAMMER-PURGSTALL


ton was not free from grave irregularities in his private life, as records of legitimation of his natural children testify. His complicity in the murders of Darnley and of the regent Moray has never been proved ; with his last breath he protested that his death was due solely to his loyalty to Church and sovereign. It is difficult to explain how he could declare the nullity from consanguinity of the marriage between Bothwell and his countess, enabling the earl to espouse Queen Mary, although he had previously granted the neces- sary dispensation; it has been suggested, however, that the dispensation was worthless, owing to some flaw.

Two works bearing his name, since they were published by his authority and at his expense, though compiled by another, are "Archbishop Hamilton's Catechism" and "Ane Godlie E.xhortatioun". The catechism was printed at St. Andrews in August, 1552. It had been drawn up in obedience to a decree of the provincial council of the previous Januarj-, for the use of the clergy in instructing their people. The council ordered it to be read in the churches on all Sundays and Holy Days, when there happened to be no sermon, for the space of half an hour.

The work consists of an introduction commending its use to the clergy, followed by another addressed to the laity on the necessity of a thorough knowledge of the doctrines of faith. The body of the book is di- vided into four parts: I, "Of the ten commandis", consisting of 26 chapters; II, "The twelf artiklis of the Crede", in 13 chapters; III, "The sevin Sacra- mentis", 13 chapters; IV, "Of the maner how Chris- tin men and wemen suld mak thair prayer to God"; 10 chapters are devoted to an explanation of the seven petitions of the Pater Noster, followed by instructions on the Ave Maria, invocation of saints, and prayer for the dead. The whole work is in the vernacular Scot- tish of the period. The catechism is thoroughly Catholic in tone, while it has been highly commended, even by Protestant writers, such as Bishop Keith and Hill Burton, as an excellent work of its kind — learned, moderate, and skilfully compiled. It is especially valuable as a specimen of pure Scottish speech, un- adulterated by foreign idioms. The original work is very rare. There have been two reprints ; one a fac- simile in 1882, edited by Professor Mitchell; the other published in 188-1 with a preface by the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone.

The "Godlie Exhortatioun" is much smaller, con- sisting of but four pages of black letter. It was printed in 1559. Besides its proper title, it has often borne that of "The Twapenny Faith", given in deri- sion on account of its price when hawked abroad by pedlars. The treatise consists of an explanation of Holy Communion; it was intended to be read by the clergy to the people when the latter approached the sacraments. A facsimile reprint is appended to the 1882 edition of the catechism.

Hamilton was a mimificent benefactor to his cathe- dral city; he completed and endowed St. Mary's Col- lege, strengthened the castle, erected other buildings, and constructed as many as fourteen bridges in the neighbourhood. He was the last (Catholic metropoli- tan of the pre-Reformation Church in Scotland.

Lang. liistonj of Scotland (Edinburgh and London. 1902). II. 2.35; Bellesheim. tr. Hu.\ter-Blaib. Hist, of the Cath. Church in Srolland (Edinburgh, 1890), II. 200-219, 240-33. 302-7; III. 1.-). 73. 117, 128. 154, 161-4, 214; KeoKt. Mag. Sigil. in Rolls Scries, 1551 and 1580; Theiner. Monumenia (Rome, 1864), .538; Mitchell, Archbishop Hamilton's Cate- chism (Edinburgh, 1882). MiCHAEL B.\RKETT.

Hammer-Purgstall, Joseph, Baron von, a distin- guished Austrian Orientalist: b. at Graz, 9 June, 1774; d. at Vienna, 23 November, 185G. He studied at Graz and Vienna, entering the Oriental academy of Vienna in 1788 to devote himself to Oriental "lan- guages. His first scholarly work was done as collab- orator of von Jenisch, the editor of Meninski's Arabic-


Persian-Turki.sh dictionary. In 1796 he entered the Austrian diplomatic .service as secretary in the min- istry of foreign affairs, was appointed interpreter to the internuncio at Constantinople in 1799 and was sent from there to Egypt, where he took part in 1801 as secretary in the campaign of the English and Turks against the French. He returned to Vienna in April, 1802, but in August went again to Con.stantinople as secretary of the legation, remaining there until 1807, when he returned definitely to Vienna, where he con- tinued to serve in various diplomatic capacities. In 1817 he was made Aulic Councillor, was knighted in 1824, and when he inherited the Styrian estates of the Countess Purgstall in 1835, he was made a baron and received permission to join her name to his. In 1847 he was elected president of the newly founded .-Xcad- emy of Sciences. Hammer-Purgstall was a very pro- lific WTiter. His knowledge of Oriental languages was extensive but not thorough. This detracts seriously from the value of his work ; his text editions are unre- liable and his translations often inaccurate. Much of his work is to-day antiquated. But his wide range of studies enabled him to make valuable contributions to the field of Oriental history, while his translations have exerted a noteworthy influence, especially on German literature. His version of the Persian poems of Hafiz inspired Goethe's " Westostliche Divan" (1815-1819); Riickert and Platen were also indeVjted to him.

His chief historical works are: " Die Staatsverf as- sung und Staatsverwaltung des osnianischen Reichs" (Vienna, 1814, 2 vols.); "Geschichte der As.sassinen" (Stuttgart and Tiibingcn, 1818); "Geschichte des osnianischen Reichs" (Pest, 1827-35, 10 vols.); "Ge- maldesaal der Lebensbeschreibungen gros.ser moslim- ischer Herr.scher" (Darmstadt, 1837-39, 6 vols.); "Geschichte der Goldenen Horde in Kiptschak" (Pest, 1840); "Geschichte der Ilchane" (Darmstadt, 1843, 2 vols.), and "Ge-schichte der Chane der Krini" (Vienna, 1856). His translations are numerous. From the Arabic he translated the poems of Mutan- abbi (Vienna, 1824), and the ".\twak al-dhahab" of Zamahshari under the title " Samachscharis Goldene Halsb.ander" (Vienna, 1835). From the Persian he translated the entire " Divan" of Hafiz (Stuttgart and Tubingen, 1812-13). Unfortunatelv this rendering is in German prose and does scant justice to the original, but it was the first time the poems of Persia's greatest lyrist were made known to Europe in their entirety. He also published the Persian text with a German version of Mahmud Shablstarl's famous Sufi poem "Gulshan-i-raz" luidcr the title of "Mahmud Schabis- teris Ro.senllor des Geheimnls.ses" (Pest, 1838), and a part of the "Ta'rikh-i-Wassaf ", under the title "(!e- schichte Was.safs" (Vienna, IS.'jd). From the Turkish he made a translation of the" Divan "of BakK Vienna, 1825), of Fazli's romantic poem "Gul u Bulbul", i. e. "Ro.se and Nightingale" (Pest, 1834), and of the "Baznamah", a treatise on falconry, which he pub- lished with two other treatises on the same subject, one Greek and one German, under the title " Falknerklee" (Vienna, 1840).

Hammer's contributions to literary history were very important. Together with Count Reviczky he founded the "Fundgruben dps Orients" (Vienna, 1809-19, 6 vols.), a periodical devoted to Oriental sub- jects. His "Geschichte der schijnpn Redekunste Per- sicns" (Vienna, 1818), based on Daulatshah's "Taz- kirat-ushu'ara", a sort of history of Persian poetry, although now wholly antiquated, had great influence on German poetry. Goethe and Riickert made liberal use of it. Hammer also wrote a history of Turkish poetry, "Geschichte der osmanischen Dichtkunst (Pest^ 1836-38, 4 vols.), and one of Arabic literature, " Literaturgeschichte der Araber" (Vienna, 1850-.56, 7 vols.), which to-day has little more than historic value. His original poems, based mo.stly on Oriental models, are devoid of literary merit.