Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 04.djvu/220

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Benedict
216
Benedict

gratitude for founding the monastery which was the home of the saint and historian, the Venerable Bede.

[Bede's H. E. v. 19, and Hist. Abbatum, c. 1-12; Will. of Malmesbury's Great. Pont. iv. § 186; Mabillon's Acta Sanct. O.S.B. sæc. ii. 1000-1012; Boll. Acta Sanct. 1 Jan. 745, 746.]

W. R. W. S.

BENEDICT CHELYDONIUS or CALEDONIUS (fl. 1519), abbot of the Scotch monastery at Vienna, was an intimate friend of the theologian Johann von Eck, the opponent of Martin Luther. He wrote 'Contra Luthenim apostatam' and 'Bandini Sententiarum de Rebus Theologicis,' Louvain, 1557 and 1577.

[Dempster's Hist. Eccl. Gent. Scot. (1627), p. 181; Mackenzie's Scottish Writers, ii. 600; Tanner's Bibl. Brit. p. 95.]

BENEDICT of Gloucester (fl. 1120), author of a life of St. Dubricius, archbishop of Caerleon, was, according to his own description of himself, a monk of St. Peter's, Gloucester. Having devoted his attention to the lives of the saints, and finding that there was no satisfactory account of St. Dubricius, he set himself the task of compiling one from what authentic records he could obtain access to. This work, which still exists in manuscript at the British Museum, was edited by Wharton in his 'Anglia Sacra,' but with the omission of several miraculous details. Tanner and other authorities suppose Benedict of Gloucester to have flourished about the year 1120; but all that can definitely be said with reference to his date seems to be that he lived after this year, in which, according to Benedict's own account, the saint's bones were removed to Llandaff. There seems, however, to be little question that Benedict was indebted to Geoffrey of Monmouth, as may be seen from comparing the two authors' accounts of Arthur's coronation and the battle of Badon. This would make the date of the 'Vita Dubricii' after the year 1147.

[Wharton's Anglia Sacra, i. xxvi. and 660; Tanner; Fabricius, Bibliotheca Latina, i. 205; Cotton MSS. Vespasian A. 14; cf. Geoffrey of Monmouth, ix. 1 and 4, with Wharton, i. 667, 608.]

T. A. A.

BENEDICT of Norwich (fl. 1340), an Augustinian monk, flourished in the reign of Edward III. According to Bale he was distinguished for his linguistic, his scientific, and his theological skill. The same biographer, however, finds great fault with the tendency of Benedict's teaching, accusing him of a leaning towards Novatianism, Arianism, and other heresies, and also of trusting too much to Gentile authority, 'when he should have known that the divine wisdom has no need of human inventions.' Benedict, who was abbot of the Austin friars at Norwich, apparently made himself a great reputation by his popular discourses, and in this way so approved himself to Antony Bek, bishop of Norwich (1337-1443), that this prelate appointed him suffragan in his diocese. Bale calls him 'episcopus Cardicensis.' Benedict seems to have flourished about the year 1340. He was buried at Norwich, but the date of his death is not known. His writings, as enumerated by Bale, consisted of an 'Alphabet of Aristotle,' sermons for a year, and hortatory epistles. Dr. Stubbs makes Benedict suffragan of both Winchester and Norwich from 1333 to 1346.

[Bale, 422; Pits, 440; Tanner's Bibl. Brit. 96; Fabricius, Bibliotheca Latina, i. 206; Blomfield's History of Norfolk, iii. 505, iv. 90; Stubbs's Registrum Anglicanum, 143.]

T. A. A.

BENEDICT, Sir JULIUS (1804–1885), musician, was born at Stuttgart (according to Grove's Dictionary) on 27 Nov. 1804, though the date of his birth is generally believed to have been on 24 Dec. of that year. His father was a local banker, but as Benedict's musical talent soon showed signs of development, the boy was placed under a musician of some repute, J. C. L. Abeille, who was at that time residing at Stuttgart. At the age of fifteen he became the pupil of Hummel at Weimar, by whom he was introduced to Beethoven, and in 1821 he went to study composition under Weber at Dresden. By Weber Benedict was introduced to Barbaja, the director of the Italian opera at Vienna, who gave him the post of conductor at the Kärnthnerthor theatre, where he remained from 1823 to 1825. In the latter year he went with Barbaja to Italy, and at Naples obtained the appointments of conductor at the San Carlo and Fondo theatres, at the former of which he produced in 1829 his first opera, 'Giacinta ed Ernesto,' a work written in the stvle of Weber, which achieved no success. In the following year a second opera, 'I Portoghesi in Goa,' failed at Stuttgart, but was successful in Naples, probably because the music was modelled upon that of Rossini. In 1835 Benedict went to Paris, where he met Malibran, by whose advice he came to London, which was destined to be his home for the rest of his long and active life. In 1836 he conducted a series of Italian comic operas at the Lyceum under the management of Mitchell, and here was produced his one-act operetta, 'Un Anno ed un Gionio,' a version of which had previously been given at Naples. In 1838 he became