J. A. Dimock’s Florida Enchantments (New York, 1908) are of interest.
For administration, see Wilbur F. Yocum’s Civil Government of
Florida (De Land, Florida, 1904); and the Revised Statutes of
Florida (1892). The standard history is that by G. R. Fairbanks,
History of Florida (Philadelphia, 1871). This should be supplemented
by D. G. Brinton’s Notes on the Floridian Peninsula, its
Literary History, Indian Tribes and Antiquities (Philadelphia, 1859),
which has an excellent descriptive bibliography of the early explorations;
Woodbury Lowery, The Spanish Settlements within the
Present Limits of the United States (New York, vol. i., 1901; vol. ii.,
sub-title Florida, 1905); R. L. Campbell’s Historical Sketches of
Colonial Florida (Cleveland, 1892), which treats at length of the
history of Pensacola; H. E. Chambers’s West Florida and its
Relation to the Historical Cartography of the United States (Johns
Hopkins Studies in Historical and Political Science, Series 16,
No. 5); and Herbert B. Fuller’s The Purchase of Florida; its History
and Diplomacy (Cleveland, O., 1906). The only published collections
of documents relating to the state are Buckingham Smith’s Colleccion
de varios documentos para la historia de la Florida y tierras adyacentes
(London, 1857), and Benjamin F. French’s Historical Collections of
Louisiana (New York, 1846–1875).
FLORIDABLANCA, DON JOSE MOÑINO Y REDONDO, Count of (1728–1808), Spanish statesman, was born at Murcia in 1728. He was the son of a retired army officer, and received a good education, which he completed at the university of Salamanca, especially applying himself to the study of law. For a time he followed the profession of an advocate, and acquired a high reputation. A more public career was opened to him by the marquis of Esquilache, then chief minister of state, who sent him ambassador to Pope Clement XIV. Successful in his mission, he was soon after appointed by Charles III. successor to his patron, and his administration was one of the most brilliant Spain had ever seen. He regulated the police of Madrid, reformed many abuses, projected canals, established many societies of agriculture and economy and many philanthropical institutions, and gave encouragement to learning, science and the fine arts. Commerce flourished anew under his rule, and the long-standing disputes with Portugal about the South American colonies were settled. He sought to strengthen the alliance of Spain with Portugal by a double marriage between the members of the royal houses, designing by this arrangement to place ultimately a Spanish prince on the throne of Portugal. But in this he failed. Floridablanca was the right-hand man of King Charles III. in his policy of domestic reform, and was much under the influence of French philosophes and economic writers. Like other reformers of that school he was a strong supporter of the royal authority and a convinced partisan of benevolent despotism. The French Revolution frightened him into reaction, and he advocated the support of the first coalition against France. He retained his office for three years under Charles IV.; but in 1792, through the influence of the favourite Godoy, he was dismissed and imprisoned in the castle of Pampeluna. Here he was saved from starvation only by the intervention of his brother. He was afterwards allowed to retire to his estates, and remained in seclusion till the French invasion of 1808. He was then called by his countrymen to take the presidency of the central junta. But his strength failed him, and he died at Seville on the 20th of November of the same year. He left several short treatises on jurisprudence.
See Obras originales del Conde de Floridablanca, edited, with biographical introduction, by A. Ferrer del Rio; in the Biblioteca de Rivadeneyra, vol. lix.
FLORIDOR [Josias de Soulas, Sieur de Prinefosse] (d. c.
1671), French actor, was born in Brie early in the 17th century,
the son of a gentleman of German family who had moved to
France, married there, and become a Roman Catholic. The son
entered the French army, but after being promoted ensign,
quitted the army for the theatre, where he took the name
of Floridor. His first Paris appearance was in 1640. Three
years later he was called to the company at the Hôtel de Bourgogne,
where he played all the leading parts in tragedy and
comedy and became the head of his profession. He was a man
of superb physique and excellent carriage, with a flexible and
sonorous voice, and manners of rare distinction and elegance.
He was much liked at court, and Louis XIV. held him in particular
esteem. He died in 1671 or 1672.
FLORIN, the name applied to several coins of the continent
of Europe and to two coins struck in England at different times.
The word comes through the Fr. florin from the Ital. fiorino,
flower, Lat. flos, florem. Fiorino was the Italian name of a gold
coin issued at Florence in 1252, weighing about fifty-four grains.
This coin bore on the obverse a lily, from which it took its name
of “the flower,” on the reverse the Latin name of the city
Florentia, from which it was also known as a “florence.”
“Florin” and “florence” seem to have been used in English
indiscriminately as the name of this coin. The Florentine florin
was held in great commercial repute throughout Europe, and
similar coins were struck in Germany, other parts of Italy,
France, &c. The English gold florin was introduced by Edward
III. in 1343, half and quarter florins being struck at the same
time. This gold florin weighed 108 grains and was to be current
for six shillings. It was found, however, to be overvalued in
proportion to the silver currency and was demonetized the
following year. The florin did not again appear in the English
coinage until 1849, when silver coins with this name, having
a nominal value of two shillings (one-tenth of a pound), were
struck. When first issued the “Dei gratia” was omitted from
the inscription, and they were frequently referred to as the
“Godless” or “graceless” florins. The D.G. was added in
1852. In 1887 a double florin or four shilling piece was issued,
but its coinage was discontinued in 1890. The total value of
double florins issued during these years amounted to £533,125.
(See also Numismatics.)
FLORIO, GIOVANNI (1553?–1625), English writer, was born
in London about 1553. He was of Tuscan origin, his parents
being Waldenses who had fled from persecution in the Valtelline
and taken refuge in England. His father, Michael Angelo
Florio, was pastor of an Italian Protestant congregation in
London in 1550. He was attached to the household of Sir
William Cecil, but dismissed on a charge of immorality. He
dedicated a book on the Italian language to Henry Herbert,
and may have been a tutor in the family of William Herbert,
earl of Pembroke. Anthony à Wood says that the Florios left
England on the accession of Queen Mary, but returned after her
death. The son resided for a time at Oxford, and was appointed,
about 1576 tutor to the son of Richard Barnes, bishop of Durham,
then studying at Magdalen College. In 1578 Florio published
a work entitled First Fruits, which yield Familiar Speech, Merry
Proverbs, Witty Sentences, and Golden Sayings (4to). This was
accompanied by A Perfect Induction to the Italian and English
Tongues. The work was dedicated to the earl of Leicester.
Three years later Florio was admitted a member of Magdalen
College, and became a teacher of French and Italian in the university.
In 1591 appeared his Second Fruits, to be gathered of
Twelve Trees, of divers but delightsome Tastes to the Tongues of
Italian and English men; to which was annexed the Garden of
Recreation, yielding six thousand Italian Proverbs (4to). These
manuals contained an outline of the grammar, a selection of
dialogues in parallel columns of Italian and English, and longer
extracts from classical Italian writers in prose and verse. Florio
had many patrons; he says that he “lived some years” with
the earl of Southampton, and the earl of Pembroke also befriended
him. His Italian and English dictionary, entitled
A World of Words, was published in folio in 1598. After the
accession of James I., Florio was named French and Italian
tutor to Prince Henry, and afterwards became a gentleman of the
privy chamber and clerk of the closet to the queen, whom he
also instructed in languages. His magnum opus is the admirable
translation of the Essayes on Morall, Politike, and Millitarie
Discourses of Lo. Michaell de Montaigne, published in folio in
1603 in three books, each dedicated to two noble ladies. A
second edition in 1613 was dedicated to the queen. Special
interest attaches to the first edition from the circumstance that
of the several copies in the British Museum library one bears
the autograph of Shakespeare—long received as genuine but
now supposed to be by an 18th-century hand—and another that
of Ben Jonson. It was suggested by Warburton that Florio is
satirized by Shakespeare under the character of Holofernes, the
