Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 7.djvu/252

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HELYOT


214


HENDERSON


we have twenty-four strophes of three hexameters each, on scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Sixteen of these scenes correspond to one another, e. g. as type and fulfilment. These verses were probably intended as texts for the decoration of a church. Under the title of " Rustic! Elpidii carmen de Christi beneficiis" a short poem of one hundred and forty hexameters celebrates the miracles of Christ. Its opening prayer is a<ldres.sed to Christ as Creator and intimately united with the Father. A very mystical tone dominates these verses. The best edition is that of W. Brandes in a programme of the Brunswick Gymnasium (1890). For the aforesaid trLstichs there are only as yet the ancient editions in P. L., LXII, 545.

Manitius, Geschichte der christlich-laleinischen Poesie (Stutt- gart, 1891), 379; Brandes, Wimer Siudien, XII, 297.

Paul Lejay.

Helyot, Pierre, usually known as Hippolyte, his name in religion, b. at Paris, in 1660; d. there 5 January, 1716. He came of noble family, and at twenty-three took the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis, in a monastery (Picpus) founded liy his uncle, Jerome Helyot. The lengthy journeys which he made all over Europe affordetl him opportunity to collect material for his great work on the religious orders, to the composition of which he had already devoted much time. The first four volumes appeared after twenty-five years of preparation; but he died while the fifth was still in press. The work was com- pleted by his fellow religious, Maximilian Bullot, and treats of the history of religious and knightly orders, and of congregations of both sexes, down to his own time, and exhiliits more particularly their origin, growth, deterioration, suppression, or dissolution, various offshoots and reforms; he added also the lives of the chief founilers, and illustrations of different monastic habits. The work appeared at Paris in 1714—1719, and comprised eight quarto volumes en- titled: "Histoire des ordrcs monastiques, religieux et militaires, et des congi-egations s^culieres de I'un et de I'autre sexe, qui ont 6te 6tablis jusqu'i present ..." Being written on scientific principles, though not always with critical insight, it was very favour- ably received, and achieved a wide circulation. The French edition was reprinted three times (1721, 1792, and 18.38). An Italian edition liy Fontana appeared at Lucca in 17.37; a German one in eight quarto volumes at Leipzig in 1753, and another at Frank- fort-on-the-Main in 1830. Il^lyot's work was made the basis of an alphalietical dictionary of religious orders, "Dictionnaire des ordres religieux, ou histoire des ordres monastiques", prepared by M. L. Badichc, which appeared in Migne's " Encyclopedic Theolo- gique" (Paris, 1858) xx-xxiv.

Biographic Universelle, XIX, 95; Hurter, Nomenclator.

Patricius Schlager.

Hemerford, Thomas. See Haydock, George.

Hemmerlin (Malleolus), properly Hemerli, Felix, provost at Solothurn, in Switzerland, b. at Zurich, m 1388 or 1389; d. about 1460. He was edu- cated at the school of the collegiate church of his native town, and afterwards entered the University of Erfurt, whence in 1408 he betook himself to the University of Bologna, where he studied law for four years. At the beginning of 1412 he became a canon of the collegiate church of Sts. Felix and Regula at Zurich. A little later a similar dignity wa.s conferred upon him from the ch\irch of St. Mauritius, in Zo- fingen. In 1413 we find him once more at the Uni- versity of Erfurt, whore he won the degree of Bachelor of Canon Law. Soon after this he took part in the Council of Constance. He identified himself there with the Church Reform party, the principles of which were thenceforth to govern his religious activ-


ities and his attitude in matters of ecclesiastical pohcy. He became, in 1421, provost {praiiufsitu-ti} of the collegiate church of St. Ursus at Solothurn. As such he undertook to reform the collegiate clergy, drew up new regulations bearing on Divine service, on the ecclesiastical duties and the fife of choir-mem- bers, and even defended energetically the rights of the collegiate church against the municipal authorities. Two years later he returned to the L'niversity of Bologna, from which he obtained in the year which followed the degrees of Licentiate and Doctor of Canon Law. His doctorate certificate is still in existence and is preserved in the public museum at Zurich. It is the most ancient doctorate diploma known to exist to-day in the original. His learning covered a very wide field. Besides his legal studies he had taken up ancient languages and knew Greek and Hebrew. On his return to Solothurn he devoted himself to theology, and was ordained a priest in 1430. He had great hopes of the Council of Basle, and took part in the deliberations which preceded the general sessions of the council, as well as in the debates with the Hussites. He also espoused at the outset the cause of the antipope Feli.x against Eugene IV. But the subsequent j)roceedings of the council offended him, and he became dissatisfied with the ecclesiasti- cal conditions of his day. ileanwliile he reformed the clergy of the collegiate church of Zofingen. In January, 1139, he undertook the reform of the colle- giate clergy of Zurich, where as early as 1428 he had become cantor. But here he met strenuous oppo- sition. After he had written a violent pamphlet against the mode of living in this community, several members of the choir formed a plot against him, and he was seriously wounded. He recovered, however, and renewed his attacks against ecclesiastical al)uses.

Hemmerlin composed more than thirty polemical treatises on various subjects, the chief of which were directed against the mendicant friars, the Beguines, and even against Nicholas of Cusa (q. v.), against the cardinals, the Roman Curia, and even the pope. In politics, too, he sided earnestly with his native city, Zurich, allied with .\ustria against the Swiss con- federates. He attacked the Swiss most violently in his work entitled: " De nobilitate et rusticitate" (completed in 14.50). In this way he made numerous enemies, who sought a favourable opportunity to avenge themselves. In 1456 a popular celeliration in honour of the reconciliation of the inhal>itants of Zurich with the people of Switzerland was made the occasion of a popular outcry against Hemmerlin. He was seized in his o^\•n house, delivered to the Vicar-general of Constance, and was condemned by the episcopal court in that place to the loss of his canonicate at Zurich and to lifelong confinement. He was taken to Lucerne and underwent a mild im- prisonment in the Franciscan monastery of that place. Numerous writings employed his time at Lucerne, and eventually he exchanged his provost- ship at Solothurn for the parish of Penthaz in the Diocese of Lausanne. Only a portion of his works have been printed. An edition appeared at Basle (s. d.) prepared by Sebastian Brant, and another at the same place in 1497. There is not the slightest justification for the attem|)t to present Hemmerlin as a forerunner of the Protestant Reformation.

Rereh. Felix fiemmerlin von Zurich, rtfu nach den Quellen bearbeilcl (Basle. 1846); FlAljl, Dr. Felix Hemmerlin alK Propel defi St. Ursenstifles in Solothurn (Solothurn. 1857): Vogeli. Zum Ver8liindnifig von Mristcr Haemmerlis Schriftrn (Zurich, 1873): Schneider. Der Zurrher K^nonikus und Kantor Felix Hemmcrli an der Universitat Bologna (Zurich, 1888).

J. P. KlRSCH.

Henderson, Isaac Austin, b. at Brooklyn, 1850; d. in Rome, March, 1009. His family was of Scotch and Irish extraction and had lived for many genera- tions in America. After an early education in private