where he was on terms of friendship with the most eminent men of the capital, he was pursuing quietly his literary avocations in the society of his early friends, when, having incurred the enmity of a prince of the church, he was accused of treason, and without even the show of justice, condemned to death in 1702. His principal works are—"De Laudibus Philosophiæ;" a Latin poem on comets; and a history of the Arcadian union. He wrote also some dramas, sonnets, and canzones.—A. C. M.
CAPELLEN, Goderd Gerard Alexander Phillip, born in 1778; died in 1848. Capellen, whose career began early, was appointed prefêt to East Friesland by Louis, king of Holland. After this he held several high offices. But his best services to his country were rendered when he was first colonial minister, and afterwards governor-general in the East. He greatly increased the revenue of the Dutch colonies.
CAPELLEN, Theodore Frederick, Baron van, born in 1762; died in 1824. Capellen spent the first part of his life cruizing chiefly in the North Sea, and off the coast of Africa. When the Dutch fleet in 1799 surrendered to the British, Capellen was condemned to death for contumacy. He escaped to England; but subsequently served under the Dutch flag.
CAPELLI, Marco Antonio, an Italian scholar, author of a treatise on the Last Supper. He took part with the Venetian republic against the interdict of Paul V., but was afterwards reconciled to the pope. He died in 1625.
CAPELLO, Bianca, second wife of Francis de Medicis, grand duke of Tuscany, was the daughter of a Venetian noble. Having formed an attachment for Bonaventuri, a Florentine merchant, she fled with him to his native city, where her beauty and talents attracted the notice of the grand duke. On the death of his first wife he married her, and granted her an influence which she so abused, that she acquired the name of the "Detestable Bianca." She died in 1587, the day after her husband, and of the same disease, but not without the suspicion of its influence being aggravated by poison.—W. B.
CAPELLUS or CAPPEL, Louis, an eminent French Hebraist, called by Bishop Hall "Magnum Hebraizantium oraculum in Gallia," was born at Sedan in Champagne about 1579. He seems to have studied at Oxford, going thither in 1610, and residing for a time at Exeter college. On his return he became professor of oriental languages at Saumur, where he died, 16th June, 1658. Capellus is chiefly famous for his controversy with the younger Buxtorf, concerning the antiquity of the vowel points in Hebrew. Buxtorf the elder had written a treatise in defence of the opinion, that the points are coeval with the language, and were always in use among the Jews, and his son defended his position. On the other hand, Capellus held that they were an invention of the modern rabbis, to preserve a language which was fast ceasing to be spoken, and ascribed them to the Masoreth Jews of Tiberias, about 600 years after Christ. He defended his opinion in a treatise entitled "Arcanum punctuationis revelatum." So great was the opposition of the French protestants, who feared that were the theory of Capellus received they would lose many of their arguments against the Vulgate, that it was only in Holland he could find liberty to print his paper. He had the misfortune once more to displease his protestant brethren—tremblers for the authority of the canon—by writing his "Critica Sacra," a collection of various readings and errors which he noted as having crept into the text through the fault of transcribers. He was occupied for thirty-six years in preparing this learned work, of which Grotius writes in the very highest terms. Of his other works we note "De gente Capellorum," in which he gives some account of his own life; "Spicilegium post messem," a collection of criticisms on the Now Testament; "Chronologia Sacra," to be found among the prolegomena to Walton's Polyglot; an edition of the "Critica Sacra," containing many of his minor tracts, published at Halle in 1775 and 1778.—J. B.
CAPERAN, Arnaud Thomas, born in 1754 at Dol, and died in 1826; a learned orientalist, employed at Rome in the college Mariano in teaching Syriac and Persian, afterwards acting as curé of the parish of Trouchet in his native district. His learning was very considerable, but towards the close of his life he became insane. The subject of the Incarnation had occupied his thoughts, and on it he published some tracts. He believed himself to be the Messiah. He published several philological works.—J. A., D.
CAPET, Hugues or Hugh, son of Hugues the Great; crowned king of France, in 987; died in the year 996. Capet is a surname of unknown origin, bestowed and accepted, that this Hugues might be distinguished among the multitudes of chieftains named Hugh. Whatever its origin, it has passed into the family name of a succession of sovereigns, stretching through a space of years far exceeding the duration of our Plantagenets, and quite as Illustrious. "Remember," said Marie Antoinette to her vacillating husband, "remember thou art a Capet." The Capets belonged to Anjou; they were obscure chieftains, first known in the reign of Charles the Bald. Step by step this family advanced. We learn, from its annals, of Robert the Strong, of Eudes, of Hugues the Great—the list culminating in Hugh Capet, sovereign of all France. Capet had the wisdom to recognize the realities of his position. Although nominally sovereign, many counts were at his side, some of whom were richer than he, and as powerful. With consummate sagacity he rallied these men around the throne, as its grand vassals; and then, for the first time. Feudalism, which, of course, had its roots long laid in the constitution of society, became a recognized and orderly part of the government of France. Hugues on his accession found seven great princes in existence, each with a vast territory. He increased the number to twelve, and on these, as on twelve massive pillars, he rested the dome of the monarchy. But he also delivered the monarchy from entanglements, establishing hereditary succession, and bestowing the dangerous office of "master of the palace" on the king's eldest son. This grand institution stood for ages. The number of the great vassals indeed gradually increased—the power of each being thereby weakened; but civilization proceeded under its guardianship until the relentless axe of Louis XI. cut down those supports, and left the monarchy sustained by the strength of the king alone.—J. P. N.
CAPILUPI, Camillo, author of a work which answers to the strange description of an apology for the massacre of St. Bartholomew's day; born at Mantua, died towards the end of the sixteenth century. His eccentric, although deeply serious account of the horrible work of Charles IX., was, fortunately for the fame of the author, suppressed by the cardinal of Lorraine. Capilupi had some success in Latin poetry.—A. C. M.
CAPILUPI, Lelio, an Italian author, elder brother of Camillo, born at Mantua in 1498. Moreri considers Lelio the greater of the two brothers. He wrote a parody of Virgil's Æneid, in which he has surpassed Ausone and Proba Falconia. According to De Thou, an eminent authority, but that Capilupi wrote on subjects unknown to the Roman bard, his versification might be mistaken for that of Maro himself. He died in 1560.—A. C. M.
CAPISTRANO, Giovanni de, a Franciscan, born at Capistrano in Italy in 1385. He was originally a lawyer; but having taken holy orders, he became a zealous servant of the church, first against the Hussites, and afterwards against the Turks under Mahomet II. He died in 1456, soon after the victory of Belgrade, to the gaining of which he very much contributed. He wrote a work entitled "Speculum Clericorum," in which he defended the full power claimed by the pope and councils.
CAPISUCCHI, Paolo, a Roman prelate, born in 1479; died in 1539. Capisucchi, come of a warlike family, rose rapidly in the church. Being asked by Clement VII. to consider of the question, he gave his opinion against Henry VIII. in the matter of his divorce. He was employed by the popes in many difficult negotiations.
CAPITO, Caius Ateius, an eminent Roman jurist of the time of Augustus, is known chiefly as the founder of a celebrated school of law. His father had been tribune of the people, and had taken an active part in public life in the time of Cæsar. The date of Capito's birth is not known; but Augustus made him consul suffectus, a.d. 5, when he was probably about forty-two, the proper age for appointment to that office. In the year 13 he received the important office of "curator aquarum publicarum," which he held till his death in 22. Capito studied law under Ofilius. Tacitus describes him as skilled in every department of law, human and divine; but he is believed to have been but imperfectly acquainted with any other branch of knowledge. The position he attained proves that he possessed some ability. He certainly possessed ingenuity, which, being backed by a large share of servility, was sufficient to acquire for him the favour of Augustus and Tiberius. It is from anecdotes preserved by Suetonius and Tacitus, that we attain this knowledge of his character. When the widespread conquests and commerce of Rome had rendered the narrow
