deacon of Stowe, and in 1722 received from George II. several livings in Suffolk. He died in 1730. He wrote much, and in his time with much credit; but the best of his historical works, as well as the worst of his translations from the classics, are now all but completely forgotten. His "History of Rome to the settlement by Augustus," passed through a considerable number of editions in the author's lifetime. It was followed by the "History of Rome, from the settlement by Augustus to the removal of the Imperial Seat of Constantine the Great. "A General Ecclesiastical History to a.d. 313," by Echard, was published in 1702. This work was very highly commended by Bishop Watson, and pronounced by Prideaux to be the best of the kind in the English tongue. The "History of England, from the time of Julius Cæsar to the Revolution of 1688," obtained a large circulation, the methodical and sprightly character of the work attracting many readers, on whose credulity, as Calamy and Oldmixon averred, the historian drew largely in some divisions of the narrative, without being at much pains to insure the accuracy of the remainder. In this work we find Lindsey's story of the conference and compact between Cromwell and the devil on the morning of the battle of Worcester, dismissed with the remark—"How far Lindsey is to be believed, and how far the story is to be accounted credible, is left to the reader's faith and judgment, and not to any determination of our own." Besides these works, a classical gazetteer, and some other educational works, Echard published a translation of three plays of Plautus and a translation of Terence, both exceedingly vapid performances.—J. S., G.
ECHION, a celebrated Greek painter, the contemporary of Alexander the Great, and classed by Pliny with the sculptor Polycletus. Pliny's description of a "Bride," by this painter, as "remarkable for her expression of modesty," has led some to assume that the celebrated ancient wall-painting now in the Vatican, known as the "Aldobrandini Marriage," may be a copy of the "Bride" of Echion. The bride is seated on a bed with another female, who is addressing her, and her manner certainly expresses great modesty. The bridegroom, crowned with ivy, is seated on a stool at the foot of the bed, looking towards his bride. On one side are attendants preparing a bath, and on the other musicians, singing the epithalamium, or wedding song—in all a composition of ten small figures, slightly executed, and grouped much after the style of a bas-relief. (There is a print of it by P. S. Bartoli.) It was discovered at Rome on a ruined wall, near the arch of Gallienus, in the time of Clement VIII., and preserved in the Aldobrandini villa, whence its name. Pius VII. purchased it for the Vatican museum in 1818, for the large sum of 10,000 scudi, above 2000 guineas.—R. N. W.
ECHIUS. See Eckius.
ECK, John, the celebrated antagonist of Luther, was born 13th November, 1486, in the village of Eck in Suabia. His family name was Maier. He commenced his studies in Heidelberg, and took his master's degree at Tübingen, where he enjoyed the instructions of Reuchlin and Agricola. He then applied himself to theology, which he boasts of having studied under nine different professors in Tübingen, Cologne, and Freiburg. He was early distinguished by his skill in disputation upon questions of scholastic theology, and to this he owed his appointment by Duke William of Bavaria to a theological chair in the university of Ingoldstadt, where he began to teach in 1510. From this time his publications became numerous in theology, morals, logic, and physics; but were of little value. His only aim was to attract admiration by the variety of his knowledge, and to promote the ends of his ambition—not to add anything original to the stock of science. When Luther published his Theses in 1517, Eck was the first man of mark to attack them, which he did in his "Obelisci," which were at first only circulated in manuscript, but were intended, under a show of moderation, to bring Luther under suspicion of heresy and of diffusing "the Bohemian poison." Luther devolved upon Carlstadt the task of answering the "Obelisci," who came out in May, 1518, with four hundred and twenty theses, in which he defended from the charge of heresy the "biblical," as distinguished from the "Romish" orthodoxy of the Wittenberg professors; and in which Carlstadt also declared his readiness to hold a public disputation with Eck, whom he styles that "disputator," or rather "clamator inexpugnabilis." Eck eagerly accepted the challenge, and it was announced that the disputation should take place at Leipzig in the following year. Before that time, however, Luther became directly involved in the controversy himself; and when the disputation took place in 1519—it began on the 27th June—Luther and Carlstadt stood side by side on the field of conflict against Eck. After a contest of three weeks, both parties claimed the victory, and Eck had at least the majority of voices in his favour, whatever might be thought of the worth of his arguments. The disputation only served to increase the hatred of Eck against the reformers, and to stir him up to measures of the greatest violence. First he wrote to the Elector Frederick of Saxony, to excite him against Luther, as a heretic, and to obtain from him an order that his writings should be publicly burned. Failing in this he attempted to get them burnt in the market-place of Ingolstadt, but was thwarted by Reuchlin. Then he applied to the universities of Cologne and Louvain, and succeeded in procuring from both a solemn condemnation of the reformer's writings; and finally, setting off to Rome in January, 1520, he succeeded in obtaining from the papal chancery the celebrated bull of 15th June, 1520, in which forty-one articles of Luther's writings were condemned as "heretical, erroneous, seductive, offensive, and intolerable to christian ears." It was Eck also who first applied the party name of Lutheranism to the new opinions. After these successes Eck was regarded throughout Germany as one of the chief pillars of the Church of Rome, and he continued to take a very prominent part against the Reformation till his death. At Augsburg in 1530, and in the theological conferences of Worms in 1540, and Ratisbon in 1541, he took a leading part. His polemical pieces against the Lutherans were very numerous; but even in his own church they were never regarded as of any permanent value. His knowledge of Greek and Hebrew was small, his Latin style bad, and his theology, the scholasticism of the sixteenth century, without any of the intellectual power of the earlier scholastics. He published, along with Emser, a German translation of the scriptures, as a rival antidote to that of Luther, but it was a total failure. He died at Ingoldstadt in 1543. He is now known merely as a persistent antagonist to the Reformation.—P. L.
ECKARTSHAUSEN, Karl von, natural son of the Count Karl von Haimbhausen, was born in 1752, and died in 1803. He was keeper of the archives of the electoral house of Bavaria, and one of the most popular authors of his time. His work entitled "God is the Purest Love," which, under a thin veil of christian doctrine conceals purely deistic sentiments, attained an eminent popularity. Germany alone has absorbed sixty editions, and it has been translated into many languages.—R. M., A.
ECKERMANN, Johann Peter, a German litterateur, was born at Winsen, Hanover, in 1792, and died at Weimar on 3rd December, 1854. In 1823 he became secretary to Göthe, whom he materially assisted in the publication of his complete works, and whose son he accompanied to Italy. After the death of Göthe, he was appointed librarian to the grand duchess of Weimar. He is widely known by his "Gespraeche mit Göthe," which have been translated into English by Fuller, Boston, 1839; and by Oxenford, London, 1850.—K. E.
ECKERSBERG, Christoph Wilhelm, a celebrated Danish painter, born on January 2, 1783, in the neighbourhood of Aabenraa. He came to Copenhagen in 1803, studied in the academy, and won the lesser and large gold metal. In 1810 he went to Paris, where, under the influence of the school of David, he greatly improved. He spent about seven years in Italy, studying the antique, and producing many fine pictures, which, being sent to Denmark, increased his reputation and honours. On his return in 1821 he devoted himself to the painting of sea-pieces, and thus became the greatest marine painter of his time. He was very industrious in his profession, so that the number of his pictures is unusually large. Besides historical and sea-pictures, he painted genre pictures, landscapes, and battle-pieces from the war of 1807-14, some of which were engraved by Lahde. His distinguishing characteristic is the accuracy with which he represents nature. High as he stands as a painter, he conferred no less benefit on art as a teacher; so that the whole race of artists from his time, however dissimilar their paths in art, are more or less indebted to him. A great number of his pictures painted by royal command are contained in the gallery of Christiansborg. He was twice married to daughters of Juel the painter. He died of cholera on July 22, 1853.—M. H.
ECKHARD, John, commonly called Meister Eckhard, was one of the most distinguished pantheistical thinkers of the middle ages. He belonged to the fourteenth century; but both the
