The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-14

Justus van den vondel was born at Cologne
in November. 1887. and was. therefore. twenty
one years older than Milton. His father was a
halter who had fed to Cologne from his native
city. Antwerp. to escape the persecution then
raging against the Anabaptists. In Cologne he
married a daughter Of Peter Krancn. also an
Anabaptist. who had likewise been driven from
Antwerp by the fury Of the Romanists. Peter
krnnen had won some distinction as q poet In
the public contests of the Antwerp literary
guilds, and It seems to have been from him that
his daughters son derived an aptitude for
metrical composition. Justus Vondel himself,
although born and reared an Anabaptist. be-
came. eventually, n convert to Catholicism. a
conversion which seems to have been fore
Swallowed in tho circumstances under which
the life OF his wife's mother was
saved. When Peter Kranen fed from
Antwerp, his wife. being pregnant. was
unable to accompany her husband. and. being
left behind. was confined in the city prison.
After the birth Of her child she was condemned
% be burned at the stake with a certain
preacherof her sect. One Of her relatives, now
ever. secured a promise from the dignitaries OF
tho Church that. II one Of her children should
he baptized by a Catholic priest. the mothers
life should he spared. Thereupon one Of her
'''' 'A'N'~ '''a WV NhF ''hi@ "iNll iC
father at Cologne. was summoned to Antwerp,
and upon her arrival was baptized after the
manner OF the Catholic ritual and received into
the Church. The daughter who thus saved her
mother life nftcrward became the mother OF
Justus Nondcl.
Unlike Milton. the prospective author OF
"Lucifer' did not receive a university educa-
ton. The early years Of his childhood we're
spent at Cologne. and he seems first to have
rnnn ~ .,hn,l ID TTt.naL, ,ha., Lii F-.-t
ried for n time after their return to the Neither
lands. His school training ended with his tenth
year. after which he became an assistant in
the hosiery shop which his father opened in
Amsterdam. He wrote verses before he had
reached his teens. and some OF his earlier ven-
lures, unfortunately for his reputation. still
survive. At the age of % he married Maria de
Wo #. a young woman Of n practical turn OF
mind. who. after her husband succeeded to his
fathers business. took upon herself the man.
agement Of the shop as well as the cares OF
housekeeping. and left him at liberty to follow
n literary career. Tn leisure which he thus
obtained Vondcl employed in the assidu-
Gus study of the languages. At the age
OF 2G Milton was to prove himself
an admirable Crock. Latin and Italian
scholar. At n corresponding age Vondel
took lessons In Latin from an Englishman
and learned to read Virgil and Ovid: at the
same period he began the study of French. 1t
was not until the ago Of 40 that Vondel un-
dertook TO learn Greek. but. having entered
upon the study Of that language. he made
rapid progress. We sec. then. that Wonders
erudition was not only sclf-arquircd. but late
acquired. His intellect, in truth. ripcned slowly.
In 1872 appeared his first drama. THE Pass
over" the first ola series Of Bible tragedies. 1t
gave enough promise 70 cause him to be invited
TO become a member Of the m of the
byzantine at Amsterdam. then tho most con-
spicuous OF the Dutch literary guilds. With the
aid Of Hooft. who has been called the Dutch
Tncitus, he translated the "Troades" OF Sem
eca, which was followed by II tragedy OF his
own. the " Hecuba OF Amsterdam The latter
piece obtained considerable praise. and
about the SANE time his Improvement
In style and technique was evinced by
several lyrics OF more than ordinary merit. In
the bitter struggle between Arminians and
CaIvintsts. he took the side of the former and
denounced the execution Of Oldenbarneveldt in
al allegorical tragedy called "Palamedes; or.
Murdered Innocence" For writing this drama
he was fined 800 guldens. which were paid by
q friend. In Sweden, which he visited in 1925.
Vondel wrote n poem in honor OF Gustavus
Adolphus. and predicted the invasion of Ger
many by the Swedish sovereign. In 1880 he
translated into Dutch Seneca's "Hippolytus."
'''N' wv N''Ai' wv " 'IblluS, lntn III bAlln
and soon aftcrward lo issued his "Decretum
HORRIBLE" a trenchant polemic against the
Calvinistic doctrine OF election and predestina.
ton as interpreted by tho predominant Conan
list. or ultra-Calvinist party. This was followed
by his Funeral Sacrifice OF M%agdeburR," an
heroic poem In praise of the victory gained by
Gnstavus Adolphus over lilly and Pappen-
helm at Leipsic. Not long afterward Vondel
began an epic poem which had for It's
subject Constantine, journey to Rome and
conversion to Christianity. For this I'M
dertaking the poet had prepared him
self for several years, but he left 1t uncom-
pleted. When n new and enlarged theatre was
opened in Amsterdam In 1887. the first drama
placed upon Its stage was Vondel's tragedy,
"Gysbrecht van Amstel." This has remained
the most popular OF all Vondel's plays. and
from the night Of its first presentation, two
hundred and sixty years ago. up to the present
time. 1t has been produced every New Years
eve on the Amsterdam stage. His next under
taking was a translation Of the Electra of
Bophocles. In which he was aided by Isaac
Vossius. n son OF the celebrated Leyden profess.
or. This was followed by a drama Of his own
called "The Virgins based on the well-known
legend that at Cologne a British princess, with
eleven thousand other maidens, suffered a
martyrs death at the command OF Attila.
The Virgins" was praised by Grotius. the
most learned man Of his age. but 1t disturbed
the authors friends by disclosing unmistak-
ably an inclination toward Romanism. In
1d4O appeared Vondel's Biblical tragedy. The
Brothers." which was thought to surpass
any OF his preceding works. In the same year
were brought out two more Scriptural tragedies,
" Joseph in Dothan" and Joseph in Egypt"
which were held to exhibit purity OF diction.
richness of invention and q mellinuous and ele-
NuIeu StIIe, HIS next DTnImafinD uaa fha frar ~
edy Peter and Paul" In which Romanlstic
convictions were distinctly revealed; the play !
was followed by twelve "Epistles OF the Holy
Virgin Martyrs" dedicated TO the Virgin Mary,
whom he called the Queen of Heaven" and
Mediator with her Divine Son. This was a con-
elusive acknowledgment OF his conversion TO |
Catholicism. to which he seems to have been
impelled partly by reaction against Calvinistic
persecution and partly by his intimacy withthe
Nisscher family, whose abode was. for a consid-
erablo period, the literary centre OF Amster-
dam. Early in IH45 VondaI tyrofa n IvrIo ,nnn, |