1830.] Of the Nobility and Golden Book of Genoa. The only trade allowed to be carried on by the nobles was wholesale, in silk, and some few staple articles; the penalty was forfeiture of nobility. The earliest entries in this record have no date, but were doubtless made in 1528; the last names inserted were in April and May 1793, when four individuals were ennobled, for the purpose of enabling them to assist at the deliberations of the Lesser Council, doubtless in a state of great difficulty at that period. The entries in the Golden Book are by an alphabetical arrangement of the noble families, to each of whom a distinct page or number of pages was allowed, and under the heading of a family surname, were inscribed the names of the several members of that family ennobled. It is reported that the writing was in letters of gold, whence its name: in some instances a single individual of a family is entered, in others are a hundred, four hundred, and even upwards of a thousand names of the same house; the Spinola family have 1200 inscribed; this seems to be unequalled, and was doubtless occasioned from the extraordinary ramifications of that ancient family; the D'Orias have about 400; the Grimaldis 300; and the Fieschis 132. During the first 78 years, the entries contained no more than the names of the parties inscribed, of their fathers, and occasionally of their grandfathers; afterwards the entries were made with greater caution, and in addition to such particulars, contained the date of the inscriptions and the ages of the parties inscribed. There is an instance, in the Saporita family, where the date of birth having been erroneously entered as of 1763, instead of 1767, a decree of the most Serene College was necessary for a permission to mention the error. It has been stated, by an ancient writer, that some of the nobility, as the Justiniani and others, neglected, in 1528, to have their names inscribed, and lost their privileges of nobility; though their children were, without dispute, received at Malta: a reference however to the Libro d'Oro, does not seem to corroborate the statement respecting the Justiniani, since the en tries appear as numerous, and of as early a period as those of the D'Orias, Spinolas, Grimaldis, and Fieschis; and other MSS. state, that several families of distinction were purposely left out of the first register of the nobility, through belonging to an adverse faction, or not 197 being sufficiently rich; but by the new laws in 1576, it was ordained that those families whose names had been omitted in 1528, should then be inserted in the Libro d'Oro, and enjoy all the privileges of the order of nobility. At the first meeting in 1528 of these Alberghi, 861 members mustered. The following five extracts will show the mode of making the inscriptions, and trace a short pedigree at the same time. "GRIMALDI. 1. "Lucas, quondam Reverendissimi Hieronimi.' 2. "Hieronimus, quondam Luce, quondam Reverendissimi Hieronimi." 3. "Ansaldus (quondam) Hieronimi, quondam Luce, quondam Reverendissimi." 4. "Alexander, 21, Ansaldi, quondam Hieronimi, scripsit 16 Decembris, 1618." 5. Joseph, 31, filius legitimus natus, quondam Alexandri, scripsit.....Septembris, 1662." So that the pedigree to be collected from the Golden Book is thus: The Cardinal JEROME GRIMaldi, LUKE GRIMALDI. JEROME GRIMALDI. ANSALDO GRIMALDI. ALEXANDER GRIMALDI. JOSEPH GRIMALDI. Inscribed in the Golden Book 1662. The horrors of the French Revolution having extended to Genoa, the populace in 1793 went to the palace and demanded the Golden Book, which was taken to the Piazza dell' Acqua Verde, and consigned to the flames, amidst cries of Viva la liberta, a terra l'oligarchia" but it is understood that the duplicate original was secreted, and is now in the archives of the king The foreign genealogists use the word quondam, to signify "the son of." The term Reverendissimi implies Cardinal. This first entry was made at the institution of the record in 1528; Lucas's father (Cardinal Jerome Grimaldi) was living, but being a priest (he was so created after the death of his wife) was not allowed by the laws to inscribe his name. 198 Golden Book of Genoa.-Ancient Religious Edifices. dom of Sardinia at Turin; from which extracts are occasionally allowed to be made in support of pedigrees and nobility. The Golden Book has been transcribed, but copies are very scarce: with much difficulty one was lately procured at Genoa, formerly the property of a noble Genoese. There is not a copy in either of the three national libraries; and during a residence of two months in Genoa, for genealogical purposes, only two other copies were heard of, one in the possession of the Marquess Spinola, and the other in the possession of the representative of the Montaldi family. Many well-informed residents had never seen a copy. In the best times of the Republic, the rank of a Genoese Noble was so considerable, that the nobility never thought of procuring other titles: the names of Sovereign Princes, and foreigners of distinction, are to be found enrolled amongst the order. The Greek Emperors did not think it derogatory to their dignity to marry into their families, or to allow the Genoese families to intermarry with theirs; but after Andrea D'Oria received the title of Prince from the Emperor Charles V. as a recompense for his quitting the service of Francis L., the ambition of his fellow-citizens was awakened by so extraordinary an honour, and by degrees all the nobles who had abundance of wealth, procured, or endeavoured to procure, similar honours for themselves and their families; in consequence of which, the greater part have principalities, duchies, marquisates, countships, and baronies, in the kingdoms of Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia; a circumstance which contributed much to their attachment towards the Spaniards. The decay of the Republic insensibly occasioned a decay of the high value anciently attached to the rank of Genoese Nobles, and eventually, nobility was sold to the most opulent citizens, to enable the Government to carry on their wars and measures; though it does not appear that the practice was ever so disgracefully conducted as the sale, in England, of the patents of Nobility and Baronetcy by the Stuarts. It was however customary for the Republic to insert, in the Libro d'Oro, the name of any individual (not personally disqualified) who presented the state with 100,000 livres. STACEY GRIMALDI. (To be concluded in our next.) IT [Sept.. MR. URBAN, Shrewsbury, Sept. 12. T has ever been one of my greatest pleasures to examine the venerable structures erected by our forefathers for the purpose of religious worship; and whether we consider the munificence, the piety, or the superstition, which raised them, we must respect their fervency towards a good cause, and regret that so much zeal was blessed with such small knowledge of the truths, which, under our Reformed Religion, we now so happily enjoy, and the contemplation of which cannot fail of exciting gratitude for so great and inestimable a blessing, while it makes us emulous of the piety of our ancestors. Whilst we therefore contemplate the rise of temples to the Deity,whilst we are daily receiving and perusing accounts of the exertions which are made in this enlightened age for the propagation of Christian knowledge,-with what pleasure do we view on the pages of History and in the ruins of Antiquity the rise and progress of Christianity in our own highly-favoured Island, from the Saxon invasion down to the present time. The earliest records represent a grove, or some spreading tree, as the place where the primitive Christians used to assemble for the worship of the Most High God, which, while it protected them from the rays of the Sun, would inspire them with conceptions of His overshadowing Providence and unfading goodness. I need not here advert to the period when our land was a land of darkness, and when the light of Gospel truth and Christian manners had but partially illumined it, or to the opposition which Christianity had to encounter from the bigotry of Popery, and its various changes of more later years, until its further advancement at the Reformation; since these are facts now so generally known, that to repeat them is only to rob them of their just oblivion. Feeling as I do the perfect awe and aptitude for devotion, which the ancient temples of our forefathers irresistibly inspire,-considering too that generations in centuries past had paid their devout offerings in the same hallowed aisle,-had been received into the pale of the same visible Church,I was led to the foregoing reflections after attending Divine Service at the venerable little Church of St. Giles, Shrewsbury, which edifice, while pre 1830.] Church of St. Giles, Shrewsbury. senting an interesting picture of the work of former times, has a tendency to lead us under fit impressions in the hope of a less fading tabernacle. This Church, situated at the eastern extremity of the aforenamed town, consists of a nave, chancel, and north aisle, and is unquestionably as old as the 12th century. Being unincumbered with pews, it maintained much of its original character; and though rude in appearance, was, until lately, a wretched spectacle of "damp, neglect, and decay," the improvements, however, that have recently been effected in and around it, being of no common interest, I am tempted to offer a brief detail of them to the notice of your teaders. The soil of the cemetery having from repeated interments accumulated to near the basement of the windows, and causing a descent of five or six steps to the Church, has been removed, and made to its original level with the floor. The north entrance, probably used by the lepers of the adjoining hospital, for whom the Church was no doubt originally erected, and which had been bricked up probably soon after the demolition of that building, with the exception of its Norman arched head, which served the purpose of a window, has been re-opened, and a new doorway placed therein. The roof of the building, long dilapidated, has been replaced, and a declension which appeared in the wall of the north side strengthened by appropriate buttresses. In addition to the foregoing exterior improvements, which are done at the expense of the parish, the Rev. W. G. Rowland (to whose indefatigable zeal and exertions Salopians are particularly indebted, for the appropriate and muchadmired decorations of the ancient structures of the Abbey and St. Mary's in their town,) has undertaken at his own expense to repair and beautify the chancel. His first measure was thoroughly to repair and ceil the roof, which was heretofore unceiled, -to re-open a small lancet window on the north side, and a large pointed one, which had for years been plastered over on the south side. The former has been filled with a small figure of Saint Giles, and is an exquisite imitation of ancient stained glass; whilst the latter A view of this Church, and copies of the epitaphs therein, were contributed to this Miscellany by Mr. D. Parkes. See vol. XCIV. p. 694. EDIT. 199 has been filled with fragments of painted glass. The floor in front of the Communion has been lowered, and more appropriate rails placed before the altar. The easteru window bas likewise been filled with a noble collection of stained glass, executed by Mr. David Evans of Shrewsbury. The four compartments of the lower division of the window contain full-length figures of the Evangelists standing upon hexagonal pedestals, through the external circular arches of which is very strikingly exhibited the groined roof of a crypt supported by slender pillars, under which are their names in black letter, and over each figure a beautiful canopy of tabernacle work above which, in the smaller compartments of the upper portion of the window, are the several symbols of the Evangelists, each supporting a tablet, on which is respectively inscribed in small characters: Mattheus Christi stirpem et genus or dine narrat. Marcus Baptistam clamantem inducit eremo. Virgine prognatum Lucas describit Iesum. Prodit Ioannes verbi impenetrabile lumen.” The three principal compartments in the upper division are filled with fine representations from ancient designs of "The Visitation," "The Wise Men's Offering," and "The Presentation in the Temple;" beneath each of which is a Latin inscription, the first being taken from 28 verse 1st ch. of Luke; the second, 10th verse 72d Psalm; the third, 29th and 30th verses of 2d chap. of Luke. At the bottom of the window, "Gulielmus Gorsuch Rowland dono dedit." The alterations in the nave consist in levelling and repairing the floor, ceiling and appropriately colouring the walls, roof, and rafters; removing the pulpit from the south corner of the fine arch leading into the chancel to the south-east corner of the nave, to which an elevated antique readingdesk has been attached, the officiating Clergyman at the former one being obliged to stand on the floor ;-removing also the wooden frame and patched glass,' which had for many years, disfigured a large pointed window on, the south side of the nave, very properly substituting stone tracery of handsome design, the quatrefoil head being filled with fragments of stained glass, whilst the windows of the south aisle contain similar pieces ingeniously disposed, so as to represent the outline of figures. 200 Condemnation for Witchcraft at Geneva. In fact, whoever has visited this ancient Church, and seen it in its former wretched state, will be quite astonished: it now truly looks, "As though we own'd a God, ador'd his Rever'd his wisdom, loved his mercy." But the sentiment which this venerable building impresses is in_some measure checked by its disuse, Divine Service being performed within its walls only twice a year. Since, however, it has been put into a complete state of repair, it is to be desired some means will be devised to introduce a more frequent service, that may, we would charitably anticipate, prove instrumental to the happiest purposes of H.P. the heart and a religious life. Mr. URBAN, Sept. 10. AVING seen, in some late num Hbers of your Magazine, a series of use. "There lies before me at present an account of the condemnation of a woman by a tribunal at Geneva, about the middle of the seventeenth century; and an enumeration of a few of the particulars connected with it will give a much juster conception than any description of the cruelty which, in proceeding against witchcraft, was almost universally practised. The woman was accused of having sent devils into two young women, and of having brought distempers upon several others, a charge sufficiently vague, and to which the observations made above fully apply. To substantiate it, the members of the tribunal availed themselves of an opinion, that the devil imprinted certain marks upon his chosen disciples, the effect [Sept. of which was, that no pain could be expe rienced by any application to the parts of the body where these marks were. They sent two surgeons to examine whether such marks could be discovered in the accused; and they reported, not surely much to the credit of their medical skill and philosophy, that they had found one, and that having thrust a needle into it the length of a finger, she had felt no pain, and no blood had issued from the wound. Being brought to the bar, the prisoner denied the statement of the surgeons; upon which she was examined by three more, and with them were joined two physicians. It might have been expected that such a body of men, who had received a liberal education, and who must have had some acquaintance with the nature and the construction of the human frame, would have instantly presented a report, showing the absurdity of the examination upon which they had been employed. This did not occur to them; for they gravely proceeded to thrust sharp instruments into the mark already mentioned, and into others which they thought they had found out; but as the miserable patient gave plain indication that she suffered from their operations, they were staggered, and satisfied themselves with declaring, that there was something extraordinary in the marks, and that they were not perfectly like those commonly to be seen in the bodies of witches. She was, notwithstanding, doomed to another investigation, the result of which was, that after some barbarous experiments, she felt no pain, and hence it was inferred that the marks were satanical. She had, previously to this last enquiry, been actually put to the rack; but she retained her fortitude and presence of mind under it, firmly maintaining that she had sent no devils into any of the persons whom it was alleged that she had thus injured. She was again threatened with the torture; and, from dread of undergoing it, she made a confession, which it is painful to think was not at once discerned to be the raving of insanity. Similar proceedings were continued; and the conclusion of the whole was, that she was condemned to be hanged and burned for giving up herself to the devil, and for bewitching two girls." The work cited by Dr. Cooke, in authority for this statement, is Memoirs of Literature, vol. 1, art. 47. In no city of Europe should we have expected to find such gross ignorance and barbarity at that time, as in Geneva. And it is humiliating to remember, that at the same period, Hopkins the witch-finder was employed in England, and the belief in witchcraft was countenanced by that acute detector of errors, Sir Thomas Browne. CYDWELI. |
