TAUNTON
466
TAVISTOCK
sent the collection revised by Tauler himself), also on
the Freiburg manuscript, and on copies of the three
manuscripts burned at Strasburg in 1870. This edi-
tion contains 81 sermons. The sermons are among the
finest monuments of the German language, of German
fervour of belief, and of profound spiritual feeling.
The language is quiet and measured, yet warm, ani-
mated, and full of imagery. Tauler is not so specula-
tive as his teacher Eckhart, but he is clearer, more
practical, and more adapted to the common people;
with all this he united Suso's fervour. The expression
used by Christina Ebner, that he had set the whole
world aflame by his fiery tongue, does not mean that
he was a preacher of fiery, entrancing eloquence, but a
preacher who warmed and inflamed the hearts of his
hearers by the quiet flame of the pure love that burned
in his own breast.
The centre of Tauler's mysticism is the doctrine of the visio essenticB Dei, the blessed contemplation or knowledge of the Divine nature. He takes this doc- trine from Thomas Aquinas, but goes further than the latter in beheving that the Divine knowledge is attain- able in this world also by a perfect man, and should be sought by every means. God dwells within each hu- man being. In order, however, that the transcendent Godmayappear inmanasasecond.subject, the human, sinful activities must cease. Aid is given in this eff'ort by the hght of grace which raises nature far above it- self. The way to God is through love; God replies to its highest development b\' His presence. Tauler gives advice of the most varied character for attaining that height of religion in which the Di^■ine enters into the human subject. Something needs to be said as re- gards Tauler's position towards the Church. Luther praised him greatly and Protestants have always had a very high opinion of him, and have included him among the "reformers before the Reformation". However, it is now conceded by Protestants that he was "in reaUty entirely mediaeval and not Protes- tant ". He was in fact a dutiful son of the Church and never thought of withdrawing his allegiance. He e.x- presses his opinion very plainly in his sermon on St. Matthew. He set his face against all heresy, especially that of the Brethren of the Free Spirit. What at- tracted Luther was probably not Tauler's doctrine itself, but only here and there some subordinate thought. Perhaps it pleased him that the word indul- gence appears only once in Tauler's sermons, or it aroused his sympathy that Tauler laid less stress upon works, or again he was attracted by the tremendous earnestness of this seeker after God.
QuETiF-EcHARD. Scriptores ordinis pradicatorum, I (Paris, 1719), 677-9; Schmidt, Johannes Tauler von Slrassburg (Ham- burg, 1841) : Preger, Gesch. der deuischen Mystihim MiUelaller, III (Leipzig, 1893), 1-241; Denifle, Das Buck von der geistlichen Armut (Munich, 1877); Idem, Taulers Bekehrung (Strasburg, 1879); SlEDEL, Die Mystik Taulers (Leipzig, 1911).
Klemens Loffler.
Taunton, Ethelred, writer, b. at Rugeley, Staf- fordshire, England, 17 Oct., 18,57; d. in London, 9 May, 1907. He was educated at Downside, and formed a desire both then and later in life to enter the Benedictine Order, but his weak health was an in- superable obstacle to the realization of his wishes. He succeeded in entering the Institute of St. Andrew, founded by the well-known convert, Rev. George Bampfield, at Barnet; but again his health prevented him from remaining. Finally, he joined the congre.- gallon of the Oblates founded by Cardinal Manning at Bayswater, and in 1883 he was ordained jiriest. Three years later he left the Oblates, and went on the mission at Stoke Ncwington in North London. Here he built a new churcli, wliic'h was opened in 18SS; but shortly afterwards he received serious injury by the accid<>nt:il fall of .some sc:ilT(ilding, which brought on )):irtial i)aralysis, and iieniKUicnIly incapacitated him from a<-tivo work. He cimtinued, liowever, to be busy with his pen. He was a man of wide rc;iding.
and wrote on a large number of subjects. For a while
he lived at Bruges, where he founded and edited "St.
Luke's Magazine"; but it had only a brief existence,
and having partially recovered his health, he returned
to England and devoted himself to hterature. His
two chief works on the Jesuits and Benedictines, re-
spectively, were to have been followed by a similar one
on the Enghsh secular clergy, had he hved. Though
he always professed to aim at setting forth truth un-
adorned and regardless of consequences, his partisan
tone and apparent prejudice gave offence to many.
Those who knew him best, however, testified to his
singleness of purpose and genuine piety. He was also
an authority on Church music and Uturgy. His
death took place somewhat suddenly, in London,
from heart failure, at the age of fifty.
Publications: "History of Church Music" (Lon- don, 1817); "Lead Kindly Light" (London, 1893); "English Black Monks of St. Benedict" (London, 1898) ; "History of the Jesuits in England" (London, 1901); "Thomas Wolsey" (London, 1901); "Little Office B.V.M." (London, 1903); "The Law of the Church" (London, 1906) ; numerous articles in "Downside Review", "St. Luke's Magazine", "Irish Ecclesiastical Record", etc. He also translated Bacuez, "The Divine Office" (1886); and Bourda- loue, "The Lord's Prayer" (1894).
Diet. Nat. Biog., Supplement 1900-1910, s. v.; obituary notices in Tablet, Downside Review, etc.
Bernard Ward.
Taveggia, Santino. See Krishnagar, Diocese of.
Taverner, John, composer, b. in the County of Norfolk, England, about 1475; d. at Boston, England, 153.5 or 1536. He was organist of Boston Parish Church from 1500 to 1525, when he was appointed master of the choristers at Cardinal College, Oxford, by Cardinal W'olsey. His fame as organist and choirmaster was fully equalled, if not eclipsed, by his powers as a composer of masses and motets. He continued at O.xford till 1533, and then retired to Boston. On the strength of a statement of Foxe, in his so-called "Book of Martyrs", Taverner has been branded as a heretic, but it is more than probable that Foxe confounded the composer with John Taverner, a correspondent of Cromwell, or else with Richard Taverner, a Canon of Wolsey 's College, Oxford, who revised Matthew's Bible. He wrote nothing for the.English Service, but he has bequeathed eight masses, as well as fragments of others, and Latin Magnificats, that stamp him as a composer of the first rank. His beautiful four-part "In nomine" has been altered to fit two English anthems, "O give thanks" and "In trouble and adversity", in Day's "Morning and Evening Prayer" (1565). He con- tributed three songs to Wynkyn de Worde's Enghsh song book, printed in 1530; but by far the greater part of his work is sacred. His "Gaude Maria Virgo", for three voices, and his "Mater Christi", for five voices, are good examples of his style, but" he is best known by his "Western Wynde" mass. Although obsessed by the conventions of the early six-teenth century, Taverner showed some good pioneer work, which was afterwards successfully developed by Shepherd, B\Td, Tallis, and Whj-te. He must not be confounded with a later John Taver- ner who was appointed professor of music at Gresham College in 1610. ^ ^ ^
Grove's Did. of Music anil Musicians, V (new ed.. London, 1904-10); Walker. A History of Music in England (Oxford, 1907); Gbattan-Flood. Notes on English Church Composers
W. H. Gr.\tt.\n-Flood.
Tavistock Abbey, on the Tavy River in Devon- shire, Kngland, founded for Benedictine monks in 961 by Earl Ordgar of Devon, anil completed by his son O'rdulf in 981, in which year the charter of confirma- tion was granted by King Ethelred. It was endowed
