ERISHNAGAR
702
ERZYCEI
Krishnagar, Diocese op (Kisiinagrensis). — The
bountlarius of the Diocese of Ivrishnagar are: on the
north, the Archdiocese of Calcutta and the Prefecture
Apostohc of A,s5;ani; on the east, the Diocese of Dacca;
on the south, the Bay of Beiigal and the Archdiocese of
Calcutta; on the west, the Archdiocese of Calcutta.
The diocese is divided from north-west to south-east by
the Ganges, into two portions nearly equal in extent.
Since the last delimitation of territory (1SS9) it com-
prises five districts on the western side of the Ganges,
viz. : Khulna, Jessore, Nadiya, Faridpur, and Murshida-
bad; and six districts on the eastern side of the Ganges:
Rajshahi, Bogra, Maldah, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Jal-
paiguri, and the native State of Kuch Behar. The
first five districts belong to the civil province of Ben-
gal and the other six to the new province called East-
ern Bengal and Assam. The population of the whole
diocese, according to the latest census (1900), is over
eighteen milhons. In 1855, .six districts of the Vicari-
ate Apostolic of Western Bengal, viz.: Jessore, Nadiya,
Murshidabad, Rajshahi, Bogra and Maldah, were pro-
visionally united under the name of Central Bengal
Mission; and, at the request of the Vicar Apostolic of
Western Bengal, three missionaries from the Seminary
of Foreign Missions of Milan w-ere sent out to work in
that mission. There were then scarcely a hundred
Catholics in the whole mission. In the year 1870 the
Central Bengal Mission was definitely separated from
the Vicariate of Western Bengal; the provinces of
Bhutan and Assam and a few other districts were
added to it; and the mission was created a prefecture
Apostolic (June, 1870), Father Marietti being the first
prefect. On 1 September, 1886, it was constituted a
diocese under the hierarchy, and Right Rev. Dr. F.
Pozzi was consecrated first bishop, 13 February, 1887.
In 1SS9 the provinces of Bhutan and Assam were de-
tached from the Diocese of Krishnagar, and the dio-
cese was reduced to its present territory. Bishop
Pozzi died in October, 1905, and was succeeded by the
present bishop, Dr. S. Taveggia, consecrated 4 Novem-
ber, 1906.
The Catholics of the diocese (August, 1909) number 6247, besides 691 catechumens. With the exception of about four hundred Eurasians and Europeans, all the other Cathohcs are native converts. Working in the diocese at present are: one bishop; eleven mission- aries of the Seminary of Foreign Missions of Milan, residing in eight different stations; sixteen Sisters of Charity of Lovere (Italy), distributed in four different houses. There are thirteen churches and fifty mud- huts in the villages, which are used as places of wor- ship, as shelters for the visiting missionarj', and some- times also as schoolrooms. There are three orphanages for native boys and tliree for native girls, with over two hundred children entirel.v supported by the mission and under the direction of the Sisters of Charity. Scattered in several districts there are twenty-five mission schools attended by over five hundred chil- dren. Christian and pagan. The Sisters of Charity are also in charge of a pubhc hospital and three mission free dispensaries; and they also direct two homes for widows and catechumens, and a home for incurables.
The Madras Catholic Directory (Madras, 1909); Catholic Calendar (Calcutta, 1910).
F. RoccA.
EriSeTa^. See Crisium, Dioce.se of.
Eromer, Maktin, a distmguished Polish bishop and historian; b. at Biecz in Galicia in 1512; d. at Ileilsberg, Ermland (now East Prussia), on 23 March, 1589, He was the son of a substantial citizen who, desirous of a public career for his son, sent him to the University of Cracow where he obtained his degree in philosophy. Afterwards he studied theology at Bo- logna and at Rome. When he returned to Poland he was api)ointed secretary to (Jamrat, Bishop of Cracow, and shortly afterwards he was maile secretary to
Prince Sigismund August. The latter was so pleased
with him that, when he afterwards ascended the
Polish throne, he entrusted Kromer with man.y high
official duties, and in order to enable him to receive
promotion to even higher dignities the king elevated
him in 1552 to the rank of a nol)leman. Kromer was
charged with diplomatic missions to Vienna, Rome,
and to the Council of Trent. In Poland he had com-
plete charge of the national archives, arranged the.
various documents and materials in systematic form,
and in doing so devoted himself especially to the his-
tory of his country. At the suggestion of the king he
utilized the studies made in arranging these archives
by writing his great historical work, " De origine et
rebus gestis Polonorum" in thirty books, which was
published at Basle in 1555, and treated of the history
of Poland from the earliest times down to the year
1506. It was translated into German by Heinrich
Pantaleon and also published at Basle in 1562, and
was likewise translated on two different occasions into
Polish and published at Cologne in 1589 and at Cracow
in 1611. In this history Kromer showed himself a
keen critic, with a graceful style and polished Latinity,
.and he was particularly successful in setting forth
clearly and lucidly the intricate political relations of
Poland with the neighbouring states. It is to be re-
gretted, however, that liis history ended without de-
scribing the events of the very epoch which he knew
so well from his own participation therein. Following
this, he published at Cologne in 1577 his great geo-
graphical and descriptive work, " Polonia, sive de situ,
populis, moribus, magistratibus et republica regni
Polonici", in two books, which still remains an im-
portant source of information about contemporary
Poland. It was translated into Polish by Kondrato-
wicz and published at Wilna in 1853. He had even
turned liis attention to music, for in 1534 he had pub-
lished a volume at Cracow entitled "De musica
figurata ". He took a very active part in opposing the
spread of Protestantism in Poland. His various po-
lemical writings, his sermons, and his catechism were
all written in Polish and in a simple style devoted to
the enlightenment of the people; they formed an
energetic protest against the introduction of the new
Lutheran and Calvinistic doctrines. In 1570 he was
appointed by Cardinal (then Bishop) Stanislaus Hosius
as coadjutor in the Diocese of Ermland, where to-
gether with the latter he WTote popular works in ex-
planation and defence of the Catholic Faith. After
the death of Hosius in 1579 liromer was made Bishop
of Ermland, and held that see until he died in 1589.
EicHHORN. Der ermhindische Bischof Martin Kromer (Brauns- berg, 186S); Walewski. iWartm Kromer (Warsaw, 1874); HlP- LER, Die deuischen Predigten und Katechesen der ermlitndischen Bischo/e Hosius und Kromer (Cologne, 1SS5).
Andrew J. Shipman.
Erzycki, Andrew, date of birth uncertain; d. in 1535. — A tj-pical humanistic poet, a most supple courtier for whom poetry was to be a source of renown antl profit, Krzj-cki was well-read in Latin poetry and knew the language to perfection. He wrote numerous epigrams, pointed and spirited in style and diction. His individuality was conspicuous; his talent, though not creative, and confined to imitations of the ancients, was by no means insignificant; his wit, mordant and at times coarse. His verses, whether laudatory or satirical, were mostly written to commemorate not- able occasions. In 1512, for instance, he celebrated in verse the marriage of King Sigismund I with Bar- bara Zapolya; Krzycki subsequently became chancellor to the youthful queen. When the king won the vic- tory of Orsza, he again wrote a poem, and sent verses purporting to be from the queen to her alisent husband after the model of Ovid's Epistohr Ilcroidum"; these, in a letter to Krzycki, Erasmus praisoil enthu- siastically. After Barl)ara's death he continued to be chancellor in the houscholil of Bona Sforza, Sigis-
