On his return to Bruges, Eeckhout had scarcely settled down, and begun to secure to himself both fame and competency by the production and disposal of numerous works, when he again resolved upon new travels. This time it was to Lisbon that he took his works and himself. Both had an extraordinary success; the pictures sold well, and he married a young lady of a noble and rich family. That, however, which he expected would secure his future happiness, proved instead fatal to him. He was murdered, a short time after the nuptials, by an unknown hand, supposed to be that of a rival in love, in 1695. Most of his pictures are to be found in Italy.—R. M.
EECKHOUT, Gerbrant van den, one of the best pupils of Rembrandt, was born at Amsterdam in 1621, and died in 1674. Few Dutch painters have treated historical subjects on a large scale; but this was done by Eeckhout, who also executed many full-sized portraits. He was a favourite with his master, whom he most affectionately loved. He adopted, not only the beauties of Rembrandt's manner, but also its faults. Amongst his best works are noticed—the "Guest expelled for not Wearing the Nuptial Dress," and the "Infant Christ in the Arms of Simeon," at Amsterdam; the "Adoration of the Magi," "Abraham repudiating Hagar," the "Continence of Scipio," and a "Woman catching the Fleas off her Dog," at the Hague; "Mercury and Argus," and another "Presentation of the Infant Christ," at Berlin; a "Young Christ amongst the Doctors," at Munich, &c. Several of these pictures might almost be attributed to Rembrandt.—R. M.
EFFEN, Justus van, a Dutch essayist and translator, fellow of the Royal Society of London, was born at Utrecht in 1684, and died at Bois-le-Duc in 1735. His father, a military officer, died poor, leaving to Justus, his only son, the care of supporting the family. In 1711 he commenced the publication of a weekly periodical, in the French language, entitled the Misanthrope, in which he happily caught the general temper, but missed the humour and elegance of his model, the Spectator. He also edited or contributed to various literary journals, and executed some good translations from the English.—J. S., G.
EFFIAT, Antoine Coiffier de Ruze, Marquis d', born in 1581; educated by his maternal great-uncle, Martin Rusé de Beaulieu, he adopted his name and arms. Cardinal Richelieu employed him in politics, diplomacy, and war. Having filled many prominent offices, in 1624 he was sent to London as ambassador to negotiate the marriage of Charles I. and Henrietta Maria of France. On his return he was appointed superintendent of the finances, and in that capacity, in 1626, he presented to the assembly of the notables a statement of the finances of the kingdom, which he afterwards published in 1630. Effiat served with distinction in Piedmont, especially at the capture of Saluces; was made marshal of France, January 1, 1631; and in 1632 commanded the army in Alsace. He died of fever at Luzellstein in Lorraine, July 27, 1632, aged fifty-one. He founded a church, hospital, and college, which only ceased to exist at the French revolution. Effiat left four children—Martin; Henri, marquis of Cinq Mars, decapitated in the twenty-second year of his age; Charles, abbé d'Effiat, connected with Ninon d'Enclos; and a daughter. He wrote several treatises. Lord Bacon was so much attached to him, that he bequeathed him a legacy.—T. J.
EGAZ MORIZ, one of the earliest Portuguese poets, who flourished in the reign of Alfonso I., 1139-1185. His works are chiefly popular lyric songs in short trochaic verses. The language is now hardly intelligible, but the form is worthy of notice, as being the earliest specimen of that which became prevalent in the Spanish and Portuguese ballads of later centuries. Their chief characteristic is the vivid portraiture of human passion. Egaz Moriz is said to have survived only a short time the poetic expression of his grief at the infidelity of his beloved Violante.—F. M. W.
EGBERT, King of Wessex, commonly called Egbert the Great, was the son of Alemund or Ethelmund, and traced his descent through a long line of the kings of Wessex up to Cerdic, the founder of that monarchy. A claim to the crown of Wessex was made in his behalf in 784. It was unsuccessful, and the jealousy of Brihtric, the fortunate competitor, made it necessary for Egbert to seek safety in flight. He first directed his steps to the court of Mercia, but Offa, influenced by Brihtric's advances for the hand of his daughter Eadburga, declined to receive the young exile. This apparent misfortune was really one of the most fortunate events in Egbert's history. It led him to visit the continent, and to connect himself with the celebrated Charlemagne, who was then in the midst of his splendid career. In the wars of Charlemagne, between the years 787 and 800, Egbert had ample opportunity for extensively observing the manners of the continental nations, as well as for improving his knowledge of military affairs; and the internal economy of the French kingdom furnished him with many useful lessons in the art of government. When placed on the throne of Wessex in 800 by the unanimous vote of the witenagemot, he applied all the knowledge and experience which he had acquired during his exile to the development of the resources of an already powerful kingdom. At the time of his accession, the heptarchy had in all but name become a triarchy, the only states which retained their independence being Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria. Though Egbert appears to have early formed the design of increasing his dominions by conquest, many years elapsed before he found himself in a position to assume the offensive with the prospect of certain success. It was in 813 that he reduced Devonshire and Cornwall. In 819 the death of Kenwulf, king of Mercia, greatly weakened the government of that kingdom, so that when Beornwulf imprudently commenced hostilities with Egbert in 823, the Mercians suffered a severe defeat. The crafty policy of Egbert led him to refrain from immediately attempting to annex Mercia to his own kingdom. He seized Kent and Essex, but Mercia was not deprived of her independence till 827, when a continued series of wars with the East Angles had rendered her an easy prey. In the same year Northumbria submitted to the victorious king of Wessex, and in 828 he penetrated into the remotest provinces of Wales. All the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had now acknowledged his supremacy. He was appointed bretwalda, but it does not seem probable that he was formally crowned king of England, or that he was the founder of the English monarchy, as tradition asserts. In the later years of his reign he found a formidable enemy in the Danish sea-kings, who made repeated descents on his coasts. He was defeated by them at Charmouth in 833, but he afterwards obtained an important victory over them at Hengston Hill in 835. He died in 836.—D. M.
EGBERT or EEGBERT, Archbishop of York, was born about 678. He was the brother of Eadbert, king of Northumberland, and was elevated to the see of York in the early part of the eighth century. He enjoyed considerable reputation as a scholar during his life, and it is probable that his learning was in advance of the time in which he lived. He was the author of several ecclesiastical works, the most important of which are his "Constitutiones Ecclesiasticæ," and his "Dialogus de Ecclesiastica Institutione," the latter of which has been repeatedly published, and was edited by Wharton in 1693. He collected a celebrated library at York, which contained several valuable works in classical literature, with the writings of several philosophers and christian fathers. Alcuin, who was a pupil of Egbert's, composed a catalogue of the books in the form of a Latin poem. He also speaks of them in one of his letters as the "flowers of Britain." The library was destroyed by fire during the siege of York in 1069. Egbert died in 767.—D. M.
EGEDE, Hans, an eminent christian missionary, who laboured during many years for the conversion of the Greenlanders. He was a native of Denmark, and born in 1686; and after completing his theological studies he became a clergyman in Norway. While in this remote and obscure situation his mind was directed to the history of Greenland, and to the fate of the colony of northmen which once flourished there, and of which no account had been received since the twelfth century, when all intercourse between the colony and the mother country had ceased. With the project of rediscovering the lost colony, he formed that of converting the Esquimaux. He now applied to the Danish government to assist him in his enterprise; but, notwithstanding his perseverance, he could not obtain any encouragement from the Danish government, which was then engaged in a war with Sweden. Not discouraged, he collected money and resigned his charge in Norway; and, when peace was concluded, he obtained a small pension, and ships were appointed to open a trade with Greenland. Egede embarked for Greenland in 1721; accompanied by three ships, one of which was lost during the voyage. A small settlement was made in this desolate region but after enduring great misery, and no conversions being made among the natives, both Egede and his companions resolved to
