Rome. Dissatisfied with the tenets and practices of the philosophers of his day, and earnestly longing for a better worship than heathenism presented, he was converted by a perusal of the Old Testament scriptures to the belief of the christian religion, and became a disciple of Justin Martyr. He soon, however, embraced gnostic views, and began to promulgate them in the East, whither he seems to have gone after Justin's death. In Mesopotamia and at Antioch he got disciples, who actively disseminated the heretical opinions of their teacher. It is not known when or where he died. His followers were called Tatiani, and were very nearly allied in their peculiar sentiments to the Encratites and Severians. Tatian held the usual gnostic doctrine of æons, and separated the creator of the world, the giver of the Mosaic law, from the supreme God, author of the gospels. He also held the damnation of Adam. He rejected some of Paul's epistles, and mutilated the four gospels. Tatian appears to have written a great deal. He was the author of a Diatessaron, or harmony of the gospels. The only extant work of his is the "Oratio adversus Græcos," addressed to the Greeks respecting their aversion to the opinions of foreigners. This treatise seems to have been composed before he embraced the peculiarities of gnosticism. It was published most correctly by Worth, 8vo, Oxford, 1700, and has usually accompanied the folio editions of Justin Martyr's works. It is in the first volume of Galland's Bibliotheca. Some fragments only of other works written by Tatian are extant.—S. D.
TATISCHTSCHEFF, Vassili Nikititch, a Russian writer, born in 1686, was one of the young men sent by Peter the Great in 1704 into Europe to acquire that knowledge and civilization which the czar desired to diffuse among his subjects. On his return home he served his sovereign in various capacities, civil and military, but was chiefly distinguished by his administration of the mining districts of Siberia. His "History of Russia," published after his death by Müller, 1769-84, is but a commentary on the old chronicles. He constructed also an atlas of Siberia, which was published in 1745. He died in 1750.—R. H.
TATIUS. See Achilles Tatius.
TATTI, Jacopo. See Sansovino.
* TAUBERT, Wilhelm, a musician, was born at Berlin in 1811. He was a pupil of Berger for the pianoforte, and of Bernhard Klein for composition; the cost of his education being defrayed by General Witzleben, whose generosity was repaid by the progress of his client. Taubert first played in public in 1825; in 1833 and 1837 he travelled through Germany, giving concerts at the chief towns, and establishing his high reputation as a pianist. He is now one of the most esteemed teachers of his instrument in Berlin. A letter from Mendelssohn to him in 1831, acknowledging a collection of songs, shows the high opinion the writer entertained of him as a composer. He produced "Die Kirmesse," a one act opera, with success at Berlin in 1832, and a more important dramatic work, "Blaubart," a few years later. His Kinderlieder (settings of the rhymes in the popular children's book, Des Knaben Wunderhorn) are full of fancy, and much admired. He has written studies, concertos, sonatas with and without accompaniments, and many smaller pieces for his instrument. At present he is musical director of the royal opera in Berlin.—G. A. M.
TAUBMANN, Friederich, a distinguished German scholar and wit, was born at Wonsees, near Baireuth, in 1565. He studied at Wittenberg, where in 1595 he obtained the chair of poetry and belles-lettres, the duties of which office he most honourably discharged till his death on the 24th March, 1613. At the same time he was a favourite of the electoral court, which he used to amuse by his humour and wit, without, however, sinking into the position of a hired court-fool. His "Dissertatio de lingua Latina," Wittenberg, 1614, his editions of Virgil and Plautus, and his Latin poems give honourable testimony to his exertions as a humanist, while the famous "Taubmanniana" (new edition by Örtel, Munich, 1831) have excited the mirth of many generations of readers.—K. E.
TAUCHNITZ, Karl Christoph Traugott, a distinguished German printer and publisher, was born of humble parents at Grosspardau, near Grimma, 29th October, 1761. By great exertions he succeeded in establishing a small business of his own at Leipsic, which he gradually enlarged, and at his death on the 14th of January, 1836, left as one of the most thriving and most respected printing and publishing establishments in Germany. His collection of ancient classics was unrivalled for correctness and cheapness, and was received with universal applause. In 1816 he began stereotyping, a process which he even adapted to music printing, to the Hebrew Bible, and the Koran.—K. E.
TAULER or THAULER, John, the celebrated German mystic, was born in Strasburg in 1290, and having joined the dominican order in 1308, was sent to study theology in the university of Paris. But he found little satisfaction in the masters who taught in that renowned school. He complained that they studied too much in the books of the learned, and too little in the book of life; and he turned with a yearning heart to other teachers who attracted him more powerfully, to the new Platonists and the Areopagite—to St. Bernard and Hugh and Richard de St. Victor. On his return to Strasburg he became acquainted with Master Eckart, whose philosophical mysticism had much influence upon him, though his own tendencies were more theological and practical than speculative; and he entered into close relations with the sect calling themselves the "Friends of God," who at this time became numerous on the Upper Rhine, and in the neighbouring countries of Suabia and Bavaria. These "Friends of God" were distinguished by a spirit of deep mystical piety; and in times of great confusion both in church and state—arising from conflict between the German empire and the court of Rome—they devoted themselves to the cultivation of inward heart-religion as distinguished from ritualism and ecclesiastical observance. The monasteries of Strasburg contained many such devout and earnest men, and among these Tauler found his most congenial society, and grew rapidly into a theologian of the same spirit. He began to preach at Strasburg, in spite of the interdict of Pope John XXII.; and his preaching immediately drew crowds after him. It was equally popular in matter and manner, deeply serious, speaking from heart to heart, avoiding scholastic subtleties and foolish legends, and full of instruction drawn from the Bible, from the human heart, and from every-day life. He was still, however, very imperfectly imbued with the evangelic spirit; and it is an interesting fact that the individual to whom he was indebted for a deeper insight into the doctrine of Christ and his apostles was a lay member of the ancient Waldensian church. This was Nicholas of Basle, who had heard of his fame as a preacher, and resolved to visit him at Strasburg. Finding in him another Apollos, "an eloquent man and fervent in the spirit, who spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord," Nicholas did the office of another Aquila, and "expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly." Laic though he was, he acquired an extraordinary power over the mind of the learned and popular monk, and even prevailed upon him to desist from preaching for two years until by severe self-discipline and deeper study of the scriptures he was better qualified for the work. When at the end of that time he appeared again in the pulpit, his eloquence was the same as before, but his doctrine was fuller of Christ as the only ground; and if he was not more earnest than at first, his earnestness was at least more instinct with evangelic light and love. Union and communion with God, the only true good, by humility, self-denial, and love, was his favourite theme, and repentance on the part of all ranks, high and low, clergy and laity, was his constant cry. The higher clergy would have stopped the mouth of this new John Baptist, but the magistrates of Strasburg protected him, and many of the priests became, under his influence, new men. In 1348 the plague visited Strasburg, and thousands of the people fell under the scourge of what they called the Black death. As the interdict still continued, Tauler and other two priests were the only ministers of religion who rendered the consolations of the sacraments of the church to the sick and dying, and he wrote a noble letter to the clergy to condemn the cruelty which could leave the poor ignorant people to die under the bann of the church. "Christ," said he, "died for all men, and no one can be kept by the pope out of heaven who dies a true christian. He who has a true faith, and is guilty of no other offence than one against the pope's person, is no heretic on that account." It was a bold, as well as a true speech, and Tauler was banished for it from Strasburg. He repaired to Cologne, where he preached for some years in the cloister of St. Gertrude; but he was allowed to finish his days in his native city, where he died in 1361. His sermons were printed first in Leipsic in 1498. The Basle edition, 1521, folio, is the best. His "Imitation of Christ," has also been published in several editions. It excels the Imitation of Thomas
