GOLD-BEATER'S SKIN-GOLD-BEATING.

GOLD COAST-GOLD OF PLEASURE.

GOLDAU-GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.

The seeds are used for emollient poultices, which allay pain, particularly in cutaneous diseases.

GO'LDAU, formerly a small town of Switzerland, in the canton of Schwytz, was situated in a valley between Mount Rossberg on the north and Mount Rigi on the south, five miles north-west of the town of Schwytz, and is memorable for its destruction by one of the most stupendous and fatal landslips on record. The upper portion of the slope of the Rossberg, consisting of a layer of stone resting on light soil, had been loosened by continuous rains, which percolated under the rock, and in a measure washed the soil from beneath it. On the 2d September 1806, toward the evening, the outer layer of rock became completely detached, and rushed down the mountain in a south-western direction into the valley. In a few minutes not only G. but the neighbouring villages of Busingen and Rothen were overwhelmed in destruction, a part of the Lake of Lauwerz was filled up, and by the sudden overflowing of the water the land to the west of Seewen was devastated. Two churches, 111 dwelling-houses, 220 outhouses containing many cattle, and 400 men were buried in one moment. Only a few of the unhappy inhabitants who, at the moment of the landslip, were at some distance from the scene, were saved. A numerous company of travellers, who were on the point of commencing the ascent of Mount Rigi, were overtaken on the bridge of G. by the landslip, and perished. The valley is now a wild rocky waste, but grass and moss are gradually creeping over and veiling its more rugged features. On a height in this valley through which the highway leads from Arth to Schwytz, a chapel has been erected. Compare Zry's G. und seine Umgegend (G. and its Neighbourhood,' Lucerne, 1829).

GOLDBERG, a manufacturing town of Prussia (of great antiquity), in the province of Silesia, is situated on an eminence on the banks of the Katzbach, 10 miles south-west of Liegnitz. It owes its origin and name to the gold-mines, which were worked here from the earliest times. At the commencement of the 12th c., they are said to have yielded 150 pounds of pure gold weekly. After the great victory won by the Mongol hordes near Liegnitz in 1241, in which 600 of the miners of G. perished, the town was taken by the conquerors. It also suffered greatly during the Thirty Years' War, and in 1813 was the scene of two engagements, the first between the French and Russians, and the second between the French and Prussians. G. is surrounded by double walls pierced by four gates; and is now celebrated for its manufactures of broadcloth, hosiery, and gloves, and for its fruit. Pop. 7040.

GOLDEN AGE. In the mythologies of most peoples and religions, there exists a tradition of a better time, when the earth was the common property of man, and produced spontaneously all things necessary for an enjoyable existence. The land flowed with milk and honey, beasts of prey lived peaceably with other animals, and man had not yet by selfishness, pride, and other vices and passions, fallen from a state of innocence. At the foundation of this legend lies the deeply-rooted opinion, that the world has degenerated with the progress of civilisation, and that mankind, while leading a simple, patriarchal life, were happier than at present. The Greeks and Romans placed this golden age under the rule of Saturn; and many of their poets-as, for example, Hesiod, in his Works and Days, Aratus, Ovid, and, above all, Virgil, in the first book of the Georgics-have turned this poetic matériel to admirable account, and defined the

gradual decadence of the world, as the silver, the brass, and the iron ages, holding out at the same time the consolatory hope that the pristine state of things will one day return.

GOLDEN BEETLE, the name popularly given to many of a genus of coleopterous insects, Chrysomela, and of a tribe or family, Chrysomelina or Chrysomelida, belonging to the tetramerous section of the order. The body is generally short and convex, the antennæ are simple and wide apart at the base; some of the species are destitute of wings. Many are distinguished by great splendour of colour. None are of large size. The finest species are tropical, but some are found in Britain. Some of them, in the larva state, commit ravages on the produce of the field and garden.

GOLDEN BULL (Lat. Bulla Aurea, Ger. Goldene Bulle), was so called from the gold case in which the seal attached to it was enclosed. The imperial edict known in German history under this title, was issued by the Emperor Charles IV., mainly for the purpose of settling the law of imperial elections Up to this time much uncertainty had prevailed as to the rights of the electoral body, claims having frequently been made by several members of the lay electoral families, and divisions having repeatedly arisen from this uncertainty; the effect of such divisions being to throw the decision for the most part into the hands of the pope. In order to obviate these inconveniences, the golden bull defines that one member only of each electoral house shall have a vote-viz., the representative of that house in right of primogeniture, and in case of his being a minor, the eldest of his uncles paternal. On the office on the pope, and as to the right of the pope great question as to the dependence of the imperial to examine and approve the imperial election, the golden bull is silent, although it declares the emperor competent to exercise jurisdiction in Germany from the moment of election. It invests the vicariate together with the government of the empire during the interregnum, in the Elector Palatine, and the Elector of Saxony; but it is remarkable that this only applies to Germany. On the vicariate of Italy, which was claimed by the popes, nothing is said. The golden bull also contains some provisions restraining the so-called Faustrecht (literally, 'fistlaw'), or right of private redress. It was solemnly enacted in two successive diets at Nürnberg and Metz, in the year 1336, and original copies of it were furnished to each of the electors, and to the city of Frankfurt. The electoral constitution, as settled by this bull, was maintained almost unaltered till the extinction of the empire.

In Hungarian history there is a constitutional edict called by the same name. It was issued by Andrew II. in the early part of the 13th century. Without entering into details, it will be enough to say that the Golden Bull of Andrew II. changed the government of Hungary from an absolutism to an aristocratic monarchy, and that it contained till recent times the charter of the liberties of Hungary, or perhaps of the privileges of the noble class. See Schmidt's Geschichte der Deutschen, iii. 638.

GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN (Regulus aurocapillus), a very beautiful bird of the family Sylviada, the smallest of British birds. Its entire length is scarcely three inches and a half. Notwithstanding its English name, it is not really a wren, but this name continues in popular use rather than Regulus and Kinglet, which have been proposed instead. The golden-crested wren is greenish-yellow on the upper parts, the cheeks and throat grayish-white; the crown feathers elongated, and forming a bright

GOLDEN-EYE-GOLDEN NUMBER.

yellow crest. In its habits, it is intermediate between the warblers and the tits. It particularly affects fir-woods. It is not uncommon in Britain, from the most southern to the most northern parts; but many come also from more northern countries to spend the winter, and it is on record that, in October 1822, thousands were driven on the coast of Northumberland and Durham by a severe gale from the north-east. The nest of this bird is suspended from the outermost twigs of a branch of fir, some of them being interwoven with it.-Another species (R. ignicapillus), with more vividly red crest, is sometimes found in Britain, and species are found in Asia and North America.

GOLDEN-EYE. See GARROT.

GOLDEN-EYE FLY (Hemerobius perla, or Chrysopa perla), a neuropterous insect, common in Britain; pale green, with long threadlike antennæ, long gauze-like wings, and brilliant golden eyes. Its flight is feeble. The length, from the tip of the antennæ to the tip of the wings, is almost an inch and a half, but the insect without wings and antennæ is not above one-third of this length. The female attaches her eggs, in groups of 12 or 16,

Golden-eye Fly (Chrysopa perla) (Copied from Morton's Encyclopædia of Agriculture): a, cocoon; b, the same magnified; c, larva; d, the same

order; but at the close of the Spanish war of succession, the emperor, Charles VI., laid claim to it in virtue of his possession of the Netherlands, and taking with him the archives of the order, cele brated its inauguration with great magnificence at Vienna in 1713. Philip V. of Spain contested the claim of Charles; and the dispute, several times renewed, was at last tacitly adjusted by the introduction of the order in both countries. The insignia are a golden fleece hanging from a gold and blue enamelled flintstone emitting flames, and borne in its turn by a ray of fire. On the enamelled obverse is inscribed Pretium laborum non vile. The decoration was originally suspended from a chain of alternate firestones and rays, for which Charles V. allowed a red ribbon to be substituted, and th chain is now worn only by the Grand-Master. The Spanish decoration differs slightly from the Austrian. The costume consists of a long robe of deep red velvet, lined with white taffetas, and a long mantle of purple velvet lined with white satin, and richly trimmed with embroidery containing firestones and steels emitting flames and sparks. On the hem, which is of white satin, is embroidered in gold, Je l'ay empris. There is also a cap of purple velvet embroidered in gold, with a hood, and the shoes and stockings are red. In Austria, the emperor may now create any number of knights of the Golden Fleece from the old nobility; if Protestants, the pope's consent is required. In Spain, princes, grandees, and personages of peculiar merit are alone eligible.

GOLDEN LEGEND (Lat. Aurea Legenda), a celebrated collection of hagiology, which for a time enjoyed almost unexampled popularity, having passed through more than a hundred editions, and translations into almost all the European languages. It is the work of James de Voragine, also written Vragine' and 'Varagine,' who was born about the year 1230. He entered the Dominican order, and was elected, at a comparatively early age, provincial of the order in Lombardy in 1267. Towards the end of that century, he was elected Archbishop of Genoa; and by his ability, his moderation, and his exemplary

magnified, and freed from adhering substances; e, perfect life, he played a most influential part in the public

insect, on a branch to which its eggs are attached.

by long hairlike stalks, to leaves or twigs. They have been mistaken for fungi. The larvae are ferocious-looking little creatures, rough with long hairs, to which particles of lichen or bark become attached; they are called aphis-lions, and are very useful by the destruction of aphides, on which they feed. The pupa is enclosed in a white silken cocoon, from which the fly is liberated by a lid.

GOLDEN FLEECE, in Greek tradition, the fleece of the ram Chrysomallus, the recovery of which was the object of the Argonautic expedition. See ARGONAUTS. The Golden Fleece has given its name to a celebrated order of knighthood in Austria and Spain, founded by Philip III., Duke of Burgundy and the Netherlands, at Bruges, on the 10th January 1429, on the occasion of his marriage with Isabella, daughter of King John I. of Portugal. This order was instituted for the protection of the church, and the fleece was probably assumed for its emblem, as much from being the material of the staple manufacture of the Low Countries, as from its connection with heroic times. The founder made himself Grand-Master of the order, a dignity appointed to descend to his successors; and the number of knights, at first limited to 24, was subsequently increased. After the death of Charles V., the Burgundo-Spanish line of the House of Austria remained in possession of the

affairs of his time, being called more than once into the councils of the popes themselves, in affairs of difficulty. The Legenda consists of 177 sections, each of which is devoted to a particular saint or festival, selected according to the order of the calendar. In its execution, the work, as may well be supposed from its age, is far from critical, but it is deserving of study as a literary monument of the period, and as illustrating the religious habits and views of the Christians of that time. It presents that which is exhibited in the acute and severely a very different phase of the medieval mind from philosophical lucubrations of the schools; but both must be read together, in order to make up the intellectual ideal of the time.

GOLDEN NUMBER for any year is the number of that year in the Metonic Cycle (q. v.), and as this cycle embraces 19 years, the golden numbers range from 1 to 19. The cycle of Meton came into general use soon after its discovery, and the number of each year in the Metonic cycle was ordered to be engraved in letters of gold on pillars of marble, hence the origin of the name. Since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the point from which the golden numbers are reckoned is 1 B. C., as in that year the new moon fell on the 1st of January; and as by Meton's law the new moon falls on the same day (1st of January) every 19th year from that time, we obtain the following rule for finding the golden number for any particular year,

GOLDEN-ROD-GOLDSCHMIDT.

Add 1 to the number of years, and divide by 19, the quotient gives the number of cycles and the remainder gives the golden number for that year; and if there be no remainder, then 19 is the golden number, and that year is the last of the cycle.' The golden number is used for determining the Epact (q. v.), and the time for holding Easter (q. v.).

GOLDEN-ROD (Solidago), a genus of plants of the natural order Composite, sub-order Corymbifera, closely allied to Aster, but distinguished by the single-rowed pappus and tapering-not compressed-fruit. The species are natives chiefly of temperate climates, and are most numerous in North America. A few are European; only one is British, the COMMON G. (S. Virgaurea), a perennial plant of very variable size, as there is a small alpine variety (sometimes called S. Cambrica) only a few inches high, whilst the common variety, found in woods and thickets in most parts of Britain, is from one to four feet high. It has erect panicled crowded racemes of small yellow flowers. It is an ornamental plant, and is sometimes seen in gardens. It had at one time a great reputation as a vulnerary, whence the name Solidago, it is said, from Lat. solidare, to unite. The leaves of this and a fragrant North American species, S. odora, have been used as a substitute for tea. They are mildly astringent and

tonic.

with the finest downy material that can be procured The eggs are four or five in number, bluish white, with a few spots and lines of pale purple and brown. The G. is much employed by bird-catchers as a callbird. It can be trained to the performance of many little tricks; that which, most of all, the trainers seem to prefer being the raising of water for itself as from a well, in a bucket the size of a thimble.The AMERICAN G. (F. or C. tristis) is very similar to the European species, has very similar habits and song, and displays the same interesting liveliness and affectionateness in domestication. The nest is also of the same elegant structure. It is a common bird in most parts of North America.

In

GOLDEN ROSE, a rose formed of wrought gold, and blessed with much solemnity by the pope in person on Mid-lent Sunday, which is called, from the first word of the festival, Lætare Sunday.' The prayer of blessing contains a mystic allusion to our Lord as 'the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys.' The rose is anointed with balsam, fumigated with incense, sprinkled with musk, and is then left upon the altar until of an ode in honour of Maria Theresa, and with the conclusion of the mass. Formerly, in the solemn papal procession of the day, the pope carried it in his hand. It is usually presented to some Catholic prince, whom the pope desires especially to honour, with an appropriate form of words. The origin of the ceremony is uncertain, but the most probable opinion as to its date is that of Martêne and Du Cange, who fix it in the pontificate of Innocent IV. See Wetser's Kirchen Lexicon, vol. ix. 397.

GOLDFINCH (Fringilla carduelis, or Carduelis elegans), a pretty little bird of the family Fringil lidæ, a favourite cage-bird, on account of its soft and pleasing song, its intelligence, its liveliness, and the attachment which it forms for those who feed and caress it. The genus Carduelis is distinguished by a thick conical bill, without any bulging, attenuated and very sharp at the tip. There are two groups, and one British species of each-a group with gay plumage and more prolonged bill, of which the G. is the British representative, and another with darker plumage and shorter bill, represented by the Aberdevine (q. v.), or Siskin. The G. is about five inches in entire length; black, blood-red, yellow, and white are beautifully mingled in its plumage. The colours of the female are duller than those of the male. It is widely diffused throughout Europe, and is found in some parts of Asia. It is a common bird in Britain, more abundant in England than in Scotland, but somewhat local. It is to be seen in small flocks on open grounds, feeding on the seeds of thistles and other plants, and in the earlier parts of the season frequents gardens and orchards. Its nest is made in a tree, bush, or hedge, is remarkable for its extreme neatness, and is always lined

GOLDO'NI, CARLO, the most celebrated writer of comedy among the Italians, was born at Venice in 1707, and received his first education at Rome. His father originally intended him for an actor, and fitted up a private theatre for his diversion at home, but the boy shewed no aptitude for histrionic performances, and in consequence he was sent to Pavia to study for the church. G., however, was still less fitted for being an ecclesiastic than an actor, and was finally expelled from college for writing scurrilous satires. In 1731, after his father's death, he was received as, advocate; but finding the legal profession by no means lucrative, he relinquished its practice, and set about composing comic almanacs, which became highly popular. Several of his minor comedies were represented about this time, and attracted much public favour by their novelty as well as their real merit. 1736 he espoused the daughter of a notary of Genoa, and subsequently went to Bologna, where, having obtained an introduction to Prince Lobkowitz, he was intrusted with the composition the organisation of the theatrical entertainments of the Austrian army. We next hear of him at Florence, working assiduously at comedies, which were, however, but an earnest of his best pieces. On his return to Venice he made very lucrative arrangements with the manager of the theatre of St Luke, and after a visit to Rome passed into France, and was appointed Italian master to the royal children, which situation allowed him to devote himself tranquilly to his literary occupations. In Paris he produced one of his most admired comedies, written in French, and entitled Le Bourru bienfaisant (The Benevolent Grumbler). It excited universal admiration, and drew forth a most eulogistic criticism from the pen of Voltaire. On the breaking out of the revolution, G. lost his pension, and died (January 1793) shortly before its restoration by decree of the Convention. greater part of it was allowed to his widow, who likewise received the arrears due from the time of its cessation. G. has left 150 comedies of unequal merit. The larger part are inimitable representations of the events of daily life, under both their vades steadily all G.'s compositions-the advance simplest and most complex aspect. One aim perment and elevation of honourable sentiments and deeds, and the flagellation of the prevailing vices and follies of the day.

The

GOLDSCHMIDT, MADAME (JENNY LIND), a celebrated Swedish singer, was born at Stockholm, October 6, 1821. She was of humble parentage, and her musical gifts were first noticed by an actress, by whose influence she was admitted, at the age of nine, into the Conservatory of Stockholm, where she received lessons of Croelius and Berg. She sang before the court with success, and at the age of 16 appeared in the role of Agatha, in Der Freischütz. Four years later, she went to Paris, to