Critical and Miscellaneous Essays: The Portraits of John Knox (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Critical and Miscellaneous Essays: The Portraits of John Knox; Taylor's Historic Survey of German Literature (Classic Reprint)Knox, twenty-one years ago (knox had left Geneva in Jan uary, 1559, and, preaching to a group of poor English exiles, probably was never very conspicuous there), had testified to Beza or to Goulart that the Beza Figure-head was by no means a likeness of Knox which fatal information, on. In quiry, had been confirmed into clear proof in the negative, and that Beza and Goulart had thereupon becomeconvinced and Goulart, with Beza, takinga fresh and again unfortunate departure, 'had agreed that here was the 'real Dromio, and had silently inserted William Tyndale accordingly. This is only a vague hypothesis, for why did not the old or middle aged inhabitant of Geneva testify with equal certainty that the Tyndale wood-cut was just as little a likeness of Knox, and'check Goulart and Beza in their new unfortunate advent ure? But to us the conclusion, which is not hypothetical at all, must surely be that neither Beza nor Goulart had any knowledge whatever of the real physiognomy or figure of J o hannes Cnoxus, and in all subsequent researches On that sub ject are to be considered mutually annihilative and any tes timony they could give mere zero, and of no account at all. This, however, was by no means the result which actually followed. Twenty-two years after this of Beza a Dutch Theologian, one Verheiden, whose knowledge of theological Icons was probably much more distinct than Beza's, published at the Hague a folio entitled Praestantium aliquot Theologorum etc. Efiigies, in which Knox figures in the following new form done, as the signature bears, by Hondius, an Engraver of known merit, but cognizant seemingly of Beza's Book only, and quite ignorant Of Goulart's translation and its Tyndale Knox, who presents us, to our surprise, on this Occasion with the following portrait considerably more alive and credible as a human being than beza's'figure-head; and bearing on it the monogram of Hondius; so that at least its authorship is indisputable.