+-------------------------------+---------+---------+-----------------+
|Successive Temperatures of sea | 67 deg. | 63 deg. | 54 deg. F. |
| " " " air | 66 deg. | 64 deg. | 53 deg. F. |
| " State of atmosphere | fair | shower | mist with shower|
+-------------------------------+---------+---------+-----------------+
Over the sea fog is most frequently due to the cooling of a surface
layer of warm air by the underlying cold water. The amount of motion of
the air must be sufficient to prevent the condensation taking place at
the sea surface without showing itself as a cloud. In a research on the
Life History of Surface Air Currents the changes incidental to the
movement of the air over the north Atlantic Ocean were traced with great
care, and the above examples (Tables I, II) taken from page 72 of the
work referred to are typical of the formation of sea fog by the cooling
of a relatively warm current passing over cold water.
In conformity with this suggestion we find that fog is most liable to
occur over the open ocean in those regions where, as off the
Newfoundland banks, cold-water currents underlie warm air, and that it
is most frequent at the season of the year when the air temperature is
increasing faster than the water temperature. But it is difficult to
bring this hypothesis always to bear upon actual practice, because the
fog is representative of a temperature difference which has ceased to
exist. One cannot therefore observe under ordinary circumstances both
the temperature difference and the fog. Doubtless one requires not only
the initial temperature difference but also the slow drift of air which
favours cooling of the lower layers without too much mixing and
consequently a layer of fog close to the surface. Such a fog, the
characteristic sea fog, may be called a cold surface fog. From the
conditions of its formation it is likely to be less dense at the
mast-head than it is on deck.
One would expect that a cold-air current passing over a warm sea surface
would give rise to an ascending current of warmed air and hence cause
cumulus cloud and possibly thunder showers rather than surface fog, but
one cannot resist the conclusion that sea fog is sometimes formed by
slow transference of cold air over relatively warm water, giving rise to
what may be called a "steaming-pot" fog. In such a case the actual
surface layer in contact with the warm water would be clear, and the fog
would be thicker aloft where the mixing of cold air and water vapour is
more complete. Such fogs are, however, probably rare in comparison with
the cold-water fogs. If the existence of a cold current over warm water
were a sufficient cause of fog, as a current of warm air over cold water
appears to be, the geographical distribution of notable fog would be
much more widespread than it actually is, and the seasonal distribution
of fog would also be other than it is.
The formation of fog over land seems to be an even more complicated
process than over the sea. Certainly in some cases mistiness amounting
to fog arises from the replacement of cold surface air which has chilled
the earth and the objects thereon by a warm current. But this process
can hardly give rise to detached masses or banks of fog. The ordinary
land or valley fog of the autumn evening or winter morning is due to the
combination of three causes, first the cooling of the surface layer of
air at or after sunset by the radiation of the earth, or more
particularly of blades of grass, secondly the slow downward flow (in the
absence of wind) of the air thus cooled towards lower levels following
roughly the course of the natural water drainage of the land, and
thirdly the supply of moisture by evaporation from warm moist soil or
from the relatively warm water surface of river or lake. In this way
steaming-pot fog gradually forms and is carried downward by the natural
though slow descent of the cooled air. It thus forms in wreaths and
banks in the lowest parts, until perhaps the whole valley becomes filled
with a cloud of mist or fog. A case of this kind in the Lake District is
minutely described by J.B. Cohen (_Q.J. Roy. Met. Soc._ vol. 30, p. 211,
1904).
It will be noticed that upon this hypothesis the circumstances
favourable for fog formation are (1) a site near the bottom level of the
drainage area, (2) cold surface air and no wind, (3) an evening or night
of vigorous radiation, (4) warm soil, and (5) abundant moisture in the
surface-soil. These conditions define with reasonable accuracy the
circumstances in which fog is actually observed.
The persistence of these fog wreaths is always remarkable when one
considers that the particles of a fog cloud, however small they may be,
must be continually sinking through the air which holds them, and that
unless some upward motion of the air keeps at least a balance against
this downward fall, the particles of the cloud must reach the earth or
water and to that extent the cloud must disappear. In sheltered valleys
it is easy to suppose that the constant downward drainage of fresh and
colder fog-laden material at the surface supplies to the layers
displaced from the bottom the necessary upward motion, and the result of
the gradual falling of drops is only that the surface cloud gets
thicker; but there are occasions when the extent and persistence of land
fog seems too great to be accounted for by persistent radiation cooling.
For example, in the week before Christmas of 1904 the whole of England
south of the Humber was covered with fog for several days. It is of
course possible that so much fog-laden air was poured down from the
sides of mountains and hills that did project above the surface of the
fog, as to keep the lower reaches supplied for the whole time, but
without more particulars such a statement seems almost incredible.
Moreover, the drifting of fog banks over the sea seems capricious and
unrelated to any known circumstances of fog-formation, so that one is
tempted to invoke the aid of electrification of the particles or some
other abnormal condition to account for the persistence of fog. The
observations at Kew observatory show that the electrical potential is
abnormally high during fog, but whether that is the cause or the result
of the presence of the water particles, we are not yet in a position to
say. It must be remembered that a fog cloud ought to be regarded as
being, generally speaking, _in process of formation_ by mixing.
Observations upon clouds formed experimentally in globes tend to show
that if a mass of fog-bearing air could be enclosed and kept still for
only a short while the fog would settle and leave the air clear. The
apparently capricious behaviour of fog banks may be due to the fact that
mixing is still going on in the persistent ones, but is completed in the
disappearing ones.
One remarkable characteristic of a persistent fog is the coldness of the
foggy air at the surface in spite of the heat of the sun's rays falling
upon the upper surface of the fog. A remarkable example may be quoted
from the case of London, which was under fog all day on 28th January
1909. The maximum temperature only reached 31 deg. F., whereas at
Warlingham in Surrey from which the fog lifted it was as high as 46 deg.
F.
_A priori_ we might suppose that the formation of fog would arrest
cooling by radiation, and that fog would thus act as a protection of
plants against frost. The condensation of water evaporated from wet
ground, which affords the material for making fog, does apparently act
as a protection, and heavy watering is sometimes used to protect plants
from frost, but the same cannot be said of fog itself--cooling appears
to go on in spite of the formation of fog.
A third process of fog-formation, namely, the descent of a cloud from
above in the form of light drizzling rain, hardly calls for remark. In
so far as it is subject to rules, they are the rules of clouds and rain
and are therefore independent of surface conditions.
These various causes of fog-formation maybe considered with advantage in
relation to the geographical distribution of fog. Statistics on this
subject are not very satisfactory on account of the uncertainty of the
distinction between fog and mist, but a good deal may be learned from
the distribution of fog over the north Atlantic Ocean and its various
coasts as shown in the Monthly Meteorological Charts of the north
Atlantic issued by the Meteorological Office, and the Pilot charts of
the North Atlantic of the United States Hydrographic Office. Coast fog,
which is probably of the same nature as land fog, is most frequent in
the winter months, whereas sea fog and ocean fog is most extensive and
frequent in the spring and summer. By June the fog area has extended
from the Great Banks over the ocean to the British Isles, in July it is
most intense, and by August it has notably diminished, while in
November, which is proverbially a foggy month on land, there is hardly
any fog shown over the ocean.
The various meteorological aspects of fog and its incidence in London
were the subject of reports to the Meteorological Council by Captain A.
Carpenter and Mr R.G.K. Lempfert, based upon special observations made
in the winters of 1901-1902 and 1902-1903 in order to examine the
possibility of more precise forecasts of fog.
The study of the properties and behaviour of fog is especially important
for large towns in consequence of the economic and hygienic results
which follow the incidence of dense fogs. The fogs of London in
particular have long been a subject of inquiry. It is difficult to get
trustworthy statistics on the subject in consequence of the vagueness of
the practice as regards the classification of fog. For large towns there
is great advantage in using a fog scale such as that given above, in
which one deals only with the practical range of vision irrespective of
the meteorological cause.
Accepting the classification which distinguishes between fog and haze or
mist, but not between the two latter terms, as equivalent to specifying
fog when the thickness amounts to the figure 2 or more on the fog scale,
we are enabled to compare the frequency of fog in London by the
comparison of the results at the London observing stations. The
comparison was made by Mr Brodie in a paper read before the Royal
Meteorological Society (_Quarterly Journal_, vol. 31, p. 15), and it
appears therefrom that in recent years there has been a notable
diminution of fog frequency, as indicated in the following table of the
total number of days of fog in the years from 1871:--
+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| 1871.| 1872.| 1873.| 1874.| 1875.| 1876.| 1877.| 1878.| 1879.| 1880.| 1881.| 1882.| 1883.| 1884.| 1885.| 1886.| 1887.| 1888.| 1889.|
+-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| 42 | 35 | 75 | 53 | 49 | 40 | 46 | 63 | 69 | 74 | 59 | 69 | 61 | 53 | 69 | 86 | 83 | 62 | 75 |
+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| 1890.| 1891.| 1892.| 1893.| 1894.| 1895.| 1896.| 1897.| 1898.| 1899.| 1900.| 1901.| 1902.| 1903.| 1904.| 1905.| 1906.| 1907.| 1908.|
+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| 65 | 69 | 68 | 31 | 51 | 48 | 43 | 48 | 47 | 56 | 13 | 45 | 42 | 26 | 44 | 19 | 16 | 37 | 19 |
+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
But from any statistics of the frequency occurrence of fog it must not
be understood that the atmosphere of London is approaching that of the
surrounding districts as regards transparency. Judged by the autographic
records it is still almost opaque to sunshine strong enough to burn the
card of the recorder during the winter months.
The bibliography of fog is very extensive. The titles referring to
fog, mist and haze in the _Bibliography of Meteorology_ (part ii.) of
the U.S. Signal Office, published in 1889, number 306. Among more
recent authors on the subject, besides those referred to in the text,
may be mentioned:--Koppen, "Bodennebel," _Met. Zeit._ (1885); Trabert,
_Met. Zeit._ (1901), p. 522; Elias in _Ergebnisse des aeronautischen
Observatoriums bei Berlin_, ii. (Berlin, 1904); Scott, _Q.J.R. Met.
Soc._ xix. p. 229; A.G. McAdie, "Fog Studies," _Amer. Inv._ ix.
(Washington, D.C., 1902), p. 209; Buchan, "Fogs on the Coasts of
Scotland," _Journ. Scot. Met. Soc._ xii. p. 3. (W. N. S.)
FOGAZZARO, ANTONIO (1842- ), Italian novelist and poet, was born at
Vicenza in 1842. He was a pupil of the Abate Zanella, one of the best of
the modern Italian poets, whose tender, thoughtful and deeply religious
spirit continued to animate his literary productions. He began his
literary career with _Miranda_, a poetical romance (1874), followed in
1876 by _Valsolda_, which, republished in 1886 with considerable
additions, constitutes perhaps his principal claim as a poet, which is
not inconsiderable. To the classic grandeur of Carducci and D'Annunzio's
impetuous torrent of melody Fogazzaro opposes a Wordsworthian simplicity
and pathos, contributing to modern Italian literature wholesome elements
of which it would otherwise be nearly destitute. His novels, _Malombra_
(1882), _Daniele Cortis_ (1887), _Misterio del Poeta_ (1888), obtained
considerable literary success upon their first publication, but did not
gain universal popularity until they were discovered and taken up by
French critics in 1896. The demand then became prodigious, and a new
work, _Piccolo Mondo antico_ (1896), which critics far from friendly to
Fogazzaro's religious and philosophical ideas pronounced the best
Italian novel since _I Promessi Sposi_, went through numerous editions.
Even greater sensation was caused by his novel _Il Santo_ (_The Saint_,
1906), on account of its being treated as unorthodox by the Vatican; and
Fogazzaro's sympathy with the Liberal Catholic movement--his own
Catholicism being well known--made this novel a centre of discussion in
the Roman Catholic world.
See the biography by Molmenti (1900).
FOGELBERG, BENEDICT (or BENGT) ERLAND (1786-1854), Swedish sculptor, was
born at Gothenburg on the 8th of August 1786. His father, a
copper-founder, encouraging an early-exhibited taste for design, sent
him in 1801 to Stockholm, where he studied at the school of art. There
he came much under the influence of the sculptor Sergell, who
communicated to him his own enthusiasm for antique art and natural
grace. Fogelberg worked hard at Stockholm for many years, although his
instinct for severe beauty rebelled against the somewhat rococo quality
of the art then prevalent in the city. In 1818 the grant of a government
pension enabled him to travel. He studied from one to two years in
Paris, first under Pierre Guerin, and afterwards under the sculptor
Bosio, for the technical practice of sculpture. In 1820 Fogelberg
realized a dream of his life in visiting Rome, where the greater part of
his remaining years were spent in the assiduous practice of his art, and
the careful study and analysis of the works of the past. Visiting his
native country by royal command in 1854, he was received with great
enthusiasm, but nothing could compensate him for the absence of those
remains of antiquity and surroundings of free natural beauty to which he
had been so long accustomed. Returning to Italy, he died suddenly of
apoplexy at Trieste on the 22nd of December 1854. The subjects of
Fogelberg's earlier works are mostly taken from classic mythology. Of
these, "Cupid and Psyche," "Venus entering the Bath," "A Bather" (1838),
"Apollo Citharede," "Venus and Cupid" (1839) and "Psyche" (1854) may be
mentioned. In his representations of Scandinavian mythology Fogelberg
showed, perhaps for the first time, that he had powers above those of
intelligent assimilation and imitation. His "Odin" (1831), "Thor"
(1842), and "Balder" (1842), though influenced by Greek art, display
considerable power of independent imagination. His portraits and
historical figures, as those of Gustavus Adolphus (1849), of Charles
XII. (1851), of Charles XIII. (1852), and of Birger Jarl, the founder of
Stockholm (1853), are faithful and dignified works.
See Casimir Leconte, _L'Oeuvre de Fogelberg_ (Paris, 1856).
FOGGIA, a town and episcopal see (since 1855) of Apulia, Italy, the
capital of the province of Foggia, situated 243 ft. above sea-level, in
the centre of the great Apulian plain, 201 m. by rail S.E. of Ancona and
123 m. N.E. by E. of Naples. Pop. (1901) town, 49,031; commune, 53,134.
The name is probably derived from the pits or cellars (_foveae_) in
which the inhabitants store their grain. The town is the medieval
successor of the ancient Arpi, 3 m. to the N.; the Normans, after
conquering the district from the Eastern empire, gave it its first
importance. The date of the erection of the cathedral is probably about
1179; it retains some traces of Norman architecture, and the facade has
a fine figured cornice by Bartolommeo da Foggia; the crypt has capitals
of the 11th (?) century. The whole church was, however, much altered
after the earthquake of 1731. A gateway of the palace of the emperor
Frederick II. (1223, by Bartolommeo da Foggia) is also preserved. Here
died his third wife, Isabella, daughter of King John of England. Charles
of Anjou died here in 1284. After his son's death, it was a prey to
internal dissensions and finally came under Alphonso I. of Aragon, who
converted the pastures of the Apulian plain into a royal domain in 1445,
and made Foggia the place at which the tax on the sheep was to be paid
and the wool to be sold. The other buildings of the town are modern.
Foggia is a commercial centre of some importance for the produce of the
surrounding country, and is also a considerable railway centre, being
situated on the main line from Bologna to Brindisi, at the point where
this is joined by the line from Benevento and Caserta. There are also
branches to Rocchetta S. Antonio (and thence to either Avellino,
Potenza, or Gioia del Colle), to Manfredonia, and to Lucera.
FOHN (Ger., probably derived through Romansch _favongn_, _favoign_, from
Lat. _favonius_), a warm dry wind blowing down the valleys of the Alps
from high central regions, most frequently in winter. The Fohn wind
often blows with great violence. It is caused by the indraft of air from
the elevated region to areas of low barometric pressure in the
neighbourhood, and the warmth and dryness are due to dynamical
compression of the air as it descends to lower levels. Similar local
winds occur in many parts of the world, as Greenland, and on the slopes
of the Rocky Mountains. In the southern Alpine valleys the Fohn wind is
often called sirocco, but its nature and cause are different from the
true sirocco. The belief that the warm dry wind comes from the Sahara
dies hard; and still finds expression in some textbooks.
For a full account of these winds see Hann, _Lehrbuch der
Meteorologie_, p. 594.
FOHR, a German island in the North Sea, belonging to the province of
Schleswig-Holstein, and situated off its coast. Pop. 4500. It comprises
an area of 32 sq. m., and is reached by a regular steamboat service from
Husum and Dagebull on the mainland to Wyk, the principal bathing resort
on the E. coast of the island. The chief attraction of Wyk is the
Sandwall, a promenade which is shaded by trees and skirts the beach.
Fohr, the most fertile of the North Frisian islands, is principally
marshland, and comparatively well wooded. There are numerous
pleasantly-situated villages and hamlets scattered over it, of which the
most frequented are Boldixum, Nieblum and Alkersum. The inhabitants are
mainly engaged in the fishing industry, and are known as excellent
sailors.
FOIL. 1. (Through O. Fr. from Lat. _folium_, a leaf, modern Fr.
_feuille_), a leaf, and so used in heraldry and in plant names, such as
the "trefoil" clover; and hence applied to anything resembling a leaf.
In architecture, the word appears for the small leaf-like spaces formed
by the cusps of tracery in windows or panels, and known, according to
the number of such spaces, as "quatrefoil," "cinquefoil," &c. The word
is also found in "counterfoil," a leaf of a receipt or cheque book,
containing memoranda or a duplicate of the receipt or draft, kept by the
receiver or drawer as a "counter" or check. "Foil" is particularly used
of thin plates of metal, resembling a leaf, not in shape as much as in
thinness. In thickness foil comes between "leaf" and "sheet" metal. In
jewelry, a foil of silvered sheet copper, sometimes known as Dutch foil,
is used as a backing for paste gems, or stones of inferior lustre or
colour. This is coated with a mixture of isinglass and translucent
colour, varying with the stones to be backed, or, if only brilliancy is
required, left uncoloured, but highly polished. From this use of "foil,"
the word comes to mean, in a figurative sense, something which by
contrast, or by its own brightness, serves to heighten the attractive
qualities of something else placed in juxtaposition. The commonest
"foil" is that generally known as "tinfoil." The ordinary commercial
"tinfoil" usually consists chiefly of lead, and is used for the wrapping
of chocolate or other sweetmeats, tobacco or cigarettes. A Japanese
variegated foil gives the effect of "damaskeening." A large number of
thin plates of various metals, gold, silver, copper, together with
alloys of different metals are soldered together in a particular order,
a pattern is hammered into the soldered edges, and the whole is hammered
or rolled into a single thin plate, the pattern then appearing in the
order in which the various metals were placed.
2. (From an O. Fr. _fuler_ or _foler_, modern _fouler_, to tread or
trample, to "full" cloth, Lat. _fullo_, a fuller), an old hunting term,
used of the running back of an animal over its own tracks, to confuse
the scent and baffle the hounds. It is also used in wrestling, of a
"throw." Thus comes the common use of the word, in a figurative sense,
with reference to both these meanings, of baffling or defeating an
adversary, or of parrying an attack.
3. As the name of the weapon used in fencing (see FOIL-FENCING) the word
is of doubtful origin. One suggestion, based on a supposed similar use
of Fr. _fleuret_, literally a "little flower," for the weapon, is that
foil means a leaf, and must be referred in origin to Lat. _folium_. A
second suggestion is that it means "blunted," and is the same as (2). A
third is that it is an adaptation of an expression "at foils," i.e.
"parrying." Of these suggestions, according to the _New English
Dictionary_, the first has nothing to support it, the second is not
supported by any evidence that in sense (2) the word ever meant to
blunt. The third has some support. Finally a suggestion is made that the
word is an alteration of an old word "foin," meaning a thrust with a
pointed weapon. The origin of this word is probably an O. Fr. _foisne_,
from the Lat. _fuscina_, a three-pronged fork.
FOIL-FENCING, the art of attack and defence with the fencing-foil. The
word is used in several spellings (foyle, file, &c.) by the English
writers of the last half of the 16th century, but less in the sense of a
weapon of defence than merely as an imitation of a real weapon. Blunt
swords for practice in fencing have been used in all ages. For the most
part these were of wood and flat in general form, but when, towards the
close of the 17th century, all cutting action with the small-sword was
discarded (see FENCING), foil-blades were usually made of steel, and
either round, three-cornered or four-cornered in form, with a button
covering the point. The foil is called in French _fleuret_, and in
Italian _fioretto_ (literally "bud") from this button. The classic
small-sword play of the 17th and 18th centuries is represented at the
present time by fencing with the _epee de combat_ (fighting-rapier),
which is merely the modern duelling-sword furnished with a button (see
EPEE-DE-COMBAT), and by foil-fencing. Foil-fencing is a conventional
art, its characteristic limitation lying in the rule that no hits except
those on the body shall be considered good, and not even those unless
they be given in strict accordance with certain standard precepts. In
epee-fencing on the contrary, a touch on any part of the person, however
given, is valid. Foil-fencing is considered the basis, so far as
practice is concerned, of all sword-play, whether with foil, epee or
sabre.
There are two recognized schools of foil-fencing, the French and the
Italian. The French method, which is now generally adopted everywhere
except in Italy, is described in this article, reference being made to
the important differences between the two schools.
_The Foil._--The foil consists of the "blade" and the "handle." The
blade, which is of steel and has a quadrangular section, consists of two
parts: the blade proper, extending from the guard to the button, and the
"tongue," which runs through the handle and is joined to the pommel. The
blade proper is divided into the "forte," or thicker half (next the
handle), and the "foible" or thinner half. Some authorities divide the
blade proper into three parts, the "forte," "middle" and "foible." The
handle is comprised of the "guard," the "grip" and the "pommel." The
guard is a light piece of metal shaped like the figure 8 (Fr.
_lunettes_, spectacles) and backed with a piece of stiff leather of the
same shape. The grip, which is grasped by the hand, is a hollow piece of
wood, usually wound with twine, through which the tongue of the blade
passes. The pommel is a piece of metal, usually pear-shaped, to which
the end of the tongue is joined and which forms the extremity of the
handle. The blade from guard to button is about 33 in. long (No. 5),
though a somewhat shorter and lighter blade is generally used by ladies.
The handle is about 8 in. long and slightly curved downwards.
The genuine Italian foil differs from the French in having the blade a
trifle longer and more whippy, and in the form of the handle, which
consists of a thin, solid, bell-shaped guard from 4 to 5 in. in
diameter, a straight grip and a light metal bar joining the grip with
the guard, beyond the edge of which it extends slightly on each side. Of
late years many Italian masters use French blades and even discard the
cross-bar, retaining, however, the bell-guard.
In holding the foil, the thumb is placed on the top or convex surface of
the grip (the sides of which are a trifle narrower than the top and
bottom), while the palm and fingers grasp the other three sides. This is
the position of "supination," or thumb-up. "Pronation" is the reverse
position, with the knuckles up. The French lay stress upon holding the
foil lightly, the necessary pressure being exerted mostly by the thumb
and forefinger, the other fingers being used more to guide the direction
of the executed movements. This is in order to give free scope to the
_doigte_ (fingering), or the faculty of directing the point of the foil
by the action of the fingers alone, and includes the possibility of
changing the position of the hand on the grip. Thus, in parrying, the
end of the thumb is placed within half an inch, or even less, of the
guard, while in making a lunge, the foil is held as near the pommel as
possible, in order to gain additional length. It will be seen that
_doigte_ is impossible with the Italian foil, in holding which the
forefinger is firmly interlaced with the cross-bar, preventing any
movement of the hand. The lightness of grasp inculcated by the French is
illustrated by the rule of the celebrated master Lafaugere: "Hold your
sword as if you had a little bird in your hand, firmly enough to prevent
its escape, yet not so firmly as to crush it." This lightness has for a
consequence that a disarmament is not considered of any value in the
French school.
_To Come on Guard._--The position of "on guard" is that in which the
fencer is best prepared both for attack and defence. It is taken from
the position of "attention"; the feet together and at right angles with
each other, head and body erect, facing forward in the same direction as
the right foot, left arm and hand hanging in touch with the body, and
the right arm and foil forming a straight line so that the button is
about 1 yd. in front of the feet and 4 in. from the floor. From this
position the movements to come "on guard" are seven in number:--
1. Raise the arm and foil and extend them towards the adversary (or
master) in a straight line, the hand being opposite the eye.
2. Drop the arm and foil again until the point is about 4 in. from the
floor.
3. Swing the button round so that it shall point horizontally
backwards, and hold the hilt against the left thigh, the open fingers
of the left hand being held, knuckles down, against the guard and
along the blade.
4. Carry the foil, without altering the position of the hands, above
the head until the arms are fully extended, the foil being kept
horizontal and close to the body as it is lifted.
5. Let the left arm fall back behind the head to a curved position,
the hand being opposite the top of the head; at the same time bring
the right hand down opposite the right breast and about 8 in. from it;
keeping the elbow well in and the point of the foil directed towards
the opponent's eye.
6. Bend the legs by separating them at the knees but without moving
the feet.
7. Shift the weight of the body on to the left leg and advance the
right foot a short distance (from 14 to 18 in., according to the
height of the fencer).
In the Italian school the fencer stands on guard with the right arm
fully extended, the body more effaced, i.e. the left shoulder thrown
farther back, and the feet somewhat farther apart. At the present time,
however, many of the best Italian fencers have adopted the guard with
crooked sword-arm, owing to their abandonment of the old long-foil
blade.
_The Recover_ (at the close of the lesson or assault).--To recover "in
advance": extend the right arm at right angles with the body, drop the
left arm and straighten the legs by drawing the rear foot up to the one
in advance. To recover "to the rear": extend the right arm and drop the
left as before, and straighten the legs by drawing the forward foot back
to that in the rear.
_The Salute_ always follows the recover, the two really forming one
manoeuvre. Having recovered, carry the right hand to a position just in
front of the throat, knuckles out, foil vertical with point upwards;
then lower and extend the arm with nails up until the point is 4 in.
from the floor and slightly to the right.
_To Advance._--Being on guard, take a short step forward with the right
foot and let the left foot follow immediately the same distance, the
position of the body not being changed. However the step, or series of
steps, is made, the right foot should always move first.
_To Retreat._--This is the reverse of the advance, the left foot always
moving first.
_The Calls_ (_deux appels_).--Being on guard, tap the floor twice with
the right foot without altering the position of any other part of the
person. The object of the calls is to test the equilibrium of the body,
and they are usually executed as a preliminary to the recover.
_The Lunge_ is the chief means of attack. It is immediately preceded by
the movement of "extension," in fact the two really form one combined
movement. Extension is executed by quickly extending the right arm, so
that point, hand and shoulder shall have the same elevation; no other
part of the person is moved. The "lunge" is then carried out by
straightening the left leg and throwing forward the right foot, so that
it shall be planted as far forward as possible without losing the
equilibrium or preventing a quick recovery to the position of guard. The
left foot remains firmly in its position, the right shoulder is
advanced, and the left arm is thrown down and back (with hand open and
thumb up), to balance the body. The recovery to the position of guard is
accomplished by smartly throwing the body back by the exertion of the
right leg, until its weight rests again on the left leg, the right foot
and arms resuming their on-guard positions. The point upon which the
French school lays most stress is, that the movement of extension shall,
if only by a fraction of a second, actually precede the advance of the
right foot. The object of this is to ensure the accuracy of the lunge,
i.e. the direction of the point.
_The Gain._--This consists in bringing up the left foot towards the
right (the balance being shifted), keeping the knees bent. In this
manner a step is gained and an exceptionally long lunge can be made
without the knowledge of the adversary. It is a common stratagem of
fencers whose reach is short.
_Defence._--For the purpose of nomenclature the space on the fencer's
jacket within which hits count is divided into quarters, the two upper
ones being called the "high lines," and the two lower ones the "low
lines." Thus a thrust directed at the upper part of the breast is called
an attack in the high lines. In like manner the parries are named from
the different quarters they are designed to protect. There are four
traditional parries executed with the hand in supination, and four
others, practically identical in execution, made with the hand held in
pronation. Thus the parries defending the upper right-hand quarter of
the jacket are "sixte" (sixth; with the hand in supination) and "tierce"
(third; hand in pronation). Those defending the upper left-hand quarter
are "quarte" (fourth; in supination) and "quinte" (fifth; in pronation).
Those defending the lower right-hand quarter are "octave" (eighth; in
supination) and "seconde" (second; in pronation). Those defending the
lower left-hand quarter are "septime" (seventh; in supination), more
generally called "demicircle," or "half-circle"; and "prime" (first; in
pronation).
_The Parries._--The tendency of the French school has always been
towards simplicity, especially of defence, and at the present day the
parries made with the knuckles up (pronation), although recognized and
taught, are seldom if ever used against a strong adversary in
foil-fencing, owing principally to the time lost in turning the hand.
The theory of parrying is to turn aside the opponent's foil with the
least possible expenditure of time and exertion, using the arm as little
as possible while letting the hand and wrist do the work, and opposing
the "forte" of the foil to the "foible" of the adversary's. The foil is
kept pointed as directly as possible towards the adversary, and the
parries are made rather with the corners than the sides of the blade.
The slightest movement that will turn aside the opponent's blade is the
most perfect parry. There are two kinds of parries, "simple," in which
the attack is warded off by a single movement, and "counter," in which a
narrow circle is described by the point of the foil round that of the
opponent, which is thus enveloped and thrown aside. There are also
complex parries, composed of combinations of two or more parries, which
are used to meet complicated attacks, but they are all resolvable into
simple parries. In parrying, the arm is bent about at right angles.
_Simple Parries._--The origin of the numerical nomenclature of the
parries is a matter of dispute, but it is generally believed that they
received their names from the positions assumed in the process of
drawing the sword and falling on guard. Thus the position of the hand
and blade, the moment it is drawn from the scabbard on the left side, is
practically that of the first, or "prime," parry. To go from "prime" to
"seconde" it is only necessary to drop the hand and carry it across the
body to the left side; thence to "tierce" is only a matter of raising
the point of the sword, &c.
_Parry of Prime_ (to ward off attacks on the--usually lower--left-hand
side of the body). Hold the hand, knuckles up, opposite the left eye and
the point directed towards the opponent's knee. This parry is now
regarded more as an elegant evolution than a sound means of defence, and
is little employed.
_Parry of Seconde_ (against thrusts at the lower right-hand side). This
is executed by a quick, not too wide movement of the hand downwards and
slightly to the right, knuckles up.
_Parry of Tierce_ (against thrusts at the upper right-hand side). A
quick, dry beat on the adversary's "foible" is given, forcing it to the
right, the hand, in pronation, being held opposite the middle of the
right breast. This parry has been practically discarded in favour of
"sixte."
_Parry of Quarte_ (against thrusts at the upper left-hand side). This
parry, perhaps the most used of all, is executed by forcing the
adversary's blade to the left by a dry beat, the hand being in
supination, opposite the left breast.
_Parry of Quinte_ (against thrusts at the left-hand side, like
"quarte"). This is practically a low "quarte," and is little used.
_Parry of Sixte_ (against thrusts at the upper right-hand side). This
parry is, together with "quarte," the most important of all. It is
executed with the hand held in supination opposite the right breast, a
quick, narrow movement throwing the adversary's blade to the right.
_Parry of Septime or Half-Circle_ (against thrusts at the lower
left-hand side) is executed by describing with the point of the foil a
small semicircle downward and towards the left, the hand moving a few
inches in the same direction, but kept thumb up.
_Parry of Octave_ (against thrusts at the lower right-hand side) is
executed by describing with the point of the foil a small semicircle
downward and towards the right, the hand moving a few inches in the same
direction, but kept thumb up.
_Counter Parries_ (Fr. _contre_).--Although the simple parries are
theoretically sufficient for defence, they are so easily deceived by
feints that they are supplemented by counter parries, in which the blade
describes narrow circles, following that of the adversary and meeting
and turning it aside; thus the point describes a complete circle while
the hand remains practically stationary. Each simple parry has its
counter, made with the hand in the same position and on the same side as
in the simple parry. The two most important are the "counter of quarte"
and the "counter of sixte," while the counters of "septime" and "octave"
are less used, and the other four at the present time practically never.
_Counter of Quarte._--Being on guard in quarte (with your adversary's
blade on the left of yours), if he drops his point under and thrusts in
sixte, in other words at your right breast, describe a narrow circle
with your point round his blade, downward to the right and then up over
to the left, bringing hand and foil back to their previous positions and
catching and turning aside his blade on the way. The "Counter of Sixte"
is executed in a similar manner, but the circle is described in the
opposite direction, throwing off the adverse blade to the right. The
"Counters of Septime and Octave" are similar to the other two but are
executed in the low lines.
_Complex or Combined Parries_ are such as are composed of two or more
parries executed in immediate succession, and are made in answer to
feint attacks by the adversary (see below); e.g. being on guard in
quarte, should the adversary drop his point under and feint at the right
breast but deflect the point again and really thrust on the left, it is
evident that the simple parry of sixte would cover the right breast but
would leave the real point of attack, the left, entirely uncovered. The
sixte parry is therefore followed, as a continuation of the movement, by
the parry of quarte, or a counter parry. The complex parries are
numerous and depend upon the attack to be met.
_Engagement_ is the junction of the blades, the different engagements
being named from the parries. Thus, if both fencers are in the position
of quarte, they are said to be engaged in quarte. To engage in another
line (Change of Engagement) e.g. from quarte to sixte, the point is
lowered and passed under the adversary's blade, which is pressed
slightly outward, so as to be well covered (called "opposition").
"Double Engagement" is composed of two engagements executed rapidly in
succession in the high lines, the last with opposition.
_Attack._--The attack in fencing comprises all movements the object of
which is to place the point of the foil upon the adversary's breast,
body, sides or back, between collar and belt. The space upon which hits
count is called the "target" and differs according to the rules
prevailing in the several countries, but is usually as above stated. In
Great Britain no hits above the collar-bones count, while in America the
target is only the left breast between the median line and a line
running from the armpit to the belt. The reason for this limitation is
to encourage accuracy.
Attacks are either "primary" or "secondary." _Primary Attacks_ are those
initiated by a fencer before his adversary has made any offensive
movement, and are divided into "Simple," "Feint" and "Force" attacks.
_Simple Attacks_, the characteristic of which is pace, are those made
with one simple movement only and are four in number, viz. the "Straight
Lunge," the "Disengagement," the "Counter-disengagement" and the
"Cut-over." The Straight-Lunge (_coup droit_), used when the adversary
is not properly covered when on guard, is described above under "Lunge."
The Disengagement is made by dropping the point of the foil under the
opponent's blade and executing a straight lunge on the other side. It is
often used to take an opponent unawares or when he presses unduly hard
on your blade. The Counter-disengagement is used when the adversary
moves his blade, i.e. changes the line of engagement, upon which you
execute a narrow circle, avoiding his blade, and thrust in your original
line. The Cut-over (_coupe_) is a disengagement executed by passing the
point of the foil over that of the adversary and lunging in the opposite
line. The preliminary movement of raising the point is made by the
action of the hand only, the arm not being drawn back.
_Feint Attacks_, deceptive in character, are those which are preceded by
one or more feints, or false thrusts made to lure the adversary into
thinking them real ones. A feint is a simple extension, often with a
slight movement of the body, threatening the adversary in a certain
line, for the purpose of inducing him to parry on that side and thus
leave the other open for the real thrust. At the same time any movement
of the blade or any part of the body tending to deceive the adversary in
regard to the nature of the attack about to follow, must also be
considered a species of feint. The principal feint attacks are the
"One-Two," the "One-Two-Three" and the "Double."
The "One-Two" is a feint in one line, followed (as the adversary
parries) by a thrust in the original line of engagement. Thus, being
engaged in quarte, you drop your point under the adversary's blade and
extend your arm as if to thrust at his left breast, but instead of doing
this, the instant he parries you move your point back again and lunge in
quarte, i.e. on the side on which you were originally engaged. In
feinting it is necessary that the extension of the arm and blade be so
complete as really to compel the adversary to believe it a part of a
real thrust in that line.
The "One-Two-Three" consists of two feints, one at each side, followed
by a thrust in the line opposite to that of the original engagement.
Thrusts preceded by three feints are also sometimes used. It is evident
that the above attacks are useless if the adversary parries by a counter
(circular parry), which must be met by a "Double." This is executed by
feinting and, upon perceiving that the adversary opposes with a circular
parry, by following the circle described by his point with a similar
circle, deceiving (i.e. avoiding contact with) his blade and thrusting
home.
The "Double," which is a favourite manoeuvre in fencing, is a
combination of a disengagement and a counter-disengagement.
_Force-Attacks_, the object of which is to disconcert the opponent by
assaulting his blade, are various in character, the principal ones being
the "Beat," the "Press," the "Glide" and the "Bind." The "Beat" is a
quick, sharp blow of the forte of the foil upon the foible of the
adversary's, for the purpose of opening a way for a straight lunge which
follows instantly. The blow is made with the hand only. A "false beat"
is a lighter blow made for the purpose of drawing out or disconcerting
the opponent, and is often followed by a disengagement. The "Press" is
similar in character to the beat, but, instead of striking the adverse
blade, a sudden pressure is brought to bear upon it, sufficiently heavy
to force it aside and allow one's own blade to be thrust home. A "false
press" may be used to entice the adversary into a too heavy responsive
pressure, which may then be taken advantage of by a disengagement. The
"Traverse" (Fr. _froisse_, Ital. _striscio_) is a prolonged press
carried sharply down the adverse blade towards the handle. The "Glide"
("Graze," Fr. _coule_) is a stealthy sliding of one's blade down that of
the adversary, without his notice, until a straight thrust can be made
inside his guard. It is also used as a feint before a disengage. The
"Bind" (_liement_) consists in gaining possession of the adversary's
foible with one's forte, and pressing it down and across into the
opposite low line, when one's own point is thrust home, the adversary's
blade being still held by one's hilt. It may be also carried out from a
low line into a high one. The bind is less used in the French school
than in the Italian. The "Flanconnade" is a bind made by capturing the
adversary's blade in high quarte, carrying it down and thrusting in the
outside line with strong opposition. Another attack carried out by means
of a twist and thrust is the "Cross" (_croise_), which is executed when
the adversary's blade is held low by passing one's point over his wrist
and forcing down both blades into seconde with a full extension of the
arm. The result is to create a sudden and wide opening, and often
disarms the adversary.
_Secondary Attacks_ are those made (1) just as your adversary himself
starts to attack; (2) during his attack; and (3) on the completion of
his attack if it fails.
1. "Attacks on the Preparation" are a matter of judgment and quickness.
They are usually attempted when the adversary is evidently preparing a
complicated attack, such as the "one-two-three" or some other manoeuvre,
involving one or more preliminary movements. At such a time a quick
thrust will often catch him unawares and score. Opportunities for
preparation attacks are often given when the adversary attempts a beat
preliminary to his thrust; the beat is frustrated by an "absence of the
blade," i.e. your blade is made to avoid contact with his by a narrow
movement, and your point thrust home into the space left unguarded by
the force of his unresisted beat. Or the adversary himself may create an
"absence" by suddenly interrupting the contact of the blades, in the
hope that, by the removal of the pressure, your blade will fly off to
one side, leaving an opening; if, however, you are prepared for his
"absence" a straight thrust will score.
2. The chief "Attacks on the Development," or "Counter Attacks," are the
"Stop Thrust" and the "Time Thrust," both made while the adversary is
carrying out his own attack. The "Stop Thrust" (_coup d'arret_) is one
made after the adversary has actually begun an attack involving two or
more movements, and is only justified when it can be brought off without
your being hit by the attacking adversary's point on any part of the
person. The reason for this is, that the rules of fencing decree that
the fencer attacked must parry, and that, if he disregards this and
attempts a simultaneous counter attack, he must touch his opponent while
totally avoiding the latter's point. Should he, however, be touched,
even on the foot or mask, by the adversary, his touch, however good, is
invalid. If both touches are good, that of the original attacker only
counts. Stop thrusts are employed mostly against fencers who attack
wildly or without being properly covered. The "Time Thrust" is delivered
with opposition upon the adversary's composite attack (one involving
several movements), and, if successful, generally parries the original
attack at the same time. It is not valid if the fencer employing it is
touched on any part of the person.
3. "Attacks on the Completion" (i.e. of the adversary's attack) are
"Ripostes," "Counter-ripostes," "Remises" and "Renewals of Attack."
The _Riposte_ (literally, response) is an attack made, immediately after
parrying successfully, by merely straightening the arm, the body
remaining immovable. The "counter-riposte" is a riposte made after
parrying the adversary's riposte, and generally from the position of the
lunge, or while recovering from it, since one must have attacked with a
full lunge if the adversary has had an opportunity to deliver a riposte.
There are three kinds of ripostes: direct, with feints and after a
pause.
The "direct _riposte_" may be made instantly after parrying the
adversary's thrust by quitting his blade and straightening the arm, so
that the point will touch his body on the nearest and most exposed part;
or by not quitting his blade but running yours quickly down his and at
the same time keeping a strong opposition ("riposte d'opposition"). The
quickest direct riposte is that delivered after parrying quarte (for a
right-hand fencer), and is called by the French the riposte of
"_tac-au-tac_," imitative of the sudden succession of the click of the
parry and the tap of the riposting fencer's point on his adversary's
breast. In making "ripostes with a feint" the point is not jabbed on to
the opponent's breast immediately after the parry, but one or more
preliminary movements precede the actual riposte, such as a
disengagement, a cut-over or a double.
_Ripostes_ with a pause (_a temps perdu_, with lost time) are made after
a second's hesitation, and are resorted to when the fencers are too near
for an accurate direct riposte, or to give the adversary time to make a
quick parry, which is then deceived.
The _remise_ is a thrust made after one's first thrust has been parried
and in the same line; it must be made in such a way that the adversary's
justified riposte is at the same time parried by opposition or
completely avoided. It is really a renewal of the attack in the original
line, while the so-called "renewal of attack" ("_redoublement
d'attaque_") is a second thrust which ignores the adversary's riposte,
but made in a different line. Both the remise and the renewal are valid
only when the adversary's riposte does not hit.
"False Attacks" are broad movements made for the purpose of drawing the
adversary out or of disconcerting him. They may consist of an advance,
an extension, a change of engagement, an intentional uncovering by
taking a wide guard (called "invitation guard"), or any movement or
combination of movements tending to make the adversary believe that a
real attack is under way.
"The Assault" is a formal fencing bout or series of bouts in public,
while formal fencing in private is called "loose play" or a "friendly
bout." Bouts between fencers take place on a platform about 24 ft. long
and 6 ft. wide (in the United States 20 X 3 ft.). Formal bouts are
usually for a number of touches, or for a certain number of minutes, the
fencer who touches oftenest winning. The judges (usually three or five)
are sometimes empowered to score one or more points against a competitor
for breaches of good form, or for overstepping the space limits. In the
United States bouts are for four minutes, with a change of places after
two minutes, and the competitors are not interrupted, the winner being
indicated by a vote of the judges, who take into account touches and
style. In all countries contestants are required to wear jackets of a
light colour, so that hits may be easily seen. Audible acknowledgment of
all touches, whether on the target or not, is universally considered to
be a fencer's duty. Fencing competitions are held in Great Britain under
the rules of the Amateur Fencing Association, and in the United States
under those of the Amateur Fencers' League of America.
_Fencing Terms_ (not mentioned above): "_Cavazione_," Ital. for
disengagement. "Contraction, Parries of," those which do not parry in
the simplest manner, but drag the adverse blade into another line,
e.g. to parry a thrust in high sixte by counter of quarte.
"_Controtempo_," Ital. for time-thrust. "Coronation," an attack
preceded by a circular movement from high sixte to high quarte (and
vice versa) made famous by Lafaugere. "_Corps-a-corps_" (body to
body), the position of two fencers who are at such close quarters that
their persons touch: when this occurs the fencers must again come on
guard. "_Coule_," Fr. for glide. "Disarm," to knock the foil out of
the adversary's hand; it is of no value in the French school. "Double
Hit," when both fencers attack and hit at the same time; neither hit
counts. "_Filo_," Ital. for glide (graze). "Flying Cut-over," a
cut-over executed as a continuation of a parry, the hand being drawn
back towards the body. "_Incontro_," Ital. for double attack. "Give
the blade," to allow the adversary easy contact with the foil; it is
often resorted to in order to tempt the adversary into a beat or bind.
"Menace," to threaten the adversary by an extension and forward
movement of the trunk. "_Mur_," see "Salute." "Passage of arms," a
series of attacks and parries, ending in a successful hit. "Phrase of
arms," a series of attacks and parries ending in a hit or
invalidation. "Invalidation," a hit on some part of the person outside
the target, made by the fencer whose right it is at that moment to
attack or riposte; such a hit invalidates one made simultaneously or
subsequently by his opponent, however good. "Rebeat," two beats,
executed as quickly as possible together, one on each side of the
adversary's blade. "_Reprises d'attaque_," Fr. for renewed attacks.
"Salute," the courteous salutation of the public and the adversary
before and after a bout. A more elaborate salute, called by the French
the _Mur_, consists of a series of parries, lunges and other
evolutions carried out by both fencers at the same time. Important
exhibition assaults are usually preceded by the _Mur_, which is called
in English the Grand Salute. "_Septime enveloppee_," a riposte by
means of a twist and thrust after a parry in septime. It envelops and
masters the adverse blade, whence the name. "Secret thrusts," the
French "_bottes secretes_," pretended infallible attacks of which the
user is supposed alone to know the method of execution; they have no
real existence. "_Sforza,_" Ital. for disarmament. "_Scandaglio,_"
Ital for examination, studying the form of an opponent at the
beginning of a bout. "_Toccato!_" Ital. for "Touched!",. Fr.
"_Touche._"
BIBLIOGRAPHY.--The literature of foil-fencing is practically identical
with that of the art in general (see FENCING). The following modern
works are among the best. French School: _Fencing_, in the Badminton
library (1897); _Foil and Sabre_, by L. Rondelle (Boston, 1892);
"Fencing," by C. Prevost in the _Encyclopaedia of Sport_ (1901);
_Fencing_, by Edward Breck (New York, 1906). Italian school:
_Istruzione per la scherma, &c._, by S. de Frae (Milan, 1885); _La
Scherma italiana di spada e di sciabola_, by F. Masiello (Florence,
1887). (E. B.)
FOIX, PAUL DE (1528-1584), French prelate and diplomatist. He studied
Greek and Roman literature at Paris, and jurisprudence at Toulouse,
where shortly after finishing his curriculum he delivered a course of
lectures on civil law, which gained him great reputation. At the age of
nineteen he was named councillor of the parlement of Paris. Having in
this capacity expressed himself favourable to the adoption of mild
measures in regard to certain persons accused of Lutheranism, he was
arrested, but escaped punishment, and subsequently regained the favour
of the French court. At the end of 1561 he was sent ambassador to
England, where he remained four years. He was then sent to Venice, and
returned a short time afterwards to England to negotiate a marriage
between Queen Elizabeth and the duke of Anjou. He again fulfilled
several important missions during the reign of Henry III. of France. In
1577 he was made archbishop of Toulouse, and in 1579 was appointed
ambassador to Rome, where he remained till his death in 1584.
_Les Lettres de Messire de Paul de Foix, archevesque de Toloze et
ambassadeur pour le roy aupres du pape Gregoire XIII, au roi Henry
III_, were published in 1628, but there are some doubts as to their
authenticity. See _Gallia Christiana_ (1715 seq.); M.A. Muret,
_Oraison funebre de Paul de Foix_ (Paris, 1584); "Lettres de Catherine
de Medicis," edited by Hector de la Ferriere (Paris, 1880 seq.) in the
_Collection de documents inedits sur l'histoire de France_.
FOIX, a town of south-western France, in the middle ages capital of the
counts of Foix, and now capital of the department of Ariege, 51 m. S. of
Toulouse, on the Southern railway from that city to Ax. Pop. (1906)
town, 4498; commune, 6750. It is situated between the Ariege and the
Arget at their confluence. The old part of the town, with its ill-paved
winding streets and old houses, is dominated on the west by an isolated
rock crowned by the three towers of the castle (12th, 14th and 15th
centuries), while to the south it is limited by the shady Promenade de
Villotte. The chief church is that of St Volusien, a Gothic building of
the 14th century. The town is the seat of a prefecture, a court of
assizes and a tribunal of first instance, and has a lycee, training
colleges, a chamber of commerce and a branch of the Bank of France.
Flour-milling and iron-working are carried on. Foix probably owes its
origin to an oratory founded by Charlemagne. This afterwards became an
abbey, in which were laid the remains of St Volusien, archbishop of
Tours in the 5th century.
The county of Foix included roughly the eastern part of the modern
department of Ariege, a region watered chiefly by the Ariege and its
affluents. During the later middle ages it consisted of an agglomeration
of small holdings ruled by lords, who, though subordinate to the counts
of Foix, had some voice in the government of the district. Protestantism
obtained an early entrance into the county, and the religious struggles
of the 16th and 17th centuries were carried on with much implacability
therein. The estates of the county, which can be traced back to the 14th
century, consisted of three orders and possessed considerable power and
virility. In the 17th and 18th centuries Foix formed one of the
thirty-three governments of France, and in 1790 it was incorporated in
the department of Ariege.
_Counts of Foix._--The counts of Foix were an old and distinguished
French family which flourished from the 11th to the 15th century. They
were at first feudatories of the counts of Toulouse, but chafing under
this yoke they soon succeeded in throwing it off, and during the 13th
and 14th centuries were among the most powerful of the French feudal
nobles. Living on the borders of France, having constant intercourse
with Navarre, and in frequent communication with England, they were in
a position peculiarly favourable to an assertion of independence, and
acted rather as the equals than as the dependents of the kings of
France.
The title of count of Foix was first assumed by Roger, son of Bernard
Roger, who was a younger son of Roger I., count of Carcassonne (d.
1012), when he inherited the town of Foix and the adjoining lands, which
had hitherto formed part of the county of Carcassonne. Dying about 1064,
Roger was succeeded by his brother Peter, who died six years later, and
was succeeded in turn by his son, Roger II. This count took part in the
crusade of 1095, and was afterwards excommunicated by Pope Paschal II.
for seizing ecclesiastical property; but subsequently he appeased the
anger of the church by rich donations, and when he died in 1125 he was
succeeded by his son, Roger III. The death of Roger III. about 1149, and
of his son, Roger Bernard I., in 1188, brought the county to Roger
Bernard's only son, Raymond Roger, who, in 1190, accompanied the French
king, Philip Augustus, to Palestine and distinguished himself at the
capture of Acre. He was afterwards engaged in the wars of the
Albigenses, and on being accused of heresy his lands were given to Simon
IV., count of Montfort. Raymond Roger, who came to terms with the church
and recovered his estates before his death in 1223, was a patron of the
Provencal poets, and counted himself among their number. He was
succeeded by his son, Roger Bernard II., called the Great, who assisted
Raymond VII., count of Toulouse, and the Albigenses in their resistance
to the French kings, Louis VIII. and Louis IX., was excommunicated on
two occasions and died in 1241. His son, Roger IV., who followed, died
in 1265, and was succeeded by his son, Roger Bernard III., who, more
famous as a poet than as a warrior, was taken prisoner both by Philip
III. of France and by Peter III. of Aragon. This count married
Marguerite, daughter and heiress of Gaston VII., viscount of Bearn (d.
1290), and this union led to the outbreak of a long feud between the
houses of Foix and Armagnac; a quarrel which was continued by Roger
Bernard's son and successor, Gaston I., who became count in 1302,
inheriting both Foix and Bearn. Becoming embroiled with the French king,
Philip IV., in consequence of the struggle with the count of Armagnac,
Gaston was imprisoned in Paris; but quickly regaining his freedom he
accompanied King Louis X. on an expedition into Flanders in 1315, and
died on his return to France in the same year. His eldest son, Gaston
II., was the next count. Having become reconciled with the house of
Armagnac, Gaston took part in various wars both in France and Spain,
dying at Seville in 1343, when he was succeeded by his son, Gaston III.
(1331-1391). Gaston III., who was surnamed Phoebus on account of his
beauty, was the most famous member of the old Foix family. Like his
father he assisted France in her struggle against England, being
entrusted with the defence of the frontiers of Gascony; but when the
French king, John II., showed a marked preference for the count of
Armagnac, Gaston left his service and went to fight against the heathen
in Prussia. Returning to France about 1357 he delivered some noble
ladies from the attacks of the adherents of the _Jacquerie_ at Meaux,
and was soon at war with the count of Armagnac. During this struggle he
also attacked the count of Poitiers, the royal representative in
Languedoc, but owing to the intervention of Pope Innocent VI. he made
peace with the count in 1360. Gaston, however, continued to fight
against the count of Armagnac, who, in 1362, was defeated and compelled
to pay a ransom; and this war lasted until 1377, when peace was made.
Early in 1380 the count was appointed governor of Languedoc, but when
Charles VI. succeeded Charles V. as king later in the same year, this
appointment was cancelled. Refusing, however, to heed the royal command,
and supported by the communes of Languedoc, Gaston fought for about two
years against John, duke of Berry, who had been chosen as his successor,
until, worsted in the combat, he abandoned the struggle and retired to
his estates, remaining neutral and independent. In 1348 the count had
married Agnes, daughter of Philip, count of Evreux (d. 1343), by his
wife Jeanne II., queen of Navarre. By Agnes, whom he divorced in 1373,
he had an only son, Gaston, who is said to have been incited by his
uncle, Charles II., king of Navarre, to poison his father, and who met
his death in 1381. It is probable, as Froissart says, that he was killed
by his father. Left without legitimate sons, Gaston was easily persuaded
to bequeath his lands to King Charles VI., who thus obtained Foix and
Bearn when the count died at Orthes in 1391. Gaston was very fond of
hunting, but was not without a taste for art and literature. Several
beautiful manuscripts are in existence which were executed by his
orders, and he himself wrote _Deduits de la chasse des bestes sauvaiges
et des oiseaulx de proye_. Froissart, who gives a graphic description of
his court and his manner of life, speaks enthusiastically of Gaston,
saying: "I never saw none like him of personage, nor of so fair form,
nor so well made," and again, "in everything he was so perfect that he
cannot be praised too much."