John Damian
Encyclopedia
John Damian was an Italian clergyman at the court of James IV of Scotland
. His attempts at medicine, alchemy, flying, and his advancement by the King encouraged a satirical attack by the poet William Dunbar
.
John's Italian name appears to have been Giovanni Damiano de Falcucci. In the records of the Scottish exchequer he is called the 'French Leech' or 'Master John the French Leech.' He first appears in the records in January 1501. He directed the building of alchemical furnaces at Stirling Castle
and Holyroodhouse to produce the 'quinta essentia', the fifth element. John was then made Abbot of Tongland
.
John took a hand in court entertainments, organising the dances in Edinburgh at New Year 1504. In 1507, John tried to fly from the battlements of Stirling Castle. He was unsuccessful but unharmed. The records of Scottish exchequer list sums of money lost by the King playing cards with John and betting at shooting matches. John resigned as Abbot of Tongland in 1509, and James IV wrote to Pope Julius II
asking that John's pension of 200 gold ducats should be paid. John Damian is still recorded at court a few months before the battle of Flodden.
Another poem by Dunbar, the Antechrist, first line 'Lucina shynning in silence of the nicht', recalls a dream. Dame Fortune
came to the poet and described her wheel and the genesis of the flying Abbot. She said Dunbar would not get clerical advancement until he saw a flying Abbot. Dunbar kept this dream to himself. But soon, turning the genre of the ballad of impossibilities on its head, Dunbar did see a flying Abbot.
A later writer, John Lesley
, provided a complimentary account. Lesley mentioned the alchemy, and describes how the failure of the enterprise began to make Damian unpopular. To counter this he announced that he would fly from Stirling Castle, reaching France before the Scottish ambassadors. On the appointed day he put on a pair of wings made from feathers and leapt from the highest point of the castle. Lesley says his journey ended as soon as it begun, with the bystanders uncertain whether to mourn his demise or marvel at his daftness. Damian had broken his thigh bone and alleged that he had hoped to use only eagle feathers, but some poultry feathers supplied had sabotaged his wings. In Lesley's text the event is placed immediately prior to his account death of Prince James
in February 1508. There was a Scottish embassy to France in September 1507, so in the absence of other evidence, the attempt is usually assigned to that date.
The critic, Priscilla Bawcutt, sees Dunbar's Ballat and the Antechrist, as characterising Damian as a shape-shifter
without fixed identity. There is no other evidence for the flying attempt apart from Dunbar's poems and Lesley's later account, and the episode of the failed flight has a number of traditional literary parallels as an example of foolish striving for superhuman attainment. The birds who attack the flier in the poem draw attention to his lack of identity; 'all fowill ferleit (wondered) quhat he sowld be.'
A late 17th century carpenter's bill for work at Stirling Castle refers to a now unknown location where 'the Devil flew out.'
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
. His attempts at medicine, alchemy, flying, and his advancement by the King encouraged a satirical attack by the poet William Dunbar
William Dunbar
William Dunbar was a Scottish poet. He was probably a native of East Lothian, as assumed from a satirical reference in the Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie , where, too, it is hinted that he was a member of the noble house of Dunbar....
.
John's Italian name appears to have been Giovanni Damiano de Falcucci. In the records of the Scottish exchequer he is called the 'French Leech' or 'Master John the French Leech.' He first appears in the records in January 1501. He directed the building of alchemical furnaces at Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
and Holyroodhouse to produce the 'quinta essentia', the fifth element. John was then made Abbot of Tongland
Tongland Abbey
Tungland or Tongland Abbey was a Premonstratensian monastic community located in Galloway. It was probably founded in 1218 by Alan, Lord of Galloway, although the church of Tongland had previously been granted to Dercongal Abbey by his grandfather Uchtred in the early 1160s. Few of its early abbots...
.
John took a hand in court entertainments, organising the dances in Edinburgh at New Year 1504. In 1507, John tried to fly from the battlements of Stirling Castle. He was unsuccessful but unharmed. The records of Scottish exchequer list sums of money lost by the King playing cards with John and betting at shooting matches. John resigned as Abbot of Tongland in 1509, and James IV wrote to Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
asking that John's pension of 200 gold ducats should be paid. John Damian is still recorded at court a few months before the battle of Flodden.
William Dunbar and John Lesley
The contemporary poet William Dunbar described Damian's career in comic terms in his ballad, which was later given the title; Ane Ballat of the Fenyeit Frier of Tungland, How He Fell in the Myre Fleand to Turkiland. According to Dunbar, Damian came from the east and stole a priest's robes in Lombardy. In France he pretended to be a doctor to the detriment of his patients then came to Scotland where in 'leichecraft he was homecyd' (a killer in surgery). When he failed to make the quintessence by alchemy, he decided to fly to Turkey. But he was attacked by birds who plucked his wings and landed up to his eyes in a mire.Another poem by Dunbar, the Antechrist, first line 'Lucina shynning in silence of the nicht', recalls a dream. Dame Fortune
Fortuna
Fortuna can mean:*Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck -Geographical:*19 Fortuna, asteroid*Fortuna, California, town located on the north coast of California*Fortuna, United States Virgin Islands...
came to the poet and described her wheel and the genesis of the flying Abbot. She said Dunbar would not get clerical advancement until he saw a flying Abbot. Dunbar kept this dream to himself. But soon, turning the genre of the ballad of impossibilities on its head, Dunbar did see a flying Abbot.
A later writer, John Lesley
John Lesley
John Lesley was a Scottish Roman Catholic bishop and historian. His father was Gavin Lesley, rector of Kingussie, Badenoch.-Early career:...
, provided a complimentary account. Lesley mentioned the alchemy, and describes how the failure of the enterprise began to make Damian unpopular. To counter this he announced that he would fly from Stirling Castle, reaching France before the Scottish ambassadors. On the appointed day he put on a pair of wings made from feathers and leapt from the highest point of the castle. Lesley says his journey ended as soon as it begun, with the bystanders uncertain whether to mourn his demise or marvel at his daftness. Damian had broken his thigh bone and alleged that he had hoped to use only eagle feathers, but some poultry feathers supplied had sabotaged his wings. In Lesley's text the event is placed immediately prior to his account death of Prince James
James, Duke of Rothesay
James Stewart, Duke of Rothesay is a name and title shared by two short-lived heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Scotland.-First son of James IV:...
in February 1508. There was a Scottish embassy to France in September 1507, so in the absence of other evidence, the attempt is usually assigned to that date.
The critic, Priscilla Bawcutt, sees Dunbar's Ballat and the Antechrist, as characterising Damian as a shape-shifter
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
without fixed identity. There is no other evidence for the flying attempt apart from Dunbar's poems and Lesley's later account, and the episode of the failed flight has a number of traditional literary parallels as an example of foolish striving for superhuman attainment. The birds who attack the flier in the poem draw attention to his lack of identity; 'all fowill ferleit (wondered) quhat he sowld be.'
A late 17th century carpenter's bill for work at Stirling Castle refers to a now unknown location where 'the Devil flew out.'
External links
- Small, John, ed., The Poems of William Dunbar; The Poems, vol. 2, Scottish Text Society (1893)
- Sweeney, Charlene, 'Was 16th-century Scots alchemist the first man to fly?', The Times, 7 September 2008
- Mario M Rossi, 'L'abate avitore', pp. 43-80, in Friendship's Garland, Essays presented to Mario Praz, vol. 1, Rome (1966)