A GENERAL BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY. BY JOHN GORTON, AUTHOR OF THE “GENERAL TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY," &c. &c. A NEW EDITION, CONTINUED TO THE YEAR 1833. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: WHITTAKER AND CO., AVE-MARIA-LANE. 1833. GENERAL BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY. GA beauty of her person, the richness of her voice and the possession of great musical talent, than for the unbounded caprice that governed her in the exercise of the latter. She was a pupil of Porpora and Metastasio, under whose instructions she attained to such excellence that even Pachierotti was with great difficulty prevailed on to appear in the same opera with her, lest her superiority should prove the ruin ABBIANI (ANTONY DOMENIC) an Italian artist, was born at Florence in 1652, and studied under Ciro Ferri at Rome. He excels most in minor subjects, as gambols of genii, children, &c. His most famous work in fresco is the large cupola of Cestello, which he did not live to finish, falling from a scaffold in 1726 while employed on it. His colouring, though sometimes feeble, is generally good, but he fails most in the execution of his dra-of his own fame From the circumstance of peries.-Pilkington. her father having been in the service of a GABIA (JOHN BAPTIST) one of the Roman cardinal in the capacity of cook, she revivers of literature, was born at Verona, and in her earlier years acquired the soubriquet of flourished in the sixteenth century. He was "La Cuochetina;" neither her countenance professor of Greek at Rome, and is said to nor deportment however gave any indication of have distinguished himself by his knowledge a vulgar origin. After exciting the greatest of the learned languages, of mathematics, and enthusiasm by her singing at most of the Europhilosophy, and even of theology. His works pean capitals, she went to Russia, where she are-A translation from Greek into Latin of remained three years, and ranked high in court the Commentaries of Theodoret, bishop of favour. In 1775 she visited England, and Cyrus, on Daniel and Ezekiel, printed at appeared at the King's theatre during that and Rome, 1563; A translation of the history of the following season. While in this country, Scylitzes Curopalates, 1570; and a Latin translation of Sophocles. It is affirmed by Maffei that he also translated Zosimus and the Hebrew Psalms, and translated into Greek the Gregorian Kalendar with Santi's tables, with an introductory epistle in Greek by himself.-Moreri. Maffei Verona Illustrata. GABRIEL (JAMES) an eminent French architect, built the palace at Choisy. He also undertook the Pont Royal at Paris, but died before it was finished in 1686, leaving the completion of it to his son James, and Frere Romain.-JAMES, the younger, was born at Paris in 1667, and became overseer-general of buildings, gardens, arts and manufactures, first architect and engineer of bridges and banks through the kingdom, and knight of St Michael. He died at Paris in 1742, leaving a son also first architect to the king, who died in 1782.-Nouv. Dict. Hist. GABRIEL SIONITA a learned Maronite, was professor of the Arabic and Syriac lan guages at Rome, and flourished in the seventeenth century. He was invited to Paris to assist in M Le Jay's Polyglott, and carried with him some Syriac and Arabic versions of the Bible, transcribed by himself from MSS. at Rome, to which he added the vowel points, which were not in the original. The Latin translations of these versions were also furnished by Sionita; but in consequence of some misunderstandings between himself and his employers, he did not fulfil the department assigned to him in the Polyglott, but was succeeded by Ecchellensis. Sionita was also the translator of other Arabic works, and among the rest, of the "Geographia Nubiensis" of Scheriff al Edrissi. He was appointed professor royal of the Syriac and Arabic languages at Paris, where he died in 1648. Walton has copied his versions into the English Polyglott. -Moreri. Nouv. Dict. Hist. GABRIELLI (CATERINA) one of the most celebrated singers of the last century, born at Rome in 1730, not more remarkable for the] BLOG, DICT. - Vol. II. she exhibited fewer of those freaks which 687479 She FEB 15 37 |