variety of languages. In order to ingratiate himself into the favour of Margaret of Austria, governess of the Low Countries, he composed a treatise "On the Excellence of Women;" but the persecution he met with from the monks prevented him from publishing it, and obliged him to go over to England, where he wrote a commentary upon St. Paul's Epistles. By his writings he had drawn upon himself the hatred of the ecclesiastics: a treatise," Of the Vanity of the Sciences," which he published in 1530, greatly enraged his enemies; and that which he soon after printed at Antwerp, "Of the Occult Philosophy," afforded them fresh pretexts for defaming his reputation. The inquisitors endeavoured to hinder the impression of his "Occult Philosophy," when he was about to print a second edition, with emendations and additions; notwithstanding all their opposition, however, he finished it in 1533. In 1535 he died at Grenoble. Paulus Jovius tells us, that Agrippa had always a devil attending him, in the shape of a black dog; that when he was dying, being advised to repent, he pulled from the dog's neck a collar, studded with nails which formed some necromantic inscription, and said to him" Get away, thou wretched beast, which art the cause of my total destruction." The dog ran away to the river Soane, leaped in, and was never seen more. In Elogiis, cap. xci.-Martin del Rio says, that when he travelled he used to pay money at the inns which seemed very good, but in a few days it appeared to be pieces of horn or shells. Disquis. Magic. lib. ii. The same author tells us, that Agrippa had a person who boarded with him at Louvain; quæst. 12. n. 10. that one day when he was going out of town, he ordered his wife not to let any person into his study; however, the boarder got the key of it, and went in, where he met with a book of conjuration, which he be gan to read. He heard a knocking at the door once or twice, without interrupting his reading; at length the devil appeared, wanted to know who called for him, and upon what account: and because the man gave him no answer, he strangled him upon the spot. Agrippa, at his return home, saw the devils leaping and dancing upon his house; he called to them, and understood from them what had happened. Upon this he commanded the devil who had killed the man to enter into his dead body, and to walk several turns in a place, which was much frequented by the students, and then to depart: which being done, the boarder, after three or four turns in the walk, fell down dead. Ibid. lib. ii. quæst. 29. § 1. AIKMAN (WILLIAM) an eminent Scottish painter, born 1682, died 1731. The celebrated poets Thomson, Mallet and Allan Ramsay, were his intimate friends, and wrote verses to his memory. AINSWORTH (ROBERT) born at Woodyale, four miles from Manchester, 1660. He was the compiler of a compendions English and Latin Dictionary, upon the plan of Faber's Thesaurus. This he finished and published in 1736 in 4to. F and died 1743. AKENSIDE (MARK) a physi cian, but far better known as a poet, was born at Newcastle upon Tyne 1721, and died in the office of physician to the queen, June 23, 1770. "The Pleasures of Imagi nation," his principal work, was first published in 1714; and a very ex tyrdom for Christianity in Britain, and therefore usually styled the protomartyr of this island, was born at Verulam, and flourished toward the end of the 3d century. The town of St. Alban's in Hertfordshire takes its name from our protomartyr. ALBANI (FRANCIS) a celebrated painter, born at Bologna 1578, studied under Guido Rheni, and was at length no mean rival in fame to that great artist. He died 1660. ALBERONI (JULIUS) Cardinal, was the son of a gardener in the su burbs of Placentia, and born May 31, 1664. From this low original, by good fortune, address, and abilities, he rose to be first minister of state to the king of Spain. He died at Placentia, June 26, 1752. traordinary production it was from a man who had not reached his 23d year. He had very uncommon parts and learning, a strong and enlarged way of thinking, and no inconsider able portion of that stoical enthusiasm which Shaftesbury makes the ground-work of every thing that can be great and good in us. He was, in short, one of innumerable instances to prove, that very sublime qualities may spring from very low situations in life; for he had this in common with the most high and mighty cardinal Wolsey, that he was indeed the son of a butcher. ALAIN (CHARTIER) secretary to Charles VII. king of France, born in the year 1386. He was author of several works in prose and verse; but his most famous performance was, his Chronicle of king Charles VII. We are told, that Margaret, daughter to the king of Scotland, and wife to the dauphin, passing once through a hall where Alain lay asleep, stopped and kissed him before all the company who attended, some of them telling her, that it was strange she should kiss a man who had so few charms in his person, she replied, "I did not kiss the man, but the mouth from whence proceed so many excellent sayings, so many wise discourses, and so many elegant expressions." ALAMANNI (LEWIS) born at Florence 1495, died at Amboise in France 1556, leaving many beautiful poems and other valuable per-1280, having written such a numformances in the Italian language. ALAND (SIR JOHN FORTESCUE) an eminent English judge, born 1670, died 1746. ALBERTUS (MAGNUS) a learn ed Dominican friar, born in Suabia 1205, was a man of a most rurious. and inquisitive turn of mind, which gave rise to an accusation brought against him, that he laboured to find out the philosopher's stone; that he was a magician, and that he made a machine in the shape of a man, which was an oracle to him, and explained all the difficulties he proposed. He had, indeed, great knowledge in the mathematics, and by his skill in that science might probably have formed a head with springs capable of articulate sounds. Albert died at Cologn, Nov. 15, ber of books, that they make 21 vols. in folio. ALBUQUERQUE(ALPHONSO ja famous Portuguese warrior, and the founder of the power of that nation in India. He died at Goa ALARIC, a famous general of the Goths, and conqueror of Italy A. D. 409, died at Cosenza 411.1515. ALBAN (ST.) said to have been ALCEUS, a famous lyric poet. the first person who suffered mar- born at Mitylene in the island o с Lesbos. Horace seems to think that was the first author of lyric poetry. He flourished in the 44th Olympiad. musician, born born at Westminster 1647. The three sides of the quadrangle of Christ Church, Oxford, called Peckwater Square, were ALCIBIADES, a celebrated A-designed by him; as was also the thenian general, slain 404 B. C. ALCMAN, a lyric poet who flourished in the 27th Olympiad, at Sardis in Lydia. He is accounted the father of love-verses, is said to have first introduced the custom of singing them in public, and to have died a very singular death, viz. to have been eaten up with lice. ALCOCK (JOHN) bishop of Ely, and lord chancellor of England under Henry VII. founded Jesus Col. lege, in Cambridge, for a master, six fellows, and as many scholars, and died October 1, 1500. ALBINUS, elegant Chapel of Trinity College, and the church of All-saints in the High-street. His abilities also as a musician have caused him to be ranked among the greatest masters of the science: he composed many services for the church, which are well known; as are two catches of his; the one," Hark the bonny Christ Church Bells," the other entitled " A Smoaking catch;" for he himself was, it seems, a great smoaker. He died at Christ Church, 1710. ALDROVANDUS (ULYSSES) ALCUINUS, professor of philosophy and physic (FLACCUS) abbot of Canterbury, at Bologna, and a most voluminous a famous English orator, philoso-writer on natural history, died blind pher and divine of the 8th century. ALDHELM, or ADELM (ST.) an English divine and historian, and bishop of Shireburn in the time of the Saxon heptarchy. He is said to have been the first Englishman who ever wrote in Latin, and who introduced poetry into England. William of Malmesbury tells us, that the people in Aldhelm's time were half-barbarians, and little attentive to religious discourses: wherefore the holy man, placing himself upon a bridge, used often to stop them, and sing ballads of his own composition he thereby gained the favour and attention of the populace; and insensibly mixing grave and religious things with those of a jocular kind, he by this means succeeded better than he could have done by austere gravity. Aldhelm lived in great esteem till his death, which happened May 25, 709. ALDRICH (HENRY) an emient scholar, divine, architect and in an hospital at Bologna, 1605. ALDUS, (See MANUTIUS.) ALEMBERT (JOHN LE ROND D') secretary to the French Academy, &c. and one of the ablest mathematicians of the age, died O. 27, 1783. He was one of the principal editors of the "En cyclopedia ;" and, besides his nu merous mathematical works, produced seven volumes of "Me langes Literaires," containing various tracts on different topics. He was honoured with the patronage and friendship of several monarchs. ALEXANDER THE GREAT, son of Philip, king of Macedon, was born at Pella the first year of the 106th Olympiad, the 365th before the birth of Christ, and at 15 years of age was delivered to the tuition. of Aristotle. He discovered very early a mighty spirit, and symp toms of that vast and immoderate ambition which was afterwards to make him the scourge of mankind, under the utmost consternation, and no physician durst undertake the cure. At length one Philip of Acarnan desired time to prepare a potion, which he was sure would cure him; and while this potion was preparing, Alexander received a letter from his most intimate con fident, Parmenio, informing him, that this Acarnan was a traitor, and employed by Darius to poison him, at the price of 1000 talents and his sister in marriage. What a situation for a sick prince! The same greatness of soul, however, which accompanied him upon all occasions, did not forsake him here. He did not seem to his physician under any apprehensions: but after receiving the cup into his hands, delivered the letter to Acarnan, and, with eyes fixed upon him, drank it off. The medicine at first acted so powerfully as to deprive him of his senses, and then, without doubt, all concluded him poisoned: however, he soon came round, and, by a cure so speedy that it might al most be deemed miraculous, was restored to his army safe and sound. From Cilicia he marched forwards to Phoenicia, which all surrendered to him except Tyre; and it cost him a siege of 7 months to reduce that city. The vexation of Alex and the pest of the world. At 20 years of age he succeeded his father as king of Macedon: he was also chosen, in the room of his father, generalissimo in the projected expedition against the Persians; but the Greeks, agreeably to their usual fickleness, deserted from him, taking the advantage of his absence in Thrace and Illyricum, where he began his military enterprizes. He hastened immediately to Greece, when the Athenians and other states returned to him at once; but the Thebans standing out, he directed his arms against them, slew a prodigious number of them, and destroyed their city, sparing nothing but the house and the descendants of Pindar, out of respect to the inemory of that poet. This happened in the 2d year of the ad Olympiad. Having settled the affairs of Greece, and left Antipater as his viceroy in Macedonia, he passed the Hellespont, in the third year of his reign, with an army of no more than 30,000 foot, and 4,500 horse; and with these forces, brave and veteran it is true, he overturned the Persian empire. His first battle was at the Granicus, a river of Phrygia, in which the Persians were routed. His second was at Issus, a city of Cilicia, where he was also victorious in an emi-ander, at being unseasonably denent degree; for the camp of Da- tained by this obstinacy of the Ty rius, with his mother, wife, and rians, occasioned a mighty destruc children, fell into his hands; and tion and carnage; and the cruelty the humane and generous treatment he exercised here is quite inexwhich he shewed them, is justly cusable. After besieging and tak reckoned the noblest and most ami-ing Gaza, he went to Jerusalem, able passage of his life. While he where he was received by the high was in this country, he caught a priest, and, making many presents violent fever by bathing, when hot, to the Jews, sacrificed in their in the cold waters of the river Cyd- temple. He told Jadduas, for that Dus; and this fever was made more was the priest's name, that he had violent from his impatience at be-seen in Macedonia a god, in ap ing detained by it. The army was pearance exa@tly resembling him, C 2 who had exhorted him to this ex-dies. Here he had some trouble pedition against the Persians, and with king Porus, whom, however, given him the firmest assurance he subdued and took. Porus was of success. Afterwards entering a man of spirit, and his spirit was Egypt, he went to the oracle of not destroyed even by his defeat; Jupiter Ammon, and, upon his re- for when Alexander asked him, turn, built the city of Alexandria." how he would be treated," he It was now that he took it into answered very intrepidly," Like a his head to assume divinity, and to king:" which, it is said, so pleased pretend himself the son of the said the conqueror, that he ordered the Jupiter Ammon. Policy, however, greatest attention to be paid him, was at the bottom of this: it was and afterwards restored him to his impossible that any such belief kingdom. Having ranged over all should be really rooted in his breast; the cast, and made even the Indies but he found by experience, that provinces of his empire, he re this opinion inclined the barbarous turned to Babylon, where he died nations to submit to him; and in the 33d year of his age, some say therefore he was content to pass for by poison, others by intoxication. a god, and to admit (as he did) of ALEXANDER (WILLIAM, divine adoration.-His object now EARL OF STIRLING), an emiwas to overtake and attack Darius nent poet and statesman in the in another battle; and this battle reign of James and Charles I. was was fought at Arbela, when victory, born 1580. "His poetry (says granting every thing to Alexander, Mr. Grainger), for purity and ele put an end to the Persian empire. gance, is far beyond the generality Darius had offered his daughter in of the productions of the age in marriage and part of his dominions which he lived." His "Recrea< to Alexander, and Parmenio ad- tion of the Muses" was printed in vised him to accept the terms, folio 1637, to which is prefixed saying, "I would if I were Alex-his portrait by Marshall, esteemed ander." "And so would I (replied the best of that artist's works. He the conqueror) if I were Parmenio." died 1640. The same Parmenio counselling the ALEYN (CHARLES) an historiprince to take advantage of the cal poet in the reign of Charles 1. night in attacking Darius," No, received his education at Sidney (said Alexander) I would not steal college, Cambridge. He wrote a viftory." Darius owed his escape" The battles of Cressy and Poicfrom Arbela to the swiftness of his tiers," printed in 8vo. 1633, and horse; and, while he was collecting the "History of King Henry forces to renew the war, was in- VII." in 8vo. 1698, and died about sidiously slain by Bessus, governor 1640. of the Bactrians. Alexander wept at the fate of Darius, and, afterwards procuring Bessus to be given up to him, punished the inhuman wretch according to his deserts. From Arbela Alexander pursued his born 1736, died 1764. conquests eastward; and every thing ALLEYN (EDWARD) an actor Fall into his hands, even to the In-of great reputation in the reigns of ALFRED. See ALFRED. ALGAROTTI (COUNT) an Ita lian, eminent as a connoisseur and critic in every branch of the belles lettres, and an author of repute, |