university, endowed it with reve-of Gaza, a sophist by profession, was originally a Platonic philoso pher, but afterwards became a Christian, and flourished about the year 487. He wrote a dialogue, intitled

mortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body.

nues, and placed there the most famous professors. When Alfred came to the crown, learning was at a very low ebb in this kingdom; but by his example and encourage-" Theophrastus" concerning the im ment, he used his utmost endeavours to excite a love for letters among his subje&s. He himself was a scho- ÆNEAS (SYLVIUS) or PIUS II. lar; and, had he not been illustrious born 1405, at Corsigny in Sienna, as a king, would have been famous where his father lived in exile.➡ as an author. When we consider This pope was famous for his wise the qualifications of this prince, and witty sayings, some of which and the many virtues he possessed, are as follow: That common men we need not wonder that he died should esteem learning as silver, universally lamented, after a reign noblemen prize it as gold, and of above 28 years, on the 28th princes as jewels. A citizen should of October, A. D. goo. He was bu- look upon his family as subject to ried in the cathedral of Winchester, the city, the city to his country, the ELIAN (CLAUDIUS) born at country to the world, and the world Præneste in Italy. He taught rheto God. That the chief place with toric at Rome, under the emperor kings was slippery. That the tongue Alexander Severus, and was surnamed Honey-mouth on account of the sweetness of his style. His most selebrated works are, his " Various History," and that " Of Animals."

ÆMILIUS (PAULUS) a native of Verona, who wrote (or rather began to write) a Latin history of the kings of France; but, though he spent many years at it, he was not able to finish the tenth book, which was to include the beginning of the reign of Charles VIII. He died 1529, and was buried in the cathe dral at Paris.

ENEAS, a Trojan prince, me. morable for his grateful care of his aged father Anchises, whom he bore through the flames of Troy upon his shoulders, at the hazard of his own life, and that of his son, a child, who was obliged to cling to his garments to escape with them. died 1197 B. C. Virgil has mortalized his name.

of a sycophant was a king's greatest plague. That a prince who would trust nobody was good for nothing; and he who believed every body, no better. That those who went to law were the birds, the court the field, the judge the net, and the lawyers the fowlers. That men ought to be presented to dignities, not dignities to men. That a covetous man never pleases any body but by his death. That it was a slavish vice to tell lies. That lust sullies and stains every age of man, but quite extinguishes old age.

ASCHINES, a Socratic philoso pher, the son of Charinus, a sausagemaker. Phrynicus, in Photius, ranks him among the best orators, and mentions his orations as the standard of the pure Attic style.

ESCHINES, a celebrated orator, He contemporary with Demosthenes, im- and but just his inferior. Being overcome by Demosthenes, he went to ENEAS (GAZEUS) or ÆNEAS Rhodes, and opened a school there,

and afterwards removed to Samos, where he died at the age of 75. There are only three of his orations extant; which, however, are so very beautiful, that Fabricius compares them to the three graces.

fall a tortoise on his head, in the 69th year of his age.

ESOP, the Phrygian, lived in the time of Solon, about the 50th Olympiad, under the reign of Cræ. sus, the last king of Lydia. St. Jerome, speaking of him, says, he was unfortunate in his birth, con dition, and death; hinting thereby at his deformity, servile state, and tragical end. His great genius, however, enabled him to support his misfortunes ; and, in order to alleviate the hardships of servitude, he composed those entertaining and instructive fables which have acquired him so much reputation; and he is generally supposed to have been the inventor of that kind of writing. Having had several masters, for he was born a slave, Esop at length came under a philosopher named Xanthus; and it was in his service that he first displayed his genius for fabling and moralizing. He was afterwards sold to Idmon, or Iadmon, the philosopher, who enfranchised him. After he had recovered his liberty, he soon ac quired a great reputation among the Greeks; so that, according to Meziriac, the report of his wisdom having reached Creesus, this king sent to inquire after him, and engaged him in his service. He tra

ÆSCHYLUS, a tragic poet, born at Athens in the 63d Olympiad. He was the son of Euphorion, and brother to Cynegirus and Aminias, who distinguished themselves in the battle of Marathon, and the seafight of Salamis, at which engagement Eschylus was likewise present. To Aminias our poet was, upon a particular occasion, obliged for saving his life: Ælian relates, that Æschylus, being charged by the Athenians with certain blasphemous expressions in some of his pieces, was accused of impiety, and condemned to be stoned to death; they were just going to put the sentence in execution, when Aminias, with a happy presence of mind, throw. ing aside his cloak, shewed his arm without a hand, which he had lost at the battle of Salamis, in defence of his country. This sight made such an impression on the judges, that, touched with the remembrance of his valour, and the friendship he shewed for his brother, they pardoned Eschylus. He wrote a great number of tragedies, of which there are but seven remaining; and, not-velled through Greece, according to withstanding the sharp censures of the same author; but whether for some critics, he must be allowed to his own pleasure, or upon the affairs have been the father of the tragic of Croesus, is uncertain. Passing art. The names of his pieces by Athens soon after Pisistratus now extant are; Prometheus bound; had usurped the sovereign power, Seven against Thebes; The Per- and finding that the Athenians bore sians; Agamemnon; the Infernal the yoke very impatiently, he told Regions; the Furies; and the them the fable of the frogs who peSuppliants. After having lived titioned Jupiter for a king. Some some years at Gela, we are told relate, that, in order to shew that that he died of a fracture of his the life of man is full of miseries, skull, caused by an eagle's letting Æsop used to say, that when Pro

he tempered it with tears.

metheus took the clay to form man | from the writings of those physi Æsop cians who went before him, chiefly from Galen; but contains, nevertheless, some new things, for which we are entirely indebted to this author.

was put to death at Delphi. Plutarch tells us, that he came there with a great quantity of gold and silver, being ordered by Cræsus to offer a sacrifice to Apollo, and to give a considerable sum to each inhabitant; but a quarrel arising between him and the Delphians, he sent back the sacrifice and the money to Cræsus; for he thought that those for whom the prince designed it had rendered themselves unworthy of it. The inhabitants of Delphi contrived an accusation of sacrilege against him, and, pretending that they had convicted him, threw him headlong from a rock. They after. wards endeavoured to make an atonement by raising a pyramid to his honour.

AGARD (ARTHUR) a learned English antiquary, born at Toston, in Derbyshire 1540, died 22d An• gust 1615.

AGATHIAS, a Greek historian, who lived in the sixth century, and wrote a history of Justinian's reign in five books.

AGRICOLA, a celebrated Roman general, born A. D. 37, died 93.

AGRIPPA (HENRY CORNE. LIUS) a man of considerable learning, and a great magician according to report, in the sixteenth century, was born at Cologne 1486, of a noble family, an extensive genius, well skilled in many parts of knowledge and a 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 Wo. men;" but the persecution that 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,

He was a man of

ÆSOP (CLODIUS) a celebrated aftor, who flourished about the 670th year of Rome. He and Roscius were contemporaries, and the best per formers that ever appeared upon the Roman stage; the former excelling in tragedy, the latter in comedy. Cicero put himself under their direction to perfect his action. | Æsop lived in a most expensive manner; and at one entertainment is said to have had a dish which cost above 8ool. This dish, we are told, was filled with singing and speaking birds; some of which cost near gol. Esop's son was no less luxurious than his father, for he dissolved pearls for his guests to swallow. Notwithstanding his expences, however, this actor is said to have died worth above 160, 00cl." Of the Occult Philosophy," afÆTIUS, an ancient physician and the first christian medical writer, born at Amida, a town of Mesopo tamia, about 455. His "Tetrabiblos," as it is called, is a collection

forded them fresh pretexts for de faming his reputation. The inqui sitors endeavoured to hinder the impression of his " Occult Philosophy," when he was about to print a se

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,

cond edition, with emendations and additions; notwithstanding all their opposition, however, he finished it in 1533. He died at Grenoble in 1535- Paulus Jovius tells us, that Agrippa had always a devil attend-1770. "The Pleasures of Imagi

nation," his principal work, was first published in 1744; and a very ex traordinary production it was from

ing 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, stud-a man who had not reached his 23d ded with nails which formed some year. He had very uncommon parts necromantic inscription, and said and learning, a strong and enlarged to him- Get away, thou wretch. way of thinking; and was one of ed beast, which art the cause of my innumerable instances to prove, that total destruction." The dog ran very sublime qualities may spring away to the river Soane, leaped from very low situations in life; in, and was never seen more. In for he had this in common with the Elogiis, cap. xci.-Martin del Rio most high and mighty cardinal says, that when he travelled he Wolsey, that he was indeed the son used to pay money at the inns, which of a butcher. seemed very good, but in a few days it appeared to be pieces of horn or shells. Disquis Magic. lib. ii. quæs. 12. n. 10. The same author tells us a number of other stories, which, however, are too long for our purpose.

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 pers formance was, his Chronicle of king Charles VII.

ALAMANNI (LEWIS) born at

France 1556, leaving many beau tiful poems and other valuable per. formances in the Italian language.

AIKMAN (WILLIAM) an eminent Scottish painter, born at Cair-Florence 1495, died at Amboise in ney, 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, was the compiler of a compendious English and Latin Dictionary, upon the plan of Faber's Thesaurus. This he finish ed and published in 1736 in 4to, and died 1743.

AITON (WILLIAM) author of "Hortus Kewensis," being a Catalogue of the Plants in the Royal Gardens at Kew, was born near Hamilton in Lanarkshire, 1731, and died at Kew, Feb 1, 1793.

ALAND (SIR JOHN FORTESCUE) an eminent English judge, born 1670, died 1746.

ALARIC, a famous general of the Goths, and conqueror of Italy A. D. 409, died at Cosenza 411.

ALBAN (ST.) said to have been the first person who suffered mar. 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 Hert fordshire 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,

ALBUQUERQUE(ALPHONSO) a famous Portuguese warrior, and the founder of the power of that nation in India, died at Goa 1515. ALCEUS, a famous lyric poet, born at Mitylene in the island of Lesbos. Horace seems to think that

poetry. He flourished in the 44th Olympiad.

was born May 31, 1664, the son he was the first author of lyric of a gardener in the suburbs of Placentia. 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. ALBERTI (CHERUBINO) an historical painter, and engraver of Italy, born 1552, died 1615.

ALBERTI(GIOVANNI) brother of the above, excelled in perspective and historical painting. He was born near Florence 1558, and died 1601.

ALCIBIADES, a celebrated Athenian general, slain 404 B. C. ALCINOUS, a platonic philosopher who flourished about the ad century.

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 College, in Cambridge, for a master, six fellows, and as many scholars, and died October 1, 1500.

ALCUINUS, or ALBINUS, (FLACCUS) abbot of Canterbury, a famous English orator, philoso pher, and divine, of the 8th century.

ALBERTUS (MAGNUS) a learn. ed Dominican friar, born in Suabia 1205. He was a man of a most curious 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 ALDHELM, or ADELM (ST.) knowledge in the mathematics, and an English divine and historian, by his skill in that science might and bishop of Shireburn in the time probably have formed a head with of the Saxon heptarchy. He is said springs capable of articulate sounds. to have been the first Englishman who Albert died at Cologne, Nov. 15, ever wrote in Latin, and who in 1280, having written such a numtroduced poetry into England. Wil ber of books, that they make 21 liam of Malmesbury tells us, that vols. in folio.

ALBINUS (BERNARD SIG FRED) one of the greatest anatomists that ever existed, was born at Leyden in 1683, and died 1771. His Anatomical Plates form 3 vols. folio.

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 compo. sition, he thereby gained the fa

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