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the first promoters of the Bank of England, and for many years before his death was one of its directors. He died Feb. 6, 1721-2, aged 83, after having survived all his senior brethren of the court of Aldermen, and become the father of the city. He was a man of strict piety * and independence of mind, and munificent in his charities. Having been educated among the dissenters, he attended their places of worship in common, but in his magistracy attended the church on all public occasions, and when solicited to support public charities. The most remarkable circumstance of his hospitality, is the kind and lasting asylum which he provided for the celebrated Dr. Watts at his house at Stoke Newington. That eminent divine was attacked by an illness in 1712, which incapacitated him for public service. "This calamitous state," says Dr. Johnson, "made the compassion of his friends necessary, and drew upon him the attention of sir Thomas Abney, who received him into his house; where, with a constancy of friendship and uniformity of conduct not often to be found, he was treated for thirty-six years with all the kindness that friendship could prompt, and all the attention that respect could dictate, Sir Thomas died about eight years afterwards, but he continued with the lady and her daughters to the end of his life."

Sir Thomas was married, first, to a younger daughter of the Rev. Joseph Caryl, by whom he had seven children, who all died before him. In 1700 he married Mary Gunston, eldest daughter of John Gunston, of Stoke Newington, esq. by whom he had a son, who died in infancy, and three daughters, who survived him; the last, Elizabeth, dying unmarried in 1782, aged 78. By this second wife, sir Thomas became possessed of the manor of Stoke Newington, and lived in the manor-house.1

ABOU-HANIFAH, or ABOANIFA, surnamed AL NOOMAN, was the son of Thabet, and born at Cousa, in the year of the Hegira 80, and of the vulgar æra 700. He

* His religious observances, whether public or domestic, he never suffered to be interrupted by business or pleasure. Lady Abney informed Dr. Gibbons, one of the biographers of Dr. Watts, that he kept up regular prayer in his family during all his mayoralty,

and that upon the evening of the day he entered on his office, he without any notice withdrew from the public assembly at Guildhall after supper, went to his house, there performed family worship, and then returned to the company!

1 Life of sir Thomas Abney appended to his Funeral Sermon by Jeremiah Smith, 1772, 8vo. Johnson's Life of Watts. Gibbons's Life of Watts.-Lysons's Environs of London, vol. II. Brown's History of Stoke Newington.

F2

is the most famous of all the doctors of the orthodox mussulmans, concerning the matters of their law; for he held the first place among the four chiefs of particular sects, who may be followed implicitly in their decisions on points of right. He was not, however, in high estimation during his life, as the calif Almanzor had him put into prison at Bagdat, for refusing to subscribe to the opinion of absolute and determinate predestination, which the mussulmans term cadha: but Abu-Joseph, sovereign Judge, and a sort of chancellor of the empire under the calif Hadi, brought his doctrine into such reputation, that, in order to be a good mussulman, it was necessary to be a Hanifite. Nevertheless he died in the prison of Bagdat; and it was not till 335 years after his death that Melikshah, sultan of the race of the Seljuk dynasty, caused to be built for him in the same city a noble mausoleum, to which he added a college particularly for those who made profession of his sect. This was in the year 485 of the Hegira, of the vulgar æra 1092. Several of the most illustrious authors among the Mohammedans have written, in a style of commendation, the life of this doctor; Zamakhschari, Korderi, Marghinani, Deinouri, Sobahazmouni, are of that number: and some of them have even found his name in the Old Testament, and assert that he was foretold in the sacred writings, as well as their prophet. All the historians agree that he excelled not only in the knowledge, but also in the practice of the mussulman law: for he led a life of great austerity, entirely detached from the manners of the world; which has caused him to be considered as the first chief and iman of the law by all the orthodox, and he is only rejected by the Shiites, or followers of Ali. The author of Rabialabrar relates the opinion of this doctor concerning the authority of tradition in these terms: "As to what regards the things we have received from God and from his prophet, we respect them with perfect submission: as to what is come down to us from the companions or contemporaries of the prophet, we select the best of it; but as to what the other doctors who succeeded them have left us, we look upon it as coming from persons who were men like us." Houssain-Vaez, expounding that verse of the chapter of Amram, where God says he has prepared Paradise for those who restrain their anger, and pardon such as have trespassed against them, relates a fact of Abou-Hanifah that deserves to be noted. That doctor, having received a blow on the face, said to him who had the audacity to strike him: "I might return you injury for injury; but I will not do it. I might carry my complaint to the calif; but I will not complain. I might at least lay before God in my prayers the outrage you have done me; but I Lastly, I might, at the day of judgment, require God to avenge it; but, far from doing so, if that terrible day were to arrive this moment, and my intercession might avail, I would not enter into Paradise, except in your company."

will not.

The principal writings of Abou-Hanifah are: "The Mesnad," i. e. The Support, in which he establishes all the points of Mussulmanism on the authority of the Koran, and that of tradition. A treatise, "Filkelam, on scholastic theology;" and a catechism, or instruction, under the title of "Moallem," that is, The Master; in which he maintains that the faithful who adhere to the faith, never become the enemies of God, though they fall into many sins; that sins do not cause a man to lose the faith, and that grace is not incompatible with sin. These propositions, and others of a like nature, gave a handle to Vazai to write against him the book "Ekhtelaf Abi-Hanifah," or, The contradictions of Abou-Hanifah.1

ABOULOLA (AHMED BEN SOLIMAN), an Arabian poet, was born in the town of Maara, A. D. 973. He was blind from three years old, having lost his sight at that age by the small-pox; but this defect was compensated by the qualities of his mind. He adopted the vegetable diet of the Bramins, but appears in other respects to have believed in no religious principles. His principal work was entitled Sekth-al-zend, a poem which was greatly esteemed in the East. He was considered as one of the most celebrated poets of his nation. He died in 1057. Fabricius in 1638, and Golius in 1656, published some extracts from his poem,

ABOU-RIHAN, a native of Biroun, in the province of Khovarezme, who flourished about the beginning of the eleventh century, attained the title of Al-Mohakapad, or the subtle philosopher, on account of his knowledge of the sciences, and particularly his skill in astrology. He was contemporary and rival to Avicenna, a more celebrated Arabian writer. Abou-rihan wrote some treatises on Geography, the fixed stars, and the sphere.3

Moreri.- D'Herbelot Bibl. Orient.
D'Herbelot. - Dict, Hist.

D'Herbelot.-Moreri,

ABRABANEL (ISAAC), a famous rabbi, was born at Lisbon in 1437, of a family who boasted their descent from king David. He raised himself considerably at the court of Alphonso V. king of Portugal, and was honoured with very high offices, which he enjoyed till this prince's death; but, upon his decease, he felt a strange reverse of fortune under the new king. Abrabanel was in his 45th year, when John II. succeeded his father Alphonso. All those who had any share in the administration of the preceding reign were discarded: and, if we give credit to our rabbi, their death was secretly resolved, under the pretext of their having formed a design to give up the crown of Portugal to the king of Spain. Abrabanel, however, suspecting nothing, in obedience to the order he received to attend his majesty, set out for Lisbon with all expedition; but having, on his journey, heard of what was plotting against his life, fied immediately to his Castilian majesty's dominions. A party of soldiers were dispatched after him, with orders to bring him dead or alive: however, he made his escape, but his possessions were confiscated. On this occasion he lost all his books; and also the beginning of his Commentary upon the book of Deuteronomy, which he much regretted. Some writers affirm, that the cause of his disgrace at this time was wholly owing to his bad behaviour; and they are of the same opinion in regard to the other persecutions which he afterwards suffered. They affirm that he would have been treated with greater severity, had not king John contented himself with banishing him. They add that by negociating bills of exchange (which was the business he followed in Castile), he got introduced at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella: that he amassed prodigious wealth, by practising the usual tricks and frauds of the Jewish people, that he oppressed the poor, and by usury made a prey of every thing; that he had the vanity to aspire at the most illustrious titles, such as the noblest houses in Spain could hardly attain, and that being a determined enemy of the Christian religion, he was the principal cause of that storm which fell upon him and the rest of his nation. Of the truth of all this, some doubt may be entertained. That he amassed prodigious wealth seems not very probable, as immediately on his settling in Castile, he began to teach and write. In 1484, he wrote his "Commentary upon the books of Joshua, Judges, and Samuel." Being afterwards sent for to the court of Ferdinand and Isabel, he was advanced to preferment; which he enjoyed till 1492, when the Jews were driven out of the Spanish dominions. He used his utmost endeavours to avert this dreadful storm; but all proved ineffectual; so that he and all his family were obliged to quit the kingdom, with the rest of the Jews. He retired to Naples; and, in 1493, wrote his "Commentary on the books of the Kings." Having been bred a courtier, he did not neglect to avail himself of the knowledge he had acquired at the courts of Portugal and Arragon, so that he soon int gratiated himself into the favour of Ferdinand king of Naples, and afterwards into that of Alphonso. He followed the fortune of the latter, accompanying him into Sicily, when Charles VIII. the French king, drove him from Naples. Upon the death of Alphonso he retired to the island of Corfu, where he began his "Commentary on Isaiah" in 1495; and, about this time, he had the good fortune to find what he had written on the book of Deuteronomy. The following year he returned to Italy, and went to Monopoli in Apulia, where he wrote several books. In 1496 he finished his "Commentary on Deuteronomy;" and also composed his "Sevach Pesach," and his "Nachalath Avoth." In the succeeding year he wrote his "Majene Hajeschua;" and in 1498 his "Maschmia Jeschua," and his "Commentary on Isaiah." Some time after, he went to Venice, to settle the disputes betwixt the Venetians and Portuguese relating to the spice trade; and on this occasion he displayed so much prudence and capacity, that he acquired the favour and esteem of both those powers. In 1504 he wrote his "Commentary on Jeremiah;" and, according to some authors, his "Commentary on Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets." In 1506 he composed his "Commentary on Exodus;" and died at Venice in 1508, in the 71st year of his age. Se veral of the Venetian nobles, and all the principal Jews, attended his funeral with great pomp. His corpse was interred at Padua, in a burial-place without the city. Abrabanel wrote several other pieces, besides what we have mentioned, the dates of which are not settled, and some have not been printed. The following list appears in the Leipsic Journal (Nov. 1686), and is probably correct:

1. "Commentaries on Genesis, Leviticus, and Numbers." 2. "Rach Amana." 3. "Sepher Jeschuoth Moschici, a treatise on the traditions relating to the Messiah." 4.

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