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end of 1723, when he had finished his studies at Utrecht, and wished to go through the same course at Leyden, he was appointed vice-director of the college of Middleburgh. In 1725, he was promoted to be rector of the same college; and, in 1741, he filled the same office in that of Zwol, in Over-yssel, where he remained until his death, in 1782.

At Middleburgh he became first known to the learned world by many valuable pieces of criticism on ancient authors, Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Hesychius, Æschylus, &c. which he sent to a literary journal then printed at Amsterdam, under the title of "Miscellaneæ Observationes criticæ in auctores veteres et recentiores." Some of these have his name appended, others are marked by an H. or H. L. or P. B. A. A. H., and the fictitious name of Petrobasilius. He published also separately some critical works in high estimation: 1. "Animadversionum ad Æschylum libri duo; accedunt annotationes ad quædam loca Novi Testamenti," Middleburgh, 1743, 8vo. Το this work is added a list of words in Æschylus which are not in Stephens's Thesaurus. 2. "Aristæneti Epistolæ, Gr. cum notis," Zwolle, 1749, 8vo, a most excellent edition, not only on account of the learned editor's notes, but also for the emendations of Tollius, D'Orville, and Valckenaar. 3. With the assistance of J. J. Reiske, he published a "Supplement" to the preceding, Amsterdam, 1751, or 1752, 8vo. 4. "Dilucidationum Thucydidearum, pars prima," Utrecht, 1753, 8vo; and the second part in 1755. In this are many valuable observations on other authors incidentally introduced; but the author has not been thought so happy in illustrations on the text of Thucydides. In 1763, he published a "Supplement" to this, and a continuation of his remarks on Æschylus. We also owe to Abresch a new and much improved edition of Cattier's "Gazophylacium Græcorum," (which was first published at Paris in 1651) Utrecht, 1757, 8vo.1

ABRIANI (PAUL) of Vincenza, was a priest of the Carmelite order, and a professor at Genoa, Verona, Padua, and Vincenza. In 1654, he was obliged, we are not told why, to quit the religious habit; and died at Venice, 1699, in the 92d year of his age. He published: 1. Academical Discourses, entitled "Funghi," because they grew, as he said, like mushrooms in his uncultivated mind. 2. "Il Vaglio," or the Sieve, answers to the remarks of Veglia on the Godfrey of Tasso, Venice, 1662 and 1687. 3. "Poetry, Sonnets, &c." Venice, 1663 and 1664, 12mo. 4. "L'Arte Poetica d'Horatio, tradotta in versi sciolti," Venice, 1663, 12mo. 5. "Ode di Orazio tradotte," Venice, 1680, 12mo. This, and the translation of the Ars Poetica, have been often re-printed. 6. "A translation of Lucan," Venice, 1668, 8vo.'

1 Biographie Universelle, 1811.-Dr. Clarke's Bibliographical Dictionary.Saxii Onomasticon.

ABSTEMIUS (LAURENTIUS), an Italian writer, was born at Macerata, in La Marca de Ancona, and devoted himself early to the study of polite literature, in which he made great progress. He taught the belles lettres at Urbino, where he was librarian to duke Guido Ubaldo; to whom he dedicated a small piece entitled "Annotationes variæ," explaining some dark passages in the ancient authors. He published it under the pontificate of Alexander VI. and another treatise also, entitled "Hecatomythium," Venice, 1499, 4to, from its containing a hundred fables, which he inscribed to Octavian Ubaldini, count de Mercatelli. His fables have been often printed with those of Æsop, Phædrus, Gabrias, Avienus, &c. He has these ancient mythologists generally in view, but does not always strictly follow their manner; sometimes intermixing his fable with ludicrous stories, and satires on the clergy, which, as usual in such cases, abound in indecent allusions to the Holy Scriptures. Some of his conjectures on particular passages in the ancients are inserted in the first voJume of Gruterus's Thesaurus criticus, under the title of Annotationes variæ; but they are few in number. He wrote also a preface to the editio princeps of Aurelius Victor published at Venice, 1505, and a work entitled "Libri duo de quibusdam locis obscuris in libro Ovidii in Ibin, hactenus male interpretatis," Venice, 4to, without date. The date of his birth and death are not known, but his works appeared at the end of the fifteenth and beginning of the sixteenth century.2

ABUCARAS (THEODORE), bishop of Caria, in the 8th century, attached himself to the party of the learned Photius, during the disputes which at that time disturbed the church at Constantinople. He undertook, with Zachary, bishop of Chalcedon, an embassy to the emperor Lewis I. to present to him a book which Photius had written against pope Nicholas, and to endeavour to persuade him to shake off the pope's yoke. On his journey he was recalled by Basil, who had usurped the empire; and soon afterwards, finding it no longer safe to support the interest of Photius, he prudently abandoned it, and, before the council of Constantinople, entreated pardon, which was granted, and he restored to his place in the council. Forty-two treatises, written by him against Jews, Mahometans, and heretics, were collected by Gretser, and published in 4to, at Ingolstadt, 1606. Andrew Arnold published another treatise by him "De Unione et Incarnatione," Paris, 1685, 8vo, the manuscript of which, it is said, he found in the Bodleian library.

1 Biographie Universelle, 1811.

2 Dict. Hist. 1810.-Fabric. Bibl. Latin.-Gruter. Thesaur. Crit. tom. I. p. 878. Saxii Onomast.

ABULFARAGIUS (GREGORY), commonly called IbnHakima, son to Aaron a Christian physician, was born in 1226, in the city of Malatia, near the source of the Euphrates in Armenia. He is said by some to have followed the profession of his father, and practised with great success, numbers of people coming from the most remote parts to ask his advice; but others doubt this account. However, he would hardly have been known at this time, had his knowledge been confined to physic; but he applied himself to the study of the Greek, Syriac, and Arabic languages, as well as philosophy and divinity; and he wrote a history, which does honour to his memory. It is written in Arabic, and divided into dynasties. It consists of ten parts, being an epitome of universal history from the creation of the world to his own time. Dr. Pococke published it, with a Latin translation in 1663, Oxford, 2 vols. 4to, and added, by way of supplement, a short continuation relating to the history of the Eastern princes. Dr. Pococke had published in 1650, an abridgment of the ninth dynasty, as a "Specimen Historiæ Arabum.”

Abulfaragius was ordained bishop of Guba at 20 years of age, by Ignatius, the patriarch of the jacobites. In 1247 he was promoted to the see of Lacabena, and some years after to that of Aleppo. About the year 1266 he was elected primate of the jacobites in the East. As Abulfaragius lived in the 13th century, an age famous for miracles, it would seem strange if some had not been wrought

1 Fabric. Bibl. Græc, in which is a complete list of his works-Bayle, Cen, Dict-Sax. Onomast.

by him, or in his behalf: he himself mentions two. One happened in Easter holidays, when he was consecrating the chrism or holy ointment; which, though before consecration it did not fill the vessel in which it was contained, yet increased so much after, that it would have run over, had they not immediately poured it into another. The other happened in 1285. The church of St. Barnagore having been destroyed by some robbers, Abulfaragius built a new one, with a monastery, in a more secure place, and dedicated it to the same saint; and as he desired the relics of the saint should be kept in the new church, he sent some persons to dig them out of the ruins of the old one: but they not finding the relics, the saint appeared - to some Christians, and told them, if the primate himself did not come, they would never be found. Abulfaragius, hearing of this, would not believe it; and feigning to be sick, shut himself up in his cell from Friday till the Sunday evening; when a glorified boy appeared to him, and told him, the relics were deposited under the altar of the old church. Upon this the primate went immediately with his brother and two bishops in quest of those holy remains, which they found according to the boy's direction.

The Eastern nations are generally extravagant in their applause of men of learning; and have bestowed the highest encomiums and titles upon Abulfaragius, as, the prince of the learned, the most excellent of those who most excel, the example of his times, the phenix of his age, the glory of wise men, &c. Our historian, Gibbon, esteems him "eminent both in his life and death. In his life he was an elegant writer of the Syriac and Arabic tongues, a poet, physician, and a moderate divine. In his death, his funeral was attended by his rival the Nestorian patriarch, with a train of Greeks and Armenians, who forgot their disputes, and mingled their tears over the grave of an enemy." His death took place in 1286.1

ABULFEDA (ISHMAEL), a learned Arabian geographer and historian, was born at Damas in 1275, succeeded in 1310 to the rights of his ancestors, the emirs and shieks of Hamah in Syria. He did not however obtain peaceful possession before the year 1319, and in 1320 was acknowledged sultan or king by the caliph of Egypt. He died in 1331, or 1332. His writings are a lasting monument of

1 Cave Hist. Lit.-Fabr. Bibl. Græc.-Bayle in Gen. Dict.-Herbelot Bibl

Orient.-Asseman. Biblioth. Orient.

1

his knowledge in geography and many other sciences. Attached, however, as he was to study, he appears to have for some time led a military life, and in his youth followed his father in many of his expeditions, particularly in the wars against the Tartars and French in Syria. He speaks in his writings of other expeditions in which he bore a part before he arrived at the throne. His works are: 1. A system of Universal Geography, under the title of "Tekwym el Boldaan," or Geographical Canons, which ends at the year 1321. It consists of preliminary matter, a general view of land, water, rivers, mountains, &c. twenty-four tables of longitude and latitude, with marginal notes descriptive of the countries, and twentyfour chapters describing the principal towns. There are manuscripts of this work in the Imperial Library at Paris, in the Vatican, and in the Bodleian. That in the library of the university of Leyden was written under the inspection of the author, with some notes, supposed to be by his own hand. 2. "An Universal History," from the creation of the world to the birth of Mahomet, which forms about fifty or sixty pages. Various portions of these two works have been translated; as, 1. "Chorasmiæ et Mawaralnahræ;" i. e. "Regionum extra fluvium Oxum descriptio, Arab. et Lat. ex interpret. Joan. Grævii *," London, 1650, 4to. reprinted by Dr. Hudson, in his Collection of the lesser Geographers, Oxford, 1698-1712, 4 vols. 8vo. with a description of Arabia by Abulfeda, Arab. et Lat. and the same, translated into French, was added, by Ant. de la Roque, to his "Voyage en Palestine," Paris, 1717, 12mo. 3. "Caput primum Geographiæ ex Arabico in Latinum translat. promulgari jussit L. A. Muratorius, in Antiq. Italicis medii ævi," Dissert. 54, p. 941, 942. 4. "Tabula Syriæ, Arab. et Lat. cum notis Koehleri, et animadversionibus Jo. Jac. Reiskii," Lips. 1766, 4to. 5. "Annales Moslemici, Arab. et Lat. à Jo. Jac. Reiskio," Lips. 1754, 4to. 6. "Abulfedæ Annales Moslemici,

* Mr. Greaves consulted five different manuscripts: the first, that which Erpenius had transcribed from the copy in the Palatine library; the second, the copy afterwards in the Vatican; two other manuscripts in Dr. Pococke's possession; and a fifth that had been purchased in Constantinople. Ramusius first praised this work of Abulfeda, and pointed out the

uses of it; Castaldus corrected the longitudes and latitudes by it; Ortelius mentions it often in bis Thesaurus Geographicus; and Erpenius would have published it, had he not been prevented by death. Schickard first extracted several remarks, and inserted them in his "Tarich Persicum;" but the principal labour and credit of the work fell to Mr. Greaves. Gen. Dict.

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