Dictionary of universal biography; being the lives of eminent persons of all times / [Samuel Orchart Beeton].

  • Samuel Orchart Beeton
Date:
1870
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dictionary of universal biography; being the lives of eminent persons of all times / [Samuel Orchart Beeton]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    39/1294 (page 23)
    ]llierius Agamemnon Ivrds which cost above £'300. n. worth £160,000, about 60 b.c.—His son was also n ited for his luxuriousness; and Horace says that he swallowed a pearl of great value dis- solved in vinegar. jEtbbrius, e-the'-re-us, an architect of Con- stantinople, who is supposed to have built the wall which runs from tho sea to Selimbria, to keep out the Bulgarians and Scythians. Lived in the 6th century. • TEtion, e'-she-on, a Greek painter, whoso pic- ture of the nuptials of Alexander and I! oxen a, shown at the Olympic games, obtained for him the daughter of one of the judges in marriage, although he was quite unknown. Aetius, a-e-she-us, a famous general in the reign of Valentinian III., emperor of the West. He was brought up in the emperor’s guards, and after the battle of Pollentia,. in a.d. 403, was delivered as a hostage to Alaric, and next to the Huns. On the death of Honorius, he took the side of the usurper John, for whose service he engaged an army of Huns. He was afterwards taken into favour by Valentinian, who gave him the title of count. Being jealous of the power of Boniface, governor of Africa, lie secretly advised his recall, and at the same time counselled the governor not to obey the mandate. This pro- duced a revolt, resulting in an irruption of the Vandals into that province. The treachery of Aetius being discovered, a war ensued between him and Boniface, in which the latter was slain. Aetius now appealed to the Huns, of whom he raised a large army, and returning, so greatly alarmed Placidia, the mother of Valentinian, that she put herself into his power. H e defended the declining empire with great bravery, and compelled Attila to retire beyond the Khine. Stabbed, 45-1, by Valentinian.—This crime was committed under the conviction that Aetius entertained a design upon the imperial throne. Aetius, a bishop of Antioch, who, before en- tering into orders, was a physician, and remark- able for a contentious and sceptical spirit. He contended for a dissimilarity between the Father and the Son, for which he was banished by Con- stantins, but recalled by Julian. Lived in the 4th century. Aetius, a physician of Mesopotamia, who wrote on the diseases of women, and. other works, which are extant in Greek. He is sup- posed to have been a Christian. Flourished in the 6th century. Afer, Domitius, ai'-fer, an ancient orator, who obtained the prretorship of Home; but being disappointed of further promotion, he be- came an informer against Claudia Pulchra, cousin of Agrippa, and by Iris abilities succeeded in gaining the favour of Tiberius. He wrote an inscription, wliich he affixed to a statue of Cali- gula, and which embodied the remark that lie had been a second time consul at the age of twenty-two. This was meant for an encomium, but the emperor took it as a sarcasm, and made a violent speech in the senate against the author. Afer, instead of replying, supplicated pardon, saying that he feared less the power of the em- peror than his eloquence, which llattery so pleased Caligula, that he raised him to the con- sular dignity, n. at Nismcs; n. at Rome, a.d. 59.—Quintilian mentions two books of his, on the subject of evidence. Afesa, Peter, ai-fe-sa, a native of tho Basili- cata, Naples, who painted religious subjects in a good style. Lived in the 16th century. 23 Afflitto, Matthew, if-Jle-to, a distinguished lawyer of Italy, n. at Naples; d. 1073. He wrote several works on Neapolitan law. _ Avfo, Ironic us, af-fo, an Italian historical author, b. in the Duchy of Placentia-; n. about tho end of the 18th century.—He is best known by liis History of Parma, wliich, although com- posed in a very indifferent style, has value on account of its general truthfulness, Affre, Denis Auguste, affr, a French student at the seminary of St. Sulpice, who rose to bo archbishop of Paris, b. at Remy, 1793; d. 1848. —Affre fell whilst endeavouring to prevent bloodshed between the soldiery and Parisian insurgents. Although previously warned by General Cavaignac of the danger to be appre- hended from appearing amongst an excited mob, he replied that “ his life was of small con- sequence,” and, preceded by a man in a work- man’s dress, with a green branch, as an emblem of peace, in his hand, lie went forth to stay tho fury of the combatants. Some of the crowd who beheld him thought they were betrayed, and he was soon shot down. When he fell, he was surrounded by many of the insurgents, who blamed the Garde Mobile for the act, and on whom they vowed to avenge him. He, however, exclaimed, “ No, no, my Mends, blood enough has been shed; let mine be the last on this occasion.” He was buried on the 7th of July, 1843, universally regretted by the people. Affry, Louis Augustine Philip, Count d, af-fre, a statesman of Switzerland, who attained the chief magistracy of his country after Na- poleon I. became protector of the Helvetic Con- federacy. He was a true patriot, and did all that he could to resist the power of the French; but finding his efforts unavailing, he embraced the views of Napoleon, and gave.his assistance in forming a new government in accordance with the theories of that conqueror, b. at Fri- burg, 1743; d. 1810. . Afrania, a-frai'-ne-a, the inventor of the bassoon. He nourished at Ferrara in the 16tli century. , „ , , Afranius, a-frai-ne-us, a Roman poet, who wrote some Latin comedies, of which only a few fragments remain.—Flourished about 100 years b.c. Afranius, a senator of Rome, who was put to death by Nero for having written a satire against him. Africanus, Julius, df -re-eai-nus, tho author of a letter pronouncing the story of Susannah a forgery; and another, in wliich ho reconciled St. Matthew and St. Luke’s genealogies of our Saviour.—He also compiled a chronicle of events from the commencement of the world to the early part of the 3rd century of the Christian era. Flourished in the 3rd century. Africanus. (See Soipio, Publius Cornelius.) Africanus, Sextus Caccilius, a Roman jurist who flourished during the reign of the emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius, and was a voluminous and valuable writer on Roman law. His “ Nine Books of Questions” are often quoted in the “Digest” of Justinian. Agag, ai-gag, a king of the Amalckitcs, who, on the Israelites coming out of Egypt, attacked them in the wilderness and slew all stragglers. He was hewn in pieces in Gilgal. . Agamemnon, ug'-a-mem'-non, king of My ecu a) and Argos, was brother to Mcnelaus, and son of Plisthenes, the son of Atreus. Homer calls them sons of Atreus, which is wrong, upon tho autlio-