Volume 1

The universal dictionary of biography and mythology / by J. Thomas.

  • Joseph Thomas
Date:
[1887]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The universal dictionary of biography and mythology / by J. Thomas. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    632/646 (page 618)
    add scarcely anything to the intellectual property of the nation.” See Parton, “ Famous Americans of Recent Times,*' Mi; Kpp.s Sargent, “Life of Henry Clay.” 1H44; Calvin Colton, ‘ Life of Henry Clay,” 2 vols., 1846; ‘‘National Portrait-Gallery of Distin- guished Americans, vol. i.; “ North American Review for October, 1827, October, 1831, (by A. II. Everett,) and January, 1866; “Lon- don Quarterly Review for December, 1840; Edward G. Parker, “Golden Age of American Oratory,” Boston, 1857. Clay, (James B.,) a son of Henry Clay, was born in 1817. He joined the Democratic party, and was elected a member of Congress in 1857 to represent a district in Kentucky. He was a secessionist in 1861. Died in 1864. Clay, (Johann.) See Clai. Clayborne, kla'born, (William,) an early settler and explorer of Virginia, occupied Kent Island, in Chesa- peake Bay, about 1631. He was involved in disputes and violent conflicts with Lord Baltimore and Leonard Calvert. He became secretary of state about 1652. Clay'ton, (Augustin Smith,) born at Fredericks- burg, Virginia, in 1783, became a judge of the superior court of Georgia in 1819, and a member of Congress about 1832. Died in 1839. Clay'ton, (John,) an English botanist, born in Kent about 1690. He emigrated in 1705 to Virginia, where he practised medicine and botanized extensively. He wrote articles on the natural history of Virginia, which were published by the Royal Society of London. In 1739 Linnaeus and Gronovius published a “Flora of Virginia, exhibiting the Plants which J. Clayton has collected.” A genus of herbaceous plants was named Claytonia in his honour by Gronovius. Died in 1773. Clayton, (John Middleton,) an American states- man, born in Sussex county, Delaware, in 1796. He graduated at Yale College in 1815, and studied law, which he practised with success in Delaware. He gained a high reputation as a pleader. In 1829 he was elected a Senator of the United States for Delaware. Having joined the Whig party, he was re-elected to the Federal Senate in 1835. He was chief justice of Dela- ware from 1837 to 1839, and represented that State in the United States Senate from 1845 to 1849. 1° March, 1849, he was appointed secretary of state by President Taylor. He negotiated with the British government in 1850 the celebrated “ Clayton-Bulwer treaty.” He resigned office on the death of President Taylor, July, 1850, and was again elected a Senator of the United States for six years, 1851-57. He married in early life, and had several children, whom he survived. He died in November, 1856, leaving a fair reputation for ability and integrity. Clay'ton, (Robert,) F.R.S., a learned Irish divine, born in Dublin in 1695. He became Bishop of Killala in 1730, of Cork in 1735, and of Clogher in 1745. He published an “ Introduction to the History of the Jews,” and other works. His “Essay on Spirit” (1751) gave much offence to the Anglican Church by its advocacy of Arian or Unitarian doctrines. Died in 1758. See “ Biographia Britannica.” Cle-an'der, [Gr. KXcavdpoc; Fr. Ci.IiANDRE, kkY- 6NdR',j a corrupt prime minister of Commodus, Em- peror of Rome, was originally a Phrygian slave. He was put to death about 189 A.D. Cle-a'nor, [ Kteavup,] a Greek officer, born in Arcadia, lived about 400 b.c. He entered the service of Cyrus the Younger, and was one of the chiefs of that army of 10,000 whose famous retreat is described by Xenophon. Cleantlie. See Cleanthes. Cle-an'thes, [Gr. KUavOnx; Fr. Cl^anthe, kl.YiNt',] a Greek Stoic philosopher, born at Assos, in Asia Minor, about 300 b.c. He became a resident of Athens, and a pupil of Zeno, with whom he studied many years, sup- porting himself by drawing water and other hard labour. At the death of Zeno, about 260 b.c., he became his suc- cessor as head of the Stoic school. He wrote many works, which are nearly all lost, except a hymn to Jupi- ter, remarkable for elevation and grandeur of thought. Chrysippus was his pupil and successor. The original oc- cupation of Cleanthes was that of athlete. He was solid rather than brilliant, practical rather than speculative. Sec Diogenes Laertius : W. T. Krug, Dissertatio de Cle- anthe,” 1819: Cicero, “De Nattira Dcorum,” Cle-ar'«hus, |Gr. K>japx<K; Fr. Cl6akque, kli'$Rk',| a Spartan general, who, having lreen condemned to death for crimes committed while he commanded at Byzan- tium, escaped, and entered the service of Cyrus the Younger. He commanded a body of Greeks in the war 1 retween Cyrus and his brother Artaxerxes. After the battle of Cunaxa, in which Cyrus was killed, the King of Persia by treachery obtained possession of Clearchus and the other Grecian generals, and put them to death about 400 b.c. New generals were then chosen, under whose direction the Greeks successfully accomplished the famous retreat known as “ the Retreat of the Ten Thousand.” See Xenophon, “ Anabasis.” Clearchus, tyrant of Ifcraclea, a Greek city of Pon- tus, had been a pupil of Plato at Athens. After he had reigned twelve years, and committed many acts of cruelty, he was assassinated by Chion and others, about 352 B.C. Clearchus, an Athenian comic poet, lived probably in the third century B.c. Clearchus of Soli, a Greek philosopher, and a pupil of Aristotle, wrote on various subjects numerous works which have not come down to us. Among the titles were “On Friendship,” (“Philia,”) “On Paintings,” “On Anatomy,” and “ On Sleep.” See Fabricius, “Bibliotheca Graeca;” Vossius, “De Historid* Grtecis.” Clearque. See Clearchus. Cleaveland, Cleveland, or Clieveland, kleet-Hand, (John,) an English poet, born at Loughborough in 1613. He was once a tutor at a college in Cambridge. In the civil war he fought for the royal cause. He wrote the “Rustic Rampant,” “The King’s Disguise,” and other poems, which were greatly admired by many in his own time, but are marred by perverse conceits, and are now neglected. Died in 1659. See “ Retrospective Review,” vol. xii., 1825. Cleaveland, kleev'land, (Parker,) LL.D., an emi- nent American mineralogist, was born in Massachusetts in 1780. He graduated at Harvard in 1799, and from 1805 till his death was professor of chemistry, mineral- ogy, etc. in Bowdoin College, Maine. His work on “ Mineralogy and Geology,” (2 vols. 8vo,) issued in 1S16, introduced him to the notice of Sir Humphry Davy, Cuvier, and other illustrious scientific men, with several of whom he corresponded. At his death he was an honorary member of the principal scientific associations in Europe. Died in 1858. Cleaver, klee'ver, (William,) an English divine, born in 1742, became successively Bishop of Chester, (1787,) of Bangor, (1800,) and of Saint Asaph, (1S06.) He was editor of an Oxford edition of Homer, and published, besides other works, Sermons, and “De Rhythmo Graecorum Liber,” (1789.) Died in 1S15. Cle'burn or Cle'burne, (Patrick,) a general, bom in Ireland about 1828. He was a lawyer in Arkansas before the civil war, in which he fought against the Union. He commanded a division at Stone River, December 31, 1862-January 2, 1863, and at Chickamauga, Sep- tember, 1863. He was killed at the battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864. “ The loss of Patrick Cleburne— the ‘ Stonewall Jackson of the West,’ ”—says Greeley, “would of itself have been a rebel disaster.” (“Ame- rican Conflict.”) Cleef, van, vfn klaf, or Cleeve, kla'veh, (Hendrik,) a skilful Flemish landscape-painter, born at Antwerp about 1510. He spent some years in Italy. Died in 1589. His brother Martin, born about 1520, was a historical painter of merit, and was employed by several landscape- painters to paint the figures of their works. The two brothers sometimes worked on the same piece of canvas. See Descamps, “ Vies dcs Pcintres Flamands,” etc. Cleef, van, (Jan,) an eminent Flemish painter, born at Vcnloo in 1646, was a pupil of Gaspar de Cravcr. He became one of the most skilful Flemish artists of his time, and adorned the churches of Antwerp, Ghent, etc. He excelled many or all Flemish painters in the treat- ment of drapery. Among his master-pieces is “The Redemption of the Captives.” Died in Ghent in 1716. See Descamps, “ Vies dcs Pcintres Flamands,” etc.; “Nouvclle Biographie Gene rale.”