manded back into custody, and the next day brought his habeas corpus, and was then set at liberty, by consent, till the twelve Judges should determine the question, "Whether he was obliged to give bail for his good behaviour, as well as his appearance, before he was entitled to his liberty." This determination was impatiently expected by the public, and several days were fixed for hearing counsel on both sides, but no proceedings of that kind took place, and the question remained undetermined until the days of Wilkes.

Notwithstanding this show of firmness, and his other services, Mr. Amhurst was totally neglected by his coadjutors in the Craftsman, when they made their terms with the crown; and he died soon after, of a fever, at Twickenham. His death happened April 27, 1742; and his disorder was probably occasioned, in a great measure, by the ill usage he had received.—Mr. Ralph, in his "Case of Authors," speaks with much indignation upon the subject. "Poor Amhurst, after having been the drudge of his party for the best part of twenty years together, was as much forgotten in the famous compromise of 1742, as if he had never been born! and when he died of what is called a broken heart, which happened a few months afterwards, became indebted to the charity of a bookseller for a grave; not to be traced now, because then no otherwise to be distinguished, than by the freshness of the turf, borrowed from the next common to cover it." Mr. T. Davies the bookseller, in his character of Mr. Pulteney, expresses himself concerning the treatment of Mr. Amhurst in the following terms: "But if the earl of Bath had his list of pensioners, how comes it that Amhurst was forgotten? The fate of this poor man is singular: He was the able associate of Bolingbroke and Pulteney, in writing the celebrated weekly paper called The Craftsman.' His abilities were unquestionable: he had almost as much wit, learning, and various knowledge, as his two partners: and when those great masters chose not to appear in public themselves, he supplied their places so well, that his essays were often ascribed to them. `Amhurst survived the downfall of Walpole's power, and had reason to expect a reward for his labours. If we excuse Bolingbroke, who had only saved the shipwreck of his fortunes, we shall be at a loss to justify Pulteney, who could with ease have given this man a considerable income. The utmost of his generosity to Amhurst, that I ever heard

of, was a hogshead of claret! He died, it is supposed, of a broken heart, and was buried at the charge of his honest printer, Richard Francklin." Mr. Amhurst was, however, one of those imprudent and extravagant men, whose irregularities, in spite of their talents, bring them at length into general disesteem and neglect; although this does not excuse the conduct of his employers. His want of purity in morals was no objection to their connection with him, when he could serve their purpose. And they might have easily provided for him, and placed him above necessity during the remainder of his days. The ingratitude of statesmen to the persons whom they make use of as the instruments of their ambition, should furnish an instruction to men of abilities in future times; and engage them to build their happiness on the foundation of their own personal integrity, discretion, and virtue. 1

AMICO (ANTONINE D'), of Messina, canon of the cathedral of Palermo, and historiographer to Philip IV. king of Spain, acquired much reputation for his knowledge in the history and antiquities of Sicily. Of his numerous works on this subject, some have been printed, and the manuscripts of the rest were after his death deposited in the libraries of the duke of Madonia and of Palafox, archbishop of Palermo. Those published are, 1. "Trium orientalium Latinorum ordinum, post captam a duce Gothofredo Hierusalem, &c. notitiæ et tabularia," Palermo, 1636, fol. 2. "Dissertatio historica et chronologica de antiquo urbis Syracusarum archiepiscopatu," Naples, 1640, 4to. This relates to the serious disputes between the three churches of Syracuse, Palermo, and Messina, respecting the metropolitan title and rights, and was inserted, with the answers, in the 7th vol. of the "Thesaurus antiquitatum Siciliæ," Leyden, 1723. 3. "Series ammiratorum insula Siciliæ, ab ann. 842 ad 1640," Paler mo, 1640, 4to. 4. "De Messanensis prioratus sacræ hospilitatis domus militum sancti Joan. Hierosolymitani origine," Palermo, 1640, 4to. 5. "Chronologia de los Virreyes, &c. de Sicilia," Palermo, 1640, 4to. Amico died Oct. 22 in the year following the publication of the four last-mentioned works. 2

1 Biog.Brit. Lord Chesterfield's Characters reviewed.

1 Moreri.-Biog. Universelle.

AMICO (BARTHOLOMEW), a learned Jesuit, born at Anzo in Lucania in 1562, was professor of philosophy and theology in the college at Naples, and its president for some years. He died in 1649. His fame, as far as he can now be allowed a share, rests principally on a vo luminous work on the writings of Aristotle, entitled "In universam Aristotelis philosophiam notæ et disputationes, quibus illustrium scholarum, Averrois, D. Thomæ, Scoti, et Nominalium sententiæ expenduntur, earumque tuen darum probabiles modi afferuntur," 7 vols. fol. 1623—1648. He wrote other works, of which a catalogue is given by Alegambe, Bibl. Script. Soc. Jesu.'

AMICO (BERNARDINE), an artist and an author, was a Franciscan of Gallipoli, in the kingdom of Naples, and prior of his order at Jerusalem. During a residence of five years there, he made drawings and wrote descriptions of that city and neighbourhood; and on his return to Italy, published a magnificent volume, entitled " Trattato delle Piante e immagini de' sacri edifizi di Terra Santa," Rome, 1620. The plates were engraved by the celebrated Callot. 2

AMICO (VITO-MARIA), a nobleman of Catania in Sicily, born in 1693, was for many years professor of philosophy and theology, and was not less distinguished for general learning, than for his acquaintance with the antiquities of Sicily. He was chosen prior of his order in 1743. His publications are: 1. "Sicilia sacra, disquisitionibus et notitiis illustrata," Venice, (although in the title Palermo), 1738, 2 vols. fol. Of this, however, he only wrote the second part, and being dissatisfied with this edition, he reprinted that part, under the title of "Siciliæ sacræ libri IV. integra pars secunda," 1733, fol. 2. "Catana illus trata," Catania, 4 vols. fol. 1741-1746. The time of

AMICONI (GIACOMO), a painter well known in Eng land, was a native of Venice, and came to England in 1729, when he was about forty years of age. He had studied under Bellucci in the Palatine court, and had been some years in the elector of Bavaria's service. His manner was a still fainter imitation of that nerveless master Sebastian Ricci, and as void of the glow of life as the Neapolitan Solimeni. His women are mere chalk; nor was

1 Biog. Universelle.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

this his worst defect: his figures are so entirely without expression, that his historical compositions seem to represent a set of actors in a tragedy, ranged in attitudes against the curtain draws up. His Marc Antonys are as free from passion as his Scipios. He painted some staircases of noblemen's houses, and afterwards practised portrait-painting with rather more success. In 1736 he made a journey to Paris with the celebrated singer Farinelli, and returned with him in October following. His portrait of Farinelli was engraved. He then engaged with Wagner, an engraver, in a scheme of prints from Canaletti's views of Venice, and after marrying an Italian singer, returned to his own country in 1739, having acquired here about 5000l. At last he settled in Spain, was appointed painter to the king, and died in the 63d year of his age, at Madrid, September 1752. His daughters, the signora Belluomini and the signora Castellini, the latter a paintress in crayons, were living at Madrid in 1772, as Mr. Twiss informs us in his Travels, p. 167, 1775, 4to.

Such is lord Orford's account of this painter. Mr. Pilkington's character is rather more favourable, although perhaps modern connoisseurs will place less dependance on it. Amiconi possessed, says this writer, a very fertile invention; his taste of design was considerably elegant; and the air and turn of some of his figures, in his best compositions, were allowed to have somewhat engaging, natural, and even graceful. He confessedly had many of the accomplishments of a good painter; but, although his merit must in many respects be allowed, and his drawing, in particular, is generally correct, yet his colouring is abundantly too cold, too pale, and (as it is termed by the artists) too mealy.1

AMIOT (FATHER), one of the most learned French missionaries in China, and a Chinese historian, was born at Toulon in 1718. The last thirty years of the last century have been those in which we have acquired most knowledge of China. The French missionaries during that time have taken every pains to be able to answer the multitude of inquiries sent to them from Europe, and among them father Amiot must be considered as the first in point of accuracy, and extensive knowledge of the antiquities, history, languages, and arts of China. This learned Jesuit

1 Orford's Works, vol. III,Pilkington

arrived at Macao in 1750; and at Pekin, to which he was invited by order of the emperor, in August 1751, and remained in that capital for the long space of forty-three years. In addition to the zeal which prompted him to become a missionary, he was indefatigable in his researches, and learned in those sciences which rendered them useful. He understood natural history, mathematics; had some taste for music, an ardent spirit of inquiry, and a retentive memory; and by continual application soon became familiar with the Chinese and Tartar languages, which enabled him to consult the best authorities in both, respecting history, sciences, and literature. The result of these labours he dispatched to France from time to time, either in volumes, or memoirs. His principal communications in both forms, were: 1. "A Chinese poem in praise of the city of Moukden," by the emperor Kien Long, translated into French, with historical and geographical notes and plates, Paris, 1770, 8vo. 2. "The Chinese Military Art," ibid. 1772, 4to, reprinted in vol. VII. of "Memoires sur les Chinois ;" and in vol. VIII. is a supplement sent afterwards by the author. The Chinese reckon six classical works on the military art, and every soldier who aspires to rank, must undergo an examination on them all. Amiot translated the first three, and some parts of the fourth, because these alone contain the whole of the Chinese principles of the art of war. 3. "Letters on the Chinese characters," addressed to the Royal Society of London, and inserted in vol. I. of the "Memoires sur les Chinois," and occasioned by the following circumstance: in 1761, the ingenious Mr. Turberville Needham published some conjectures relative to a supposed connection between the hieroglyphical writing of the ancient Egyptians, and the characteristic writing now in use among the Chinese; founded upon certain symbols or characters inscribed on the celebrated bust of Isis, at Turin, which appeared to him to resemble several Chinese characters. From this he conjectured; first, that the Chinese characters are the same, in many respects, as the hieroglyphics of Egypt; and secondly, that the sense of the hieroglyphics may be investigated by the comparative and appropriated signification of the Chinese characters. But as the similarity between the two species of writing was contested, an appeal was made to the literati of China, and the secretary of the Royal Society, Dr. Charles Morton,