his imprudence was blamed in broaching new hypotheses; on the other hand, Des Marets was censured for acting contrary to the laws of charity and moderation. The latter would not submit to this judgment, nor accept of the silence which was proposed. He insisted on the cause being beard before the consistories, the classes, and the synods; but the heads would not consent to this, forbidding all writings, either for or against the judgment of the divines of Leyden; and thus the work of Des Marets, entitled "Audi et alteram partem," was suppressed. This contest excited much attention, and might have been attended with bad consequences, when Des Marets was called to Leyden, but he died at Groningen before he could take possession of that employment. There was a kind of reconciliation effected betwixt him and Alting before his death: a clergyman of Groningen, seeing Des Marets past all hopes of recovery, proposed it to him; and having his consent, made the same proposal to Alting, who answered, that the silence he had observed, notwithstanding the clamours and writings of his adversary, shewed his peaceable disposition; that he was ready to come to an agreement upon reasonable terms, but that he required satisfaction for the injurious reports disseminated against his honour and reputation; and that he could not conceive how any one should desire his friendship, whilst he thought him such a man as he had represented him to be. The person, who acted as mediator, some time after returned, with another clergyman, to Alting, and obtained from him a formulary of the satisfaction he desired. This formulary was not liked by Des Marets, who drew up another, but this did not please Alting at last, however, after some alterations, the reconciliation was effected; the parties only retracted the personal injuries, and as to the accusations in point of doctrine, the accuser left them to the judgment of the church. Alting, however, thought he had reason to complain, even after he was delivered from so formidable an adversary. His complaint was occasioned by the last edition of Des Marets's system, in which he was very ill treated: he said, his adversary should have left no monuments of the quarrel; and that his reconciliation had not been sincere, since he had not suppressed such an injurious book. The clergy were continually murmuring against what they called innovations; but the secular power wisely calmed those storms, which the convocations and synods would have raised, threaten

ing to interdict those who should revive what had obtained the name of the Maresio-Altingian controversy. Alting enjoyed but little health the last three years of his life; and being at length seized with a violent fever, was carried off in nine days, at Groningen, August 20, 1679. His works, which consist of dissertations on various points of Hebrew and Oriental antiquities; commentaries on many of the books of the Bible; a Syro-Chaldaic Grammar; a treatise on Hebrew punctuation, &c. &c. were collected in 5 vols. fol. and published by Balthasar Boeker, Amst. 1687, with a life by the same editor.!

ALTING (MENSO), the father of Henry and grandfather of James Alting, was born at Fleda in West-Friesland in 1541, and died, first pastor and president of the consistory at Embden, in 1617. The study of St. Paul's epistle to the Romans is said to have brought him from the opi nions of Luther to those of Calvin, in whose defence he wrote against Ligorius and Hunnius. His life was written by Ubbo Emmius.'

ALTING (MENSO), probably of the same family, was a learned burgomaster of Groningen, celebrated for his topographical skill and writings. He was born in 1636, and died in 1713. His principal works are, 1. "Notitia Germaniæ inferioris," Amst. 1697, fol. 2. "Descriptio Frisiæ inter Scaldis portum veterem et Amisiam," ibid. 1701, fol.3

He

ALTISSIMO, an Italian poet of the fifteenth century, whose writings do not justify that honourable name, was according to Crescimbini, a native of Florence, his name Christopher; but on account of his merit, he received a poetic crown, and the surname of Altissimo. Le Quadrio, however, thinks that this was his family name, that his Christian name was Angel, and that he was a priest. was one of the most admired improvisatori of his time, and his verses are said to have been often collected and published. He was living in 1514. Of his poems we have only a translation of the first book of the famous romance, "I Riali di Francia," Venice, 1534, 4to, enough to prove that he was a very indifferent poet.

ALTMANN (JOHN GEORGE), a Swiss historian and divine, was born in 1697, and, according to one authority, at

1 Gen. Dict.-Foppen Bibl. Belg.-Moreri. 3 Ibid. Saxii Onomasticon.

2 Biog. Universelle.

4 Bing. Universelle.

Berne, where his father had been rector; or, according to another at Zofinguen, and died in 1758, curate of Inns, a village in the canton of Berne. In 1735 he was appointed moral and Greek professor at Berne, and afterwards pubJished some valuable works on the geography, history, and antiquities of Swisserland. In conjunction with Breitinger, he compiled the collection entitled "Tempe Helvetica," Zurich, 1735-43, 6 vols. 8vo. His other works are, 2. "Metelemata philologico-critica, quibus difficilioribus N. Test. locis ex antiquitate lux affunditur," Utrecht, 1753, 3 vols. 4to. 3. "A Description of the Glaciers," in German, Zurich, 1751-53, 8vo. 4. "Principia Ethica, ex monitis legis naturæ et præceptis religionis Christianæ deducta," Zurich, second edition, 1753, 2 vols. 8vo. 1

ALTOMARI (DONATO ANTONIO AB), an eminent Neapolitan philosopher, physician, and professor of medicine of the sixteenth century, was born at Naples, was one of the most learned medical writers of his time, and enjoyed very high reputation, it being only objected to him that he was too servile a copyist of Galen. We know little else of his history, unless that he had certain enemies who obliged him to take refuge in Rome, and that he did not venture to return to Naples until he had obtained the protection of pope Paul IV. to whom he had dedicated one of his works. Most of them were published separately, as appears by a catalogue in Manget and Haller; but the whole were collected and published in folio at Lyons, 1565 and 1597; at Naples in 1573; Venice, 1561, 1574, and 1600. So many editions of so large a volume are no inconsiderable testimony of the esteem in which this writer was held. He is said to have died in 1556.2

ALTORFER or ALTDORFER (ALBRECHT or ALBERT), a very eminent artist, was born in 1488, at Altdorff in Bavaria, and rose to be a member of the senate of Ratisbon, and architect to the town, where he died in 1578. His merit as a painter appears to have been very considerable, but much more as a designer and engraver. His works in wood and metal are as numerous as, in general, remarkable for diminutive size, though neither his conceptions nor forms were puny. The cuts of "The Passion," "Jael and Siserah," "Pyramus and Thisbe," "Judah and Thamar," if we allow for the ignorance of costume in the three last, show a

Biog. Universelle.-Dict. Hist.-Saxii Onomasticon.. 2 Ibid.-Haller Bibl. Med.-Manget Bibl.

Hol

sensibility of mind, and a boldness of design, which perhaps none of his German contemporaries can boast. bein is said to have drawn great assistance from him, evident traces of the style of Altorfer appearing in the prints of that inimitable artist, although certainly much improved. 1

ALUNNO (FRANCIS), an Italian scholar and mathematician, was a native of Ferrara, and lived in the fifteenth century. The three works on which his fame rests are, 1. "Observations on Petrarch," which are inserted in the edition of that poet, Venice, 1539, 8vo. 2. "Le Richesse della Lingua Volgare," Venice, 1545, fol. in which he has collected, alphabetically, the most elegant words and phrases used by Boccaccio. 3. Della Fabbrica del Mondo," Venice, 1526, 1556, 1557, 1558, 1562, consisting of ten books, in which are enumerated all the words used by the earliest Italian writers, but with no very happy arrangement. Alunno was likewise distinguished for a talent perhaps more curious than useful, that of being able to write an exceeding small hand. We are told, that when at Bologna he presented Charles V. with the belief and the first chapter of the gospel of St. John, in the size of a denier, or farthing; and Aretine adds, that the emperor employed a whole day in decyphering this wonderful manuscript.

ALVAREZ (DIEGO), a Spanish dominican, was born at Rio Seco in Old Castille. He was professor of theology in Spain and at Rome, and afterwards archbishop of Trani in the kingdom of Naples. In concert with Lemos, his brother in profession, he supported the cause of the Thomists against the Molinists, in the congregation De Auxiliis, held in 1596. He died in 1635, after publishing several treatises on the doctrines which he defended; among these are, "De auxiliis divinæ gratiæ," Lyons, 1611, folia; "Concordia liberi arbitrii cum predestinatione," Lyons, 1622, 8vo; "A commentary on Isaiah," 1615, fol. &c. 3

3

ALVAREZ (EMANUEL), a celebrated Portuguese grammarian, was born in the island of Madeira on the 4th of June 1526. Having entered into the society of the jesuits, he distinguished himself by his probity and his prudence, and became rector of the colleges of Coimbra, Evora, and

1 Strutt and Pilkington's Dictionaries.-Biog. Universelle.

Biog. Universelle,

Ibid.-Moreri.-Dict. Hist.

Lisbon.

He was well acquainted with polite literature; and for many years applied himself to the instruction of youth in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. He died at the college of Evora on the 30th of December 1582. His Latin grammar is much esteemed; it is entitled, "De Institutione Grammaticâ," and has had many editions; the first, Lisbon, 1572, 4to. Kess, Ricardi, and Tursellinus have published abridgments of it. His work" Demensuris, ponderibus et numeris," is in less esteem.'

ALVARES (FRANCIS), a Portuguese priest, born at Coimbra, about the end of the fifteenth century, was chaplain to Emanuel king of Portugal, and ambassador from that prince to David king of Ethiopia or Abyssinia. David had sent an ambassador to Emanuel, who in return thought proper to send Alvares and Galvanus to David, but the latter died before he arrived in Æthiopia. Alvares continued six years if this country; and, when he returned, brought letters to king John, who succeeded Emanuel, and to pope Clement VII. to whom he gave an account of his embassy at Bologna in January 1533, in the presence of the empe ror Charles V. Alvares died in 1540; and left behind him, in Portuguese, an account of his embassy, with a description of the manners and customs of the Ethiopians. It was printed at Lisbon the same year in which the author died, and was translated into French, and published at Antwerp in 1558. The work was abridged by Ramusius. Bodinus says, that Alvares was the first who gave a true and accurate account of Æthiopia, and that it was approved by the best writers, and read with the greatest satisfaction. 2

ALVARES DE ORIENTE (FERDINAND), one of the most esteemed Portuguese poets, was born at Goa in the Indies, in the fifteenth century, about the commencement of the reign of king Sebastian. We have few particulars of his life. It is said that he served in the royal navy, and was captain of one of the vessels belonging to the squadron which admiral Tellez commanded in India, during the viceroyalty of Moniz-Barreto. His principal work, "Lusitania Transformada," is on the plan of the Diana of Montemajor. The language is pure and harmonious, and the descriptions striking and natural. It was printed, for

Biog. Universelle.-Moreri.-Dict. Hist. and Gen. Dict.

2 Ibid.