Leland

wrote a book, "De Rebus Westmonasteriensis." commends him as an historian of good credit, and he is also cited by Stowe in his survey of London and Westminster.

ROBERT AVESBURY, an English historian, who wrote the history of the reign of Edward III. This history ends with the battle of Poictiers, about A. D. 1356. It continued in MS. till 1720, when it was printed by the industrious Thomas Hearne, at Oxford, from a MS. belonging to Sir Thomas Seabright. It is now very scarce.

RALPH HIGDEN, an English chronicler, was a monk of St. Werburg's, in Chester, where he died, in the year 1377. He wrote an historical work, entitled, "Polychronicon," originally written in Latin, but translated into English by John de Trevisa, and printed by Caxton. It is in seven books, and extends from the creation to the year 1357. This author preserved several documents relative to the times of the ancient Britons and Saxons, from chronicles now lost. The best edition is that of 1642, fol.

MATTHEW of Westminster, an ancient English chronicler, and Benedictine monk of the abbey of Westminster. He compiled a chronicle in Latin, commencing from the creation, and proceeding down to the year 1307, which was entitled, "Flores Historiarum." This work related almost entirely to English history, and is freely transcribed from Matthew Paris, and others. The writer is applauded for veracity and accuracy, but bishop Nicolson holds him up as a mere compiler, without any great degree of judgment.

RICHARD of CIRENCESTER, an historian. He belonged to the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter, Westminster, where he devoted himself to the study of British and Anglo-Saxon history. He died in 1401. His works are, "Historia ab Hengista," 1148. "Britonum, Anglorum et Saxonum Historia." "De Situ Britanniæ." Bertram of Copenhagen discovered this last, and sent it to Dr. Stukele, who published an analysis of it in 1757. The original was printed with the remains of Gildas and Nonnius, at Copenhagen; and in 1809 a new edition, with a translation and map, appeared in London.

STEPHEN BIRCHINGTON, a benedictine monk, of the isle of Thanet. He wrote a history of the archbishops of Canterbury, to the year 1368; and died in 1407.

JOHN BOSTON, a monk of St. Edmund's-Bury, supposed to have died in 1410. He was one of the first collectors of the lives of English writers. He industriously searched all the libraries of the kingdom, and wrote a catalogue of the authors, with short opinions of them. He wrote also" Speculum Cœnobilarum," in which he gives the origin and progress

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of monachism, and a history of his own monastery; rebus cœnobiisiri," which last is lost, but the former was printed at Oxford, 1722, 8vo. by Hall, at the end of " Trivet Annal."

HENRY KNIGHTON, an ancient chronicler, who flourished under Richard II. He was a canon-regular of Leicester abbey, and wrote a History of English Affairs, in five books, from the conquest to the year 1395. He wrote an account of the deposition of Richard II. His works are printed with the ten English historians published by the learned Selden. JOHN WHETHAMSTEDE, a learned abbot of St. Albans, was ordained a priest in 1382, and died in 1464, when he had been eighty-two years in priest's orders, and was above an hundred years old. He wrote a chronicle of twenty years of this period, beginning in 1441, and ending in 1461. It contains much that is original, and gives a copious account of the two battles of St. Albans. He enriched the library of St. Albans with a transcript of useful books. He was highly esteemed by duke Humphrey, who, when about to found his library at Oxford, often visited St. Albans, and employed Whethamstede to collect valuable books for him.

THOMAS WILKE, an Augustine canon of Osney, near Oxford. He wrote a Chronicle of English Affairs, from William I, to the end of the reign of Edward I., and some Latin

tracts.

JOHANNES DE FORDOUN, a highly celebrated Scottish historian, who flourished in this century. His work, entitled "Scotich Ronicon," after all the attacks which have been made upon it by various writers, and the ridiculous light in which it was held up by Buchanan, is still the most complete and authentic history extant, of the early affairs of Scotland. Like many other excellent writers, in the early and middle ages, of the annals of this island, Fordoun has had great injustice done him, by continuators and transcribers. Prourger, his disciple and friend, it has now been ascertained, was the author of some of the books long ascribed to Fordoun; and many interpolations and additions, totally irrelevent, or contradictory to the tenor of the original work, are attributable to the same prolific source of unfounded or unsupported narrative.

ANDREW WYNTON, a Scottish chronicler, was canon regular of St. Andrew's, and prior of the monastery of St. Serf, in Lochleven. He died about 1420; and his Chronicle was published in 1795, in 2 vols. 8vo.

WALTER BOWER, a pious chronicler, was born at Haddington, in the year 1385. At the age of eighteen, he assumed the religious habit; and after finishing his philosophical and theological studies, visited Paris, in order to study the laws. Having returned to his native country, he was unanimously

elected abbot of St. Colm, in the year 1418. At the request of Sir David Stewart of Rossyth, he undertook to transcribe Fordoun's Schotochronicon, but instead of inserting a mere transscript, he inserted large interpolations, and continued the narrative to the death of James I. The principal materials for this continuation, had been collected by his predecessor, Fordoun. The Scotich Ronicon extends to sixteen books. Fordoun and Bower are, undoubtedly, inferior to the original historians of several other countries of modern Europe. Their Latinity is scholastic and barbarous; and in the essential qualities of genuine history their work is very deficient.

GEOGRAPHY AND NAVIGATION.

ODERIC DE PORTENAU, a minorite of Pordenone, in the Frioul. He was a great traveller, having visited a considerable part of Asia. On his return to Padua, in 1330, he dictated to a monk, named William de Solono, or Salangna, an account of his travels, but without any order, according as the circumstances occurred to his memory. This account, entitled "De Mirabilibus Mundi," together with the life of the author, may be seen in Bollandi Acta Sanctorum, and in the third vo lume of Waddingus's Annales Minorum. Oderic travelled at the same time as Sir John Mandeville; but it appears that they never met together. He set out from Constantinople, as a missionary, in 1318, and having passed through Armenia, proceeded to Persia, where he continued some time. He then embarked at Ormus, and landed at Tara, in the island of Sal sette, from which he went to the pepper coast, that is, Malabar, He next visited the island of Sumatra, and returning to Hindostan, travelled thence to China, where he resided three years, at the court of the great Chan, in the city of Pekin. On his return, he passed through the country of Presber John, the capital of which was named Kosan. His narrative terminates at Thibet, and he does not tell by what route he returned thence to Europe. It is worthy of notice, that Oderic often confirms, with an oath, such parts of his relation as appear incredible. He died at Udina.

JOHN SCHILTBERGER, was born at Munich, in Bavaria, and became a celebrated traveller. In 1394, he went with the army of Sigismund, king of Hungary,. against the Turks, but was taken prisoner by them in 1395. Bajazet himself being afterwards defeated, and made prisoner by Tamerlane, Schiltberger accompanied him in all his campaigns, till the time of that conqueror's death, in 1405. Schiltberger then entered into the service of Sha-Rok, and remained with the troops which were left with his brother Miran-Sha, to make war on Kara Joseph, the emir of Turcomania. Miran-Sha

being taken and beheaded, Schiltberger attached himself to Abubeker, the son of Miran-Sha. About this time, Zegra, a son of the king of Great Tartary, being offered the sovereignty of Kaptshak, set out for Tartary, attended by Schiltberger and others, and by this expedition our traveller became acquainted with Tartary and the adjacent districts, then but little known to the Europeans. On returning home, he wrote an account of his travels, which was published at Frankfort, without the name of the author. Another edition was printed at the same place in 1549. Dr. Forster says, that Schiltberger's narrative furnishes some observations which serve to determine, with certainty, the situation and customs of Tartary, at that period; it has, however, been asserted by others, that this journal is of but little use to those who make geographical researches, since the author wrote merely from memory, and attended more to military events, and the cruelties practised by Tamerlane, than the names and positions of places. It may, however, be noted, that Schiltberger speaks of wild asses found in the mountains of the desart, and of sledges drawn by dogs, as is known to be now the case in many parts of the Russian empire.

SIP JOHN MANDEVILLE, a celebrated early traveller, was born at St. Albans. He was intended for the profession of physic, which he probably practised, but an ardent desire of visiting foreign countries, induced him, in 1332, to set out upon a course of travels, in which he spent more than thirty years. During this period, he extended his peregrinations through the greatest part of Asia, Egypt, and Lybia, making himself master of many languages, and collected a great mass of information, which he committed to writing in Latin, English, and French. He died at Liege, in the year 1372. The only genuine edition of his travels is thus entitled, "The Voiage and Travaile of Sir John Mandeville, knight:" it was printed from the original MS. in the Cottonian library, 1727. The character of Sir John, for veracity, has been very differently regarded by different persons. His narratives were highly esteemed in his own age, and they rendered him celebrated throughout Europe. By some of his remarks, it should seem that he had a general acquaintance with the sciences of the period in which he flourished.

MUSIC.

JOHN DE MURIS, the celebrated writer on music, to whom the invention of musical characters is generally given; he flourished about the year 1330. He is styled by some, a doctor and canon of the Sorbonne, by some a mathematician

and philosopher, and by others, a chanter of the church of Notre-Dame, at Paris.

THEINRED, precentary.of the monastery at Dover, and author of a treatise on music, in Latin, preserved among the MSS. of the Bodleian library, in three books, written about. the year 1371.

MATHEMATICS.

WILLIAM BATECUMBE, or BADECOMBE, an eminent mathematician, is supposed to have flourished in the reign of Henry V. He studied at Oxford, where he applied himself to natural philosophy in general, but chiefly to the mathematics, in which he made a very great proficiency, as is evident by his writings in that science, which introduced him to the acquaintance and intimacy of the greatest men of those times.

WILLIAM BEDE, bishop of Chichester, in the year 1369, was the best mathematician of his time. He built the library of Merton College, Oxford, and the castle of Ambarley.

THOMAS PISAN, an astrologer of Bologna, who was invited to Venice by Dr. Forli, counsellor of the republic, whose daughter he married. At the invitation of Charles V. of France, he went to his court. He died there about 1380; and on the very day, as it is said, which he had predicted.

ISAAC ARGYRE, an eminent mathematician of this century, author of some works on geography and chronology.

PAINTING.

J. STEFANO, an eminent Italian painter, born at Florence, in 1301, and hence called Florentino. He was the disciple of Giotto, and became superior to all his contemporaries, except his master. One of his best pictures is that of Christ delivering the demoniac. He died in 1350, aged forty-nine.

ANTONIO VENETIANO, an Italian historical painter, was born at Venice in 1310, and died in 1384, aged seventyfour. He was a disciple of Agnolo Gaddi, but surpassed him in many respects, being accounted one of the best painters of his time. At Florence and Pisa, he performed several works which were universally admired, as he likewise did in his native city, and other parts of Italy; and rendered himself esteemed, not only for his singular merit in his profession, but on account of his other accomplishments. He was correct in his design, and had a lively imagination; the attitudes of his figures were VOL. III.

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