Biographical Dictionary : CONTAINING A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE LIVES AND WRITINGS OF THE MOST Eminent Persons and Remarkable Characters IN EVERY AGE AND NATION. By STEPHEN JONES. THE SIXTH EDITION, GREATLY ENLARGED: "No species of writing seems more worthy of cultivation than BIOGRAPHY; London: PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND 1811. ADVERTISEMENT. THE reputation which this Biographical Epitome has been fortunate enough to obtain, for the variety of its contents, and the general accuracy of its dates, has recently conferred upon it the honour of having several imitators. This, however, excites not in my mind one spark of jealousy. The Public, which, in most cases, is found to derive benefit from competition, will duly appreciate, and candidly decide upon, our respective pretensions to its patronage. This SIXTH EDITION comprises above an hundred new articles; bringing down the accounts of eminent persons deceased to the latter end of the year 1810. It had hitherto been my custom to acknowledge, in a Preface, the useful communications that I derived from various literary friends ; and to which the work is considerably indebted on the score of correctness. It has, however, ADVERTISEMENT. been intimated to me, that some of the Gentlemen alluded to had felt a peculiar delicacy on this subject. Either from motives of friendship to me, or a favourable opinion of my book, they were disposed to be actively assisting in its circulation; but have been withheld, in a great degree, from the indulgence of this kind disposition, by an apprehension that it might possibly expose them to the imputation of egotism, on account of the terms in which I had thought it but just to mention their favours to me. Now, though I find it difficult to acknowledge the correctness of this idea, I feel it my duty to respect it; and my gratitude must, in future, be as silent as sincere. S. J. ERRATUM: Art. Collins, William, line 4, for 1756, read June 12, 1759. A NEW BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY. AAR ABB AARSENS (FRANCIS) lord of than once they were going to mur Someldyck and Spyck, one of the greatest ministers for negociation that the United Provinces of Holland have at any time possessed. He was the first person ever recognized as Dutch ambassador by the French court: the first of three extraordinary ambassadors sent to England in 1620; and the second in 1641, who were to treat about the marriage of prince William, son to the prince of Orange. Aarsens died in an advanced age; and left behind him very accurate and judicious memoirs of all the embassies in which he was employed. der him. He died in 1585. AARTGEN, or AERTGEN, a painter of merit, born at Leyden in 1498. It was a custom with this painter never to work on Mondays, but to devote that day with his disciples to the bottle. He used to stroll about the streets in the night, playing on the German flute; and in one of these frolics was drowned in 1564. ABATE (ANDREA) a painter of fruit and still life, born at Naples, was employed by the king of Spain, and died in 1732. ABBADIE (JAMES) an eminent Protestant divine, and dean of Killaloe, born at Nay, in Bearn, in the year 1654 (or, according to some accounts, in 1658), died in the parish of Mary-le-bone, in London, 1727.-The chief of this author's works was, "Traite de la Verite de la Religion Chretienne; Rotterdam, 1684." This has gone through several editions, and is perhaps the best book ever published on that subject. AARSENS,or AERSENS(PETER) called by the Italians Pietro Longo, from his tallness, a celebrated paint er, born at Amsterdam in 1519. He excelled very particularly in painting a kitchen: but an altarpiece of his, viz, a crucifix, representing an executioner breaking with an iron bar the legs of the thieves, &c. was prodigiously admired. This noble piece was destroyed by the rabble in the time of the insurrec-died 1715. tion, 1566. He afterwards complained of this to the populace in of Canterbury, born 1562, at Guildterms of such severity, that more ford, in Surry. In 1604 that ABBIATI (FILIPPO) an historical painter, born at Milan 1640, ABBOT (GEORGE) archbishop B |