No More Learning

Ahlgren, Ernst (äl'gren), pseudonym of
Victoria Benedictsson. A Swedish novelist
(1850-88): author of (From Schonen) (1884),
a collection of tales descriptive of native types;
(Money) (1885) and (Dame Marianne) (1887),
novels; Folk-Life) (1887), a collection of sto-
ries; and others. She ranks very high among
the recent female writers of Sweden.
Ahlquist, August Engelbert (äl'qvist). A
Finnish poet and philologist; born at Kuopio,
Aug. 7, 1826; died at Helsingfors, Nov. 20, 1889.
He was appointed professor of Finnish lan-
guage and literature at the University of Hel-
singfors in 1862. His poems appeared under
the title ( Sparks) (4th ed. , 1881); besides which
he wrote several grammatical and philologi-
cal works, and translated Schiller and others
into Finnish.
Ahlwardt, Theodor Wilhelm (äl värt). A
German Orientalist ; born at Greifswald, July 4,
1828. He is the first living authority on old
Arabic poetry. His chief works are : (On the
Poetry and Poetics of the Arabians) (1856);
(The Divans of the Six Ancient Arabic Poets)
(1870).
Aicard, Jean (ā-kär').
A French poet;
born in Toulon, Feb. 4, 1848. His Poems of
Provence) (1874) and (The Child's Song)
(1876), were both crowned by the Academy.
Noteworthy among his other works
(Miette and Noré) (1880), an idyl in Provençal,
which caused him to be ranked with Mistral,
the modern troubadour; (On the Border of the
Desert! (1888), poems, enthusiastic traveling
impressions from Algiers; (Father Lebonnard
(1890), a drama; (The King of Camargue)
(1890), a novel of Provence.
Aïdé, Hamilton (ä-e-dā'). An English nov-
elist and poet; born in Paris, France, in 1830.
He was educated at Bonn, and became an
officer in the British army. His poems in-
clude: (Eleanore and Other Poems) (1856);
(The Romance of the Scarlet Leaf and Other
are :


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8
AIKIN - AKSÁKOF
(
;
Poems) (1865), and (Songs without Music)
(1882). Among a long list of novels are:
(Rita, an autobiography (1859); "Carr of Car-
lyon); (The Marstons) (1868); Poet and
Peer) (1880); (The Cliff Mystery) (1888);
(Voyage of Discovery, depicting American
society (1892).
Aikin, Lucy. An English poet and histori-
cal writer (1781-1864); daughter of John Aikin
(1747-1822), a physician and author, from whom
she received a thorough classical education;
subsequently devoted herself to the study of
English history and literature. Her works in-
clude: Epistles on Women) (1810); Lori-
mer) (1814), a tale ; (Memoirs of the Court of
Elizabeth) (1818); (Memoirs of the Court of
James I. ) (1822); Memoirs of the Court and
Reign of Charles I. (1833); Life of Addison
(1843).
Aikman, William. An American religious
writer; born in Ireland in 1824. He was a
Presbyterian clergyman. Among his works
are: (The Moral Power of the Sea) (1864);
Life at Home) (1870); (A Bachelor's Talks
about Married Life) (1884).
Aimard, Gustave (ā-mär'). A French nov-
elist (1818-83). He came to America as a boy
and spent a number of years among the In-
dians; and afterwards traveled through Spain,
Turkey, and the Caucasus, and returned to Paris
in 1848. His stories, in imitation of Cooper's
Indian tales, although abounding in improba-
bilities, hold the attention of the reader:
(The Trappers of Arkansas) (1858); (The
Great Chief of the Aucas) (1858); (The Pi-
rates of the Prairie) (1859); (The White
Scalpers) (1873).
Aimwell, Walter. See Simonds, William.
Ainslie, Hew. A Scottish poet; born in the
parish of Dailly, Ayrshire, April 5, 1792; died
at Louisville, Kentucky, March II, 1878. He
emigrated to America when thirty, and is
remembered for the good verse in his (A Pil-
grimage to the Land of Burns) (1820), and for
various songs and ballads, the most popular
being (The Rover of Loch Ryan.
Ainsworth, William Francis. An English
naturalist and writer of travels; born at Exe-
ter, Nov. 9, 1807; died Nov. 27, 1896. He
accompanied Chesney's Euphrates expedition
as physician and naturalist, and was sent in
1838 by the Geographical Society and the
Society for the Diffusion of Christian Knowl.
edge, to make investigations in Asia Minor
and Kurdistan. His chief works are: (Re-
searches in Assyria, Babylonia, etc. (1838);
(Travels and Researches in Asia Minor, Meso-
potamia, etc. (1842); (Travels in the Track
of the 10,000 Greeks) (1844); (Wanderings in
Every Clime) (1870); (A Personal Narrative
of the Euphrates Expedition) (2 vols. , 1888).
He was for a time proprietor and editor of the
New Monthly Magazine.
Ainsworth, illiam Harrison. Eng-
lish novelist; born in Manchester, Feb. 4. 1805;
died in Reigate, Jan. 3, 1882. Educated in
Manchester, he went to London, edited Bent-
ley's Magazine in 1840, Ainsworth's Maga-
zine 1842-53, and the New Monthly Magazine.
He wrote 250 novels and enjoyed enormous
popularity. His books are still read for their
vivacious narrative and powerful descriptions.
The most widely known among them is prob-
ably (Jack Sheppard) (1839). *
Aird, Thomas. A Scottish poet (1802-76);
studied in the University of Edinburgh, where
he formed an intimacy with Carlyle which was
maintained to his death. As a contributor to
Blackwood's Magazine he earned the good-
will and praise of Professor Wilson, became
editor of the Weekly Journal in 1832, and of
the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Herald
(Dumfries) in 1835, retiring from it in 1863
His principal works are : (Religious Charac.
teristics, a series of prose essays (1827);
(The Captive of Fez, a narrative poem
(1830); (The Old Bachelor in the Scottish Vil-
lage) (1846), a prose delineation of Scottish
character, which became very popular.
Airy, Sir George Biddell. A celebrated
English astronomer; born at Alnwick, North-
umberland, July 27, 1801; died Jan. 4, 1892.
Soon after graduation from Trinity College,
Cambridge, he was appointed professor of as-
tronomy and director of the observatory. Here
he introduced improvements and inventions
that led to his selection as director of the
Greenwich Observatory. It was due to his
efforts that the observations taken at Green-
wich from 1750 to 1830 were compiled. Among
his works are : (Reduction of Observations of
the Moon (1837); (Sound and Atmospheric
Vibrations) (1871); (Treatise on Magnetism
(1871).
Akenside, Mark. An English poet; born
at Newcastle-on-Tyne, Nov. 9, 1721 ; died in
London, June 23, 1770. Studied at first theol-
ogy, then medicine in Edinburgh and in Ley.
den, where he took his degree, 1744. Having
practiced, not very successfully, at Northamp-
ton and later (1745-47) at Hampstead, he soon
after, through the aid of a friend, became
prosperous and eminent in London, and in
1761 was appointed physician to the queen.
His literary fame rests on the Pleasures of the
Imagination,' a didactic poem (1744, remodeled
and enlarged 1757 and 1765). *
Aksákof, Konstantin Sergeyevich (äk-sä'-
kof). A Russian poet and prose writer (1817-
60), son of the following. From 1846 he
was the leader of the Slavophile party, and
one of the most active contributors to all
periodicals of that tendency. Works: (The
Life of the Old Slavs in General and of the
Russians in Particular) (1852); Prince Lupo-
vickij,' a comedy (1857); (Oleg before Con-
stantinople,' a dramatic parody (1858);Lyrics.
Aksákof, Sergey Timofeyevich. A Russian
author (1791-1859), distinguished for a
charm of tion and warmth of feeling, espe-
cially apparent in his principal work, Family
)
rare


## p. 9 (#25) ###############################################

ALAMAN- ALBERTI
9
Chronicle and Reminiscences) (1856), a mas-
terly description of Russian family life; (The
Childhood of Bragoff, the Grandson (1858),
a sequel to the former.
Alaman, Lúcas (ä-lä-män'). A Mexican his-
torian and statesman; born at Guanajuato, Oct.
18, 1792; died in Mexico, June 2, 1853. He is
best known by his (History of the Mexican
Republic) (1844-49) and History of Mexico
(1849–52). He performed important political
services for Mexico, among others as Secretary
of the Interior, 1823-25; and established many
important public works, including the Mexi-
can Museum.
Alamanni, Luigi (ä-lä-män'nē). An Italian
poet; born in Florence, Oct. 28, 1495; died at
Amboise, France, April 18, 1556. At first in
great favor with Cardinal Giuliano de' Medici,
he became implicated in a conspiracy against
the life of his patron, 1522, and had to fee to
Venice and thence to France. On the expul-
sion of the Medici in 1527 he returned to Flor-
ence; but on their restoration in 1532 again
took refuge in France, where Francis I. and
Henry II. intrusted him with embassies to
Charles V. and the republic of Genoa. His
fame rests chiefly on the didactic poem on
agriculture, (Cultivation' (1533), one of the
best imitations of Virgil's (Georgics. )
Alanus ab Insulis (a-lā'nus ab in'sū-lis)
or Alain de Lille (ä-lan' dé lēl). A noted
French scholastic philosopher (1114-1203). Of
his voluminous theological writings the best
known is the treatise on (The Articles of the
Faith. His poem (Anti-Claudianus, or On the
Duties of a Good and Perfect Man) is one of
the most celebrated poetic compositions of the
Middle Ages.
Alarcon (y Ariza), Pedro Antonio de (ä-lär-
kõn'). A distinguished Spanish novelist, poet,
and politician; born in Guadix, March 10, 1833;
died at Valdemoro, near Madrid, July 19, 1891.
His critical contributions to papers, political
and literary, his description of the Moroccan
campaign, but especiaily his novels and short
stories, are among the best of their kind, and
present a picture of modern Spanish society
as true to life as it is variegated. His clever
essay "The Poet's Christmas) went through
over 100 editions. An imposing number of his
stories appeared under the collective titles
(Love and Friendship); National Tales);
Improbable Stories. Among them (The
Three-Cornered Hat) and (The Scandal) de-
serve special mention. *
Alarcón y Mendoza, Don Juan Ruiz de
(ä-lär-kön ē mān-dö'thä). A noted Spanish
dramatist; born at Tasco, Mexico, about 1580
or 1590; died in Madrid, Aug. 4, 1639. Little
is known about his early life, but he came to
Spain in 1600 and became royal attorney in
Seville. From 1608 to 1611 he was in Mexico;
then he took up his residence in Madrid, where
he was
ppointed reporter of the royal council
of the Indies, about 1628. The last great dram-
atist of the old Spanish school, he may be
considered also as the creator of the so-called
character comedy. Elevated sentiment, har-
mony of verse, and correctness of language
distinguish his works, the principal of which
are : (The Weaver of Segovia); (Suspicious
Truth, the model for Corneille's Liar); (Walls
Have Ears); (The Proof of Promises); (The
Anti-Christ. Complete edition of his works
by Hartzenbusch (Madrid, 1866).
Albee, John. An American miscellaneous
writer; born at Bellingham, Mass. , 1833. His
best known works are: Prose Idyls); (St.
Aspenquid of Agamenticus) (1879), an In-
dian idyl ; (Literary Art) (1881), a conversa-
tion; Poems) (1883); New Castle, Historic
and Picturesque) (1884), descriptive of New
Castle or Great Island, on the coast of New
Hampshire, his place of residence.
Alberdingk-Thijm, Josephus Albertus (äl.
ber-dink-tim). A Dutch poet and art critic
(1820-89), brought up to be a merchant, and
for a time head of a publishing firm ; soon de-
voted himself entirely to art and literature, and
was appointed professor of art history at the
Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam in
1876. As a prose writer he excels in the his-
torical tale and literary sketch in narrative
style, of which his (Portraits of Joost van den
Vondel (1876) is a masterly specimen. Be-
sides this the Collected Tales in Prose (1879-
83, 3 vols. ) are noteworthy.
Albergati Capacelli, Francesco (äl-ber-gä'.
tē kä'pä-chel'lē). An Italian dramatist (1728-
1804). Of an old patrician family, he devoted
his time and fortune to the promotion of
dramatic art. Having killed his wife in a fit
of jealousy in 1785, he had to take refuge in
various cities, and only returned to his estate
at Zola after a number of years. He excelled
as a comedy writer. Voltaire was his ideal;
next to whom he esteemed Goldoni. His com-
edies (The Wise Friend) and (The Slander-
ous Gossip' hold the Italian stage to this day.
Albert, Paul (äl-băr'). A French literary
historian (1827-80); succeeded Loménie
professor of French Literature at the College
of France. His works include: (French Lit.
erature) (1872–82); Poets and Poetry) (1881);
(Moral and Literary Varieties) (1881).
Alberti, Konrad (äl-ber'tē), pseudonym of
Konrad Sittenfeld. A German novelist and
critic; born at Breslau, July 9, 1862. He is
an uncompromising exponent of the naturalist
school, and his occupation is that of dramatic
critic. His novels are: (Who Is the Stronger)
(1888); (The Old and the Young) (1889);
(Rosa of Hildesheim) (1895), an historical
romance.
Alberti, Leone Battista. An eminent Ital-
ian architect, philosopher, writer on art, and
poet; born in Venice, Feb. 18, 1404; died in
Rome, April 1472. He excelled simultaneously
in Latin comedy with his (Philodoxios, long
accepted as an ancient classic, in criticism with
>
as


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ALBERTI — ALCUIN
Іо
i
his (On Painting,' in architectural theory with
his (Building Art,' and in theology and law
with his interesting and sensible essays; more-
ever, he painted well, designed and built many
noble structures, and penned some of the most
delightful Latin and Italian poetry in the fif-
teenth-century anthology.
Alberti, Luigi (äl-ber'tē). An Italian dram-
atist and poet; born in Florence, 1822. Of
his numerous comedies (collected, Florence,
1875), Peter the Workman) is considered the
best. A fantastic drama, Asmodeo) (1885),
gave rise to lively literary discussions on its
first performance in 1887.
Alberti, Sophie. See Verena.
Albertus Magnus (al-ber'tus mag'nus). ("Al-
bert the Great, Count von Bollstädt. ) A
famous German scholastic philosopher; born
at Lauingen, Suabia, 1193; died at Cologne,
Nov. 15, 1280. He became Bishop of Ratisbon
in 1260. One of the greatest scholars of his
age, he taught philosophy and theology at
Cologne and Paris, the celebrated Thomas
Aquinas being among his pupils. So great
was his knowledge that he was accounted a
magician by his contemporaries. He intro-
duced Aristotle's philosophy to the compre-
hension of his age. His works, which
constitute an encyclopædia of the learning of
the times, though treating chiefly of physical
science, fill twenty-one volumes. They ap-
peared in 1651.
Alberus, Erasmus (älber-ös). A German
poet and scholar (1500-53). He studied the-
ology in Wittenberg; was active as a teacher
and preacher in many places; a friend of Lu-
ther, and one of the stanchest champions of
the Reformation. His most noteworthy works
are : (The Book of Virtue and Wisdom (1550),
containing 49 rhymed fables with a strong
satirical element; (The Barefooted Friars' Owl-
glass and Alkoran (1542), a satire in prose,
with a preface by Luther.
Albery, James. An English dramatist;
born in 1832; died Aug. 16, 1889. He studied
architecture, but entered upon a commercial
He early devoted himself to play-
writing, but it was not until 1870 that he
achieved success with (The Two Roses. )
Among his other comedies are: Pink Dom-
inoes); (The Denhams'; and (Featherbrain.
Alcæus (al-sē'us). One of the foremost
Greek lyric poets; native of Mitylene; four-
ished in the sixth century B. C. Of his poems
we have only fragments; some were hymns to
the gods, others battle songs, still others were
in praise of liberty; very many
were love
songs of pronounced erotic character. He is
said to have been the literary model of Hor-
ness. He has also published a volume of lyric
poetry.
Alcázar, Baltasar de (äl-kä'thär). А
Spanish poet; born at Seville in 1530; died at
Ronda, Jan. 15, 1606. His light poems, not
very numerous, received Aattering notice from
Cervantes and others. He had, in his time,
many imitators, but few equals. His best
known poem is (The Jovial Supper. *
Alciphron (al'si-fron). A Greek rhetori-
cian who flourished in the second century of
the Christian era, and attained celebrity through
his series of more than a hundred imaginary
letters purporting to be written by the very
dregs of the Athenian population, including
courtesans and petty rogues. Their importance
in literature is due almost wholly to the insight
they afford into the social conditions and man-
ners and morals of the day. The letters from
the courtesans (hetairai) are based upon inci-
dents in Menander's lost plays, and the new
Attic comedy was likewise drawn upon for
material. *
Alcman (alk'man). One of the earliest and
greatest of Greek lyric poets, belonging to the
7th century B. C. He is supposed to have been
a native of Lydia, and to have been taken as
a slave to Sparta. Only small fragments of
his odes remain. He used the broad, homely
Doric dialect.
His poems were love ditties,
hymns, pæans, processional chants, etc.
Alcott, Amos Bronson (âl’kot). An Ameri-
can philosophical writer and educator, one of
the founders of the transcendental school of
philosophy in New England; born at Wolcott,
Conn. , Nov. 29, 1799; died at Boston, March 4,
1888. From 1834-37 his private school in Bos-
ton, conducted on the plan of adapting the
instruction to the individuality of each pupil,
attracted attention. He was on terms of friend-
ship with Emerson, Hawthorne, Channing,
Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and many other
noted persons. After 1840 he lived in Concord,
Mass. , and was the projector and dean of the
Concord school of philosophy. Lectures on
speculative and practical subjects occupied his
later
years.
His chief works are: (Orphic Say.
ings, contributed to the Dial (1840); (Tablets)
(1868); "Concord Days) (1872); (Table-Talk)
(1877); (Sonnets and Canzonets) (1882);
(Ralph Waldo Emerson, his Character and
Genius) (1882); New Connecticut' (1886).
Alcott, Louisa May. An American author,
daughter of the preceding; born in German
town, Pa. , Nov. 29, 1832; died in Boston, Mass. ,
March 6, 1888. She wrote at an early age;
her (Flower Fables) (1855) and “Moods) (1865,
revised ed. , 1881) made little impression; but
(Hospital Sketches) (1869), "Little Women)
(1868), "Little Men (1871), and many others
of like character and popularity, made her
famous.
Alcuin (al’kwin). An eminent English
scholar; born at or near York, about 735; died
at Tours, France, May 19, 804. One of the
career.
ace.
*
Alcantara-Chaves, Pedro Carlos de (äl.
kan'tä-rä сhä'ves). A Portuguese dramatist;
born in Lisbon in 1829. Among his best known
works are : (Garibaldi) and (Sin and Forgive-


## p. 11 (#27) ##############################################

ALDANA - ALECSANDRI
II
most learned men of his time, teacher and
intimate adviser of Charlemagne. Lives of
the Saints); (Poems on the Saints of the
Church at York,' and a treatise (On Gram-
mar,' are among his celebrated works. In Prof.
West's (Alcuin (1893) a full account of his
life and work is given. *
Aldana, Ramón (äl-dä'nä). A Mexican
poet (1832-82). Besides four dramas, among
which are (Honor and Happiness) and No-
bility of Heart, he produced lyric poems and
sonnets, and contributed many literary articles
to journals.
Alden, Henry Mills. An American editor,
poet, and prose writer; born at Mt. Tabor, Vt. ,
Nov. II, 1836. He was graduated at Williams
College and Andover Theological Seminary;
settled in New York in 1861, became man-
aging editor of Harper's Weekly in 1864, and
editor of Harper's Monthly Magazine in 1868,
which post he now holds. He has published :
(The Ancient Lady of Sorrow,' a poem (1872);
(God in His World) (1890); and (A Study of
Death) (1895). *
Alden, Isabella. An American writer of
juvenile books; born in New York in 1841.
She has written extensively under the name of
(Pansy," the series called the Pansy Books)
numbering about sixty titles.
Alden, Joseph. An American educator, edi.
tor, and writer of juvenile literature ; born at
Cairo, N. Y. , Jan. 4, 1807; died in New York
city, Aug. 30, 1885. During his career he was
professor of Latin, rhetoric, and political econ-
omy at Williams College, and of mental and
moral philosophy at Lafayette College. He
was president of Jefferson College, Cannons-
burg, Pa. , from 1857 to 1862, and principal
of the Normal School at Albany, N. Y. , from
1867 to 1881. He was also editor of the New
York Observer. Besides books for young peo-
ple he wrote : "Citizens' Manual); (Christian
Ethics (1866); 'Science of Government) (1866);
Elements of Intellectual Philosophy) (1866).
· Alden, William Livingston. An American
humorous writer and journalist ; born at Wil-
liamstown, Mass. , Oct. 9, 1837. He introduced
the sport of canoeing into the United States.
He was for a time United States consul-general
at Rome. Among his principal writings may be
named: (Domestic Explosives) (1877); “Shoot-
ing Stars) (1878); (The Canoe and the Flying
Proa) (1878); (Moral Pirates) (1880); (The
Comic Liar) (1882); (Cruise of the Ghost)
(1882); Life of Christopher Columbus) (1882);
(A New Robinson Crusoe) (1888); etc.
Aldrich, Anne Reeve. An American poet
and novelist; born in New York, April 25,
1866; died there, June 22, 1892. She was the
author of : (The Rose of Flame) (1889); (The
Feet of Love, a novel (1890); and (Songs
about Life, Love, and Death) (1892).
Aldrich, James. An American poet ; born
at Mattituck, L. I. , July 14, 1810; died in New
York, Sept. 9, 1856. Of his poems the best
known is (A Death-Bed,' to which Poe's
comment called particular attention.
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey. A distinguished
American poet, essayist, and writer of fiction;
born in Portsmouth, N. H. , Nov. II, 1836. He
spent his early youth in Louisiana, but at the
age of seventeen entered a mercantile house
in New York. Removing to Boston in 1866,
he became editor of Every Saturday, and in
1881 editor of the Atlantic Monthly. He has
become almost equally eminent as a prose
writer and poet. Among his prose works the
best known are: The Story of a Bad Boy)
(1870); Marjorie Daw and Other People)
(1873); (Prudence Palfrey) (1874); (The Queen
of Sheba,' a romance of travel (1877); (The
Stillwater Tragedy) (1880). Of his poems,
formerly published in separate collections, most
are included in (Complete Poems) (1882) and
(Household Edition) (1895). *
Aleandro, Girolamo, the Younger, (äl-ā-
än'dro). An Italian poet and antiquary; born
in Friuli, 1574; died in Rome, 1629. He was
distinguished for the accuracy of his taste in
literature. The (Tears of Penitence, a series
of tenderly conceived odes, was completed
when he was sixteen years old. A later work
is the (Penitential Psalms); but the most solid
memorial of his talent is a volume on (Ancient
Marble Tablets. )
Aleardi, Aleardo, Count (a-lā-är'dē). An
Italian poet and patriot; born near Verona,
Nov. 4. 1812; died there, July 17, 1878. He
studied first philosophy and natural science,
and then jurisprudence. His political prin-
ciples, as revealed in his poem (Arnaldo)
(1842), brought him under suspicion, and pub-
lic office under the (Austrian) government was
denied him. Others of his works are : Primal
Histories) (1857), a poem on the intellectual,
ethical, and social evolution of man; (An Hour
in My Youth, a piece inspired at once with
tenderest love of nature and intense devotion
to Italian independence; "Letters to Mary);
(Raffaele and the Fornarina'; ' The Maritime
Cities of Italy); and (A Political Ode, directed
against Pope Pius IX. (1862). *
Alecsandrescu, Grigoic (ä-lek-sän-dres'kö).
A Rumanian poet and statesman (1812-86).
After serving three years as an officer in the
army he became a writer and a politician. His
(Satires) and Fables) enjoyed wide popularity.
His poem “The Year 1840) was like a bugle
call, and aroused the enthusiasm of the Wal-
lachians and Servians to the highest pitch. His
collected works, Meditations, Elegies, Epistles,
Satires, and Fables,' were published at Bucha.
rest, 1863.
Alecsandri, Basile (ä-lek-sän'drē). A Ru-
manian poet (1821-90). He pursued literary
studies in Paris, 1834-39; edited a patriotic jour-
nal, Literary Dacia, at Bucharest; was after-
ward director of the French Theatre at Jassy, for
which he composed a series of comedies. He
excels in the description of natural scenery.
(


## p. 12 (#28) ##############################################

I 2
ALEMAN - ALFIERI
:
His war poems (1877-78) had a powerful influ-
ence on public opinion in the Danubian princi-
palities. Other works are a poem, (In Praise of
the Latin Race) (1874), and "Rumanian Folk-
Songs.
Alemãn, Matteo (ä-lā-män'). Spanish
novelist; born in Seville about 1550; died in
Mexico after 1609. For some time an official
in the royal treasury, he either resigned or
was dismissed in consequence of an annoying
lawsuit, and about 1608 went to Mexico. His
fame rests on the satirical romance, (The Life
and Deeds of the Picaroon Guzman de Al-
farache, which, like its forerunner and model,
the (Lazarillo de Tormes) by Mendoza, is one
of the most famous representatives of the
“picaresque) novel. Its first part, under the
title of Watch-Tower of Human Life,' ap-
peared in 1599 in three editions, and up to
1605 attained to 26 more editions of over
50,000 copies. This immense success induced
a literary freebooter to publish a spurious sec-
ond part in 1603, which was followed by the
genuine in 1605. The work was translated
into every European language, and in 1623
even into Latin. The best edition of the ori-
ginal is in vol. iii. of Aribau's (Library of
Spanish Authors) (Madrid, 1846).
Alembert, Jean Baptiste le Rond d' (ä-
lon-bãr'). An eminent French philosopher,
mathematician, and man of letters ; born in
Paris, Nov. 16, 1717; died there, Oct. 9, 1783.
His treatises on mathematical and physical
problems brought him celebrity while yet
under middle age. For the great French (En-
cyclopedia! he wrote the admirable (Pre-
liminary Discourse) or introduction. Among
his works of more or less popular or literary
character may be named Literary and Phil-
osophical Miscellanies) and Elements of Phi-
losophy. *
Alencar, José Martinião de (ä-len-kär'). A
noted Brazilian novelist; born at Fortaleza,
May 1, 1829; died in Rio de Janeiro, Dec. 12,
1877. A lawyer by profession, he was also
active as a conservative politician, and in 1868–
69 was minister of justice. His novels, in the
style of Cooper, treat subjects from Brazilian
history, and city and country life, chiefly based
on Indian traditions, and contain masterly de-
scriptions of tropical nature.
Alexander, Archibald. An American theo-
logical and philosophical writer; born near
Lexington, Rockbridge county, Va. , April 17,
1772; died at Princeton, N. J. , Oct. 22, 1851.
He was a Presbyterian minister, president of
Hampden Sidney College, Virginia, and pro-
fessor at Princeton Theological Seminary. His
principal works were : (Evidences of Christian-
ity) (1823); ( Treatise on the Canon of the Old
and New Testaments) (1826); (Outlines of
Moral Science) (1852). Ile was a distinguished
preacher.
Alexander, Sir James Edward. A British
general and explorer; born in Scotland, 1803;
died April 2, 1885. He served in the East, in
Africa, and the Crimean war, and explored Cen-
tral Africa. He wrote : (Travels through Rus-
sia and the Crimea) (1830); 'Expedition of Dis-
covery into the Interior of Africa) (1838); etc.
Alexander, Mrs. , pseudonym of Annie
Hector. An Irish novelist; born in Dublin in
1825. She began to write at an early age, and
is a prolific and popular novelist. Her books
include: (The Wooing O't) (1873); Ralph
Wilton's Weird) (1875); Her Dearest Foe)
(1876); “The Freres) (1882); 'A Golden
Autumn) (1897); and (A Winning Hazard)
(1897).
Alexander, Mrs. Cecil Frances (Humphrey).
An Irish poet; born in County Wicklow in
1818; died in Londonderry, Oct. 12, 1895. She
was very active in religious and charitable
works. She is best known as a writer of
hymns and religious poems. Among the most
noted are the hymns (Roseate Hue of Early
Dawn' and 'All Things Bright and Beautiful.
Her most famous poem is (The Burial of
Moses.
Alexander of Hales. A noted English phi.
losopher and theologian; born
at
Hales,
Gloucestershire; died in Paris, 1245. One of
the greatest of the schoolmen, he was among
the first to study Aristotle from the point of
view of the Arabic commentators. His chief
work was (The Sum of Theology) (1475). He
was called “The Irrefutable Doctor, (The
Doctor of Doctors,)) (The Fountain of Life. ”
Alexis, Wilibald (ä-lek'sis), pseudonym of
Wilhelm Häring. A notable German novelist;
born at Breslau, June 29, 1798; died at Arn-
stadt, Dec. 16, 1871. The writings of Sir Wal-
ter Scott made so profound an impression
upon his imagination that almost all his work
plainly shows the influence of the author of
(Waverley. His first important work, indeed,
-a romance, “Walladmor,' --- purported to be
a translation from Scott, as did his second,
(Avalon Castle. The finest products of his
genius are historical tales of Prussia, with
Frederick the Great as hero, and among them
"Cabanis) stands prominently forth. ( The
False Waldemar) and Peace is the First
Civic Duty) are also excellent novels. As a
poet he is pleasing and not infrequently im-
pressive, but his stanzas are wanting in true
originality. His popularity as a writer of
fiction was due to a capacity for presenting
the interesting phase of historical themes,
and to his fecundity of plot and incident; but
his best stories are marred by over-elaboration,
and by tricks of style.
Alfieri, Vittorio, Count (äl-fe-a'rē). A cele-
brated Italian dramatist; born at Asti in Pied-
mont, Jan. 17, 1749; died at Florence, Oct. 8, 1803.
He came into his vast paternal inheritance at
the age of 14; and two or three years afterward
began a series of travels which extended over
nearly all the European countries, returning to
Turin, 1772. He was the hero of many roman-
tic adventures, and his first bent toward literature
was given him by his desire to lessen the tedium


## p. 13 (#29) ##############################################

ALFONSO X. – ALISON
13
of illness for a lady of whom he was enamored.
His success determined his after career. He
elaborated the slender sketch of a dramatic
dialogue into a tragedy in five acts, Cleopa-
tra,' which was put on the stage in Turin, 1775.
Conscious of his imperfect acquaintance with
literature and the niceties of his native lan-
guage, he now began the study of Latin and
of the Tuscan dialect. At Florence he formed
an attachment for the Countess of Albany,
which ended only with his life. His tragedies,
(Cleopatra, Polinice, Antigone, Agide,
Bruto, and several others, are founded on
classic themes, and formed on the Hellenic
model. Saul, founded on Hebrew sacred
history, but elaborated according to the canons
of Grecian dramaturgy, was by far the most
popular of Alfieri's dramas. The Filippo
presents, in lineaments that could be drawn
only by the hand of a master, the sombre
character of Philip II. of Spain. He wrote in
all twenty-one tragedies and six comedies, and
composed many sonnets; among his odes are
five on (American Independence. His prose
works comprise an essay on (Tyranny, a vol-
ume of Essays on Literature and Govern-
ment, and Memoirs of his Life. *
Alfonso X. , the Wise. King of Leon and
Castile. A Spanish poet, historian, and
scholar (1252-84). Of his poetical composi-
tions many
are still extant; among them a
poem on (The Chase,' one on chemistry, some
love songs, and (Canticles of Saint Mary. '
He was a student of astronomy, and reformed
the Ptolemaic planetary tables, called after
him (Alfonsine Tables. From his hand we
have also a history of the Crusades, (The Great
Conquest Over Sea, and a (General Chron-
icle) of Spain; and he had commenced a
(Great and General History) of the world be-
fore his death. He was the first to codify the
laws of the kingdoms of Spain.