Ul 



AYESHAH. 



AYLOFFE, SIR JOSEPH. 



ooancil of Don Hemy, who by the aasUUnoa of Bsrtrand Dufueeclin 

 and a French army bad finally triumphed orer bit legitimate brother. 

 In Ui* roign of Don Jobu I., the aoo of Henry, bo waa DO leu in favour, 

 and accompanied tliat king in his rx^liUoo to Uko possession of 

 Portugal, whto the Master of ATI., th. illegitimate son of King 1'eler 

 tbe Severe, laid claim to the crown, and with au inferior force totally 

 defeated the Caatiliaoa in the battle of Aljubarota, on the 14th uf 

 Augu.(. 13v . On thi occasion alao Lope* de Ayl had the misfor- 

 tune to bo taken prisoner. He aerred a fourth king of Catil, 

 Henry III., aon of John !., in wboae reign be died, in tbe year 1407, 

 at the age of 75, at Calahorra. He bald for some time the office of 

 Chanciller Mayor, or High Chancellor. 



Pernan Perai de Ouiuian, who in tbe original authority for moat of 

 the fact* relating to th* life of Ayala, states that - he waa Tcry fond of 

 the ecieuocs, and garc hiouelf much to booka and history ; so that, 

 although he waa a good knight enough and of great discretion in the 

 waya of the world, he paaaed much of hia time in reading and study, 

 not in worka of law, but philosophy and history. Through him (por 

 oauaa del)," he adds, " aome booka are known in Castile that were not 

 ao before, such a* Titua Livy, which ia the moat notable hiatory of 

 Roma, the Kail a of Priucoa, tbe Morals of St. Gregory, laidore ' De 

 Summo Dono,' liorthiua, and tbe hiatory of Troy. He drew up the 

 biatory of Caatile from Don Peter up to Don Heury 111., and he mode 

 a good book on hawking, for he waa a great hunter, and another book 

 called ' Ubymra of the Palace ' (Kimado del I'alacio)." Tbia passage 

 in Guzman baa proved a fruitful subject of commentary to the investi- 

 gator* of the literary antiquities of S|iiu 



Ayala' a ' History of Caatile ' ia considered the beat of the old Spanish 

 chronicle*. Tbe moat complete edition of it is that entitled 'Cronicas 

 de loa Bcyee de Cactilla, Don Pedro, Don Enrique 11., Don Juan I , 

 Don Enrique HI.,' with the emendations of Zurita and the corrections 

 and notes of Don Kngenio de Lbguno Amirola, 2 vola. 4to., Madrid, 

 1779, Svo. There waa to be a third volume of Ayala, to contain justifi- 

 catory documents, an index, a full lifu of the author, and gome of hia 

 unpublished iniuur worka, but it haa never appeared. The first edition 

 of the ' Chronicle* ' was published at Seville in 1495, and is ao rare that 

 Meud< z, tbe historian of Spanish typography, knew of only two copies, 

 i>ue of which u now in England, in the noble collection bequeathed to 

 tbe British Muamirn by Mr. Thoiuaa Grenville. Subsequent editions 

 appeared in 1526, 1542, 1591, Ac., but none of them contained tho 

 reign of Henry III , which u given in that, collated by Xurita. Tbe 

 work of Ayala ia written in pure Castilian, with much of the ' gravity' 

 to which tbe Spaniards attach ao high a value. Hia narrative, if it 

 doaa not display all the liveliness and vivid colouring of bis contem- 

 porary Froiaeart, is on that very account perhaps the more trustworthy. 

 Ayala, a Llsguno Amirola haa shown, certainly does not conceal th<: 

 faulta of bis own party. He ia fortunate iu his subject, which 

 nibraoca tbe very period in the middle aged in which the history of 

 Spain waa most closely connected with that of Prance and Kugland. 

 It may therefore justly rzcite surprise that hia valuable history haa 

 never oeen translated iut . French or Kn.-li.-li. Of the book on hawkin.', 

 ' De U Caxa do la Avea,' two manuscript copies were known in 17" 

 to Bayer ; one in the hands of Llaguuo Amirola, who probably intended 

 Ui I'liMi'h it iu the third volume of the ' Chronicles.' Tho ' Itiumdo 

 del I'slacio' waa for a long time believed to be lost. Sanchez, thn editor 

 of tbe ' Coleccion de Poeeiaa Caatellanoa anterior.'* al Siglo XV.,' con- 

 jectured that an anonymous volume of poetry in the library of tliu 

 j&tturial waa the work in question, and the n. . m confirmed 



shortly after by the dUcovrry of another copy with the author's name. 

 Sancli< z intruded U> include it in his collection, but died before car- 

 rying his work so far. Argote y Molina, in hia work on tbe ' Nobli /.u 

 de And Incia,' refers to a manuscript work on genealogy ('Libra de 

 Linage*'; by Ix>pez de Ayala, which appears to l>e lost. 



(Abridged from the iHoyrapktcal Dictionary of the Society fur the 

 I>,/<aion n/ L'trful KnweUdye.) 



A VKSH AH, the favourite wife of Mohammed, waa the daughter of 

 Abu Uekr, oue of tbe earliest and warmeat frienda of the Moham- 

 medan prophet. She waa only nine years old when ahe married him, 

 an-l ia aaid to have been the only one of Mohammed's numerous wivea 

 who w>s a virgin, owing to which circumstance her father, whose name 

 waa Abdullah, waa .untamed Abu-liekr, or ' tho father of tbe virgin.' 

 Although Mohammed had no children by Ayeshah, he was ao tenderly 

 attached to her that be waa often heard to My that aba would be the 

 nm of all hia wives to enter Paradise; and in hia last Ulnesa he bad 

 hiiuaeif carried to her bouae and expired in her arma. Her euemies 

 accused brr of adultery on a j-articular occasion, and the report gained 

 much credit, until Mohammed, in order to preserve the dignity of his 

 own character and Ids wife's reputation, produced a seasonable revela- 

 tion from heaven, attesting Ayeshah's inuooence, after which ho 

 punul-d tbe accuaera aa calumniators. (' Koran,' chap, xxiv., entitled 

 'th. Light') After the death of her husband, Ayeshah waa held iu 

 great veneration by all tbe Moslems, who aurnatnad her Ummu-1-mu. 



i (the mother of the believers), and consulted her on all important 

 loo*. Kor some reason Ayeahah conceived a mortal hatred 

 agaiu.t th* Kalif Othmon, and took an active part in tho plot which 

 deprived him of power and life. After the assassination of Othrnau 

 ahe vigorously opfKxed the acceeaion of All, because he bad believed 

 at 6r>t in the aocuaUion broaght against her. Uniting with Talbab, 



/Cobryr, and others of Ali'a enemies, who had taken up arma under 

 the pretence of avenging the murder of tbe Kalif Othmiin, ahe put 

 herself at the head of the insurgents, and, after a abort contest, gained 

 poaaeaaiou of thn city of Uaarah. Her troops entered the pr 

 mosque, where tbe governor, Othindu-Ibn-Honeyf, had Uk<-n refuge, 

 took him pris'iner and dragged him to her pi -in!, how- 



ever spared the life of Othuian in oonaideratiou of bis great age and 

 of his having been the fri.-nd of the Prophet, out she gave orders that 

 forty of the principal inhabitants of the place, who were luspocted of 

 being the partisans of AH, should be put to death, which was 

 Meanwhile, Ali was advancing upon Baarah at tho head of c-maider- 

 able forces, and in the battle which ensued, both Talhah and Xobeyr 

 were slain, and Ayeshah waa taken prisoner. [At.i-BKN-Aui-TAi.EB.] 

 After mutual recriuiinationa between her and Ali, Ayeahah waa civilly 

 dismissed by tbe conqueror, who allowed her to fix her residence at 

 Medina or any other town of Arabia, on condition that she would not 

 meddle in affairs of state. She died at Medina in A.H. 5S (A.U. 077), 

 at tbe age of sixty-seven. 



(Bioyrajthical Jltctionary of Ike Socitty for Ike Difuion of Ctrfml 

 KnovUdge.) 



AYLIFFE, JOHN, LL.I)., an English jurist, of tho circumstances 

 of whoao life hardly anything is known. He atylea himself ! 

 of New College, Oxford, and bis worka suflicieutly attest his in- 

 dustry and learning. In 1714 be published iu '2. voU. Svo. 'The 

 Ancient and Present State of the University of Oxford,' tc. ; a work 

 of which a great portion is avowedly an abridgment of \V 

 'Athena;.' In 1726 he published in folio 'Parergon Juris Oaoonici 

 Anglican!, or a Supplement to the Canons and Con-tituti.ui> of the 

 Church of England,' in which he brings much learning and research 

 to bear against the exercise of a separate and independent legislative 

 power by ecclesiastical bodies. In 1732 he published 'The Law of 

 Pledges and Pawns as it was in Use among the Komans ; ' and in 

 in a large folio volume, a ' Pandect of the Itoinan Civil Law, as anciently 

 established in that Empire,' Ac. This volume, though it leav. 

 work incomplete, U one of the most elaborate worka on the civil law 

 in the English language. Ayliffe says that he spent thirty yean on its 

 preparation. AytiflVs books give an explanation of those scientific 

 terms of reference to tbe Corpus Juris which often puzzle casual 

 readers of tbe foreign civilians. 



A V I.M I'M, Ji IHN, bishop of London, was born at Tilney, in Norfolk, 

 in 1.1. Ho studied some time at Cambridge, but took hU degreea 

 of divinity at Oxford. He became chaplain to the Duke of Si. 

 who appointed him tutor to his accomplished daughter, the Lady 

 Jane Grey; and her ladyship writes of her instructor in terms of 

 esteem and attachment. In 1553 Ayluier was preferred to the arch- 

 deaconry of Stow, in Lincolnshire, which he lost on the ueees- 

 Queen Mary. Ho resided abroad during Mary's reign, punuim; his 

 studicH, instructing youth, and corresponding with othe.ru of his 

 countrymen iu exile. 



When Elizabeth came to the throne, Aylmcr prepared to return to 

 England, having previously printed a book at Strasbourg, entitled An 

 Harborowe for faithful and true subject*, against the late blown bla.it 

 concerning the government of women.' (4to, 1559). It was of course 

 a reply to John Knox's 'First IHast of the Trumpet against the M..II- 

 struous liegimeut of Women,' and iu it Ayliner with much learning 

 and argument urged the claims of women to tho government of a 

 state; and with nattering expressions of loyalty to the queen, he 

 promised "peace and prosperity under a princess of such admirable 

 part* and godly education. Aylmer soon became distinguished aa 

 one of the most eminent adherent* of the Reformed Ciuirch, a 

 promoted to thu archil- acoury of Lincoln, and in 1576 to tho tea of 

 l-ouilon. In this ollico ho displayed great intolerance to 

 puritans and Catholics ; aud.ou more than one occasion his severity 

 waa rebuked by tho privy council. In the ca-u of a clergyman i. 

 Beuisou, who waa imprisoned by Aylmer for a supposed irregularity 

 in regard to his marriage, the bishop was desired by the privy < 

 to make him compensation, leat iu an action for Iiilso in> 

 he should recover damages " which would touch his lordship's ci 

 lly the Puritans Aylmer was ridk-ul. >! in pamphlvte ; scandalous 

 reports were actively circulated to his injury; and frequent com : 

 of his conduct were made to the privy council. Aylmer would gladly 

 have exchanged into a more retired diocese, but none of 1m plans for 

 this purpose succeeded ; and he was still liishop of London when he 

 died on June 3rd, 1594, in tbe seventy-third year of his age, leaving a 

 large family of sons' ami daughters. He was a popular preacher, and 

 a man of considerable learning; but bis only publication is tho ouj 

 named above. 



(Abridged from the Biographical Ifictionary of tin fociely fur the 

 Difftuion vf Uiefid Knoiclalge.) 



A Y I.ol-VK, .si K JOSEPH, on eminent English antiquary, described 

 as of Framfield, iu Sussex, was descended from an ancient SAXOU ; 

 formerly seated at Bocton Alof, or Boughton Aloph, near V- 

 He waa born about the year 1708, was educated at Weatn 

 School, and waa admitted of Lin>-oln'a Inn in 17-4. 

 he was entered a gentleman-commoner of St. Johu'a College, Oxford, 

 which he quitted about 1725. lie w.is elected a fellow of the Koyal 

 Society in 1731, and in tbe following year a fellow of the Society of 

 Antiquaries. In 1751, when the latter Society received its charter of 



