AMORTIZATION AMPHITHEATRE. 



143 



1522, and a treatise on navigation, by the same ; 

 also, the north-eastern voyage through the Atlantic 

 and the Pacific oceans, by captain Maldonado (this 

 appeared in 1811); and, in 1804, Leonardo da 

 Vinci's Trattato delta Ptttura, with plates ; also a 

 biography of this renowned painter, in 1806 ; and, 

 finally, in 1808, Codice Diplomatico Sanf Ambrosi- 

 ano, a supplement to the collection of Italian docu- 

 ments, of the eighth and ninth centuries, by Pater 

 Fumigalli. Of his great work, Delta Rabdomanzia 

 Ossia- Elettrometria Animate Ricerche Fisiche e 

 Storiette, Milan, 1808, he published, in 1816, an 

 abridgment, Elementi di Elettrometria Animate. 



AMORTIZATION ; the right of transferring lands 

 in mortmain, i. e. to some community which is never 

 to cease. This word is used in France and Ger- 

 many to signify the redeeming of public debts. 

 Amortissement, from amortir, is the French word 

 for sinking fund. 



AMORY, Thomas, a dissenting minister of emi- 

 nence, was born at Taunton in 1701. His opinions 

 were those of the celebrated Dr Samuel Clarke, 

 and, in 1770, he became the colleague of Dr Price, 

 at Newington Green. He was an efficient member 

 of the committee for procuring an enlargement of 

 the Toleration Act. He died in 1774, leaving be- 

 hind him some volumes of sermons, and some minor 

 poetry. 



AMORY, Thomas, the author of " John Buncle," 

 was the son of an Irish councillor, and born in 

 1692. It is conjectured that he was brought up a 

 physician, but it does not appear that he followed 

 any profession. In 1755, he published a singular 

 heterogeneous work, entitled, " Memoirs," which 

 treated of various matters, particularly the lives of 

 ladies, in a peculiar and racy manner. In 1756, he 

 published the first volume of the Life of John 

 Buncle, and, in 1766, the second. This is, in some 

 sort, a continuation of the Memoirs. Both works 

 have been reprinted, and the latter lias received the 

 valuable commendation of Mr Hazlitt. John 

 Buncle is remarkable chiefly for the number of ex- 

 cellent ladies whom he falls in with and marries, 

 and for his great enjoyment of the tea-table. From 

 the character of his writings, Mr Amory has been 

 thought insane by some ; but it would be uncharit- 

 able to characterize him further than a man of 

 eccentricity. He was married, and resided chiefly 

 at Westminster in a retired manner, where he died 

 in 1789. 



AMOS, the prophet ; a herdsman who appeared in 

 the vicinity of Jerusalem, under the kings Josias of 

 Judah, and Jeroboam II. of Israel, B. C. 850, and 

 preached with zeal against the idolatry then pre- 

 vailing in Israel. His prophetical book, contained 

 in the Old Testament, is made up of descriptions 

 of the moral profligacy and idolatry of this people, 

 and of threatenings and promises, similar to those 

 which the other Jewish prophets have delivered. 

 His peculiarities are the use of certain rural images, 

 a rounded style, clearness in the construction of his 

 sentences, and distinctness in his descriptions. He 

 is amongst the best of the Hebrew writers. 



AMPELLITHS, or CANDLE-COAL, or CANAL-COAL. 

 See Coal. 



A-vi'iriARAtrs ; son of Oicleus (according to some, 

 of Apollo) and Hypennnestra ; endowed by the 

 gods with prophetical powers. Foreseeing that he 

 should perish before Thebes, he hid himself; but, 

 being betrayed by his wife, Eriphyle (q. v.), he 

 joined Polynices in his expedition against this city, 

 and was one of his most valiant warriors. The be- 

 siegers having been repulsed in one of their attacks, 

 the earth opened under him in his flight, and swal- 

 lowed him, with his .horses. On the spot where 



this event is said to have taken place, at Oropus, a 

 feast was celebrated in honour of him (Amphtarera,, 

 and, not far from this city, a temple was dedicated 

 to him, where oracles were delivered. His death 

 was revenged by his son, Alcmaeon. 



AMPHIBIA ; animals of the third class, in the 

 Linnaean system, most of which, by their peculiar 

 anatomy, are able to live either upon land or in the 

 water. Since Cuvier's exertions to introduce a 

 better classification in zoology, this term has been 

 superseded by the term reptilia. See Reptiles. 



AMPHIBOLOGY, in grammar; a loose manner of 

 expression, whereby the sense may be construed 

 into a double meaning. Jt has a similar application 

 to phrases or sentences with the word equivocal in 

 respect to words. 



AMPHIBRACHYS. See Rhythm. 



AMPHICTYONS, court of the ; an assembly com- 

 posed of deputies from the different states of Greece, 

 according to most authors, established by kin;? 

 Amphictyon, son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, accord- 

 ing to Strabo, by Acrisius, king of Argos, as a 

 point of union for the several Grecian states. At 

 first, they assembled at Delphi ; in later times, at 

 Thermopylae, or rather at the neighbouring village, 

 Anthela. Twelve Grecian states sent two deputies 

 each, who assembled with great solemnity ; com- 

 posed the public dissensions, and the quarrels of 

 individual cities, by force or persuasion ; punished 

 civil and criminal offences, and, particularly, trans- 

 gressions of the law of nations, and violations of the 

 temple of Delphi. After the decision was publish- 

 ed, a fine was inflicted on the giiilty state, which, if 

 not paid in due time, was doubled. If the state did 

 not then submit, the whole confederacy took arms 

 to reduce it to obedience. The assembly had also 

 the right of excluding it from the confederation. 

 An instance of the exercise of this right gave rise 

 to the Phocian war, which continued ten years. 



AMPHIMACER. See Rhythm. 



AMPHION ; son of Jupiter and Antiope ; the 

 eldest of the Grecian musicians. In Lydia, where 

 he married Niobe, the daughter of king Tantalus, 

 he learned music, and brought it thence into Greece. 

 He reigned in Thebes, which was before called 

 Cadmea. A. joined the lower ami upper city by 

 walls, built the seven gates, and gave it the name 

 of Thebes. To express the power of his music, and, 

 perhaps, of his eloquence, the poets said, that, at 

 the sound of his lyre, the stones voluntarily formed 

 themselves into walls ; that wild beasts, and even 

 trees, rocks, and streams, followed the musician. 

 With the aid of his brother, Zethus, he is said to 

 have revenged Antiope, who was driven into 

 banishment by his father, and to have bound Dirce 

 to the tail of a wild bull ; which incident is suppos- 

 ed to be represented by the famous piece of sculp- 

 ture, the Farnese bull. 



AMPHISB.ENA ; a genus of serpents, so called on 

 account of the shape of its body, which is of equal 

 thickness from head to tail ; which are, consequently , 

 difficult to distinguish. This occasioned the notion 

 of its having two heads. Different naturalists esta- 

 blish different numbers of species. Doctor Shaw 

 mentions two, viz. the alba and ihi* fuligitiosa. The 

 alba is about eighteen or twenty inches long, and 

 totally white. It is a native of South America, and 

 a harmless animal. The fuliginosa is white, with 

 black or deep-brown spots. The head is without 

 spots. It is found in many parts of South America, 

 and in Libya. It is innoxious. All the other spe- 

 cies are also found in America. 



AMPHITHEATRE, with the Romans ; a building 

 without a roof, of a round or oval form, destined 

 for the combats of gladiators, or of wild beasts. In 



