ARMFtLT ARMINIANS. 



267 



nnil then began to decline. With every succeeding 

 century, to the sixteenth inclusive, the decline be- 

 came more decided, more rapid, and the very genius 

 of the language was corrupted by attempts to assi- 

 milate its grammar to the Latin. Nevertheless, we 

 do not mean to say there were no authors during this 

 contemned period : on the contrary, they abounded, 

 but, in a literary sense, they were worthless, and 

 some are even accused of writing in Armenian, not 

 Haican. A few histories, however, national, Tartar, 

 Arab, &c., some of them in verse, and deserving 

 esteem for the information they contain, are carefully 

 preserved, even of the worst times. In the seven- 

 teenth century, Armenian schools and colleges arose 

 in the east and in the west ; Armenian printing- 

 presses were set up in various towns, and Armenian 

 literature began to revive. Again : historians, theo- 

 logians, and poets wrote in choice Haican. In the 

 eighteenth century the revival was complete, veiy 

 much owing to the zealous and judicious exertions of 

 Mechitar Pedrosian. His academy still yields ex- 

 cellent scholars in their own and other languages, 

 and Armenian literature promises fair to participate 

 in the vigorous stimulus which, throughout Europe, 

 literature seems in these latter times to have received. 

 The only reason for apprehending that it may not 

 fully keep this promise, is the disadvantage of writ- 

 ing in a dead language, not in that of impulse and 

 passion, that in which we think, feel, converse, and 

 transact all the business of life. The royal library 

 at Paris possesses the Armenian historical authors 

 nearly complete, partly printed, partly in manu- 

 script. From them, J. M. Chahan de Cirbied, a 

 learned Armenian employed in this library, publish- 

 ed, in 1806, his Recherches curieuses sur VHistoire 

 ancienne de CAsie, and compiled, with M. J. Saint 

 Martin, a universal history of Armenia. The best 

 introduction to Armenian history, geography, and 

 literature, is that which M. J. Saint-Martin, member 

 of the French institute, has extracted from old Ar- 

 menian writings, inscriptions, and other sources 

 Memoires historiques et geographiques sur VArmenie, 

 Paris, 1818, 2 vols. This work contains the Arme- 

 nian text of the history of the reigning Orpelian 

 family, by a prince of this family, the archbishop 

 Stephen Orpelian, and the text of the Armenian 

 geographers Moses of Chorene, and Vartan, with 

 additions, translated into the French, with annota- 

 tions. Among the living Armenian scholars, we 

 may mention J)r Zorab, in Venice, and the librarian 

 of the Armenian congregation of St Lazarus, in 

 Venice, John Bapt. Aucher, who has lately published 

 Armenian translations of the 5th century, from an- 

 cient authors, e. g. the famous Grecian Jew, Philo. 

 Also Placido Lukias Somal, archbishop of Liunia, 

 who published a Sketch of the History of Armenian 

 Literature, at Venice, in 1829. 



ARMFF.I.T (Gustavus Maurice), count of; a distin- 

 guished Swede, whose public life was marked by 

 singular changes of fortune, but belongs, in a con- 

 siderable degree, to the secret history of the Swedish 

 court, and has, therefore, not been fully explained. 

 Gustavus Maurice, born April 1st, 1757, the oldest 

 son of the major general baron Armfelt, was educated 

 in the military school at Carlscrona, and was after- 

 wards appointed ensign in the guard at Stockholm. 

 By his fine figure, and the charms of his conversation, 

 he gained the favour of Gustavus III. He was 

 rapidly promoted, and load* d with marks of distinc- 

 tion. In the war against Russia, 1788 1790, he 

 showed a courage in the field as splendid as his 

 talents in social fife, on which account he continued 

 to rise in the favour of his king. As lieutenant- 

 general, he concluded the peace of Werelae, was 

 honoured by the Russian empress with several orders. 



and received, even at the death-bed of his sovereign, 

 the most flattering marks of royal favour. He was 

 appointed governor of Stockholm, and connected, by 

 means of Gustavus III., in marriage with the ancient 

 family of the count de la Gardie. He was said, also, 

 to have been intended for president of the council of 

 regency, during the minority of Gustavus IV., though 

 the guardianship of the young king had been as- 

 signed to the duke of Sudermanland by a previous 

 will. Possibly, this is the source of the hatred with 

 which A. was now persecuted. He was deprived, 

 Sept. 7, 1792, of all his offices and dignities, and sent 

 as ambassador to Naples. It was supposed, not 

 without foundation, that an unrequited passion of the 

 duke of Sudermanland for a court lady, von Ru- 

 denskjold, by whom A. was favoured, had exasper- 

 ated his rivalry to hate. It is certain, that Armfelt 

 and Rudenskjold were made the subject of scandalous 

 rumours ; she was dishonourably reprimanded in the 

 house of correction ; and he, then in Italy, escaped 

 the daggers of hired assassins, and a formal requisi- 

 tion ot the Swedish government, only by flight ; was 

 declared a traitor and an outlaw, and all his fortune 

 and honours, nay, even his nobility, were pronounced 

 forfeit. He afterwards resided in Germany, till 1799, 

 when Gustavus IV. annulled this decree, and restored 

 A. to his former situation. He was appointed am- 

 bassador to the court of Vienna, and, in 1807, the 

 rank of general of infantry was conferred on him'. 

 As such, he commanded the Swedish troops in Po- 

 merania, and, in 1808, the western army against 

 Norway. In the autumn of this year, he was ap- 

 pointed president of the military institution at Stock- 

 holm, and made peer of the kingdom. In 1810, he 

 obtained his desired discharge, and lived as a private 

 man at Stockholm. A connexion with the infamous 

 countess Piper involved him in new difficulties, and 

 induced him to seek shelter with the Russian ambas- 

 sador, and to go over to the Russian service. Here 

 he was favourably received, was made count, chan- 

 cellor of the university of Abo, president of the 

 department for the affairs of Finland, and member of 

 the Russian senate. He now enjoyed general esteem 

 till his death, Aug. 19, 1814, at Czarskoeselo. He 

 was particularly respected by the Finlanders. 



AKMIGER, or ESQUIRE; in England, a title belong- 

 ing to such gentlemen as bear arms ; and these are 

 either by courtesy, as sons of noblemen, eldest sons 

 of knights, or by creation, as the king's servants. 



ARMIXIANS ; a religious sect, which lias its name 

 from its founder, Arminius (q. v.) In Germany and 

 Holland, they are more generally called Remon- 

 strants, on account of the title Remonstrantia, which 

 they gave to a document presented to the states- 

 general of Holland, in which they endeavoured to 

 prove the opinions of the reformed church, in respect 

 to predestination, erroneous. Diversity of opinion 

 on this subject was the chief reason of their separa- 

 tion from the reformed church. They maintained, 

 1, that God had, indeed, resolved from eternity on 

 the salvation and damnation of men, but with the 

 condition, that all those who believed should be 

 saved, while the unbelievers should be damned ; 2, 

 that Christ died for all men, but nobody could partake 

 in his salvation, except he believe ; 3, that nobody 

 can have saving faith from himself, but must be bom 

 again of God, in Christ, through the Holy Ghost, in 

 order to attain it ; 4, that nobody can, without the 

 grace of God, think, will, nor do any thing good, 

 because all our good works have their origin in 

 God's grace ; 5, that the faithful can struggle 

 against Satan, the flesh, and the world, and conquer 

 them, by the assistance of the Holy Ghost. This is 

 the genuine doctrine of Arminius and his sect. From 

 these original Remonstrants, however, are to be dis- 



