A L C 



tnc beginning of the fccond century of the Clitiftian ccra, 

 nnd wrote a pcilpicuous aiul tlfgant " Iiitrodiiftion to the 

 I'hildlopl'-y of I'lato," containing a fiimmaiy of his doc- 

 trine. It was pubhihed in Greek by Aldus, at Venice, in 

 1 J2I and 1)32, 8vo. ; and with Fieinns's Latin tranllation, 

 tit Balil, in 1532 ; and at Paris, in 1562, 410.; by Char- 

 pentier, with a Commentary, at Paris, in I573 ; by Hein- 

 lins, Gr. and I^at. 8vo., at Leydcn, in 1607, and re- 

 printed at Oxford in 1667, 8vo ; and in Englilh, by Stan- 

 ley, London, in 1655, 1687, &c. Fabr. Bib. Grsee. lib. iv. 

 c. 23. vol. iv. p. 40, &c. 



ALCIONIO, Peter, a learned Italian, contributed to 

 the revival of letters in the 1 6th century. He tludicd the 

 Latin and Greek languages with great diligence, and was 

 for many years corrector of the pre-ls to Aldus Maiiulius at 

 Venice. His learning advanced him to a profeliorlliip at 

 Florence, under the pontificate of Adrian VI. He tranl- 

 lated many Greek works into Latin, and his tranllations 

 have been highly commended. He v.-as alio the author of 

 many original produftions, which prove him to be a man of 

 talents. In his difpolition and manners, however, he was 

 chargeable with monil'enefs and ingratitude, and with in- 

 temperance and gluttony. Whilll he unduly valued him- 

 felf on account ot his own performances, he detratttd from 

 the merit of others. In the troubles excited at Rome by the 

 Colonnas, he loll his ellate ; and in the year 1J27, when 

 the Emperor's forces took the citv, he received a wound as 

 he was going to join the Pope in tiie calUe of St. Angelo ; 

 but upon the raifmg of the liege, he delerted his patron, 

 and united with Cardinal Pompey Colonna, at whofc houfe 

 he fickened and died. His piece on exile, in the compofi- 

 tion of which he was reported to have purloined a treat ile 

 of Cicero, "de Gloria," which he had found in the library 

 of a monallcry, and afterwards deltroycd, his " Orations on 

 the taking of Rome by Charles V. and on the knights who 

 died at the fiege of Rhodes," are all the original works which 

 he left. The former was printed at Venice, in 1522, in 410. 

 and again at Leipfic, in 1702, under the title of " AnaleCla 

 de CalamitLite Literatorum." Gen. Piiog. 



ALCIPHRON, a philofopher of Magnefia, mentioned 

 by A. Antoninus and Suidas, flourilhed in the time of 

 Alexander the Great. He is different from Alciphron, the 

 fophill, whole age is unknown, who wrote epillles on va- 

 rious topics, of which an edition was pnblilhed at Leiplic, 

 in 8vo. in 17 15. Fabr. Bib. Grxc. lib. ii. c. 10. vol. i. 

 p. 425. 



Alciphron, in Enfomologv, a name given to the 

 PnALy'ENA twiiuu ciiric<e, with cinereous wings, wliite ftreaks 

 and point in the middle, yellow at the bafe, and live black 

 points, found in the Indian iig. 



ALCIPPUS, a fpecies of Papilio Ditnaur, with yel- 

 low entire wings, a black margin, and wliite ])oints, the 

 pofterior having a white difc, and black points, found in 

 a^meriea. 



ALClJi, in Alylhology, the name of a deity worfiiipped 

 bv the Naharvaii, a nation of Germans : and a name given 

 to Minerva by the Macedonians. Tacit. Germ. 43. Liv. 



ALCKHAUSEN, in Geography, a tt'Wn of Suabia, 

 belonging to the grand-mailer of the Teutonic order, in 

 the county of V\'ehringen. 



ALCM^ON, in Biography, a phyncian and philofopher, 

 was born at Crotona, and probably flourilhed about ijoo years 

 before Chrill, as he was a dilciple of Pythagoras, and attended 

 his lectures. He is faid to have been tlie firll perfon who 

 attempted the diffcftion of a dead body, and of various 

 a.iinials, in order to examine the llructure of the part% and 



Vol. I. 



A L C 



to have difcovcred the cochlea, one of the bones formin;: 

 the organ of hearing. Le Clerc. Hifl. de la Medicine, p. 94. 

 He is faid by Ciialcidius, Haller obferves, (liib. Anat. 

 vol. i. p. 10.) to have attempted a treatife on ana- 

 tomy, which, however, is lofl. The fnm of his tenets, 

 as far as they can be coUefted from fcatlcred frag- 

 ments, is this : " Natural objefts, which appear multiform 

 to men, are in reality two-fold ; intelligible natures, which 

 are immutable, and material forms, which are inlhiitely 

 variable. The fun, moon, and flars are etemal, and arc 

 inhabited by portions of that divine fire, which i3 the firfl 

 principle in natuiv. The moon is in the form of a boat, 

 and when the bottom of the boat is turned towards the 

 eajth, it is invlfible. The brain is the chief feat of the 

 foul, which is in perpetual action and immortal. Health 

 confifls in preferving a due mean between the extremes of 

 heat and cold, eirynefs and moilhire." Diogen. Laert.lib. viii. 

 1 83. Clem. Alex. Strom, lib. i. p. 305. Arill. Met. lib. i. 

 c. 5. lib. V. c. I. Jamblic. Vit. Pyth. c. 23. n° 104. 

 Cicer. de Nat. Deor. lib. i. c. 11. Stob. Eel. Fhyf. p. 54, 

 60, 93. Pint. Plac. Phil. hi), ii. c. 16, 27. lib. iv. c. 17. 

 Fabr. Bib. Grrec. lib. vi. c. 9. torn. xii. p. 49. Brucker's 

 Phil, by Enfield, vol. i. p. 401. 



ALCMAER, or Alkmaar, in Geography, ?i town of the 

 United Provinces in North Holland, about four miles from 

 the fea,and j 8 miles from Amilerdam. The ilreets are regular, 

 the houfes well built, and it is kept clean and neat by means 

 of its canals. The land about the town was formerly full 

 of morafles, but fmce it has been drained it is become ex- 

 ceeding good meadow-land, and the town is furrounded by 

 produelive orchards and gardens. The town, both within 

 and without, has feveral be-autiful walks. The noble canal 

 that reaches from Alcmaer to Hoorn, was cut towards the 

 beginning of the 17th century. This place was once very 

 ftrong, and in 1573, obliged the Spaniards to raiic the 

 fiege, after being encamped before it feven weeks. In the 

 regiller of this town it is recorded, that in 1637, t20 tulips, 

 witii the offsets, fe>ld for 90,000 florins. The butter and 

 cheefe that are made in the neighbourhood are reckoned the 

 belt in Holland, and furnifli confiderable articles of trade. 

 N. lat. 52° 28'. E. long. 4° 26'. 



ALCMAN, in Bwgraphy, a Lyric poet, was born at 

 Sardis, or at Spaita, and flouriflied in the 27th olympiad, 

 about 670 years B. C. Heraclides of Pontus aflares us, 

 that he was in his youth a flave at Sparta, and that by his 

 gey.ius and good qualities he obtained his freedom and a high 

 degree of reputation in I^yric poetry. He was a performer 

 on the cithara, and probably fung verfes to the flute. Cle- 

 mens Alexandrinus (Strom, lib. i. c. 16. tom. i. p. 3G4 — 

 36^, cd. Potteri.) makes him the author of mufic for choral 

 dances, and according to Archytas Hermoniacns, cited by 

 Athenxus, (Dcipn. lib. xiii. c. 8. p. 600.) Alcman wfis 

 one of the firll and moft eminent compofers of fongs upon 

 love and gallantry. Suidas fays, that he was the firfl who 

 excluded hexameters from the verfes that v.-ere to be fung to 

 the lyre, which afterwards obtained the title of Lyric potma, 

 and A^lian tells us, that he was one of the great muficians 

 that was called to I^acedsemon by the exigences of thcUate, 

 and that he fung his airs to the found of the fiute ; by 

 which Dr. Burney undcrllands that he taught the Spart.in 

 army to perform their evolutions to the found of this inllnj- 

 ment. Aleman, according to j\thcnaeus, was not more rc- 

 mark:il)lc for a mufical geniu.. than for a voracious appetite, 

 and ^Elian clafl'es him among the greatefl gluttons of An- 

 tiquity ; and his intemperance was probably the caule of 

 the particular difenfe of which he died. The .Sjiailan? 

 eifcted a monunient to him, whidi fubliiled in the Xxrr't: of 

 4 C I'aufanias, 



