ALP 



the other ; but they are both founded on a notion wliah 

 prevailed among the ancients, that rivers pafild under ground 

 for a confidci-able dillanee from one place to another. The 

 Olvmpie g;tmc> were cclebnittd on the banks of this river ; 

 and Orpheus was worfiiipped as a god at Olynipia. Thus 

 Pindar : — 



" Alpheus, thy immortal flood. 

 On his lord's triumphant brows 

 The Olympic wreath bellow'd." 



Od.i. West's Pindar, vol. i. p. 7. 



Pauianias (in Elid. c. 6.) informs us, that the Eleans 

 had a law, which condemned to death any woman thai 

 (hould cither appear at the Olympic games, or even crofs 

 this river, during that folemnity ; and the Eleans add, that 

 the only woman who tranlgreffed it had difguifed hcrfelf in 

 the habit of a mafter or keeper of thofe games, and con- 

 ducted her fon thither ; but when (he faw him return vic- 

 torious, her joy made her forget her difguife, fo that her fex 

 was difcovered. She was, however, fpared, on account of 

 her father, hulband, and fon, who had gained the Olympic 

 prize ; but from that time an 01 der was made that the keep- 

 ers fliould appear there naked. 



ALPHION lake was laid to be at the fource of the river 

 ^Ipheus, and that it derived its name from the property 

 which the waters had of curing the leprofy, aX^o^ denoting a 

 leper. 



AI.PHITIDON, in Surgery, a fpecies of fradure, 

 wherein the bone is broke into a great number of fmall parts, 

 or particle's. The word is formed o( uXPt7o:-,farinii, Jiour ; 

 q. d. a bone g'ronnd to flour or powder. 



ALPHITOMANTIA, in Jmiquity. See Aliuro- 



MANCY. 



ALPHIUS, AviTus, in Biography, a Roman biographer, 

 who probably lived about the time of Alexander Severus, 

 in the beginning of the third century. He wrote the 

 Hiilory of the Carthaginian war. VofT. Hift. Lat. c. iii. 



Alp H lus mom, in yincient Geography, a mountain of Aiia, 

 mentioned by Plutarch in his treatii'e of rivers, where he is 

 fpeaking of Lycormas, a liver of ^•'kolia. 



ALPHONSIN is the name of a furgical inftrument 

 rvhich was formerly ufed for the purpofe of extratling fo- 

 reign bodies, efpecially bullets, from wounds. The alphon- 

 ;in derived its appellation from its inventor, Alphonfus Fer- 

 rial, a Neapolitan phyiieian of the 1 6th century, and con- 

 lilts of three branches, which, by their elailicity, are fepa- 

 rated from each other, but may be clofely held together by 

 means of a ring pufhed forwards upon the branches. It 

 is to be introduced to the bottom of the wound in its clofed 

 It ate ; the ring is then drawn back, that the inftrument may 

 open and lay hold of the bullet ; after which the operator 

 replaces the ring, and withdraws the forceps, holding fall 

 upon the extraneous body. See Wounds. 



ALPHONSINE TaMes. See Alphonso and Ta- 



BLES. 



ALPHONSO I. or Don Alonzo Enriqjjez, in Bio- 

 graphy and HJlory, the full king of Portugal, was the fon 

 of Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal, and grandfon 

 of Don Alonfo, king of Leon and Caftile, who granted to 

 Henry part of Portugal, as the dowry of his wife Therefa. 

 He was entrulted by his father to the care of Egas Munitz, 

 who gave him an excellent education. But as his father 

 died when he was entering into the third year of his age, 

 A. D. 1 1 12, his dominions were governed by his mother 

 Therefa. As reports prevailed of his mother's familiarity 

 with Don Ferdinand Perez, Count of Traftemara, and her in- 

 tention to marry him, fome of the Portugucfe nobility, jealous 



ALP 



of his growing honour and power, advifed Don Alonzo, at 

 the age of j8, to aflume the fovcreign authoiity. The 

 queen and her party refilled ; but though they had recourfe 

 to arm:!, they were fpeedily defeated, and Therefa was lodged 

 ill prilon, where ftie was confined during the remainder of 

 her life. After feveral confli6ts willj llic Moondi princes, 

 who pofTefTed part of Spain and Portugal, in whicli he was 

 generally fuccefsful, his conquefls were reflrained by Don 

 Alonfo, King of Leon and Caftile, who aftumed the title 

 of the Emperor of the Spains, by whofe numerous army his 

 country was laid wafte. Having, however^ given him a tern-- 

 porary check, he propofed a treaty of peace, to winch the 

 emperor acceded, A. D. 1137 ; and as the Pope's legate 

 interfered by his intereft and influence to effcft this accom- 

 modalion, tiie Count Don Alonfo, under the impulfe of gra- 

 titude and piety, declared himfclf tributarj- for all his do- 

 minions to the holy fee, and promifed to pay an annual fum 

 of four ounces of gold. In 1139 the Moorifli princes were 

 reinforced by a pov/erful army from Baibary. The Count, 

 though lie had an opportunity of retiring, and was advifed 

 by his geneiv.ls to adopt this meafure of fafety, determined 

 to meet them in the plains of Ourique ; and after an obfti- 

 nate and bloody difpute, the Moors were totally routed. 

 This glorious vitlory was gained on the 25th of July, and 

 the anniverfary of k has ever fince been celebrated for pre- 

 ferving the memory of fo fignal a favour vouchfafcd by 

 Providence to the Chriftian arms. Immediately after this 

 victory Don Alonfo was proclaimed king on the plains of 

 Ourique; but the form and conftitution of the monarchy 

 were not fettled till the ftate, confifting of prelates, nobihty, 

 and commons, were affembled at Lamago, in the year 1 145. 

 This event was preceded by the conquell of Santaren ; and 

 it was fandliontd bv the unanimous and cordial concurrence 

 of the Hates. The king was crowned by the Archbifhop of 

 Braga, and it was declared that the regal dignity fhould de- 

 feend to his heirs male. Eighteen ftatutes were framed with 

 the advice of the prelates and nobility for the government of 

 the kingdom, and they were aflented to by the people. 

 When the queftion was propofed, whether it was their plea- 

 fure that the king Hiould go to Leon, do homage, and pay 

 tribute to that prince, or to any other, every man, draw- 

 ing his fword, loudly exclaimed, " We are free, and our 

 king is free, and we owe our liberty to our courage ; and 

 if he fliall at any time fubmit to fuch an aft, he deferves 

 death, and fliall not reign either over us, or among us." 

 The king's coronation \yas next year followed by his mar- 

 riage with Matilda, daughter of Amadeus, count of Mau- 

 rienne and Savoy, and in 1147 by the recovery of Lilbon 

 out of the hands of the Moors. In this conqueft he was 

 aflilled by a number of adventurers, who were affembled 

 from different coimtries at the mouth of the Tagus, in their 

 progrefs to the Holy Land. The capture of Lifbon was 

 followed by the accefllon of feveral other places to his do- 

 minions. By means of thefe acquifitions, Don Alonfo be- 

 came mafter of four of the fix provinces that compofe the 

 kingdom of Portugal, and the reputation of his arms was 

 raifed to a very high degree. He was no Icfs pr-jvidcnt in 

 peopling and improving than enterprifing in the acquifition 

 of territories ; and in all his great and good defigns he was 

 feconded by Matilda, a princefs equally celebrated for her 

 exquifite beauty, dillinguilhed capacity and fingular piety. 

 By her he had a numerous offspring, which enabled him to 

 ftrengthen his interefts by great alliances. The marriage of 

 his fecond daughter did not prevent his having difputes with 

 his fon-in-law, Don Ferdinand, king of Leon ; who once 

 made him prifoncr, but reflored him to liberty on the hu- 

 miliating condition of coming in perfon to Leon to do 



homage 



