A S C 



A S C 



I,ANivs ScHAf H oT Linna'us, orChinefe Shrike, is called in 

 Cliiiia, ami under which it is dttnbtd by Ofbcck, Voy. p. 

 227. See Lanius Schach. 



ASCHACH, in Geogmphy, a town of Germany, in the 

 circle of Fraiicoiiia, and bilhoprick of Wurzburg, thirty-two 

 miles north of Wiir-z.burg. 



ASCHAFF, a fmall river of Germany, in the circle of 

 the Lower Ilhine, which runs into the Mayne near Stoek- 

 Ihidt. 



ASCHAFFENBURG, a town of Germany, in the 

 circle of Francoiiia, fituate about twenty-five miles from 

 Francfort on an eminence near the Mayne. It belongs to 

 ll.e cleftor of Mentz, who has a palace here, in which he 

 jcfides during the greatcll part of the year, on account of 

 the fahibrity of the air, and the fingular beauty of the htua- 

 tion. The country furrounding the town is uncommonly 

 fertile. At the diliance of two miles towards the north-eail 

 is feeii the " SptfTnrt," one of the largeil forells in Europe, 

 forming a lemicircle round part of this town, and llielteiing 

 it from the bleak winds. This forcll occupies a fpace of 

 fifty Englilli miles in length, and the travtller through it 

 meets with only one fmall village confifting of four houfes, 

 in which he may have any accommodation. The road 

 through it is very good, and the elcftor of Mentz, to whom 

 the greatcd part of the country belongs, keeps it free from 

 robbers, fo that it may be pafTcd any time of the day or 

 night, without any apprehenfion of attack. For the fecu- 

 nty of paffengers, a military ellablilhinent, confiding of a 

 company of hufTars, is fixed at Alchaffenburg; and thefe are 

 traverfing the road at ftatcd hours in order to prevent the 

 poflibihty of a robbery, N. lat. 49° 55'. E. long. 8° 



ss'- 



ASCHAM, Roger, in Biography, an Englifli fcholar 

 of diftinguifhed reputation, was born at Kirby-Wiilie, near 

 Norlh-Allerton in Yorkfhire, about tlie year 15 15, of parents 

 who, having lived together for fixty-lcven years, with unin- 

 terrupted harmony, died at the f.inie hour o! the fame day. 

 Having difcovered very promifing talents at an early age, he 

 was taken under the patronage of Sir Anthony Wingfield, 

 and after making cordiderable progrefs in clafiical literature 

 under the inftrudtion of the domcilic tutor of his fons, Af- 

 cham was removed by his patron, in 1 530, to St. John's col- 

 lege at Cambridge. Here he enjoyed peculiar advantages 

 for improvement under the tuition of two perfons who were 

 eminent for literature at a period when the lludy of the 

 Greek and Roman dallies was the objcft of particular at- 

 tentioH. Of thefe advantages he availed himfelf with fingu- 

 lar afiiduity and emulation ; and his proficiency was fo con- 

 fiderable, that he gained very diilinguilhed reputation in the 

 wniverfity at a very early age. In order to perfcit himfelf 

 in the Greek language, he taught it to otliers; and learning 

 ▼er/ foon to difcrimlnaie with regard to the comparative ex- 

 cellence of different authors, he loll no time in the perufal 

 of mean or unprofitable books. Upon the model of Cicero 

 acd Csefar, whofe works lie diligently lludied, he formed 

 his ftylc ; and among the philufophers, he felefted Plato and 

 Aridotle; among the hirturians, ThucydidesandHerodotus; 

 und among the orators, Demollhenes and Ifoci-ates ; and on 

 thefe two lad authors he read le6uires to his pupils, as he 

 alfo did on the moll celebrated of the Greek poets. At 

 the age of elglitecn, in 1534, he took his degree of bachelor 

 cf arts, and foon after in the fame year was elefted fellow 

 of his college, though his attachment to the reformed reli- 

 gion rsifed lome obllacles in the way of this appointment, 

 rhefe honours were conlidered by Afcham as inducements 

 to his continued and increafing application ; and fuch was 

 Ikis unprovemeut, particularly ia the Grcds. langusge, that 



his Icftures, both in t'.e uiiiverfity and in his own colleg*, 

 were received with univcrfal applaufe. In the year 1536, 

 and at the age of twenty-one years, he was inaugurated 

 mader of arts. Such was the proficiency of thofe who at- 

 tended his lectures, that one of them viz. Wilham Grindal, 

 was, at his recommendation, appointed to be tutor in the 

 languages to the lady Elizabeth ; an honour which it is pro- 

 bable he might have obtained far himfelf, if he had not de- 

 clined it from a preference ot the academical life to a Ration 

 at court. At this time Sir John Cheke attempted to intro- 

 duce a new mode of pronouncing Greek into the uiiiver- 

 fity, which for fomc time was oppofed by Afcham ; but 

 upon niaturer and more deliberate examination, he approved 

 of it, and concurred in adopting and promoting it ; and it 

 has fiiice generally prevailed in the fchools of England. 

 The purity and elegance of his Latin ityle was held in fuch 

 edimatlon, that he was condantly tmp'oytd in writing the 

 public letters of the uiiiverfity. As a relaxation amidll his 

 feverer fiudies, he amuled himfelf with the exercife of arch- 

 ery ; anil having thus given oftence to fome perfons who 

 were envious ot his fuperior merit, he wrote a fmall treatifc 

 on the fubjetl, intitled " Toxophilus," which was publilhed 

 iu 1544. His defign in writing this treatifc was partly 

 to vindicate himfelt trom the alpcifions of his enemies, and 

 partly to improve the Englifh languni;e, by introducing a 

 more natural, cafy, and truly Englilh diilion, than that 

 which was ufed by the common writers of his age. The 

 author's views in both thefe relpefts wer; fully accom- 

 plilhed. This work, befides the purity and perfpicuity of 

 its llyle, abounds with learned alluficms, with curiuus *rag- 

 ments of Enghlh hillory, and with ingenious oblervations 

 on life and manners. Afcham honcftly confedls, that he 

 was adiiated by another more felfifh motive in the compo» 

 fition and publication of this treatifc. He wiflied to make 

 a tour into Italy, which was then the republic of letters, 

 and particularly the feat of Greek learning, and he was de- 

 firous by dedicating his work to king Henry VIII., to ob- 

 tain his patronage and encouragement in the profecution of 

 his plan. In this refpetl, his moded and laudable wlfh wa9 

 gratified ; for in 1544, the king granted him a penfion of 

 Jol. a year, equal according to Dr. Jolinfon, to more than 

 tool, at theprefent day. This penfion, which was difconti- 

 nued after the king's death, was reilored by Edward VI., 

 and doubled by queen Mary. In the fame year, Afchaii* 

 received the pecuniary benefit as well as honour of an ap- 

 pointment to the office of Orator to the univtifity; which; 

 office, whilll he coutinued there, he occupied with great, 

 credit. 



He had alfo for feme years received an annual gratuity 

 to an amount that is not al'certained, from Lee, archbilhop 

 of York. At length, viz. in 154!), upon the death of hi» 

 pupil Grindal, he was called by the lady Elizabeth, to 

 whom he had already given letlures in writing, from his 

 college, to direct her lludics. This charge he executed with 

 equal diligence and fuccefs ; but after two years, a caufe of 

 diilatisfacliou occurred, and he returned from the fei-vice of 

 the princefb to the uiiiverfity.. Not with ftanding this circum- 

 llai.ce, the princcfs's regard for him continued ; for in the 

 fame year, 1550, he was recalled to court, and appointed fe- 

 cretary to fir Richard Moryfine, who wasthen going as am- 

 baffador to the emperor Charles V. During this expedition,, 

 which laded three years, he had opportunity of converfing 

 with many learned men in various pa:1s of Germany which 

 he vifilcd, and made an excurfion into Italy, where he was- 

 mucli difguded with tlie manners of the inhabitants, par- 

 ticularly of the Venetians. One of the fruits of this tour 

 ^vas ajcutious trac^, inutlcd, " A E-eport au.d Difcourfe of 



the 



