A T K 



Willugliby, and otliers, to the bird dcfcnbej under the title 

 of ciicnlus cornulu! by GTiieliii. BuflTon calls it athigacu du 

 Brefil, and Latliam the horned cuckoiv. See Cornutus 

 CucuLus. 



ATINO, in Geography, a town of Italy, in the kingdom 

 of Naples, and coiiiitr\- of Lavora, once the fee of a bi^.op, 

 fuppvch^ed by Leo III.; three leagues north of Aquino. 

 This was the ancient Atina or Atinum, fituate in the 

 rorth-eaft part of Latium, and fouth-eaft of Sora. It 

 belonged to the Samnites ; and Frontinus fays, that Nero 

 Claudius C<ef:ir eftabliHied a colony in this place. 



ATINTANES, in Ancient Geography, a people of 

 Europe, who, according to Tiiucydidcs, inhabited the caft- 

 ern part of Illyria. Their country, however, is joined, by 

 iivy and Polybius, to Macedonia. They fubmitted to the 

 Romans, commanded by Pofthumius. 



ATI6IS, or Atiso, a river of Italy, in Infubria, which 

 difcharged itfclf into the lake Verbanus. 



ATITLAN, in Geography, a lake of America, in Mexico, 

 in the government of Guatimala, and the country of the 

 Choutales. It is about ten leagues in circuit. 



ATIZOE, in the writings of the Ancienl Katuralijls, a 

 name of a ttone ufed in the confecration and anointing of 

 kings. Pliny defcribes it to have been of a lenticular 

 figure, and of the fize of three fingers, of a bright filvery 

 colour, and of a pleafant fmell. He fays it was found 

 in India, and in fome other places. Agricola is of opinion 

 it was a kind of bitumen. 



ATKINS, Richard, in Biography, the dcfcendant of a 

 good family at TulEeigh, in Gloucellerfliire, finifhed his 

 education at Baliol college in Oxford. From thence he 

 removed to Lincoln's Inn ; and, after a fiiort inten'al, during 

 which he travelled into France, he became an accomphihed 

 courtier. In the civil war, he joined the king's party, and 

 was a confiderable fufferer. Alter the relloration, he was 

 appointed one of the deputy lieutenants of the county of 

 Glouceftcr. But being imprifoned in the Marfnalfea gaol 

 of Southwark for debt, he died there in 1677. He was 

 the author of feveral pieces; and partioilarly of a treatife 

 •' Of the origin aud growth of Printing;" in vi-hich he gives 

 zn extraft from an old MS. chronicle, faid to be prcferved 

 in the palace of the archbifnop at Lambeth, containing an 

 hiflorical account of the introduftion of this valuable art into 

 our country. The authority of this chronicle has been much 

 difputed by Mr. Palmer, in his " General Hillor)' 01 Prir.t- 

 ing," and alfo by Dr.MidJleton : and vindicated by Mr.Bow- 

 yer, in the notes to his abridgment of Dr. Middleton's " Dif- 

 fertationontheoriginofprintingin England." SeePRiNTiJiG, 



ATKINSON, in Geography, a townihip of America, in 

 Rockingham county, New Hampfliirc, incorporated in 1 767, 

 and containing, in the year 1790, 479 inhabitants. It is 

 diftant from Portfmouth thirty miles; and has an academy, 

 founded in 17S9 bythehon. N. Peabody, and endowed with 

 icoo acres of land. 



ATKYNS, Sir Robert, in Biography, an eminent and 

 patriotic Englifh lawyer, dcfcended ot an ancient family in 

 Gloucellerflnre, and born in 1 62 1 , was tiie fon of lir Edward 

 Atkyns, one of the barons of the exchequer. Having 

 fii'.iihed his academical courfe of education at Baliol college 

 Oxford, and entered for the ftudy of the law at Lincoln's 

 Inn, he afterwards became tmintnt in his profeffion. Dillin- 

 guilhed by his profefllonal reputation and his loyilty, he was 

 loon after the rclloration created a knight of the bath, and 

 in 1672 appomted one of the judges of the court of common 

 pleas. In 1679, difgullcd by the arbitrary- mtafures of the 

 exifting government, he refigned his poll and retired into 

 the country. On occafion of the trial of lord Wilham 

 RufTcl, he gave his advice, and afterwards wrote free re- 



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marks on this fubjecl. He then avowed the maxim, " that 

 there neither is, nor ought to be, conllruaive treafon ; it 

 defeats the very fcope and delign of the ftatute 25 Edw. III. 

 which is to make a plain dcclamtion what ftiall be adjudged 

 treafon by the ordinary courts of juftice. His argument in 

 favour of fir William Williams, fpeaker of the commons' 

 houfe of parliament, who was profecuted bv the crown for 

 fignmg an order for the printing of Danger'fitld's narrative 

 concerning the popilh plot, was afterwards printed under the 

 title of "The power, jurifdiclion, and privilege of parlia- 

 ment, and the antiquity of the houfe of commons affertcd." 

 In the reign of James II. his attachment to the conllitution 

 was maiiifelted by an argument on the cafe of fir Edward 

 Hales, which was printed under the title of " An Inquiry 

 into the Power of difpenfing with Penal Statutes." The 

 doilrine of difpenfations was further difcufled in his " Dif- 

 courfe concerning the ecclefiaftical jurifdirtion in the realm 

 of England. After the accefilon of king William III. this 

 friend to the revolution was appointed, in 1689, lord chief 

 baron of the exchequer. He then wrote two pieces in 

 defence of the memory of lord Ruflel, whofe attainder was 

 reverfed by parhament. In 16B9, he was advanced to the 

 office of fpeaker of the houfe of lords, and retained it till the 

 year 1693. T'>e 'a't public act of his hfe was his me- 

 morable fpeech addrelTed to fir WiUiam Afhurft, lord mayor 

 of London, on occafion of his being fwom into his ofike, 

 in October 1693. This fpeech, referring to the alarming 

 projeds of Lewis XIV. and tlie defigns of Charles II. and 

 James II. to eftablilh abi'olute power, and to introduce 

 popery, was very favourably received; it paffed through 

 feveral editions, and was thought to have been eminently 

 ferviceable to tlie government. In 169J, he refigned his 

 offices, and retired to his feat in Glouccllerlhire, where he 

 died in 1700, at the age of 88 years. " He was a man of 

 great probity, as well as of great Ikill in his profeffion; and 

 a warm friend to the conllitution, which he was ready to 

 maintain againft all opponents." " In whatever view we 

 confider him," fays lus biographer, " in his private, or in 

 his public llation; as a gentleman, or as a judge; as an 

 eminent lawyer, or a diftinguidied patriot; as a ilatefman, 

 or an author; we (hall find nothing but what is great and 

 amiable, worthy of love and refpect, and of that veneration 

 which is due to virtuous men from pofterity." Befides his 

 valuable " Tracts," which were collected and publifhed in 

 one volume, he is faid to have been the author of a treatife 

 againft the exorbitant power of tlie court of chancery. 

 Biog. Brit. 



His only fon, fir Robert Atkyns, who was bom in 1646, 

 and died in 1711, differed from his father in his opinions, 

 but inherited his prudence and probity, and was equally 

 clteemed and beloved by men of all parties. As he pre- 

 ferred the character of a country gentleman, he is chiefly 

 known as the author of a topographical work, intitled 

 " The ancient and prefent State of Gloucefterlhire," which 

 was publifhed after his death. A great part of the copies 

 of this work was dcllroycd by a fire in the printer's ware- 

 houfe, fo that tiiofe which remained became fcaree and dear. 

 Biog. Brit. 



ATLANTA, in ylncient Geography, a town of Greece, 

 in the countrj- of the Locrii, deftroyed by an earthquake 

 before the birth of Plato. 



ATLANTES, a people of ancient Libya, of whom no 

 record now remains but the name. 



ATLANTIC Ocean, in Geography, a name given to 

 the lea which feparatcs Europe and Africa on the call from 

 America to the weft. Mr. Kirwan, conceiving that at the 

 time of the deluge the waters of the g^eat fouthem ocean 

 below the equator, ruflicd on the northern hemifphere 

 H li J afcrib?» 



