ADR 
■of Dillenburg, running through thelandgraviateof Hefle, 
the county of Waldeck, by Fritzlar, and then falling into 
the Wefer* to the fouth of Cairel. 
ADRANUM, or Hadranum, now Aderno ; atownof 
Sicily, built by the elder Dionyfms, at the foot of mount 
iEtna, four hundred yearsbefore Chrift. 
ADRASTEA, in antiquity, an epithet given to the 
goddefs Nemefis, or Revenge, It was taken from king 
Adraftus, who firft ereCted a temple to that deity. 
ADRASTIA CERTAMINA, in antiquity, a kind of 
Pythinian games, inftituted by Adraftus king of Argos, in 
the year of the world 2700, in honour of Apollo, at Sicy- 
on. Thefe are to be diftinguifhed from the Pythian games 
celebrated at Delphi. 
ADRASTUS, king of Argos, fon of Talaus and Lyfi- 
anifta, daughter of Polybius king of Sicyon, acquired great 
honour in the famous war of Thebes, in fupport of Poly* 
nices, his fon-in-law, who had been excluded the fo- 
vereignty of Thebes by Eteocles his brother, notwith- 
ftanding their reciprocal agreement. Adraftus, followed 
by Poly nices and Tidcus his other fon*in-law, by Capa- 
neus and Hippomedon his fifter’s fons, by Amphiaraus his 
brother-in-law, and by Parthenopacus, marched againft the 
city of Thebes ; and this is the expedition of the Seven 
Worthies, which the poets have fo often fung. They all 
loft their lives in this war except Adraftus, who was laved 
by his horfe called Aricin. This war was revived ten years 
after by the fons of thofe deccafed warriors, which was 
called the war of the Epigones , and ended with the taking 
of Thebes. None of them loft their lives except .CEgia- 
leus fon of Adraftus; which afflicted him fo much that he 
died of grief in Megara, as he was leading back his vic¬ 
torious army. 
ADR E AD, adv. Inaftateof fear ; frighted; terrified: 
now obfolete. 
ARIA, or Hadria, the name of two ancient towns in 
Italy. One in the country of the Veneti, on the river 
Tartarus, between the Padus and the Athelis, called Atria 
by Plinyand Ptolemy, but Adrias by Strabo. Another on 
the river Vomanus, in the territory of th. Piceni, the coun¬ 
try of the anceftors of tire emperor Adrian. 
ADRIANUM, or Mare Adriaticum, a large bay 
in the Mediterranean, now the gulph of Venice, between 
Dalmatia, Sclavonia, Greece, and Italy. 
ADRIAN, or Hadrian, (Publius ^Elius,) the Roman 
emperor. He was born at Rome the 24th of January, in 
the 76th year of Chrift. His father left him an orphan, at 
ten years of age, under the guardianlhip of Trajan, and 
Coelius Tatianus a Roman knight. He accompanied Tra¬ 
jan in moft of his expeditions, and particularly diftinguifli- 
ed himfelf in the fecond war againft the Daci ; and hav¬ 
ing before been quaeftor, as well as tribune of the people, 
he was now fucceffively praetor, governor of Pannonia, 
and conful. After the fiege of Atra in Arabia was raifed, 
Trajan, who had already given him the government of Sy¬ 
ria, left him the command of the army : and at length, 
when he found death approaching, it is faid he adopted 
him. Adrian, who was then in Antiochia, as foon as he 
received the news thereof, and of Trajan’s death, declar¬ 
ed himfelf emperor, on the nth of Auguft, 117. No 
fooner had he arrived at the imperial dignity, than he 
made peace with the Perfians, to whom he yielded up great 
part of the conquefts of his predeceftors; and, from gene- 
rofity, or policy, he remitted the debts of the Roman peo¬ 
ple, which, according to the calculation of thofe who have 
reduced them to modern money, amounted to 22,500,000 
golden crowns ; and he burnt all the bonds and obliga¬ 
tions relating to thofe debts, that the people might be un¬ 
der no apprehenfion of being called to an account for them 
afterwards. There are medals in commemoration of 
this fact, in which he is reprefented holding a flambeau 
in his hand, to fet fire to all thofe bonds which he had. 
made void. He went to vilit all the provinces ; and did 
not return to Rome till the year 1:8, when the fenate de¬ 
creed him-a triumph, and honoured him with the title of 
V ol. I. No. 8. 
Father of his country, but he refufed both, and defired 
that Trajan’s image might triumph. No prince travelled 
more than Adrian ; there being hardly one province in 
the empire which he did not vilit. In 120 he went into 
Gaul; from thence he came over to Britain, in order to 
fubdue the Caledonians, who were making continual in¬ 
roads into the provinces. Upon his arrival, they retired 
towards the north : he advanced how'ever as far as York, 
where he was diverted from his intended conqueft by the 
defcription fome old foldiers he found there, who had ferv- 
ed under Agricola, gave him of the country. In hopes, 
therefore, of keeping them quiet by enlarging their bounds, 
he delivered up to the Caledonians all the lands lying be¬ 
tween the two Friths and the Tyne; and at the fame time, 
to fecure the Roman province from their future incur- 
lions, built the famous wall which ftill bears his name. It 
was carried on from the Solway Frith, a little weft of the 
village of Burgh on the Sands, in as direCt a line as pofli- 
ble, to the river Tyne on the eaft, at the place where the 
town of Newcaftle now' Hands ; fo that it muft have been 
above fixty Englifli, and near feventy Roman, miles in 
length. Having thus fettled matters in Britain, he return¬ 
ed to Rome, where he was honoured with the title of Re~ 
ftorer of Britain, as appears by fome medals. He foon 
after went into Spain, to Mauritania, and at length into 
the eaft, W'here he quieted the commotions raifed by the 
Parthians. After having vifited all the provinces of Afia, 
he returned to Athens in 125, where he palled the win¬ 
ter, and was initiated in the myfteries of Eleulinian Ceres. 
He went from thence to Sicily, chiefly to view mount JE t- 
na, contemplate its phenomena, and enjoy the beautiful 
and extcnfive profpeift afforded from its top. He return¬ 
ed to Rome the beginning of the year 129 ; and, accord¬ 
ing to fome, he went again, the fame year, to Africa ; and 
after his return from thence, to the eaft. He was in Egypt 
in the year 132, revilited Syria the year following, return¬ 
ed to Athens in 134, and to Rome in 135. The perfecu- 
tion againft the Chriftians u'as very violent under his reign ; 
but it was at length fufpended, in confequence of the re- 
monftrances of Quadrat bifhop of Athens, and Ariftides, 
two Chriftian philofophers, who prefented the emperor 
with fome books in favour of the Chriftian religion. He 
conquered the Jews ; and, by way of infult, ereCted a 
temple to Jupiter on Calvary, and placed a ftatue of Ado¬ 
nis in the manner of Bethlehem ; he caufed alfo the ima¬ 
ges of fwine to be engraven on the gates of Jerufalem. At 
laft he was feized with a dropfy, which vexed him to fuch 
a degree, that he became almoft raving mad. A great 
number of phyficians were fent for, and to the multitude 
of them he aferibed his death. He died at Baias in the 63d 
year of his age, having reigned twenty-one years. The 
Latin verfes headdrefled to his foul, and which are tranf- 
lated by Mr. Pope, have been much criticifed and vari- 
otifty interpreted. He alfo wrote the hiftory of his own 
life : to which, however, he did not chufe to put his 
name ; but that of Phlegon, one of his freed men, a very 
learned perfon, was prefixed to it. He had great wit, and 
an extenfive memory. He underftood the fciences perfeCt - 
ly well; but was very jealous of others who excelled in 
them. He was alfo cruel, envious, and lafeivious. An¬ 
toninus his fucceftbr obtained his apotheofis ; and prevented 
the refeiflion of his aCts, which the fenate once intended. 
Adrian IV. (Pope), the only Englifhman who ever 
had the honour of fitting in the papal chair. His name 
was Nicholas Brekei’pere; and he was born at Langley, 
near St. Alban’s, in Hertfordihire'. His father having left' 
his family, and taken the habit of the monaftery of St. 
Alban’s, Nicholas was obliged to fubmit to the lowed of¬ 
fices in that houle for daily fupport. After fome time, he 
defired to take the habit in that monaftery, but was reject¬ 
ed by the abbot Richard. Upon this he refolved to try 
his fortune in another country, and accordingly went to 
Paris; where, though in very poor circumftances, he ap¬ 
plied himfelf to his fludies .with great afliduity, and made 
a wonderful proficiency. But, having ftill a ftrong iiicljo 
, K k nj»tio» 
