ALA 
meridian luftre. in the year 1714, lie was appointed foli- 
citor-general to his royal highnefs the Prince of Wales, 
afterwards George II. and in 1718, he was conftituted one 
of the jultices of the court of King’s Bench in the place 
of Sir John Pratt. In the year 1728 he was appointed 
one of the juflices of the court of Common Pleas, which 
he held until the year 1746, when he refigned the lame, 
having fat in the fuperior courts of Weflminller for the 
long period of thirty years. In honour to the judicial in¬ 
tegrity and abilities of Sir John, his majefty was pleafed 
to create him a peer of Ireland, by the ftyle and title of 
John lord Fortefcue Aland, baron Fortefcue, of Credan, 
in the kingdom of Ireland, by privy feal, dated at Ken- 
fington, June 26, 1746, 19 George II. and by patent dated 
at Dublin, Augult 15, the fame year. Sir John left be¬ 
hind him the following juridical writings :—r. The Diffe¬ 
rence between an abfolute and limited Monarchy, as it 
more particularly regards the Englifh Conltitution. 2. 
Reports of Select Cafes in all the courts of Weftminfter- 
hall, tempore William III. and queen Anne; alfo, The 
Opinion of all the Judges of England relating to the great- 
elf Prerogatives of a Queen Conlort. 
Alan v>,adv. [from a for at, and land ] At land; land¬ 
ed ; on the dry ground.—He only, with the prince his 
coufin, were cad aland, far off from the place whither their 
defires would have guided them. Sidney. 
ALANDRA, a finall town of Eltremadura, on the 
Tagus, fifteen miles from Lilbon. 
ALARAF,/. in the Mahometan theology, the parti¬ 
tion-wall that feparates heaven from hell. The word is 
plural, and properly written al araf\ in the lingular it is 
written cd arf. It is derived from the Arabic verb ara/'a, 
to diffmguilh. Al araf gives the denomination to the fe- 
venth chapter of the Alcoran, wherein mention is made 
of this wall. Mahomet feems to have copied his al araf, 
either from the great gulf of feparaiion mentioned in the 
New Teftament, or from the Jewilh writers, who all'o 
fpeak of a thin wall dividing heaven from hell. Maho¬ 
metan writers differ extremely as to the perfons who are 
to be found on al araf. Some take it for a fort of limbus 
for the patriarchs, prophets, &c. others place here fuch 
whole good and evil works fo exactly balance each other, 
that they deferve neither reward nor punilhment. Others 
imagine this intermediate l'pace to be poffeffed by thofe 
who, going to war without their parents leave, and differ¬ 
ing martyrdom there, are excluded paradife for their dil- 
obedience, yet efcape hell becaufe they are martyrs. 
ALARBES, a name given to thole Arabians who live 
In tents, and didinguifh themfelves by their drefs from 
the others who live in towns. 
ALARES,/. in Roman antiquity, an epithet given to 
the cavalry, on account of their being placed in the two 
wings of the army. 
ALARIC, a famous general of the Goths. He entered 
Thrace at the head of 200,000 men, and laid wade all the 
country through which he paffed. He marched next to 
Macedonia and Theffaly: the Theffalians met him near 
the mouth of the river Peneas, and killed about 3000 of 
his army; neverthelefs he advanced into Greece, and, af¬ 
ter having ravaged the whole country, returned to Epi¬ 
rus, loaded with immenfe l’poils: after daying here five 
years, he refolved to turn his arms to the wed. He then 
marched through Pannonia; and, finding little relidance, 
entered Italy under the coni'ullhip of Stilicho and Aure- 
lianus, A. D. 400. After various battles and treaties, he 
at lad took Rome by treachery, and permitted his foldiers 
to plunder it, A. D. 409. Alaric, having laid wade a 
great part of Italy, intended to pafs into Sicily; but a 
dorm obliging him to land again, he belieged the city of 
Cofenza; and, having taken it, he died there in 411, ele¬ 
ven years after he fir ft entered Italy. 
ALARM,/ [from the French a I'artne, to arms; as, 
crier a I'arme , to call to arms.] A cry by which men are 
fummoned to their arms; as, at the approach of an ene- 
Vol. 1. No. 15 . I 
ALA 233 
my. A cry or notice of any danger approaching y as, An 
alarm of fire. Any tumult or didurbance. 
Alarm, in the military art, denotes either the appre- 
henlion of being fuddenly attacked, or the notice thereof, 
dignified by the firing a cannon, firelock, or the like. Falfe 
alarms are frequently made life of, to harrafs the enemy, 
by keeping them condantly under arms. Sometimes alfo 
this method is taken to try the vigilance of the piquet- 
guard, and what might be expected from them in cafe of 
real danger. 
Alarm, in fencing, is the dime with what isotherwife 
called an appeal, or challenge. 
To Alarm, v. a. To call to arms. To difturb; as, 
with the approach of an enemy. To furprife with the 
apprehenfion of any danger. To difturb in general: 
His fon, Cupavo, brudi’d the briny flood; 
Upon his flern a brawny Centaur ftood, 
Who heav’d a rock, and threat’ning ftill to throw, 
With lifted hands, alarm'd the feas below. Dryden . 
Alarm-bell,/. The bell that is rung upon any hid¬ 
den emergency, as afire, mutiny, or the like. 
ALARMING, part. adj. Terrifying; awakening; fur- 
prifing; as, An alarming meffage; an alarming pain. 
ALARM-POST,/ The pod or place appointed to each 
body of men to appear at, when an alarm (hall happen. 
ALARUM,/ Corrupted as it feemsfrom Alarm. 
ALAS, intcrj. [hclas , Fr. cylaes, Dutch.] A word ex- 
prefllng lamentation, when we ufe it of ourfelves. A 
word of pity, when ufed of other perfons. A word of 
furrow and concern, when ufed of things.—Thus faith the 
Lord God, Smite with thine hand, and damp with thy 
foot, and fav, Alas! for all the evil abominations of the 
houfe of Ifrael. Ezekiel. 
Alas the day, interj. Ah, unhappy day! 
Alas the while, interj. All, unhappy time! 
ALASCANI,/ in church-hidory, a left of Antiluthe- 
rans, whole diftinguifhing tenet, befides their denying 
baptifm, is faid to have been this, that the words, “ This 
is my body,” in the inftitution of the eucharift, are not to 
be underftood of the bread, but of the whole adtion or 
celebration of the fupper. 
ALASCO (John), a Polifh nobleman of the 16th cen¬ 
tury, who, imbibing the reformed opinions, was expelled 
his country, and became preacher to a Proteliant congre¬ 
gation at Embden ; but, forefeeing persecution there, came 
to England about the year 1551, while the reformation 
was carrying on under Edward VI. The publication of 
the Interim driving the Proteftants to fucli places as af¬ 
forded them toleration, 380 were naturalized here, and 
obtained a charter of incorporation, by which they were 
eredled into an ecclefiaftical eftablifliment, independent on 
the church of England. The Auguftine friars’ church 
was granted them, with the revenues, for the maintenance 
of Alafco as fuperintendant, with four alTiflant minifters, 
who were to be approved by the king: and this congre, 
gation lived undifturbed until the accellion of Queen Ma¬ 
ry, when they were all fent away. They were kindly re¬ 
ceived and permitted to fettle at Embden ; and' Alafco at 
laft, after an abfence of twenty years, by the favour of 
Sigifmund, returned to his own country, where he died 
in 1560. He had fome particular tenets; and his follow¬ 
ers are called Alafcani, in church hiltory. 
ALATAMAHA, a large river of North America, 
which, riling in the Apalachian mountains, runs fouth-eaft 
through the province of Georgia, and falls into the At¬ 
lantic Ocean, below the town of Frederica. 
ALATE,adv. [from a and late.~\ Lately; nolongtime 
ago. 
ALATERNOIDES,/ inbotany. See Phylica, Clu* 
tia, Ceanothus, and Myrica. 
A LATE RN US, f. in botany, the trivial name of a fpe- 
cies of.the rhamnus. See Rhamnus and Phyljca. 
ALAVA, a diltrivt of Spain, about twenty miles in 
3 O length 
