236 ALB 
ot' the army defined for the conqueft of Portugal. Alba 
anfwered, without much hefitation, that he was ready 
to facrifice in tire king’s fervice what little health and 
ftrength he had left; and immediately prepared for his 
departure. His intention was to pay Iris refpedts to his 
fovereign in perfon; but Philip, who never forgot, and 
never pardoned, an offence, would not fee him, fending 
him his orders and inftruSlions in writing. 
'I he duke arrived in Portugal, at the head of his army, 
in the month of June 1580. Almoft every town opened 
its gates to him, and acknowledged Philip as its lawful 
fovereign. Don Antony, prior of Crato, 'having affem- 
bled a confiderable army at Lilbon, and feated himfelf on 
the throne of Portugal, it was necelfary to repair to that 
city. To avoid various inconveniences, the duke of Al¬ 
ba refolved on tranfporting. his army to Cafcais by water. 
On his arrival, lie found the enemy advantageoufly poked ; 
he, however, prepared to attack them in their entrench¬ 
ments. The Spaniards, waiting only the word of com¬ 
mand, were furprifecl to learn, that the Portuguefe had 
on a fudden taken flight; the duke w’as therefore foon in 
pofleflion of Cafcais, where he exercifed his ufual cruel¬ 
ties. Many places fuceeflively experienced the fame fate, 
and Don Antony was attacked, defeated, and his army 
entirely deftroyed. Lilbon immediately furrendered, and 
the whole kingdom was at the mercy of the conqueror. 
The ilfue of this enterprife was a new triumph for the 
duke, now upwards of feventy years old; but in Portu¬ 
gal, as in the Netherlands, his laurels were tarniflied by 
pride and cruelty. Alba did not long furvive the con¬ 
quefl; of Portugal, for he died in 1582, at the age of fe- 
venty-four. 
Alba Firma,/. in law, a white rent, paid in filver, in 
diflinction from rent paid in corn, cattle, or the like. 
Alba Hei.vior.um, or Albaugusta, afterwards 
called Vivarium, now Viviers, in the fouth-eaft of Lan¬ 
guedoc, on the Rhone. In the lower age the inhabitants 
were called Albrvfcs, and their city Civitas Albenfium, in 
the Notitia Gallise. Lat. 44. 50. Ion. 4.45. E. 
Alba Julia, now Weiflenburg, a town of Tranfyl- 
vania, on the river Marifius, or Merifch, to the weft of 
Hermanftat, fuppofed to be called Alba Julia, after Julia 
Domna, the mother of Caracalla. It was alfo called Apu¬ 
lian Augujlum, Lat. 46. 46. Ion. 25.0. E. 
Alba Longa, anciently a colony from Lavinium, in 
Latium, eftablifhed by Afcanius the fon of .Tineas, at the 
foot of Mons Albanus: called Alba from a white fow 
found by Tineas, which farrowed thirty white pigs on that 
fpot; which circumflance was interpreted to portend the 
building of a city there in thirty years after. The epithet 
Longa was added on account of its length. 
Alba Pompeia, on the river Ceba, now Ceva, in Li¬ 
guria, the birth-place of the emperor Pertinax ; a colony 
cither eftablifhed at fir ft by Pompey, or re-eftablifhed by 
him after having been before fettled by Scipio. The in¬ 
habitants were called Alpmfcs Pompeiani. At this day the 
town is Amply called Alba, without any epithet. 
Alba Terra, f. one of the numerous names for the 
philofophers ftone, 
ALBAHURIM, f Jigura fexdecim laterum, a figure of 
great importance according to aftrological phyficians, who 
built their prognoftics on it. 
ALBAN (St.) is faid to have been thefirft perfon who 
fuffered martyrdom for Chriftianity in Britain; he is there¬ 
fore ufually flyled the protomartyr of this ifland. He was 
born at Verulam, and flouriflied towards the end of the 3d 
century. In his youth he took a journey to Rome, in 
company with Amphibalus a monk of Caerleon, and fer- 
ved feven years asafoldierunder the emperor Dioclefian, 
At his return home he fettled in Verulam; and, through 
the example and inftruftions of Amphibalus,- renounced 
the errors of paganifm, in which be had been educated, 
and became a convert to the Chriftian religion. It is ge¬ 
nerally agreed, that Alban fuffered martyrdom during the 
great persecution under the reign of Dioclefian; but au- 
A L B 
thors differ as to the year when it happened. 1 The dory 
and circumftances relating to his martyrdom, according to 
Bede, are as follows :—Being yet a pagan (or at leaft knot 
being known that he was a Chriftian), he entertained Am¬ 
phibalus in his houfe. The Roman governor, being in¬ 
formed thereof, fent a party of foldiers to apprehend Am¬ 
phibalus; but Alban, putting on the habit of his gueft, 
prefented himfelf in his ftead, and was carried before that 
magiftrate. The governor having afked him of what fa¬ 
mily he was? Alban replied, “ To what purpofe do you 
inquire of my family? if you would know my religion, I 
am a Chriftian.” Then, being afked his name, he anfwer- 
ed, “ My name is Alban ; and I worfhip the only true and 
living God, who created all things.” The magiftrate re¬ 
plied, “ If you would enjoy the happinefs of eternal life, 
delay not to facrifice to the great gods.” Alban anfwered, 
“ Tlie facrifices you offer are made to devils ; neither can 
they help the needy, or grant the petitions of their vota¬ 
ries.” His behaviour fo enraged the governor, that he 
ordered him immediately to be beheaded. In his way to 
execution, he was flopped by a river, over which was a 
bridge fo thronged with fpeclators that it was impollible 
to crofs it; the faint, as we are told, lifted up his eytis to 
heaven, and the ftream was miracuioufly divided, and af¬ 
forded a. palfage for himfelf and a thoufand more perfons. 
This wonderful event converted the executioner upon the 
fpot, who threw- away his drawn f'word, and, falling at 
St. Alban’s feet, delired he might have the honour to die 
with him. This 1 'ndden converlion of the headfman oc- 
calioning a delay in the execution till another perfon couid 
be got to perform the office, St. Alban walked up to a 
neighbouring hill, where he prayed for water to quench 
his third, and a fountain of water fprung up under his 
feet: here he was beheaded on the,23d of June. The 
executioner is faid to have been a figiial example of divine 
vengeance; for, as foon as he gave the fatal ftroke, bis 
eyes dropped-out of his head. We may fee the opinion 
of Milton in regard to this narrative, in his Hiltory of 
England. His words are thefe, fpeaking of St. Alban, 
“ The ftory of whofe martyrdom, lolled and worfe mar¬ 
tyred with the fabling zeal of fome idle fancies, more 
fond of miracles than apprehenfive of the truth, deferves 
no longer digrefilon.” ■ Between 400 or 300 years after St. 
Alban’s death, Offa, king of the Mercians, built a very 
large and (lately monaftery to his memory; and the town 
of St. Alban’s, in Hertfordfiiire, takes its name from our 
protomartyr. 
ALBANA, anciently a fea-port town of Albania, on 
the Cafpian Sea, between the rivers Cafius and Albanus; 
now called Bachu, or Bachy, giving name to the Cafpian 
Sea, viz. Marde Baku. Lat. 40. o. Ion. 49. o. E. 
A LB A N ENSES, f in church-hiftory, the fame with 
Albigenfes, according to fome; according to others, dif¬ 
ferent. Thofe, however, who are for diftinguifhing them, 
attribute the fame opinions to both ; only making the Al- 
banenfes to have been prior in refpeft of time, as having 
been found towards 'the clofe of the eighth century; 
whereas the Albigenfes appeared not till the twelfth. See 
Albigenses. 
A LB AN I,/ in Roman antiquity, a college of the Jain, 
or priells of Mars; fo called from mount Albanus, the 
place of their refidence. 
Albani (Francis), a celebrated painter, born in Bo¬ 
logna, March 17, 1578. Hi? father was a filk-merchant., 
and intended to bring up his fon to that bufinefs ; but Al¬ 
bani, having a ftrong inclination to painting, when his fa¬ 
ther died devoted himfelf entirely to that art, though 
then but twelve years of age. He firft ftudied under De¬ 
nys Calvert; Guido Rheni being at the fame time under 
this mailer, with whom Albani contrasted a very great 
friendship. Calvert drew but one profile for Albani, and 
afterwards left him entirely to the care of Guido; under 
whom he made great improvement, his fellow-difciple in- 
(truSting him with the utnioft attention and good humour. 
He followed Guido to the fchool of Qaraches; but a lit- 
, tie 
/ 
