254 
A L D 
A L D 
fmiated between two large harbours. Lat. 39. 50. N. Ion. 
3 - o* E. 
ALCUINUS (Flaccus), an ecclefiaftic of the eighth 
century. He was fent on an embaffy by OfFa king of 
Mercia to the emperor Charlemagne; who contracted fo 
great an efteem and friendlhip for him, that he earneftly 
foiicited, and at length prevailed upon, him, to fettle in 
his court, and become his preceptor in the fciendes. Al- 
cuinus accordingly inftruCted that great prince in rhetoric, 
logic, mathematics, and divinity ; which rendered him 
one of his greateft favourites. “ He was treated with fo 
much kindnefs and familiarity (fays a contemporary wri¬ 
ter) by the emperor, that the other courtiers called him, 
by way of eminence, the emperor's delight Charlemagne 
employed his learned favourite to write, feveral. books 
againft the heretical opinions of Felix bifhop of Urgel in 
Catalonia, and to defend the orthodox faith againft that 
hereliarch, in the council of Francfort, A. D. 894; which 
he performed fo the entire fatisfaCtion of the emperor and 
council, and even to the conviction of Felix and his fol¬ 
lowers,, who abandoned their errors. The emperor con¬ 
sulted chiefly with Alcuinus on all things relating to reli¬ 
gion and learning; and, by his advice, did many great 
things for the advancement of both. An academy was 
eftabiifhed in the imperial palace, over which Alcuinus 
prefided, and in which the princes and prime nobility were 
educated; and other academies were eftablilhed in the chief 
towns of Italy and France, at his mitigation,. and under 
his infpeCtion. “ France (fays one of our belt writers of 
literary hiftory) is indebted to Alcuinus for all the polite 
learning it boafted of in that and the following ages. The 
tiniverlities of Paris, Tours, Fulden, Soilfons, and many 
others, owe to him their origin and increafe; thofe of 
whom he was not the Superior and founder, being at leaft 
enlightened by his doCtrine and example, and enriched by 
the benefits he procured for them from Charlemagne.” 
After Alcuinus had fpent many years in the moll intimate 
familiarity with the greateft prince of his age, he at length, 
with great difficulty, obtained leave to retire from court 
to his abbey of St. Martin’s at Tours. He compofed ma¬ 
ny treatifes on a great variety of fubjeCts, in a Style much 
Superior in purity and elegance to that of the generality of 
writers in the age in which he fiourifhed. He died A. 
D. 804. Iiis works were collected and publilhed by An¬ 
drew du Chel'ne in one volume folio, Paris, 1617. 
ALCYON, the trivial name of a fpecies of alcedo. See 
Alcedo. 
ALCYONIUM, an obfolete name of a fubmarine plant. 
It is alio ufed for a kind of coral, or altroites, frequently 
found foffile in England. 
Alcyonium Stagnum, a lake in the territory of 
Corinth, whofe depth was unfathomable, and in vain at¬ 
tempted to be difcovered by Nero. 
ALCYON 1 US (Peter), a learned Italian, who flourilh- 
ed in the lixteenth century. He was well verfed in the 
Greek and Latin tongues, and wrote fome pieces of elo¬ 
quence which met with great approbation. The two ora¬ 
tions he made after the taking of Rome, wherein he re- 
prefented very Itrongly the injustice of Charles V. and the 
barbarity of his foldiers, were excellent pieces. There is 
alfo an oration aferibed to him, on the knights who died 
at the liege of Rhodes. 
ALDBOROUGH, orALDEBUEGH, Suffolk, is a fea- 
port town, feventy-fix computed and eighty-eight mea¬ 
sured miles from London, both Itrongly and pleafantly 
Situated in the valley of Slaughden, having the fea and an 
extenlive view -of the German ocean on the eaft, and the 
river Aid on the weft. It is a commodious, harbour for 
feamenand filhermen, upon which account it is fully inha¬ 
bited by thefe fort of people. It is a town corporate, go¬ 
verned by two bailiffs, twelve capital burgeffes, and 
twenty-four inferior officers. It fends two members to 
parliament: it has a market weekly on Saturday, and a 
fair annually on thefirft Tuefday in Lent. It had former¬ 
ly three ftreets in a row, and nearly a mile in length; but 
3 
is now reduced to two ftreets by the encroachment of the 
fea: it is reckoned by the phyftcians to be one of the molt 
healthy places along the coaft, and as remarkable for lon¬ 
gevity, being Subject to cooling and refrelhing breezes 
from the fea, on which account a great deal of company 
refort to the town in fummer for the benefit of their health 
and Sea-bathing, to which the pleafantnefs of the fpot in¬ 
vites; and is growing into much repute. The (hore is al¬ 
fo much admired for its evennefs'and regular declivity for 
the bathing machines,- which are upon a remarkably fafe 
and commodious conftruCtion. The hills at the back of 
the town are likewife much efteemed for the pleafant walks, 
and for the fine and beautiful profpeCts of the furrounding 
country for many miles. There are no manufactories ex¬ 
cept the drying of red fprats, which are caught and dried 
in great abundance, and exported to Holland. It is 
equally famous for the foals and lobfters, which are caught 
in great quantities, and far furpafs any other for fine 
flavour. Fifh of all kinds are in great plenty, as well as 
every other commodity. Aldborough is within eight 
miles of the once famous and ancient city of Dunwich, and 
feven miles of Saxmundham, (being the next poft-town, 
where coaches and ftage-waggons pals through daily;) five 
miles from tire borough of Oxford; twelve miles from 
Wickham market; eighteen from Woodbridge; and twen¬ 
ty-fix from Ipfvvich, (the county town.) E. long. 1. 32, 
N. lat. 52. 50. 
Aldborough, a market-town in the weft-riding of 
Yorkfliire, feated on the river Oufe, fifteen miles north- 
welt of York, and 200 miles north of London. It fends 
two members to parliament. W. long. o. 20. N. lat. 54. 
15. It was anciently a Roman city, called ljufium Brigan- 
tium ; and feveral coins and monuments of the Saxons and 
Romans have been difcovered there. 
ALDEBARAN, in aftronomy, a ftar of the firft mag¬ 
nitude, called inEnglifn the bull's eye , as making the eye 
of the conftellation Taurus. Its longitude is 6 deg. 32. 
min. 9 fee. of Gemini, and its latitude 5 deg. 29 min. 40 
fee. fouth. 
ADDERBURY, Wiltlhire, two miles from Salifbury, 
on a healthy hill, near the Avon. A manufacture of 
cottons and fuftians is carried on here. By a fire in 1777, 
200 houfes were deftroyed. 
ALDER-TREE, /. in botany. See Betula. 
Alder, (Black,)/, in botany. SeeRHAMNUs. 
ALDERHOLM, a pleafant ifland of Sweden, formed 
by the three arms of a river running through Gentle, a 
town of Nordland, in Sweden. Here is a wharf, a repo- 
fitory for planks and deals, two packing-houfes, a large 
cnftom-houfe for taking toll of the fiiips, an arfenal for 
cannon, and a granary. 
ALDERLEY, Gloucefterlhire, near Y/otton-Under- 
edge. On fome of the hills here are found foffils, appa¬ 
rently petrifactions of marine ftiell. 
Alderley, Staffordlhire, near Seifdon. 
ALDERLIEVEST, adj. fiiperl. [from aid, alder, old, 
elder, and lieve , dear, beloved.] Molt beloved ; which 
has held the longeft poffeffion of the heart : 
The mutual conference that my mind hath had, 
In courtly qompany, or at my beads, 
With you, mine alderlievejt fovereign, 
Makes me the bolder. Skakefpe&re. 
ALDERMAN,/, [from aid, old, and In the 
Britifti policy, a magiftrate fubordinate to the mayor of 
a city or town-corporate. The number of thefe magif- 
trates is not limited, but is more or lefs according to the 
magnitude of the place. In London they are twenty-fix-; 
each having one of the wards of the city committed to his 
care. This office is for life : fo that, when one of them 
dies, or refigns, a wardmote is called, who return the per- 
fon they have chofen to the court of aldermen; which 
court is obliged to admit him to fupply the vacancy. All 
the aldermen are juftices of the peace, by a charter of 15 
Geo, II. The aldermenqf London, &c. are exempted from 
