ALE 
him again in the fame furious and extravagant bumper. 
He had no fooner Swallowed it, than he fell upon the floor. 
“ Here then (cries Seneca, defcribing the fatal eftetts of 
drunkennefs) this hero, unconquered by all the toils of 
prodigious marches, expofed to the dangers of lieges and 
combats, to the molt violent extremes of heat and cold; 
here he lies fubdued by his intemperance, and (truck 
to the earth by the fatal cup of Hercules.” In this con¬ 
dition he was feized with a fever, which, in a few days, 
terminated in death. He was thirty-two years and eight 
months old, of which he had reigned twelve. “ No one 
(lays Plutarch and Arrian) fufpefted then that Alexander 
had been poifoned ; the true poil'on which brought him to 
this end was wine, which has killed many thoufands be- 
fides Alexander.” 
In Ihort, to fum up the character of this prince, w-e can¬ 
not be of opinion, that his good qualities did in any wife 
compenfate for his bad ones. Heroes make a noife ; their 
actions glare, and ltrike the fenfes forcibly ; while the in¬ 
finite deftrmftion and mifery they occalion lies more in the 
fliade, and out of fight. One good legiflator is worth all 
the heroes that ever did or will exilt. See Macedon. 
Alexander ab Alexandro, a Neapolitan lawyer, 
of great learning, who fiourifhed toward the end of the 
15th and beginning of the 16th century. He followed the 
profellion of the law firft at Naples, afterwards at Rome; 
but he devoted all the time he could fpare to the (ludy of 
polite literature; and at length he entirely left the bar, 
that he might lead a more eafy and agreeable life with the 
Mules. The particulars of his life are to be gathered 
from his work inlitled Genialium Die rum. We are there 
informed, that he lodged at Rome, in a houfe that was 
haunted; and he relates many furprifing particulars about 
tire ghoft. He fays / alfo, that, when he was very young, 
he went to the leftures of Philelphus, who explained at 
Rome the Tufculan queltions of Cicero; he was there al- 
fo when Nicholas Perot and Domitius Calderinus read 
their lectures upon Martial. The particular time when 
he died is not known; but he was buried in the monaftery 
of the Olivets. Tiraquea wrote a learned Commentary 
upon his work, which was printed at Lyons in 1587, and. 
•re-printed at Leyden in 1673, with the notes of Dennis 
Godfrey, Chriftopher Colerus, and Nicholas Mercerus. 
Alexander (Neckham), an eminent Engli lit writer in 
the *2th and 13th centuries, born at St. Alban’s, inHert- 
fordfhire. In 1215 he was made abbot of Exeter, and 
died in 1227. He w-rote feveral works, which were never 
publilhed; but they are'to be found in manufcript in the 
public libraries of England and other countries. 
Alexander (Noel), an indefatigable writer of the 
17th century, born at Rouen in Normandy, in 1639. Af¬ 
ter finilhing his ftudies at Rouen, he entered into the or¬ 
der of Dominican friars, and was profelfed therein 1655. 
Soon after he went to Paris, to go through a courfe of 
philofophy and divinity in the great convent, where he 
diftinguilhed himfelf fo, that he was appointed to teach 
philofophy there, which he did for twelve years. M. 
Colbert (hewed him many marks of his efteem; and, be¬ 
ing determined to omit nothing to perfect the education 
of his fon, afterwards archbifliop of Rouen, he formed 
an aflembly of the molt learned perfons, whofe conferen¬ 
ces upon eccleTiaftical hiftory might be of advantage to 
him. Father Alexander was invited to this aflembly, 
where he exerted himfelf with fo much genius and abili¬ 
ty, that he gained the particular friendlhip of young Col¬ 
bert, who (hewed him the utmoft regard as long as he 
lived. Thefe conferences gave rife to Alexander’s defign 
of writing an ecclefiaftical hiftory. This he executed 
with'great afiiduity, collecting and digefling the materials 
himfelf, and writing even the tables with his own hand. 
He completed his work in 16S6. Towards the latter part 
of his life, he was afflicted with the lofs of his fight"; a 
molt inexpreflible misfortune to one whofe whole plea- 
iure was in lludy, yet he bore it with great patience and 
3 
ALE 271 
Vefignation. He died merely of a decay of nature, in 
1724, in the S6th year of his age. 
Alexander Severus, emperor of Rome, Succeeded 
Ileliogabalus, about A. D. 222, when but fixteen years 
of age. His mother’s name was Mammsea, and by her 
advice he in a great meafure regulated his conduct. He 
applied himfelf to the .reformation of abufes, the date 
having been greatly difordered by the vicious condudt of 
his predeceflor; he was a'molt drift lover of jultice, an 
encourager of . learning and learned men, and favourable 
to the Chridians. He made a fuccefsful expedition againd 
thePerdans; but, endeavouring to reform his troops, 
whicii had grown very licentious under the late bad go¬ 
vernment, they murdered him at the indication of Maxi- 
minius in the 29th year of his age, together with his mo¬ 
ther, A. D. 235. 
Alexander VI. (Pope), had four badards when he- 
was cardinal, for one of which he had fo great adedtion, 
that he duck at nothing to raife him. Dedgning to poi- 
fon (bine cardinals, he was poifoned himfelf, A. D. 1503. 
_See Borgia. 
Alexander VII. (Pope). See Chigi. 
Alexander, bidiop of Lincoln in the reigns of Hen¬ 
ry I. and Stephen, was a Norman by birth, and nephew 
of the famous Roger, bidiop of Salifbury, who firft made- 
him archdeacon of Salilbury, and afterwards, by his in- 
tered with the king, raifed him to the mitre. Alexander 
was confecrated at Canterbury, July 22, 1123. The year 
after his confecration, his cathedral church at Lincoln 
having been accidentally burnt down, he re-builc it, and 
fecured it againd the like accident for the future by a 
done roof. This prelate inpreafed the number of pre¬ 
bends in his church, and augmented its revenues with fe¬ 
veral manors and edates. ' In imitation of the barons and 
fome of the bidiops, particularly his uncle the bifhop of 
Salifbury, he builr three callies; one at Banbury, another 
at Sleaford, and a third at Newark. He likewife founded 
two monaderies; one at Haverholm, for regular canons 
and nuns together, the other at Tame for white friars. 
He went twice to Rome in the years 1142 and 1144. The 
drd time, he came back in quality of the pope’s legate, 
for the calling a fynod, in which he publilhed feveral 
wholefome and necellary canons. In Augud 1147, he 
took a third journey to the pope, who was then in France ; 
wh re he fell lick through the exceflive heat of the wea¬ 
ther, and, returning with great difficulty to England, he 
died in the 24th year of his prelacy. 
Alexander (William), earl of Stirling, an eminent 
Scots datefman and poet in the reigns of James VI. and 
Charles I. who, after travelling'with the duke of Argyle 
as his tutor or companion, wrote a poetical complaint of 
his unfuccefsful love of fome beauty, under the title of 
Aurora. He then removed to the court of Janies VI. 
where he applied to. the more folid parts of poetry, form¬ 
ing himfelf upon the plan of the Greek and Roman tra¬ 
gedians. In 1607, he publilhed fome dramatic perform¬ 
ances, intitled The Monarchic Tragedies, dedicated to 
king James ; who was fo well pleafed with them, as to 
cail him his philosophical poet. After this, he is faid to 
have written a Supplement to complete the third part of 
Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia; and, in 1613, he produced a 
poem called Doomfday, or"the Great Day of Judgment. 
He was made gentleman-ufher to prince Charles, and 
mailer of the requefts; was knighted; and obtained a 
grant of Nova Scotia, where he projected the Settlement 
of a colony, but afterwards fold it to the French. In 
1626, he was made Secretary of (late for Scotland; was 
created firft viScount, and then earl, ot Stirling; and died 
in 1640. 
Alexander I. (St.) whom St. Ireneus reckons the 
fifth bilhop of Rome, fucceeded St. Evariftus in the year 
109, and died in-the year 119. There is no account ol 
his life; and the epifties which are attributed to him are 
fuppolitious. 
Alexander.. 
