A M A 
fquadrons of females, w hich rendered credible all that 
has been faid of the prowefs of the Amazons.” 
In the year 1590, the League party obtained Come troops 
from the king of Spain. Upon the new's of their being 
difemba-rked, Barri de St. Aunez, Henry IV.’s governor 
at Leucate, let out to communicate a fcheme to the duke 
de Montmorenci, commander in that province. He was 
taken in his way by fame of the troops of the League, 
who were alfo upon their march with the Spaniards to¬ 
wards Leucate, They were perfuaded, that by thus hav¬ 
ing the governor in their hands, the gates of that place 
would be immediately opened to them, or at lead would 
not hold out long. But Confvantia de Cecelli his wife, 
after having affembled the garrifon, put herfelf lo refo- 
lutely at their head, pike in hand, that Ihe infpired the 
weakell with courage; and the beliegers were repulfed 
wherever they prefeoted themfelves. Shame and their 
great lols having rendered them defperate, they font a 
melTage to this courageous woman, acquainting her, that, 
if (he continued to defend herfelf, they would hang her 
hulband. She replied, with tears in her eyes, “ I have 
riches in abundance: I have offered them, and I do Hill 
offer them, for his ranfom; but I would not ignominioufly 
purchafe a life which he would reproach me with, and 
which he would be afhamed to enjoy. I will not difho- 
nour him by treafon againd my king and country.” The 
beliegers, having made a frelh attack without fuccefs, put 
her hulband to death, and railed the fiege. Henry IV. 
afterwards fent to this lady the brevet of governors of 
Leucate, with the reverlion for her Ion. The famous 
Maid of Orleans, alfo, is an example known to every reader. 
The abbe Arnaud, in his Memoirs, fpeaks of a coun- 
tefs de St. Balmont, who ufed to take the field with her 
hulband, and fight by his fide. She fent feveral Spanifh 
prifoners of her taking to marfhal Feuquiers; and, what 
is not a little extraordinary, this Amazon at home was all 
affability and fweetnefs, and gave herfelf up to reading 
and a£Is of piety. 
Dr. Jfohnfon feems to have given credit to the accounts 
which have been tranfmitted down to us concerning the 
ancient Amazons; and he has endeavoured to (hew, that 
we ought not habily to rejedt ancient hiborical narrations 
becaule they contain facts repugnant to modern manners, 
and exhibit feenes to which nothing now occurring bears 
a refembiancc. “ Of what we know not (fays he), we 
can only judge by what we know. Every novelty appears 
more wonderful, as it is more remote from any thing with 
which experience or tebimony have hitherto acquainted 
Vis; and if it pafies farther, beyond the notions that we 
have been accuftomed to form, it becomes at laft incredi¬ 
ble. We feidom confider, that human knowledge is very 
narrow ; that national manners are formed by chance; that 
uncommon conjunctures of caufes produce rare effedts; 
or that what is impofllble at one time or place may yet 
happen in another. It is always ealler to deny than to en¬ 
quire. To refufe credit confers for a moment an appear¬ 
ance of fuperiority which every little mind is tempted to 
aflume, when it may be gained fo cheaply as by withdraw¬ 
ing attention from evidence, and declining the fatigue of 
comparing probabilities. Many relations of travellers 
have been flighted as fabulous, till more freqvient voyages 
have confirmed their veracity ; and it may reafonafily be 
imagined, that many ancient hiftorians are unjuftly fuf- 
pedled of falfehood, beeaufe our own times afford nothing 
that refembles what they tell. Few narratives will either 
to men or women appear more incredible than the hillories 
of the Amazons; of female nations, of whoie conditu- 
tion it was the efleritial and fundamental law, to exclude 
men from all participation, either of public affairs or do- 
mellic bulinefs; where female armies marched under fe¬ 
male captains, female farmers gathered the harveft, female 
partners danced together, and female wits diverted one 
another, Yet feveral ages of antiquity have tranfmitted 
accounts of the Amazons of Caucaius; and of the Ama¬ 
zons of America, who have given their name to the greated 
Vqi,, 1 , No, 35, 
A M 15 397' 
riyer in the world, Condamine lately found fuch memo¬ 
rials as can be expected among erratic and unlettered na¬ 
tions, where events are recorded only by tradition, and 
new fwarms fettling in the country from time to time con- 
fufe and efface all traces of former times,” 
No author has taken fo much pains upon this fuhjedt as 
Dr. Petit. But, in the courfe of his work, he has given 
it as his opinion, that there is great difficulty in governing 
the women ever, at prefent, though they are unarmed and 
unpraffifed in the art of war, After all his elaborate en¬ 
quiries and difculfions, therefore, this learned writer might 
probably think, that it is not an evil of the firlt magni¬ 
tude that the race of Amazons now ceafes to exill. 
RoulTeau fays, “ The empire of the woman is an em¬ 
pire of foftnefs, of addrefa, of complacency. Her com¬ 
mands are carefles, her menaces are tears.” But the em¬ 
pire of the Amazons was certainly an empire of a very 
different kind. Upon the whole we may conclude with 
Dr. Jolmfon: “The charadler of the ancient Amazon:, 
was rather terrible than lovely. The hand could not be 
very delicate that was only employed in drawing the bow 
and brandifiling the battle-axe. Their power was main¬ 
tained by cruelty, their courage was deformed by ferocity ; 
and their example only ffiews, that men and women live 
bed together.” 
AMAZO'NIAN HABIT, in antiquity, denotes a drefs 
formed in imitation of the Amazons. Marcia, the famous 
concubine of the emperor Commodus, had the appella¬ 
tion of Amazonian , becaule (lie charmed him, molt in a ha¬ 
bit of this kind. Hence alfo that prince himfelf engaged 
in combat in the amphitheatre in an Amazonian habit; 
and of all titles the Amazonius w'as one of thole hq molt 
delighted in. In honour either of the gallant or his mif 
trefs, the month December was alfo denominated Anazo 
nius. Some alfo apply Amazonian habit to the hunting- 
drefs worn by many ladies among us. 
AM'BA,yi an Abylfinian or Ethiopic word, lignifying 
a rock. The Abylfinian? give names to each of their 
rock, as amba-dorho , the rock of a hen, Sc c. Some of tliefe 
rocks are faid to have the name of aomi\ and are of fuch 
a ftupendous height, that the Alps and Pyrenees are but 
low in comparifon of them, Amongft the mountains, and 
even frequently in the plains, of this country, arife deep 
and craggy rocks of various forms, lbme refembling tow¬ 
ers, others pyramids, &c. fo perpendicular and fmooth on 
the tides, that they feem to be the works of art; infomuch, 
that men, cattle, &c. are craned up by the help of ladders 
and ropes: and yet the tops of tliefe rocks are covered 
with woods, meadows,' fountains, filhponds, &c. which 
very copioufly fuppiy the animals feated thereon with all 
the conveniencies of life. The molt remarkable of thefe 
rocks is called Amba-Gcjkcii. It is prodigioufly deep, in 
the form of a cable built of free done, and almoft im¬ 
pregnable. Its fummit is about half a Portuguefe league 
in breadth, and the circumference at the bottom about 
half a day’s journey. The afeent at firlt iseafy; but grows 
afterwards fo deep, that the Abadine oxen, which will 
otherwife clamber like goats, mud be craned up and let 
down with ropes. Here the princes of the blood were 
formerly confined, in \g\y cottages among!! Ihrubs and' 
wild cedars, with an allowance barely fufficient to keep 
them alive.. There is, according to Kircher, in this coun¬ 
try, a rock fo curi'oufly hollowed by nature, that at a dif- 
tance it refembles a looking-glafs; and oppefed to this 
another, on tl;e top of which nothing can be fo foftly 
whifpered but it may be heard a great way off. Between 
many of tjiefe rocks and mountains are vad abyffes, which 
appear very dreadful to the eye. 
i\M'BACHT,/. in topography, denotes a kind of in- 
pifdidlion or territory, the poliedbr whereof has the adnti 
riiff ration of juftice, both in alto and baJJ'o, In fome ancient 
writers, ambacht is particularly ufed for the juriidiction, 
government, or chief magibnicy, of a city. 
AMBA'QE$,yi [Lat.jJ A circuit of words; acircum- 
jocutory fprrn orfpeech ; a multiplicity of words; an inf 
S l direct 
