A M B 
great magnificence, in quality of legate from the pope. 
During this legation, he laboured to reform many of the 
religious orders, as the Jacobins, the Cordeliers, and thofe 
of St. Germain des Pres. He died in 1510, in the convent 
of the Celeftines, at Lyons, of the gout in his ftomach, 
aged 50 years. This minifter has been greatly praifed for 
having laboured for the happinefs of France ; but lie has 
been much cenfured for having advifed his mailer to fign. 
the treaty of Blois, in 1504, by which France ran the rillc 
of being difmembered. He governed both the king and 
theftate; laborious, kind, honeft, he poffefled good fenfe, 
fmnnefs, and experience ; but he was not a great genius, 
nor were his views extenfive. The defire he had to eafe 
the people in their taxes, procured him during his life, but 
much more after his death, the title of Father of the People. 
There were feveral other diftinguifhed men of this name, 
as, 2. Aimery D’Amboife, a brother of the former, who 
was grand mailer of the order of St. John of Jerufalem. 
The great naval victory lie obtained over the foluan of 
Egypt, near Montenegro, in 1510, made his name cele¬ 
brated, hot only among his own order, but throughout 
Europe. He died about two years after. Abbe Verrot 
has drawn his charafter as “a wife prince, able in govern¬ 
ment, and happy in all his enterprises; who enriched his 
order with the fpoils of the infidels, without appropriating 
ariy to iiimfelf.” 3. Francis D’Amboife, furgeon to king 
Charles IX. of France, who died about the year 16:0. He 
is laid to have been the editor of Abelard’s Works, in 
quarto, in 1616, and the author of a lively comedy, called 
Les Neapolitains. 4. Adrian D’Amboife, brother of the 
latter, who was author of a tragedy called Holoferne. 5. 
James D’Amboife, a doctor of phyfic, and rector of the 
univerfity of Paris, was brother to the two lull. Under his 
reclorate the univerfity of Paris fwore allegiance to Hen¬ 
ry IV. 6. Michel D’Amboife, fieur de Chevillon, a natu¬ 
ral fon of Michel D’Amboife, admiral of France. 
Amboise, a town of France, in the department of In- 
dre and Loire, and in the late province of Touraine, feated 
at the confluence of the rivers Loire and Malfee. The 
town is rendered famous in hillory by the confpiracy of 
the Proteflants in 1560, which opened the fatal wars of 
religion in France. The caftle is lituated on a craggy 
rock, extremely difficult of accefs, and the Tides of which 
are almoft perpendicular. At its foot flows the Loire, 
\Vhich is divided into two dreams by a final 1 ifland. To 
this fortrefs the duke of Guife, when he expedited an in- 
furreftion among the Hugonots, removed Francis II. as to 
a place of perfect fecurity. Charles VIII. was born and 
died at Amboife. Lat.47.25-N. Ion. o. 54. E. 
AMBO'RA, yi in botany. See Mithridata. 
AMBOU'LE, a province of Madagafcar, fotnewhat to 
the northward of fouth lat. 23 0 . It is a fertile and agreea¬ 
ble country, watered by the river Mar.ampani. The 
country produces plants and fruits in plenty. Iron mines 
are alfo found here. The black cattle are extremely fat, 
and their flefit excellent. In this province (lands a large 
town of the fame name; near which is a fountain of hot 
water, within twenty feet of a fmall river whofe (and is 
almofi; burning. The water of the fountain is faid to boil 
an egg hard in two hours; and the inhabitants affirm it to 
be a Sovereign remedy againft the gout. 
. AMBOY'NA, one of the Molucca iflands in the Eafi 
Indies'. It lies in S. lat. 4. o. and E. Ion. 127. o. and is re¬ 
markable for being the centre of the commerce for nut¬ 
megs and cloves, which is entirely monopolized by the 
Dutch Eaft-India company. It is about twenty-four 
leagues in circumference. Befides cloves, it likewife 
abounds in mod of the tropical fruits and fi(h ; nor is there 
Here any deficiency of good water; but flefh is very Scarce. 
This Scarcity, however, proceeds more from the policy of 
the Dutch than either the intemperature of the climate or 
the barrcnnefs of the foil: for, excepting cloves, they have 
in Amboyna, as well as the Moluccas, induftrioufly dif- 
couraged the cultivation of every efculent commodity, 
with the view of with-holding fublifience from thofe who 
Vol, I. No. 56. 
A JV1 B 405 
might be tempted to invade them. Of the natives, the 
men wear large whiikers, but leave little hair upon their 
chin; and have only a flight piece of fluff wrapped round 
their middle. The women tie their hair in knots: the 
maids are bought of their fathers before they are married ; 
and, if the wife proves barren, the marriage is diffolved. 
Some of the natives are Mahometans, and forne Chrifiians. 
Their houfes are built of bamboo-canes and fago-trees. 
They deep on mats. Their weapons are bows and ar¬ 
rows, javelins, Scymitars, and targets. 
Amboyna was firft difcovered by the Portuguefe, who 
built a fort upon it, which was taken from them by the 
Dutch, in 1605. They did not, however, become inafters 
of the whole ifland at once. The Englifh had here five 
fadtories, which lived under the protection of the Dutch 
caftle; holding themfelves fafe, in refpeft of the friend- 
fhip between the two nations. Great differences had ari 7 
feu between the Dutch and Englifh colonifts in this part of 
the w orld ; till at laft, the Englifh Eaft India company 
applying to king James, a treaty was concluded in 1619, 
by which the concerns both of the Englifh and Dutch were 
regulated, and certain meafures agreed upon for prevent¬ 
ing future difputes. This was an additional fecurity to 
the Englifh ; and, by virtue of the treaty, they continued 
two years in Amboyna, trading with the Dutch. During 
this time, however, feveral difputes happened ; which oc- 
cafioning mutual difeontents, the complaints were fent to 
Jacatra, in the ifland of Java Major, to the council of de¬ 
fence of both nations there refiding : but, they not agree¬ 
ing, a ftate of the matter was fent over to Europe, to be 
decided by the Eaft-India companies of both nations; or, 
in cafe they could not agree, by the king of England and 
the dates of Holland, according to an article in the treaty 
of 1619. But, before thefe difputes could be decided in 
a legal way, the Dutch, in order to give the more fpecious 
colouring to the violent feizure w'hich they meditated of 
the ifland of Amboyna, made ufe of the ftale pretext of a 
confpiracy being formed by the Englifh and Japanefe to 
difpoffefs them of one of their forts in this place. The 
plot, it was alleged, had been confeffed by a Japanefe 
and Portuguefe in the Englifh fervice, who were moli in¬ 
humanly tortured till they fhould anfwer in the affirmative 
fitch interrogatories as might favour the fecret defign of 
thofe cruel inquifitors. Upon the injurious evidence of 
this conftrained declaration, they immediately accufed the 
Englifh fadtors of the pretended confpiracy. Some of them 
they imprifoned, and others they loaded with irons, and 
fent 011-board their (hips ; feizing at the fame time all the 
Englifh merchandize, w ith their writings and books. 
Thefe aids of violence w ere followed by a feene of hor¬ 
ror unexampled in the punifhment of the moft atrocious 
offenders. Some of the factors they tortured, by compel¬ 
ling them to fwallow water till their bodies were diftended 
to the utmoft pitch ; then taking the miferable victims 
down from the boards to which they had been faftened, 
and caufing them to difgorge the water; if they did not 
acknowledge the imputed guilt, the procefs of torture was 
repeated. Others of the Englifh they confumed by burn¬ 
ing them gradually from the feet upwards, in order to 
extort the ccnfeffion of a confpiracy, which was only pre¬ 
tended by the infernal policy of thofe lavage tormentors. 
Some had the nails of their fingers and toes torn off; and 
in fome they made holes in their breafts, filling the cavi¬ 
ties with inflammable materials, to which they afterwards 
put fire. Thofe w ho did not expire under the agonies of 
torture, were configned to the hands of the executioner. 
This tragical event happened in 1622. 
The allegation of this pretended confpiracy was equally 
void of probability and truth. The Dutch, had a garnion 
of 300 men in the fort, belides the burghers in the town, 
and feveral other forts and garrifons in the ifland, w hile 
the number of the Englifh did not amount to twenty men j 
nor were even thofe provided with arms or ammunition to 
effect fuch a defign as that with which they were charged, 
There likewife was not one Englifh velfei in the harbour, 
5 L whereas 
