CUR 
CU'RTA MARIA, an island in the Arabian Tea, near 
the fouth-eaft coaft of Arabia : forty miles long, and fix- 
tecn broad. Lat. 17. 20. N. Ion. 73. E. Ferro. 
CU'RIA PENTICI ARUM, /. A court held by the 
flieriff of Chefter, in a place there called the pcndice or 
fcnt.icc; and it is probable its being originally kept under 
a penthoufe, or open died covered with boards, gave it 
this denomination. Blount. 
CURI A'LITY,y. [from curiatis, Lat.] The privileges, 
prerogatives, or, perhaps, retinue, of a court.—The court 
and curiality. Bacon. 
CU'RIATII, the name of three brothers of Alba, 
who maintained the intereft of their country againft the 
Romans, after they had declared war againft Alba. The 
two armies being equal, three brothers on each fide were 
chofen to decide the conteft: the Curiatii by thofe of 
Alba, and the Horatii by the Romans. The three firft 
were wounded, and two of the latter killed ; but the 
third joining policy to valour, ran away ; and having 
thus tired the Curatii, he took them one after another, 
and killed them all three. 
CURIGLIA'NO, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of 
Naples, and province of Calabria Citra, on-a river of the 
fame name : fix miles weft of Roffano. 
CURIGLIA'NO, a river of Italy, in the kingdom of 
Naples, which runs into the gulf of Tarento, five miles 
north-eaft of Curigliano. 
CU'RIO (Caius Scribonius), fon of C. Curio, a dif- 
tinguilhed Roman orator, who added a considerable part 
in the civil war between Casfar and Pompey, of which 
he was one of tlie principal fomenters. He is thus de- 
fcribed by Velleius Paterculus : “ A man of noble birth, 
a fine Speaker, audacious, lavifh alike of his own fortune 
and perfon and of thofe of others, rnoft ingenioufly pro¬ 
fligate, and mifchievoufly eloquent, one whole luft for 
money and for pleafure no wealth, no enjoyments, could 
fatiate.” He was firft one of the partizans of Pompey, 
and was by him placed at the head of the college of tri¬ 
bunes, in order to oppofe the ambitious defigns of Caefar. 
For this purpofe he was preparing a law to deprive that 
leader of his government of Gaul, and the command of 
the army there, when he was bought off with a great 
Sum for the payment of the debts by which he was over¬ 
whelmed. Curio artfully continued for fome time in 
appearance devoted to Pompey ; and at length he made 
the Seemingly fair propofal, that the rival chiefs fhould 
either both be continued in their command, or both de¬ 
prived of it. As the Senate joined with Pompey in re¬ 
quiring Caifar to relign firft, Curio would not Suffer any 
further deliberation for the diSmiflion of either. When 
Caefar, in order to Support his caufe, had advanced with 
a legion to Ravenna, and the Senate pafied a decree de¬ 
claring him a public enemy, provided he did not imme¬ 
diately lay down his command, Curio, with two other 
tribunes, Mark Antony and Caffius Longinus, protefled 
againft their proceeding ; and Soon after, fearing, or pre¬ 
tending to fear, for their lives, they fled in the difguife 
of Haves to Casfar’s camp. Curio is charged with being 
llie moft forward to inflame Caefar’s mind on the occa¬ 
sion, and excite him to violent meafures; and it is in 
his mouth that the poet Lucan puts a Speech for this 
purpofe. When the war broke out, Curio was Sent to 
command in Africa. He fought with fuccefs againft Va¬ 
rus, the Pompeian general, whom he beat out of the 
field; but, being afterwards led into an ambuScadc by 
king Juba, his forces were cut to pieces by the Numi- 
dian cavalry, and he himfelf fell either by his own hand, 
or in the general (laughter, before Chrift 48. 
CU'RIO (Ctelius Secundus), a Piedmontefe writer, 
defcended of a noble family, born at Cherico in Pied¬ 
mont in 1503, and the laft of twenty children. Having 
loft his parents at the age of nine, he was Sent to a public 
School, and then to Turin, where he applied for fome 
years to elocution, poetry, and hiftory, under the pro¬ 
cessors of that city. He Studied aifo the civil law un- 
C U It 48.1 
der Francis Sfondrata, who was afterwards cardinal. He 
had Scarcely attained to his twentieth year, when hear¬ 
ing of the great noife made by the works of Zuingliu& 
and Luther, he became inflamed with a Strong defire of 
reading them. Having found means to procure fome of 
them, he derived fo much Satisfaction, that he refolved 
to proceed to Germany, in order to embrace the doftrine 
taught by the authors. He accordingly made arrange¬ 
ments for this purpofe with two young men, his friends,- 
who entertained Similar Sentiments. They agreed to un¬ 
dertake the journey, and to pafs through the valley of 
Aofta ; but an unforefeen event deranged their projects ; 
for, as they difcourfed on the road with great freedom 
refpefting matters of religion, and were too incautious 
in their expreflions, they were denounced to the bifliop 
of Yvrea, who caufed them to be arrefted, and conveyed 
to the caftle of Capriano. Curio remained there in pri- 
fon for fix months, at the end of which he obtained his 
liberty by the intercelfion of fome of the nobility who 
were his friends; but not till he had received a very Se¬ 
rious admonition from the bilhop to be more circum- 
fpeCt in future. This prelate, observing him to be a 
young man of genius and talents, was defirous of con¬ 
tributing to the progrefs of his ftudies, and with that 
view gave him letters of recommendation to the neigh¬ 
bouring abbey of St. Benigno, the adrniniftration of 
which had been committed to him a little before by 
pope Leo X. But all this produced no change in the 
difpofition of Curio ; for, having Seen in the monastery 
fome relics, to which the people paid great veneration, 
he conceived a defign of carrying them off; and, as no 
fufpicion was entertained of him, he eafily effected his 
purpofe. Obtaining the keys of the Shrine in which they 
were kept, he took them out unperceived, and depofiied 
in their place a Bible, which he had procured from the- 
library of the monastery, with thefe words in writing : 
Hac ejl area faderis cx qua vera feifeitari oraculaliccat, et ire 
qua verafuntfanElorum reliquia. As a day, however, was 
approaching when it was ufual to carry thofe relics in' 
proceffion, thinking it not prudent to expofe himfelf to 
the danger of having his theft discovered, lie fled to Mi¬ 
lan, from which he proceeded to Rome, and other cities 
of Italy. After Satisfying his curiolity, he returned to 
Milan, where he resided Several years, employed either 
in improving himfelf, or in instructing others, and ac¬ 
quired great efteem and reputation, particularly by the 
courage he Shewed during a dreadful plague, which ra¬ 
vaged that city, in afSifting the fick, and by the liberality 
with which he relieved the necessities of the poor. Va¬ 
rious Sovereigns endeavoured to induce Curio to come 
and refide in their States; but he was fo much attached 
to the univerfity of Bafii, that he rejefted the moft ad¬ 
vantageous offers made to him, and nothing could Shake 
the resolution he had formed of ending his days in that 
city, where he died on the 24th of November, 15C9, in 
the fixty-feventh year of his age. Among his works are, 
1. Nucis Encomium, Probus Dialogus. 2. Curionis Opufcula. 
Bafiliae, 1544, 8vo. 3. Pafquillus Extaticus, non illc prior 
fed totus plane alter, auEtus el expolitus, cum aliquot a!Us fanUlis 
pariter et lepidis Dialogis. Genevse, 1544, Svo. Alfo in Ita¬ 
lian and French, 4. Pafquilliorum, tomi, duo. Eliuthcropoli 
(that is, BaSil), 1544, Svo. 1 he moft important of Curio’s 
other works are, 5. ChrifianaRdigionisInfitutio et de Li- 
beris Educavdis. Bafiliae, 1549, Svo. 6. Be Amplitudine bcali 
RegniDci, Libri duo, 1554, Svo. Curio endeavours to prove, 
in this work, that the number of the eledt.is greater than 
that of the reprobated. 
CURIO'SITY,/. InquiSitivenefs ; inclination to en¬ 
quiry. Nicety ; delicacy.—When thou waft in thy gilt, 
and thy perfume, they mocked thee for too much curio - 
fity ; in thy rags thou knoweft none, but art defpifed for 
the contrary. S/ia/iefpcare. —Accuracy ; exadftnefs,—Our 
fenfes, however armed or aflifted, are too grots to difeern 
the curiofty of the workmanship of nature. Ray. —An a ft 
of curiosity; nice experiment.—There hath been prac¬ 
tised 
