C I B 
•was employed with others, by pope Gregory XIII. in 
correcting the calendar. There are learned notes by him 
upon Arnobius, Tertullian, Caffian, Pompeius, Julius, 
Caviar, Pliny, Terence, &c. He was the author likewife 
of fotne leparate treatifes; one particularly, de Triclinio 
Romano ; which, with thofe of Fulvius Urfinus and Mer- 
curialis upon the fame fubjeCl, has been publilhed at Am- 
fterdam, in 1664., in 121110, with figures to illuftrate the 
deferiptions. 
CIACl'^A, a jurifdi&ion in South America, in Peru, 
fubject to the archbifhop of Plata, and ninety leagues 
diftant from that city; abounding in cocoa, cattle, and 
•fome filver mines. 
CIACO'NIUS, or Chacon (Alphonfns), of Bae^a, in 
Andalufia, died at Rome in 1599, at the age of fifty- 
nine, with the title of patriarch of Alexandria. He wrote, 
1. Vitae Sc Gefta Romanorum Pontificum & Cardinalium, 
reprinted at Rome, 1676, 4 vols. fol. with a continuation. 
2. Hiftoria utriufque belli Dacici. 3. Bibliotheca Scrip- 
torum ad Ann. 1583; publiflied by Camufat, at Paris, 
1731, and at Amfterdam, 1743, folio. 4. An Explication 
of Trajan’s Pillar, 1576, folio, with plates. 
CIAIS', a town of Mingrelia, near the Black Sea. 
CI'ALIS, a country of Independent Tartary, with a 
capital of the fame name; bounded on the north by 
Eluth, on the eaft by fandy deferts, on the fouth by 
Grand Thibet, and on the well by Turkeftan. 
CIAMPI'NI (John Juftin), born at Rome, in 1633. 
He quitted the ftudy of the civil law for the practice of 
the apoftolical chancery. This, however, did not pre¬ 
vent him from applying to the fciences and polite litera¬ 
ture. It was by his care and activity that the academy 
of ecclefiaftical hiftory was inftituted at Rome in 1671. 
In 1677 he eftablilhed, under the aufpices of the famous 
Chriflina, an academy of mathematics and natural hif¬ 
tory, which, by the name of its patron, and the merit of 
its members, foon became known throughout Europe. 
This literary man died in 1698, aged fixty-five. His wri¬ 
tings dre, 1. Conje&urse de perpetua azymorum ufu in 
ecclefia Latini, quarto, 1688. 2. Vetera monumenta, in 
quibus prsecipua mufiva opera, facrarum profanarumque 
edium ltruClura, diflertationibus iconibufque illuftrantur 
1690, 1699, 2 vols. folio. It is upon the origin of the 
moll; curious remains of the buildings of ancient Rome, 
with explanations and plates of thofe monuments. 3. De 
facris sedificiis a Conftantino Magno conftruCtis, folio, 
1693. 4. An Examination of the Lives of the Popes, 
faid to be written by Anaftafius the librarian. 
CIA'NO, a town of Piedmont, in the Canavefe: twelve 
miles fouth-eaft of Ivrea. 
CI'BALAi, or Cibalis, in ancient geography, a town 
of Pannonia Inferior, on an eminence, near the lake 
Hiulka, to the north-weft; of Sirmium; the country of 
the emperor Gratian, where he was brought up to rope¬ 
making; a place rendered famous for the furprifal and 
defeat of Licinius by Conftantine. 
CIBA'O, a mountain, near the center of the ifland of 
St. Domingo, which abounds in mines of gold, filver, 
and copper. 
CIBA'RIOUS, adj. \_cibarius, Lat. from cibus, food.] 
Relating to food ; ufeful for food ; edible. 
CIB'BER (Colley), a celebrated comedian, dramatic 
writer, and poet-laureat, born at London in 1671. His 
father, Caius Gabriel Cibber, was a native of Holftein, 
and a (kilful ftatuary, who executed the baffo relievo on 
the pedellal of the monument, and the two admired 
figures of lunatics over the piers of the gate to Bethlem- 
holpital, in London. Colley, who derived his Chriftian 
name from the furname of his mother’s family, was in¬ 
tended for the church ; but he preferred the ftage, for 
which he conceived an early inclination. 
To this player we are indebted for the reformation of 
the ftage. The firft comedy, aCled fince the reftoration, 
in which were preferred purity of ftyle and decency of 
manners, with a due refpeCt’ to the honour of the mar- 
3 
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riage-bed, was Cibber’s Love’s laft Shift, or the Fool in 
Falhion. The fuccefs of this piece exceeded the author’s 
expectation ; hut, fo little was expeCted from Cibber’s 
genius, that the critics reproached him with llealing his 
play. Indeed in the progrefs of his autborihip it was 
his fate to have his belt comedies attributed to any body 
but himfelf: his Carelefs Hulband was for a long time 
given to the duke of Argyle and other noblemen. No¬ 
thing could put an end to fuch ungenerous fuggeftions 
but his feenes of high life in the Provoked Hulband, 
which he proved to be his own, by printing the unfirulhed 
manufeript of fir John Vanburgh’s play, called a Journey 
to London. Some comic characters of this writer were 
feverely treated by the audience, becaufe fuppofed to be 
written by Cibber, Befides the honour of reforming the 
moral of the ftage, Cibber was the firft who introduced 
men and women of high quality on the ftage, and gave 
them language and manners fuited to their rank. 
Cibber was determined to be an aCtor, though he had 
fmall pretenfions, and little intereft. He was a conftant 
attendant upon Downs, the prompter of Drury-lane, in 
expectation of employment. For fome years he remained 
without a falary, and was known only as a hanger-on by 
the name of Mailer Colley. The following incident gave 
rife to his becoming a hired aCtor. By good fortune, he 
was fo far noticed by Downs as to be appointed to carry 
a meffage on the ftage in fome play to Betterton. What¬ 
ever was the caufe, he was fo terrified, that he quite dil- 
concerted the feene. Betterton, when he came off, alked 
in lome anger who had committed the blunder, and 
fpoiled a feene. Downs replied, “ Mafter Colley.”— 
“ Mafter Colley 1 , then forfeit him .”—“ Why, fir,” fays 
the prompter, “ he has no falary.”—“ No !” fays the good 
old man; “ then put him down ten (hillings a-week, and 
forfeit him five.” To this good-natured adjuftment of 
reward and punilbment, Cibber owed the firft money he 
took in the treafurer’s office. By degrees he came to ex¬ 
cel in a variety of comic characters; but his perfection 
of aCting was in the coxcomb of quality, efpeciaily his 
own Lord Foppington in the Carelefs Hufband. He was 
as unfuccefsful in aCting tragedy as in writing it; yet he 
obftinately perfilted in both. 
When he became a manager, and was entrufted with 
the infpeClion of new plays, operas, See. and of receiving 
applications from dramatic writers, Cibber’s character 
does not appear to much advantage. To ufe his own ex- 
preffion, he was “ fond of choking finging-birds;” for fo 
he termed young writers. Complaints were continually 
circulated in the public prints of his pride and imperti¬ 
nence to authors who brought their plays for his perufalj 
but his callous temper rendered all attacks from the prefs 
ineffectual. His treatment of aCtors has been generally 
condemned as unfriendly, if not tyrannical. As a mem¬ 
ber of fociety, little can be faid in his praife. Soon after 
he had fold his lhare in the patent for a very large lum, 
to Mr. Highmore, he endeavoured to render the purchafe 
of no value to that gentleman, by applying to the duke 
of Grafton for a new patent in favour of his Ion Theo- 
philus; but the duke fa-w the injuftice of the aCt, and re- 
fufed to gratify his old acquaintance. His love of gaming 
rendered him a negleCtful father, and unkind to his fa¬ 
mily and relations ; yet, though a gamefter, he was never 
charged with being 4 cheat; he was on the contrary a 
dupe to his own paffions, and probably to the fraudulent 
praClices of others. 
Cibber muft have gained confiderable Turns by his works, 
Befides the money he railed by dedications, benefits, and 
the fale of his plays fingly, his dramatic works in quarto, 
by fubfeription, in 1721, produced a large fum ; and ic 
is computed that he gained no lei's than 1500!. by the ex¬ 
cellent Apology for his Life. George I. gave him iool. 
for his dedication of the Nonjuror; and he was made 
poet-laureat in 1730, in confequence of his having written 
that play. Pope made Cibber the hero of his Dunciad, 
after his attack upon Three Weeks after Marriage, in 
which 
