ARB 
other works to Aratus. Virgil, in his Georgies, has trarif- 
lated or imitated many patfages from this autltor : Ovid 
l'peaks of him with admiration, as well as many others of 
the poets. And St. Paul has quoted a palTage from him ; 
which is in his fpeech to the Athenians (Acts xvii. 28.) 
where he tells them that fome of their own poets have faid, 
For lot are alfo his offspring, thefe words being the begin¬ 
ning of the fifth line of the Phenomena of Aratus. His 
modern editors are as follow : Henry Stephens publifhed 
his poem at Paris in 1566, in his colleftion of the poets, in 
folio. Grotius publilhed an edition of the Phenomena at 
Leyden in quarto, 1600, in Greek and Latin, with the frag¬ 
ments of Cicero’s verfion, and the tfanflations of Germa- 
nicus and Avienus; all which the editor has illuftrated 
with curious notes. Alio a neat and corredt edition of 
Aratus was publifiied at Oxford, 1672, in 8vo, with the 
Scholia. 
ARA'VA, a fortrefs of Upper Hungary, in a county and 
on a river of the fame name. Lat.49. 20.N. lon.2o.o.E. 
ARAU'CO, a fortrefs and a town of Chili, in South 
America; fituated in a fine valley, on a river of the fame 
name. The natives are fo brave, that, after a hundred 
years war, they drove the Spaniards out of their country, 
though they had no fire-arms. Lat. 42. 30. S. Ion. 
51. 20. W. 
ARAU'SIO, or Civitas Arausiensis, the capital 
of the Cavares in Gallia Narbonenlis ; now Orenge, in the 
weft of Provence, on an arm of the river Egue, which falls 
into the Rhone, from which it is diftant a league to the 
eaft, at the foot of a mountain. Here is an ancient am¬ 
phitheatre ftill to be feen. Lat.44.ro. Ion. 4. 46. E. 
ARAW', a town of Swifterland. See Aaravv. 
ARAX'ES, now the Aras, a river of Armenia Major, 
which takes its rife in a mountain called Albos, where the 
'Euphrates alfo hath its origin. The Araxes is a very ra¬ 
pid river, and is fuppofed to be the Gihon mentioned by 
Mofes. Befides its extreme rapidity, it is very apt to 
overflow after rains; fo that the Armenians have in vain 
endeavoured to build bridges over it; though fome of 
them appear,' from the few arches remaining, to have been 
built of the beft materials, and in the ftrongeft manner. 
Such is the vehemence’of its current after the thawing of 
the adjacent fnow's, or hidden rains, that neither banks 
nor dykes can refill it; fo that nothing can be more terri¬ 
ble than the noife and violence of its waves at fuch times; 
but, when its waters are low, it is fordable in fome places 
on camels. 
AR'B A, Au'be, or Ar'ces, anciently an ifland and city 
of Illyria, now Arbe, in the gulf of Quarnaro. This ifland 
has but been (lightly noticed by geographers. It was for¬ 
merly fubjeCt to the kings of Hungary; afterwards it became 
dependent on Venetian feudatories ; and at laft was taken 
under the immediate dominion of that republic, by which 
a governor is appointed who has the title of count and 
captain. The number of people on the ifland does not 
much exceed 3000 fouls. The climate is none of the hap- 
pieft ; the winter feafon is moftly fevere, efpecially when 
agitated by the violent northerly winds, which fometimes 
transform the intermediate feafons into winter, and caufe 
the fummer itfelf to difappear. Thefe furious winds do 
great damage to the ifland, particularly in the winter and 
fpring. A few years ago, near 12,000 flieep periflied in 
one night, of cold, in the common paftures of the moun¬ 
tain ; where, according to the cuftom over all Dalmatia, 
they are left in the open air the whole year round. The 
fait fog raifed by the dreadful commotion of the waves, 
which often roars between the mountains of Arbe and the 
oppofite Alps, in the narrow channel of Morlacca, con- 
fumes all the buds of the plants and com, if it happens 
to be driven upon the ifland by the wind ; and it is then 
followed by a cruel fcarcity of every kind of product. 
This calamity communicates its baneful influence even to 
the flefli of the animals left on the paftures, that becomes 
ill-tafted, in confequence of the bitternefs and bad nou- 
yifitment of the food. Abftrafting from thefe irregula- 
Fol. II. No. 56. 
ARB 37 
rities, the air of Arbe is healthful, and conducive to lor- 
gevity. The appearance of the ifland is exceedingly plea- 
fant. On the eaft it has a very high mountain, of the fame- 
fubftance as the Morlacca, of which it was once a pan. 
At the foot of tiiis mountain, the reft of the ifland is ex¬ 
tended to the weftward, and divided into beautiful and. 
fruitful plains interlperfed with little hills fit to bear the 
richeft products. At the extremity that looks to the north, 
a delightful promontory, called I.oparo, ftretches into the 
lea ; it is crowned with little hills, which almoft enclqfe a' 
fine cultivated plain. Near this promontory are the two 
fmall illands of S. Gregorio and Goli, very ufeful to’fliep- 
herds and filhers. The coaft of Arbe, that faces the Mor¬ 
lacca mountains, is quite deep and inacceflible ; and the 
channel between them is extremely dangerous, being ex- 
pofed to furious winds, and without a Angle port cm cither 1 ' 
fide. The long and narrow ifland of Dolin, lying parallel' 
to the ifland of Arbe, along the coaft of Barbado, forms 
a channel left dangerous, though by no means fo fecure as 
it is beautiful to look at. There are feveral harbours in 
the neighbourhood of the city of Arbe, by which the trade 
of the belt part of the ill and is facilitated. The city 
hands on a riling ground between two harbours, which form 
apeninfula; it contains about 1000 inhabitants, among 
whom are many noble families. Among the moft remark¬ 
able curiofities of the ifland, the Arbegiani are proud of 
many reliques, and particularly of the head of St. Crifto- 
fano their prOteftor; but the lovers of facred antiquity 
will find fomething much more lingular in the three heads 
of Shadrach, Melhech, and Abednego, which are venera¬ 
ted here with great devotion. Four of the principal gen¬ 
tlemen are keepers of the fanctuary, and to their care the 
precious records of the city are alfo committed. Among 
thefe records there is a t ran faction of MXVI 1 I. by which 
the city of Arbe promifes to the doge of Venice, Ottone 
Orfeolo, a tribute of fome pounds d&fcta[erica, “of wrought 
filk,” and, in cafe of contravention, pounds dt ruro obrizo, 
“ of pure gold.” 
Springs of frefli water are by nature well diftributed 
over the ifland, and maintain a proper humidity when the 
fummer is not exceflively dry ; fo that the dark verdure of 
the hills covered with wood, the luxuriance of the vines, 
and Irefhnefs of the corn-.ground, form a lpedtacle .‘ex¬ 
tremely cheerful and agreeable. The trade of this ifland 
conlifts in fire-wood, of which many cargoes are annually 
fent to Venice; corn, oil, excellent wine,brandy, and filk ; 
it alfo exports hides, wool, flieep, hogs, and hordes of a 
good breed. There is alfo abundance of good lalt made 
on the ifland ; and the fifhing of tunny and mackare! makes 
no inconfiderable article of trade to the Arbegiani, Who, 
like all their neighbours, find their account in felling this 
commodity to ftrangers, rather than to the Venetians, 
ARBA'CES, was governor of Media under Sardana- 
palus. Seeing him fpinning among a company of his wo¬ 
men, he ftirred up his people to revolt, and dethroned 
Sardanapalus : who thereupon burnt himfelf in his palace. 
Arbaces,being crowned, began the monarchy of the Medfes, 
which lafted 317 years under nine kings, till Aftyages wits 
expelled by Cyrus. Arbaces reigned twenty-two years, 
and died A. M. 3206. See Media. 
AR'BAI.IST,yi [from arcus, a bow, and balijla, Lat. 
an engine to throw ftones.] A crofs-bow.—It' is reported 
by William Brito, that the arcubalifta, or arbalijl, wasfirlt 
fliewed to the French by our king Richard the Firft, who 
was fliortly after flain by a quarrel thereof. Camden. See 
Archery. 
AR'BELA, now Irbil, a city of Allyria, lying in Ion. 
44. 5. E. lat. 35. 15. N, It is famous for the laft and de- 
cifive battle fought in its neighbourhood between Alex¬ 
ander the Great and Darius CodOmannus. This battle 
was fought 331 years before Chrift, and the event of it 
determined the fate of the Perfian empire. Arrian relates, 
that Darius’s army conftfted of a million of foot and 40,000 
horfe; according to Diodorus, there were 200,000 horfe 
and 800,000 foot; Plutarch relates, that the horfe and foot 
L' together 
