72 F R I 
berand fire-wood, game, all kinds of grain, fruit, parti¬ 
cularly good %vine,"among which is the famous piccoli. 
The breeding of cattle is very flourifliing: and the cul¬ 
ture of (ilk fo very extenfive, that it produces yearly 
looo luindred-weight of (ilk, which is deemed fome of the 
fine(t ill I taly. The principal rivers are, the Tagliamento, 
which runs tlircugh the middle of the country, the Me- 
duna, Cellina, Stella, Torre, and the Natifone. The in¬ 
habitants, called Furtani, fpeak a dialeft much refembling 
that of tlie ancient French language, widely diftering 
from either the Italian or German idiom. The whole 
province, which is divided into the diocefes of Udine 
and Concordia, contained in the year 1581 no more than 
196,510 inhabitants; but in 1755 their number amounted 
to 342,1 58 ; and in 1795, to 365,51^, who live in (our ci¬ 
ties, twenty fmall towns and boroughs, and (ix hundred 
villages. Tltis country was a duchy in the time of the 
Lombards; in the tenth century it devolved to tlie 
patriarch of Aquileia; and from 1420 to 1445 it came 
under the dominion of tlie Venetians, partly by force of 
arms, partly by compulfory treaties, and at laft by volun¬ 
tary (ubniKTion : in the fixteenth century, part of it was 
i'eized upon by the houfe of Aufiria ; and tlie wliole of 
it was confirmed to that lioufe by the treaty of Canipo 
Formio in 1797, as part of Maritime Auftria; but by the 
treaty of Prciburgh in 1806, it becomes a part of the 
iiewly-erecled kingdom of It.ily. Udine is the capital. 
FRIU'LI, or Cri'TA di Friuli, a town of Italy, in 
a country of the (anie name; tlie fee of a hitliop, fuffragan 
of Aquileia ; 185 miles eafl-north-ealf of Milan, and thir- 
ty-lwo north-north-vvelf of Trielle. Lat.46.j5.N. Ion. 31. 
E. Ferro. 
FRIVO'LITY, f. Infignificancy.—The admiral was 
no ffranger to the frivolity, as well as falfehood, ojf what 
he urged in his defence. Robertfon. 
FRIV'OLOUS, \_frivolus, frivole, Fr.] Slight; 
trilling; of no moment.—I will not defend any milfake, 
and do not think niyfelf obliged to anfwer every frivolous 
objebfion. Arbulhnct. 
She tam’d the brinded lionefs, 
And (potted mountain pard ; but fet at notight 
The frivolous bolt of Cupid. Milton. 
FRIV'OLOUSLY, adv. Triflingly; wanting weight. 
—Such a fellovv is troublefomely affive, frivoloujly bufy, 
foolifhly lively. Cheferfeld. 
FRIV'OLOUSNESS, /. Want of importance; tri- 
ilingiiefs.—Nothing can prove more fully the innocence 
of Suffolk, than the frivoloujnefs of the articles, which 
his enemies tliouglit proper to cbje6t againft him. Hume. 
To FRlZ'l.E, v.a. [_frijer, h'r.] To cuil in lliort curls 
like nap of frieze.— 'Yht’j frizkd and curled their hair 
with hot irons. HakcwilL 
I doll’d my fhoe, and fwear 
Tlieiein I Ipy’d tliis yeliow frizled liair. Gay. 
The operation of the workman in railing or friezing 
the nap of cloth. 
FRI'ZON ■ (Peter), a French ecclefiaflic of the feven- 
teenth century, born in the diocefe of Rheims. For I'ome 
time he was a member of the fociety of Jefiiits, and was 
employed to infiriuT their pupils in clallical learning. 
Afterwards he officiated as penitentiary in the church of 
Rheims, and was promoted to a canonry in that cathe¬ 
dral. In 1632 he was chofen coadjutor to the grand- 
maffer of the college of Navaiie, at Paris; and foon fuc- 
ceeded to the ftation of grand-mafter himfelf, which he 
retained until the year 1635. Being then defirous of a 
more tranquil life, he refigned his poll, and fpent the re¬ 
mainder ot his_ days in literary labours. He was admit¬ 
ted to the degree (T doctor by the iaculty of the Sor- 
bonne. He died in 1651. In 1621 he | ubli(hed an edi¬ 
tion, in folio, of File Holy Bible, in French, tranffated by 
the divines of the uinverfity of Louvain. In 1629 he 
publifhed a hiftory of the Freacli cardinals, under the title 
FRO 
of Gallia purpiiratax of which he gave a fecond edition 
in 1638, folio, augmented by a Hidory of the Grand Al¬ 
moners of France. Tliis work was held in higli efti,ma- 
tion, until its credit was lelfened by M. Baluze’s expo- 
fure of its errors, in his Anti-Frizonius, publifhed in 1653, 
and afterwards in his Hidory of the Popes of Avignon. 
M. de L.annoi informs us, that lie carri.id on Henry de 
Sponde’s Coniinuition of the Annals of Baronins, from 
1622 to 1630. He was alfo the auiltor of The I.ife of 
Henry de Sponde, prefixed to his Continuation of the 
Ecclefiadicai Annals, pnblidied at Paris in 1659. 
FRO, at/n. [pjra. Sax. ] Backward; regrellively. It 
is only tiled in oppofition to the wordio; to and fro, 
backward and forward, io and from-. 
As wlven a heap of gather’d thorns is cad. 
Now to, now yre, before th’ autumnal blad, 
Together clung, it rolls around the field. Pope. 
It is a contradlion of from. Not now ufed. 
They turn round like grlndledones, 
Whicli they dig out fro' the delves, 
For their bairns’ bread, w ives, and fclves. Ben Jfonfon. 
FRO'BEN (John), an eminent printer, born at Ham- 
melbtirg in Franconia. He was liberally educated, and 
acquired mucli reputation at the nniverfity of Bafil. As 
the bufinefs of a printer was at tliat time connected with 
the profedion of letters, Froben was induced to learn it, 
and to let up a prefs in the city of Badl. He became 
not only eminent in the praffice of his art, but he fup- 
ported its dignity and utility by a fcrupulous choice in 
the authors he pi inted. Such was his reputation, that 
the advantage of having his works printed by Froben, 
was the chief inducement to Erafmus for taking up his 
refidence at Bafil. Among the numerous prodiiblions of 
the Fiobenian prefs, were the works of Erafmus, in nine 
volumes folio, and al(b tliofe of St. Jerom and St. Au- 
gudine, on which he bedowed liis revifion. Thefe are 
reckoned the mod correbl of Froben’^ editions. He had 
an intention of printing the Greek fathers, but was pre¬ 
vented by his death, which happened in 1527. Erafmus, 
who fincerely lamented him, honoured liis memory with 
a Greek and a Latin epitaph. He himfelf died in the 
houfe of Jerom Froben, fon of the former, and his fiic- 
celfor in the printing-office joinily with his fon-in-law 
Nicholas Epifeopius. They carried into eft'eiT the defign 
of printing the Greek fathers. A catalogue of the works 
printed at this office was puhlidied in 1564. 
FRO'BISHER (dr Martin), an eminent navigator, 
born near Doncader in Yorkdiire. He was brought up 
to tlie lea, and acquired great Ikill in ihe art of naviga¬ 
tion. The dilcovery of a north-wed palTage to the In¬ 
dies was an objeiit which excited his zeal, and during 
many years he made fruitlefs endeavours among the mer¬ 
chants to procure the means lor that attempt. At lengtli, 
by application to the miniders of queen Elizabeth, he 
was enabled to fit out a private adventure for this pur. 
pofe; but his equipment amounted to no more than two 
barks of twenty-five tons burthen each, and a pinnace of 
ten tons. Witli this fleiider force he failed from Dept¬ 
ford on June 8, 1576, and on July 28 made the coad of 
New Greenland, about lat. 62. Alter fome time fpent 
in exploring, Frobilher entered the drait which has ever 
lince borne his name, lat. 62. 50. and failed up it the 
length of lixty leagues. This is an-inlet on ilie eafteni 
fide of the continent of New Greenland, which termi¬ 
nates further to the fouih at Cape Farewell. He had 
fome communication with the natives of rhis difmal re¬ 
gion, and cook formal poU'efiion of it in tlie name of his 
fovereign. He then returned, bringing with him a piece 
of black 'tone, by way of (ample of the country. This 
mineral, which was probably a kind of pyrite, was fup- 
pofed to give tokens of containing gold ; and it is aflerted 
that, upon being allayed, it was found to be rich in that 
metal. No mineralogid will now doubt that the fuppo. 
fition 
