50 Extracts from the Port-folie of « Man of Leiters. [Feb. t, 
more worlds than one in the universe: 
which was vehemently attacked, upon the 
authority of Aristotle, Jerom, Isidore, and 
many more. James Pontanus (Progym- 
ttasm. p. 315.) ventured to say, that his 
information was not sufficient to deno- 
minate it the other quarter of the world, 
for which he met with due punishment. 
After much dispute, the vulgar both 
weuld and did call it America, which the 
Yearned adopted upon the authority of 
Quinctilian, 1. Instit. Orator. Utendum 
est verbo ut nummo cui pubkeca forma sit, 
not, however, without precautionary quo- 
tations from Alliatus and Brechzus, in 
“Rub. de Verbor. Significut.and others re- 
lated by Gutierrez, lib. 3. Pract. Quest. 
14¢ num. 132. Meron. Cevull. Commun. 
Opin. v. i. 2. 409. and Mar. Burguy de 
Laudimio, p.i. €. 1. num. 24, 25, &c. all 
of whom had taken infinite pains to in- 
form the public, that the vulgar were not 
in the habits of taking much trouble 
about the exact interpretation and mean- 
ing of words. 
RUISCELLUS. 
This man, lib. 2, delle Imprese, fol. 28, 
contends, that the imscription, “ Plus 
Ultra,” upon the pillars of Hercules, 
which Charles assumed in his arms, 
should be read “ Plus Outre,”—a sapient 
improvement ! 
ALPHONSO ALBUQUERQUE. 
This famous Portuguese commander 
had formed an idea, by the help of the 
Abyssinians, to turn the streams of the 
Nile by a shorter cut into the Red Sea, 
that so he might render Egypt, because 
it was inhabited by the Turks, quite 
barren. This idea is loudly applauded 
by Maffeus, 5 Hist. Ind. 
GASPAR SANCTIUS. 
This man thus paraphrases the verse 
in Isaiah, ‘* Every valley shail be exalted, 
every hill made low, the crooked strait, 
nd rough places plain.” ‘*The low depth 
of vallies shall be raised by a rampart 
thrown up, and the ground heaped toge- 
ther; on the other hand, the hills may 
be lowered, by throwing dewn the tops 
of the rocks; and what is crooked may 
be made straight by a rule; and what is 
gibbous and unequal may be levelled into 
a plain.”--This commentator is not one 
of those who elucidate clear passages into 
obscurity, for his propositions are as pure 
and lucid as the erysta! spring. - 
FESTUS POMPEIUS.—CHAOS. 
This grammarian styles “ Chaos, the 
seed of the World.”--A very happy ex- 
pression, 
JEWS. 
Ant. Naidus Quest. Practic. No. 20. 
notes, that it was, about 1551, much in 
vogue in the Ecclesiastical State, for indi- 
viduals to seize the children of the Jews 
and christen them vi et armis. 
ROYAL APOSTLES, &c, 
Orosius, |. 7. c. 14. says, that the 
Goths, Huns, &c. invaded Italy, by an 
impulse of Providence, that they might 
be converted. Boscus de rgh. Eccles, 
says, that Tiridates having vanquished 
the Armenians, compelled them to be- 
come Christians. He adds, that the 
Burgundians and Franks became so, 
through a vow made if they were suc- 
cessful in a battle. Charlemagne forced 
the Saxons into Christianity. Rhegin. 
Eeinh. and Aimoin. No. 785. Dubra- 
orus, c. 5. 1. 6. Helmodius, |. 6.-c. 16. 
19. 24. say, that Otho the Great thus 
converted the Bohemians. So also Bo- 
leslaus, king of the Poles, (see Arnold, 
1.7. c. 9.) converted the Prussians. So 
Waldemar, king of the Danes, the Ru- 
giani. (Helmod, 1.1. c. 43, 1. 2. ¢. 12. 
13.) So Isid. Hist. Gothor. zra 650, 
notes, that the emperor Heraclius, Sise- 
bert, king of Spain, and Dagobert, king 
of France, compelled the Jews to be 
baptized. So our Alfred forced Guthrun 
and the Danes. Medina de Restit. 
9. 27. and Johan. Azorius Instit. Monal. 
1. 8. c. 24. and others say, that baptism 
was the usual condition of granting quar- 
ter to infidels. . 
DEFENDER OF THE FAITH—ATHANASIUS. 
The Hist. Eccles. 1.10. and Tiber. 
Decianus. d. |. 5, c. 12. n. 28. say, that 
Alexander bishop of Alexandria, wheu 
walking in the street, saw a Jew boy nam- 
ed Athanasius, playing at bishop,and chris- 
tening other children ; through which he 
compelled them all to persevere in the 
Christian faith: and thus it happened 
that Athanasius became a very great 
“« Fidei Propugnator,” Defender of the 
Faith. 
ABRAHAM A DOCTOR—DOCTOR, TITLE OF. 
This, as a degree, commences with the 
12 cent. but Lucian in Dea Syria, notes, 
that there-were publics hospites among 
the Assyrians, called Doctores, because 
they narrated and explained all things. . 
Accordingly,Peneda de Reb, Talom.|. $. 
c. 27. num. 8. says, “ the very hospita- 
lity of Abraham shows that he was 2 
doctor.” See Joseph. Antiq. 1. c. 16, 
Euseb. Prep. Evang. 1.9. c¢. ult. 
MANDEVILLE AND THE SEVABAMBIANS. 
A circumstance, which the writer here- 
of is enabled to communicate, will at 
ence 
