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who was elected by a Junto, but rejected at a general councilheld in 1062. He settled, among other ecclesiastical matters, flit:precedency of the archbishops of Canterbury , to those ot \ ork,and died in 1073.
ALEXANDRA, queen of Judea , the widow and successorof Alexander Jannxus; a wise and virtuous princess, who, contraryto the example of her husband, studied to please her subjects, andpreserved peace and prosperity during her reign, whii h lastedonly 7 years. She died A. M. 3940, in the 73d year of her age.
ALEX ANDREA, in ancient geography, a mmmtain ofrMy-sia, forming a part of Mount Ida, where Paris is fabled to havegiven judgment on the three goddesses.
ALEXANDRE'n'A. by the Turks, called Scanderoon : atown in Syria , at the extremity of the Mediterranean Se^u,
ALEXAN DRIA, a city of Lower Egypt , and tor a’long timeits capital; by Athenxus, called Xjvvti, now S’caiuL rut. This citywas built by Alexander the Great , soon after the overthrow ofTyre, about A. C. 333. Long. 31. 11. E. Lat. 30. 21. N. Thecircumference of this city was about 4 leagues. The lake Marco-tis washed its walls on the S. and the Mediterranean on the N.It was intersected lengthwise by straight parallel streets. Thisdirection left a free passage to the northerly wind, which alon^conveys coolness anil salubrity into Egypt . A street of 2000 feetwide began at the gate of the sea, and terminated at the gate ofCanopus. It was decorated by magnificent houses, temples, andpublic buildings. In this extensive range, the eye was never tiredwith admiring the marble, the porphyry, and the obelisks, w hichembellished the city. This street, the handsomest in the universe,was intersected by another of the same breadth, which formed asquare at their junction of half a league in circumference. Thearchitect employed by Alexander in this undertaking was thecelebrated Dinocrates , who had acquired so much reputation byrebuilding the temple of Diana at Ephesus. The famous Alex-andrian library, founded by'Ptolemy Soter in this city, containedno fewer than 700,000 volumes. To the principal library, con-taining 400,000 volumes, another was added, in which 300,000volumes were deposited. In the war carried on by Julius Ctrsaragainst the inhabitants of this city, the library, containing the 400,000volumes, was reduced to ashes. The Other library, however,still remained; and here Cleopatra deposited 200,COO" volumes ofthe Pergnmean library, which Mark Anthony presented her with.These, and others, added from lime to time, rendered the newlibrary at Alexandria more numerous and considerable than theformer; and though it was often plundered during the revolutionsand troubles ot. the Roman empire, yet it was again ami againrepaired, and filled with the same number of books.
Alexandria , in ancient geography, the name of severalother cities built by Alexander the Great .
Alexandria, a city in Italy, in the duchy' of Milan , with agpod castle, built in 1178 in honour of Pope Alexander III . Itn 40 miles S. by \V. of Milan . Long. 8. 40. E. Lat. 44. 53. N.
Alexandria’, in North America, a town of Virginia , on the S.bank of the river Potowmak. Long. 70. 0. W. Lat. 38.30 N.
ALEXANDRIAD, a poem on the life of Alexander theGreat, written by Alexander l’eris, a French poet, in alternateverses of 12 and 13 syllables ; whence verses of that measure arestyled Alexandrians, or Alexandrines .
ALEXAN DRIAN, a native of Alexandria ; also one who pro-fessed or taught the sciences in the school of Alexandria . In thissense, Clemens is denominated Alexundrinus, though born atAthens.
Alexandrian is more particularly applied to a college ofpriests, consecrated to the service of Alexander Severus after hisdeification.
Alexandrian Library. See Alexandria .
Alexandrian Manuscript, a famous copy of the Scriptures,consisting of four volumes, in a large 4t<> size ; which containsthe whole Bible in Greek, including the Old and New Testaments ,with the Apocrypha, and some smaller pieces, not quite complete.'Phis MS. is now preserved in the British Museum . It was sentas a preseui to King Charles I. from Cyrillus Lucaris, patriarchof Constantinople , by Sir Thomas Rowe, ambassador from Eng-land to the Grand Signior, about the year 1023. Cyrillus broughtit with him from Alexandria , where probably it was written. Ina schedule annexed to it, he gives this account: that it was writ-ten, as tradition informed him, by Theda, a noble Egyptian lady,
about 1300 years ago, not long after the council of Nice. Butthis high antiquity, and the authority of the tradition to which thepatriarch refers, have been disputed; nor are the most accuratebiblical writers agreed about its age. Grabe thinks that it mighthave been written before the end of the 4th century ; others are ofopinion, that it was not written till near the end of the 5th cen-tury', or somewhat later. A facsimile of a part of this invaluableMb. containing the New Testament , was published by C. C.IVoide, London , 178b, fol. maj. The letters are all cut to imi-tate those of the MS. with the same number of lines on a page,and the same number of letters in each line.
ALEXAN D RIN E, a kind of verse borrowed from the French ,first used in a poem called Alexander . They consist, among tlmFrench , of 12 and 13 syllables, in alternate couplets; and, amongus, of twelve. They are peculiar to modern poetry, and seemwell adapted to epic poems. They are occasionally used by mostnations of Europe; but chiefly bv the French , w hose tragediesare generally composed of Alexandrines .
ALEXANDR1NO, or A J. ESS A N D R1X O, a territory inItaly, surrounding Alexandria .
ALEXPCACUS, in antiquity, an attribute of Neptune, whomthe tunny lishers used to invoke, that their nets might be pre-served from the or sword-fish, which used to tear them ;
and that he might prevent the assistance, which it was believed,the dolphins gave the tunnies on such occasions.
ALEXIPI1ARMILS, in medicine, are properly remedies forexpelling or preventing the ill effects of poison.
ALEXI PYRETUM, or ALEXl PYKET1CUM, [fromreXifw and * vf»vo;, fever,] a remedy against fevers.
ALEXIS, a native of Piedmont, and author of “A Book ofSecrets,” which was printed at Basil , 1536, in 8vo: and translatedfrom Italian into Latin by Weclier. Alexis informs us> that liewas born of a noble family ; that he had from Iris early years ap«lied himself to study ; that he had learned the Greek, Latin , lle-rew, Chaldean, Arabian, and several other languages; that hav-ing an extreme curiosity to be acquainted with the secrets of na-ture, he had collected as much as he could during his travels for57 years. At the age of 82 yearn, seeing a poor man expire whomhe might have preserved; struck with remorse, he became a her-mit, and then prepared his secrets for publication. When hedied is uncertain.
Alexis, Grand Duke of Russia, the unfortunate son of Peterthe Great . See Peter.
ALEXEI ERIAE, among physicians, is synonymous withAUxicuats, and Alexipharntic; and is sometimes used for amulet.
ALEYN, Charles , an English poet, was educated at Sidneycollege, Cambridge, and became usher to Thomas Karnaby, inLondon; he was afterwards tutor to the son of Edward Sher-burne , esq. and died in 1640. lie wrote two poems on the bat-tles of Cressy and l’oictiers, and some other pieces.
A PEACES, islands near the mouth of the Ebro.
ALKAQUES, among the Moors, the name generally used fortheir clergy, or those who teach the Mahommedan religion ; in op-position to IheMorabites, w ho answer to monks among Christians .
AEEARIG, a district in Rosslnre.
ALEATERNA, in ancient geography, the last town of Cam-paign, beyond Vesuvius ; the Same with Noceka.
AI.EECCA, the star otherwise called Alfeta and LucidaCorona'.
ALEECHIMO, one of the four districts of Corfu .
AEEEIZERAO, a town of Portuguese Extremadura . Long.9. 10. \V. Lat. 39. 30. N.
AI.FELD, a town ot Germany, in Lower Saxony , 15 milesS.S.W. of lieiklesheim. Long. 10. 4. E. Lat. 51.58. N.
ALEE P, in our ancient Anglo-Saxon laws [from a-lan, to burn,and fat, a vessel, Sax.] a caldron full of boiling water, wherein anaccused person, by way of trial or purgation, plunged his arm upto the elbow, and held it there some time, if he was hurt, hewas held guilty; if not, he was acquitted; which last, we may*believe, seldom or never happened.
ALEIDENA, an ancient town of Italy , in the kingdom ofNaples . Long. 14. 20. E. l.at. 41.48. N.
ALFORD, a district of Aberdeenshire , 11 miles long and 5broad. The chief mamifaeture is stockings.
Alford, a town in Cheshire, on the Dee.
Alford, a tow n in Lincolnshire. A salt spring was discovered1 here