brit3-excerpt-marked.txt

<article>
<title>AGATLFIAS</title>, or, as he calls himself in his epi-
grams, Aoathius, distinguished by the title of Scho-
lofiieus, a Greek hillorian in the 6th century under Ju-
stinian. He was horn at Myrina, a colony of the an-
cient Æolians, in Asia the less, at the mouth of the ri-
Ver Phythicus. He was an advocate at Smyrna. Tho'
He had a talle for poetry, he was yet more famous for
''is history, which begins with the 26th year of Justi-
nian's re?gn> where Procopius ends. It was printed in
'Greek and Latin, with Bonaventure Vuleanius's, at

Vol. I. Part I.


Leyden, 1594, in 4to; and in Paris at the king's print- Agat!i«
ing-houfe, 1660, in folio. If
</article>

<article>
<title>AGATHO</title>, a tragic and comic poet, disciple to , A£*ve' ,
Prodicus and Socrates, applauded in Plato's Dialogues
for his virtue and beauty. His first tragedy obtained
the prize; and he was crowned in the presence jf
upwards of 30,000 men, the 4th year of the 90th
Olympiad. There is nothing now extant of his, ex-
cept a few quotations in Aristotle, Athenæus, and
Others.
</article>


<article>
<title>AGATHOCLES</title>, the famous tyrant of Sicily, was
son of a potter at Reggio. He was a thief, a common
foklier, a centurion, a general, ; d a pirate, all in a
regular succession. He defeated the Carthaginians se-
veral times in Sicily, and was once defeated himself.
He first made himself tyrant of Syracuse, and then of
all Sicily ; aster which, he vanquished the Carthagi-
nians again both in Sicily and Africa. But at length
having ill success, and being in arrears with his soldiers,
they mutinied, forced him to fly his camp, and cut
the throats of his children, whom he left behind. Re-
covering himself again, he relieved Corfou, besieged by
Cassander; burnt the Macedonian fleet; returned to Si-
cily; murdered the wives and children of those who had
murdered his ; afterwards meeting with the soldiers
themselves, he put them all to the sword; and ravaging
the sea-coast of Italy, took the city of Hipponium.
He was at length poisoned by his grandson Archaga-
thus, in the 7»d year of his age, 290 years before Christ,
having reigned 28 years.
</article>


<article>
<title>AGATHYRNA</title>, or Agathyrnum, Agathyr-
sa, or Agath yrsum, (anc. geog.), a town of Sicily |
now S Marco; as old as the war of Troy, being built
by Agathyrnus, son of Æolus, on an eminence. The
gentilitious name is .•igathyrnnus; or, according to the
Roman idiom, /igathyrnensis.
</article>


<article>
<title>AGAVE</title>, the common American aloe : A genus
of the monogynia order, belonging to the hexandria class
of plants; and in the natural method ranking under
the 10th order, Core aria. The characters are : There
is no calyx: The c*r lla is monopetalous and funnel-
shaped ; the border six-parted, with lanced erect divi-
sions ; The jiamina consist of six erect filaments, longer
than the corolla ; the anthers: are linear, shorter than
the filaments, and versatile : The piflillum is an oblong
germen; the stylus is filiform, the length of the stami-
na, and triangular ; the stigma headed and triangular :
The pericarpium is an oblong triangular capsule, tri-
locular and three-valved : The feds are numerous. Of
this genus, botanical writers enumerate eight species.


Of the Americana, or great American aloe, the stems
generally rise upwards of 20 feet high, and branch out
on every fide towards the top, so as to form a kind of py-
ramid: the slender shoots being garnished with greenish
yellow flowers, which stand erect, and come out in thick
clusters at every joint : these make a fine appearance,
and continue long in beauty; a succession of new flowers
being produced for near three months in favourable
seasons, if the plant is protected from the autumnal
colds. The seeds do not ripen in England. It has
been generally thought, that these plants do not flower
till they are 100 yean old : but this is a mistake; for
the time of their flowering depends on their growth:
so that in hot couutries, where they grow fast, and cx-
G £ paud


AGE [ 254 ] AGE




pand many leaves every season, they will flower in a


; few yeari; but in colder climates, where their growth
is slow, it will be much longer before they shoot up
their stem. There is a variety of this species with
striped leaves, which are pretty common in the English
gardens. The other forts are fa tender, that they must
cdnllantly remain in the stove.
</article>



<article>
<title>ADGE</title>, a city of France, in Lower Linguedoc,
in the territory of Agadez, with a bishop's fee. The
diocese is small, but is one of the richest countries in
the kingdom. It produces fine wool, wine, oil, corn,
and silk. It is seated on the river Eraut, a mile and a
quarter from its mouth, where it falls into the gurph
of Lyons, and where there is a fort built to guard its
entrance. It is well peopled; the houses are built of
black stone, and there is an entrance into the city by
four gates. The greatest part of the inhabitants are
merchants or seamen. The public buildings are but
mean : the cathedral is small, and not very handsome:
the bishop's palace is an old building, but conve-
nient. The city is extended along the river, where
it forms a little port, wherein small craft may enter.
There is a great concourse of pilgrims and other devout
people to the chapel of Notre Thane de Grace. It is
a little without the city, between which and the chapel
there are about 13 or 14 oratories, which they visit
with naked feet. The convent of the Capuchins is well
built, and on the outside are lodgings and apartments
for the pilgrims who come to perform their neuvaine
or nine days devotion. The chapel, which contains
the image of the Vigin Miry, is distinct from the con-
vent. E. Long. 3. 20. Lat. 43. 19.
</article>