of arrows. Anvari was much attached to astrology, which proved a source of great vexation to him; for, having concurred with other professors in predicting a terrible storm on the day of the conjunction of the seven planets, which took place in the year 1185, it happened that it turned out so serene, that the lamps on the tops of the mosques were not extinguished. The enemies of Anvari severely ridiculed him; and the sultan himself gave him a reprimand. Unable to bear this, he retired first to Meru, and then to Balk, where, in a poem, he made a public renunciation of astrology and its predictions. He died at Balk about 1200.

AISHA, a poetess of Spain, during the time the Moors had possession of that kingdom. At this time, the Moors cultivated every species of polite literature with success, while the rest of Europe was sunk in ignorance and sloth. Amongst the women who particularly distinguished themselves was this lady, daughter of the duke of Ahmedi, so that "she was honoured and esteemed by kings." Her poems and orations were frequently read with applause in the royal academy of Corduba. She was a virtuous character, lived unmarried, and left behind her many monuments of her genius, and a large and select library.

DANIEL ARNAUD, a poet, born of noble parents in the castle of Ribeyrac, in Perigord.

WILLIAM ADHEMAR, a native of Provence, and celebrated for his poetry. He died about 1190.

GUILLAUME D'AGOULT, a poet of Provence in 1198. His ballads are most esteemed in those times of chivalry and hospitable rusticity.

ARNAUD MEYRVEILHDE, or MEREUIL, a poet of Provence. He wrote a book, entitled, " Las Recestenas de la Comtesse," and a collection of poems and sonnets. He died in 1220. Petrarch mentions him in his Triumph of Love.

WILLIAM CABESTAN, or CABESTAING, a celebrated Provencal poet, was of the ancient family of Servieres, and passed the first years of his life in the castle of the lord of Cabestan. Becoming enamoured of a lady of the house of Baux, he wrote popular verses in her praise. The lady, in order to secure his fidelity, caused an herb to be administered to him by way of philtre, which had the effect of depriving him of understanding. He was recovered by an antidote, but his love was turned to hatred. He then served Tricline Carbonal, wife of Raymond de Scillans. He rendered himself so pleasing to this lady as to excite the jealousy of the husband, who, meeting with him in the country, killed him, and barbarously tore out his heart. This he caused to be dressed, and served up in a dish to his wife. She partook of it, and being told what she had eaten, died of grief. This happened about

1213. Petrarch mentions William de Cabestan in his Trionso d'Amore.

ANSELM, or GAUCELM FAYDIT, was one of the most celebrated of the Provencal poets or troubadours. He had a fine figure, abundance of wit, and a pleasing address, and was much encouraged by the princes of his time. By representing his comedies, he soon acquired considerable riches, which his vanity and his love of debauchery and expence did not suffer him to keep. From a miserable state of poverty he was relieved by the liberality of Richard Coeur de Lion, who had a strong taste for the Provencal poetry. After the death of this protector, he returned to Aix, where he married a young woman of distinguished wit and beauty; but she did not long survive her marriage with this profligate husband. He died soon after in 1220, at what age is not exactly known, but certainly early in life. Among the many pieces which he wrote, the following are mentioned:-1. A Poem on the death of his benefactor, Richard I.; 2. "The Palace of Love," imitated afterwards by Petrarch; 3. Several comedies, one of which, entitled, "Heregia dels Prestes," the Heresy of the Priests, a satirical production against the corruptions of the church, was publicly acted at the castle of Boniface, marquis of Montserrat. Dr. Burney informs us, that he found his poem on the death of Richard I. in the Vatican, among the MSS. bequeathed to that library by the queen of Sweden, with the original music by the bard himself, who was as much admired by his contemporaries for setting poems to his music, as writing them. A translation of the poem, and the music itself, may be seen in Dr. Burney's history.

HENRY ARRIGHETTO, a Latin poet, who was an ecclesiastic of Calvazo near Florence, but from some cause he lost his benefice, and became greatly distressed. He painted his misfortunes in elegiac verses, which continue still to be much admired for their beauty. They were printed in 1684, 8vo., and several times since.

JOHN HANVILL, a monk of St. Albans, who studied at Oxford, and, afterwards travelling abroad, became a member of the Benedictine order. He wrote a Latin poem, entitled, "Architectremus," printed at Paris in 1517, 4to.

ROBERT WACE, an Anglo-Norman poet, was born in Jersey. He wrote in French verse the history of Brute, king of England; the romances of Rollo; William Longsword; and Richard, duke of Normandy; a history of the Norman dukes; a Chronicle of Normandy, and other works; for which Henry II. gave him a canonry in the cathedral of Bayeux. When

he died is unknown.

WILLIAM MAPES, an English poet. He was chaplain to Henry II., and archdeacon of Oxford. He wrote some sa

tirical poems in Latin. Mapes was a man of facetious manners, and very free in his conversation.

ROBERT OF GLOUCESTER, the oldest of the English poets. He flourished in the reign of Henry II. Camden quotes many of his old English rhymes, and speaks highly in his praise. He died in the beginning of king John's reign at an advanced age.

LLYWARCH AB LLYWELYN, an ancient Welsh bard, who flourished from about A.D. 1160 to 1220. Many of his pieces are in the Welsh Archæology, and contain several historical notices of value.

LITERATURE.

ALGAZEL, a learned Arabian, a native of Tos, or Tus, in Asia, wrote numerous treatises in defence of the Mahometan religion against the Jews and Christians; among which are, "A Demonstration of Islamism;" and "A Treatise on the Unity of God." He also wrote, "The Resurrection of the Law of Science;" "The Balances of Justice," a moral work, translated by Abraham Chaldai into Hebrew; and a philosophical work, entitled, "The Destruction of Philosophers," of which a Latin version was printed at Venice in 1560. Algazel was a public preceptor at Bagdad, where he amassed great riches. Towards the close of his life, he distributed his wealth among the poor, took the habit of a hermit, and retired to Mecca. Thence he travelled into Syria and Egypt, and returned to Bagdad, where he died. After his decease, a treatise of his was found, which freely censured some of the indulgences of the Mahometan law; every copy of it was condemned to the flames.

SOLOMON BEN JARCHI, known also by the surnames ISAAKI, ISARCHI, and RASCHI, a famous rabbi, was born at Troyes in Champagne, in 1104. The Jews had established in that French city an academy, at the head of which was a rich merchant and learned rabbi, called Isaac, who was the father of our Solomon. When Solomon had finished his studies under his father, he travelled for further improvement, till he was nearly thirty years old. At that time of life he commenced a series of very extensive travels, in subservieney to a design which his father had formed of writing a history of the Jews, from the period of the destruction of Jerusalem. In Egypt he met with the celebrated rabbi Maimonides, who entered into close friendship with him, but who advised him, for reasons of religion as well as policy, to relinquish the undertaking which his father had projected, and to leave the execution of it to more favourable times. Solomon returned to Troyes

in the year 1140; when, finding that his father was dead, he followed the counsel of Maimonides, locked up his collections, and applied himself to a very different kind of study. He undertook to illustrate and comment on the work of RabbaBarnacham, relative to Rabbi Judah's Collections of Talmu dical Traditions. Rabba-Barnacham was prince of the academy of Sora, and his work was written about the year 322 of the Christian era. Solomon's Commentaries upon it were received by all the Jews with much applause. Afterwards he published highly esteemed glosses on the Jerusalem and Babylonish Talmuds; and, finally, he wrote literal and moral illustrations of the Bible, which were printed in the great Bibles of Venice and Basil, and were inserted, at least the greatest part of them, in D'Lyra's immense work on the sacred volume. Our author died at Troyes in 1180, in the seventysixth year of his age. He was buried with every remark of respect, in the Jewish cemetery near that city; but when that nation was afterwards driven out of France, they carried his remains with them into Bohemia, and interred them at Prague. After Rabbi Judah's return from his travels, he married, and had three daughters, who were all of them wives of learned rabbis. One of them was married to Isaac Ben-Imiram, physician in ordinary to Solomon, king of Arabia, and the contemporary and friend of the famous Averroes Ben-Imiram, and who was the author of some philosophical works.

ABI, a learned rabbi of Alexandria, who wrote a treatise on the intelligences which move the heavens, and on the influence of the planets. He flourished in Egypt about the year 1150.

DAVID KEMCHI, a Jewish rabbi, famous as a commentator on the New Testament. He was a Spaniard by birth, son of rabbi Joseph Kemchi, and brother of Moses Kemchi, both men of eminent learning among the Jews; but he excelled them both, being the best Hebrew grammarian the Jews ever had. He wrote a grammar and dictionary of that language; and out of the former Buxtorf made his Thesaurus Linguæ Hebrææ, and his Lexicon out of the latter. His writings have been held in such estimation among the Jews, that no one can arrive at any reputation in letters and theology without studying them.

WIBALDUS was descended from the noble family of the Lords Du Pre, in the bishopric of Liege. Having acquired a competent knowledge of various branches of science, he became a teacher first at Vasso, and afterwards at Stablo. In 1130, he was elected abbot, which dignity was confirmed by the emperor Lotharius, when he visited Stablo with his consort. On this occasion Wibaldus gained so much the respect and esteem of his imperial majesty, that he was afterwards consulted by him

in the most important affairs. In 1136 he accompanied that prince on his expedition to Italy, and superintended the equipment of the fleet destined to act against the Sicilians. In one of his letters, the emperor, among other titles, calls him archchancellor of the Roman empire; and he appointed him, contrary to his inclination, abbot of the monastery of Mount Cassino, to which he had gone to restore peace between the abbot and his monks. In this situation, however, he was exposed to much trouble; and when the emperor departed, as he could hope for no farther assistance from him, he quitted the monastery in the night-time, in the month of November, 1137, and having sent a letter to the monks to inform them that they might choose a new abbot, he returned to Germany. In the year 1146, he was made abbot of the monastery of Corva on the Weser, and being confirmed by king Conrad, who placed as great confidence in him as Lotharius, he appeared at all the diets and other public assemblies, and was employed in various ways. He was no less a favourite with Frederic, who sent him twice as his ambassador to Constantinople; but his last mission thither cost him his life. He died on his return at Buleltia in Paphlagonia, in consequence, it is said, of poison given to him, in the month of July 1158. A collection of letters, written by him, was found at Stablo. It contained about four hundred, being one-half of the original number, which formed two volumes, but the first volume has been lost. They are mixed with some other works, and throw considerable light on the state of society at that time, and on the ecclesiastical history of Germany.

NICHOLAS of CLAIRVAUX, a monk of the Cistercian order, was the disciple and secretary of St. Bernard, who afterwards quitted the monastery whence he derived his surname, and removed into Italy, where he died in the monastery of Montiramey, about the year 1180. He was the author of a volume of "Letters," published by John Piccard, a canonregular of St. Victor, Paris, and inserted in the twenty-second volume of the "Bibl. Patr." They abound in wit, and are written in a very pleasing style; and throw light on the history of the times.

JOHN TZETZES, a grammarian of Constantinople. He was a general scholar, and a severe critic. He is said to have had the whole Scriptures by heart. He wrote "Chiliades," or miscellaneous histories, in verse; Scholia upon Hesiod; epigrams, grammatical pieces, &c. printed at Basil, in 1546, folio.

ISAAC TZETZES, brother of John Tzetzes, published learned commentaries on Lycophron, which have been of great service to Greek scholars, by elucidating the obscurities of that author, and by the numerous particulars which they contain