of Peers," fol. 1699, but neither are in the above volume. 1

ATKYNS (SIR ROBERT), son of the preceding, by Anne, daughter of sir Thomas Dacres of Hertfordshire, was born in 1646, and educated with great care under the eye of his father. He became early attached to the study of antiquities, and as he had a very considerable estate settled upon him, he lived chiefly upon it, pursuing his studies and exercising old English hospitality. He was elected to represent his county in parliament as often as he chose to accept that honour, and his knowledge and integrity induced many of his neighbours to make him the arbitrator of their differences, which he readily undertook, and generally executed to the satisfaction of both parties. He married Louisa, daughter to sir John Carteret, of Hawnes in Bedfordshire; but having by her no issue male, his father settled his estate on the male issue of sir Edward Atkyns, which settlement was the unfortunate cause of a law-suit between the father and son. Sir Robert differed in other respects from his father's opinions, being more attached to the house of Stuart, yet he inherited both his prudence and his probity, and was equally esteemed and beloved by men of all parties. His design of writing "The History of Gloucestershire," took its rise from an intention of the same sort in Dr. Parsons, chancellor of the diocese of Gloucester, who had been at great pains and trouble to collect the materials for such a work, in the compiling of which he was hindered by the infirm and declining state of his health. Sir Robert, however, did not live to see it published, which was done by his executors. It appeared in 1712, in one volume folio. It was yery expensive to the undertaker, who printed it in a pompous manner, adorning it with variety of views and prospects of the seats of the gentry and nobility, with their arms; and he has inserted some, which, in Mr. Gough's opinion, very little deserve it. It were to be wished, says the same excellent antiquary, that more authorities had been given, and the charters and grants published in the original language. The transcripts of all these were collected by Parsons. The price of this work, which was five guineas, has been greatly raised by an accidental fire, Jan. 30, 1712-13, which

Biog. Britannica.

destroyed most of the copies in the house of Mr. Bowyer, printer, in White Fryars. All the plates, except two or three, falling into the hands of Mr. Herbert, engraver of charts, he caused the lost ones to be supplied, and repub. lished this book in 1768, correcting the literal errors, but without so much as restoring in their proper place several particulars pointed out in the original errata. Great part of this second edition was also destroyed by fire.

Sir Robert resided usually at Pinbury park in Gloucestershire during the summer, and at his house in Westminster during the winter season, where, in 1711, he was seized with a dysentery, of which he died Oct. 29, in the sixtyfifth year of his age. He was interred in the parish church of Saperton, where a noble monument was erected to his memory by Louisa lady Atkyns, his widow; and a good many years after a neat monument was erected in Westminster abbey, nearly opposite Shakspeare's, to the memory of sir Robert Atkyns senior, his brother sir Edward Atkyns, and sir Robert Atkyns, jun.

1

ATKYNS (RICHARD), a typographical author, born in Gloucestershire, in 1615;, studied at Baliol college, Oxford, in 1629, where he was a gentleman commoner, and removed afterwards to Lincoln's inn. He visited France with a young nobleman, and at his return frequented the court; but the civil wars breaking out, he suffered much on account of his loyalty. After the restoration he was a deputy-lieutenant of Gloucestershire. Having been at the expence of above a thousand pounds in law-suits for near twenty-four years, to prove the right of the king's grant in printing law books, he had some hopes of repairing his fi nances by his pen; and published his "Original and growth of Printing in England," 4to, 1664. Five years after he published his "Vindication," &c. containing a relation of several passages in the western wars of England, wherein he was concerned. To which are added his "Sighs and Ejaculations," 4to, 1669. He was married, but it seems unfortunately, for it is said, that it proved his ruin towards the end of his days. He died a prisoner, for debt, in the Marshalsea, Sept. 14, 1677, and was buried in St. George's, Southwark, at the expence of baron Atkyns, to whom he was related. 2

1 Biog. Britannica.-Gough's British Topography, vol. I. 2 Biog. Brit.-Ath. Ox. vol. II,Granger, vol. IV. p. 73.

ATTAIGNANT (GABRIEL CHARLES DE L'), a French poet, was born at Paris in 1697, educated for the church, and made a canon of Rheims. He passed his life, however, in Paris, keeping all sorts of company, good and bad, and rendering himself universally agreeable by his impromptus, his songs, and madrigals, some of which were of the satirical kind, and occasionally involved him in quarrels. Towards the close of his life, he renounced the world, and was made a convert to piety by the abbé Gautier, who was afterwards the confessor of Voltaire. The Parisian wits observed that such an attempt was worthy of Gautier, as he was chaplain to the hospital of incurables. The abbé Attaignant died at Paris Jan. 10, 1779. He published 1. "Pieces derobées à un ami," 1750, 2 vols. 12mo, published by Meunier de Querlon, who dedicated them to the author himself. All the pieces which form this collection were reprinted in his next publication. 2. "Poesies de l'abbé de l'Attaignant," 1757, 4 vols. 12mo. In 1779 a fifth volume appeared under the title of "Chansons et poesies fugitives de l'abbé de l'Attaignant." 3. "Epitre à M. L. P. sur ma retraite," 1769, 8vo. 4. "Reflexions nocturnes," 1679, 8vo. It would appear that this abbé lost the reputation he gained as an extempore composer and singer, by turning author, his countrymen being of opinion that very few of his printed works will bear the test of criticism.

1

ATTARDI (BONAVENTURE), an Augustin monk, was born at St. Philip of Agire, or Argire, an ancient town of Sicily, and became professor of church history in the university of Catania, and in 1758 provincial of his order in Sicily and Malta. He wrote, 1."Bilancia della Verita," Palermo, 1738, 4to. This was an answer to a book entitled "Paulus apostolus in Mari, quod hunc Venetus sinus dicitur, naufragus," by P. Ignatius Giorgi, a Benedictine of Ragusa. The dispute respected the name of the island on which St. Paul was shipwrecked, called in Latin Melita. Giorgi was of opinion that it was an island in Dalmatia, now called Melada, while Attardi maintained the more common opinion that it was the well known island of Malta. 2. "Lettera scritta ad un suo amico, in prova che San Filippo d'Argira fu mandato dal principe degli apostoli San Pietro," Palermo, 1738, 4to. 3. "La Riposta senza

Biog, Universelle.-Dict, Hist, in art. L'Attaignant.

maschera al sig. Lodovico Antonio Muratori," Palermo, 1742. This is one of the many attacks on Muratori, for publishing, under the name of Antonio Lampridio, "that it was not necessary to defend the immaculate conception by force of arms." The time of Attardi's death is not mentioned.1

ATTAVANTI (PAUL), generally known in Italy by the name of Father Paul of Florence, was born in that city in 1419. He entered early in life into the religious order of the Servites, that is, the Servants of the Blessed Virgin, instituted first in 1223, in Tuscany, by some Florentine merchants. To great piety he is said to have added a portion of learning, not very common in his time, and Marsilius Ficinus compared his eloquence to the charms of Orpheus. He was intimate with the most learned men of his time, and was often present at the Platonic academy which met in the palace of Lorenzo de Medici. He contributed much to the extent of his order in Piedmont, Savoy, and Switzerland, and became provincial in Tuscany. He died at Florence, in May 1499. His works were, 1. "Vita beati Joachimi," inserted in Bollandus's Acts of the Saints. 2. "Quadragesimale de reditu peccatoris ad Deum," Milan, 1479, 4to. 3. "Breviarium totius juris canonici," Milan, 1478, 1479, fol. Memmingen, 1486, Basil. 1487, 4to. 4. 66 Expositio in Psalmos pœnitentiales," Milan, 1479, 4to. 5. "De origine ordinis Servorum beatæ Mariæ dialogus." This work, which was written in 1456, and dedicated to Peter de Medici, the son of Cosmo and the father of Lorenzo, was not printed until 1727, Parma, 4to, and Lami published a second edition, more correct, at Florence in 1741, 8yo, with a Life of the author. Attavanti left also many works in manuscript.

2

ATTENDOLO (DARIUS), a military character, and a man of letters, was born at Bagnacvallo in the kingdom of Naples, about the year 1530, and accompanied the prince of Salerno, general to Charles V. in his expedition against Piedmont. He diverted the fatigues of his campaigns by the study of polite literature, and the cultivation of a poetical taste. His works were, "Il Duello," Venice, 1560, which is a history of celebrated duels, and the laws respecting that remnant of barbarity. "A Discourse on Honour,"

Biog. Universelle,

? Ibid.-Mazzuchelli.-Life, ubi supra.

106

ATTENDO LO.
ATTEN

1562, and various poems which have been inserted in collections.

ATTENDOLO (JOHN BAPTIST), a learned writer of the sixteenth century, was the son of an able engineer of the same name, and born at Capua. He became a secular priest, and was distinguished not only for his knowledge of modern languages, to which he added the Hebrew, Arabic, and Greek, but for his poetry, and the active part he took in the famous dispute between the academy of La Crusca and Camille Pelegrino, on the subject of Tasso's "Jerusalem delivered." Attendolo espoused the cause of Tasso, although himself a member of the academy, and highly respected by his brethren. He was killed by the overturning of a carriage, the wheels of which went over his body, and injured him so much that he died in a few hours. This accident happened in 1592, or 1593. His works are, 1. "Orazione nell' essequie di Carlo d'Austria principe di Spagna," Naples, 1571, 4to. 2. "Orazione militare, all' altezza del serenissimo D. Giovanni d'Austria, per la vittoria navale ottenuta dalla Santa Lega nell' Echinadi,' Naples, 1573, 4to. 3. "Rime, con un breve discorso dell' epica poesia," Florence, 1584, 8vo, Naples, 1588, 4to, with additions. 4. "Bozzo di XII. Lezioni sopra la canzone di M. Francesco Petrarca: Vergine Bella, &c." Naples, 1604, 4to, a work left imperfect by the death of the author. 5. "Unita della materia poetica sotto dieci predicamenti e sentimenti ne' due principi della Toscana e Latina poesia, Petrarca e Virgilio," Naples, 1724, 8vo, the second edition; the first is uncommonly rare. He also, after the death of Tansillo, corrected and published his poem, "La Lacrime di S. Pietro," which the author had left imperfect, but the friends of Tansillo were of opinion he had taken too great liberties, which in the subsequent editions they endeavoured to obviate by restoring the poem more nearly to the state in which Tansillo left it.

1

ATTERBURY (LEWIS), born about the year 1631. He was the son of Francis Atterbury, rector of Middleton Malser, or Milton, in Northamptonshire, who among other ministers subscribed the solemn league and covenant in 1648. He was entered a student of Christ-church, Oxford, 1647, took the degree of B. A. Feb. 23, 1649, and was

1 Biog. Universelle,