be chosen on each part. Ambrose, not, probably, from distrust of his cause, but of his judges, declined the contest, and pleaded in excuse, that matters of faith could only be determined in ecclesiastical councils, and that bishops only ought to have the cognisance of episcopal causes. (Ambr. Orat. in Auxent.)

One principal cause of Ambrose's triumph over his opponents, doubtless, was the warm interest which he possessed in the affections of the common people. Besides the general influence, which he derived from the superstitious reverence at this time universally paid to the episcopal character, he devised various expedients to win their hearts, and guide their passions. A numerous band of indigent persons were pensioners on his bounty. In his " Commentaries upon the Scriptures," allusions and applications to existing characters and circumstances were perpetually introduced. The devotion of the people was wonderfully excited by the alternate or responsory mode of singing in the churches, at this time brought into Italy from the east. (August. Conf. lib. ix. c. 6, 7. Ambr. Orat. in Auxent.) On several occasions, the superstitious credulity of the populace was assaulted by pious frauds. At the moment when the situation of Ambrose required all the support of popularity, he was fortunately directed by a dream to the remains of two martyrs, Gervasius and Protasius, which had lain upwards of three hundred years under the pavement of the church. Two perfect skeletons were found, freshly sprinkled with blood, with the head of one separated from the body. (Ambr. tom. ii. epist. 22.) The people crowded to behold these holy relics. A blind man, who was permitted to touch the bier with his handkerchief, was restored to sight: several demoniacs, and other sick persons, who touched the bodies, were cured. Ambrose appealed to these miracles in his sermons, and his hearers believed them to be real. The Arians, it is true, denied their reality; and Justina and her court derided them, as theatrical representations, by the contrivance, and at the expense, of the bishop; but Ambrose execrated their obstinacy and incredulity, and charged them with greater infidelity than the very devils that were cast out, who believed and trembled:" the people were satisfied, and the prelate established an authority, with which it was in vain for the civil power to contend. It is remarkable, that these miracles are attested not only by Ambrose, (Ep. 85.) but by Augustine (Confess. lib ix. c. 7.) and Paulinus, (Vit. Ambr.) who were then resident in Milan; and it is scarcely less remarkable, that, till Dr.

Middleton wrote his "Free Inquiry," these miracles, and innumerable others, said to have been performed in the second, third, and fourth centuries, obtained general credit among Christian writers. Dr. Cave, in his "Lives of the Fathers," speaking of the iniracles just related, says, "I make no doubt but God suffered them to be wrought, at this time, on purpose to confront the Arian impieties."

Adverse as Justina and the court were to the religious principles and ecclesiastical conduct of this prelate, they respected his talents, and, in circumstances of extreme political exigency, more than once solicited his assistance: and it is a proof of the generosity of his disposition, not to be mentioned without high respect, that, in the moment of public danger, he laid aside his personal resentments, and served his country with fidelity. A few years before, in 383, when Maxentius, who had usurped the supreme power in Gaul, was preparing, after the assassination of Gratian, to march for Italy, Ambrose was sent by Valentinian on an embassy to the tyrant, and found means to dissuade him from passing the Alps. Now, a second time, when Maxentius, in the year 387, was again making preparations for invading Italy, our prelate, under the imperial authority, (Ep. 27. ad Valentin.) undertook the same office, and executed it, though not with the same success, yet with equal dignity and zeal. If his address was not conciliatory, it at least bore strong marks of honesty and intrepidity; and, had the council of Milan listened to the suggestions of Ambrose on his return, they might have been armed against the perfidy of Maxentius, and Italy might, perhaps, have escaped the desolation which soon followed. The conqueror marched, without opposition, into the heart of Italy, and entered Milan in triumph. Justina and her son fled, with precipitation, from the country, and, putting themselves under the protection of Theodosius, emperor of the east, took up a temporary residence in the port of Thessalonica. of Thessalonica. But Ambrose, whose courage never deserted him, remained at his post; and, during the calamities occasioned by the depredations of a victorious army, gave an illustrious proof of his humanity, in ordering the valuable plate, belonging to the church, to be converted into money, and distributed among the unfortunate sufferers.

While Theodosius, whose victorious army had reinstated Valentinian in his kingdom, was in Italy, in 388, he received an account of an act of violence and injustice which had been committed against the Jews by a Christian bi

shop, who had ordered one of their synagogues to be burned. (Paulin. Vit. Ambr. Zonar. Annal. tom. iii.) The emperor immediately sent orders that the synagogue should be rebuilt at the expense of the bishop. The sentence was equitable, and the candour which dictated it merited applause. Ambrose, whose charity never stepped beyond the narrow inclosure of the catholic church, was highly displeased with the emperor's conduct in this affair, and, in a letter which he wrote from Aquileia, represented it as a grievous scandal, that the revenues of the church should be employed in erecting a Jewish temple. If he permitted this order to be executed, the Jews, he said, might write upon the walls of the synagogue this inscription, "Templum Impietatis factum de Manubiis Christianorum," (Ep. 29.) [The Temple of Impiety, erected from the Spoils of Christians.] He justified the action of the bishop who had destroyed the synagogue, on the plea, that the Jews had often been guilty of similar practices towards Christians. In fine, he threatens the emperor with exclusion from the altar, unless he reverse the edict. Wonderful is the power of religious bigotry to confound men's ideas of right and wrong! The bishop saw no injustice in destroying the property of a Jew; and the emperor, blinded by his sophistry, fancied that he had done wrong in ordering an injury to be repaired, and reversed his edict. Ambrose appears with more advantage in the next transaction.

In a tumult which soon afterwards, in the year 390, happened at Thessalonica, Botheric, one of the generals in the army of Theodosius, with some other officers, was killed. The emperor, who then resided at Milan, received the intelligence of this audacious and cruel outrage with extreme indignation; and, irritated still further by the suggestions of an artful favourite, Rufinus, he sent an order for a general massacre of the Thessalonians. The order was executed with horrible fidelity; and at least seven thousand persons fell in one promiscuous carnage. (Ambr. tom. ii. ep. 51, 28. Augustin. de Civit. Dei, lib. v. c. 26. Paulin. Vit. Ambr. Sozomen. lib, vii. c. 25. Theodoret. lib. v. c. 17, 18. Zonaras, lib. xiii.) Ambrose, when he was informed of this dreadful act of revenge, was deeply impressed with horror and anguish, and wrote to the emperor a letter of severe reproof and solemn admonition, in which he warned him not to approach the holy communion with hands polluted with innocent blood. Theodosius, in the anguish of self-reproach, was going into the great church of Milan to

perform his devotions, when he was met at the porch by the bishop, who, with the stern authority of a minister of heaven, forba le him to enter the holy place. The emperor pleaded, in extenuation of his offence, that David, the man after God's own heart, had been guilty both of murder and adultery. His faithful monitor boldly replied, "You have imitated David in his crime: imitate him in his repentance." Theodosius obeyed, and, during eight months, remained in penitential retirement. He was then admitted to the spiritual privileges of absolution and communion; but not till he had signed an edict, (Cod. Theod. lib. iii. tit. 40.) which required that an interval of thirty days should pass, before any sentence of death, or even confiscation, should be executed: a wise precaution against the effects of sudden passion, which reflected honour upon the good sense and humanity which prescribed it. If philosophy should de pise the superstitious weakness which put the conscience of the prince into the hands of his priest, it must applaud the use which was in this instance made of spiritual power, to assert the rights, and support the cause, of humanity. O si sic omnia!

The inflexible courage of Ambrose was again put to the test, when, in the year 393, after the assassination of Valentinian, the empire of the west was usurped by the ignoble Eugenius. With a manly spirit, the prelate refused to enter into alliance with the usurper, (Ambr. tom. ii. ep. 15.) and withdrew from Milan: yet, when the victorious army of Theodosius regained the empire, he generously interceded with the emperor for the pardon of those who had attached themselves to the interest of Eugenius.

Having paid funeral honours to the memory of Theodosius, who died at Milan soon after he had obtained the peaceable possession of the entire Roman empire, Ambrose did not long survive his sovereign. After a short illness, during which he preserved perfect composure of mind, declaring to his friends, that he had not so con. ducted himself as either to be ashamed to live, or afraid to die, he took leave of the world. His death happened in the year 397:

Between the extremes of superstitious veneration and indi criminate contempt with which the characters of the Christian fathers have been treated, it is no easy task to find the exact point from which they may be accurately contemplated, and fairly appreciated. With respect to the subject of the present memoir, we may safely dismiss, as altogether unworthy of credit, many marvellous tales with which his history is

encumbered. Few persons, in the present day, will give themselves the trouble to inquire into the authenticity of the stories, gravely related by Paulinus, Cave, and others, of the swarm of bees that gently settled upon his face, while an infant in his cradle; of the paralytic woman, at Rome, who, while he was praying by her bedside, was instantaneously cured; of the two Arian gentlemen, who, having offered him an affront, were, at the same instant, thrown from their horses and killed; and the bloody bones of the saints Protasius and Gervasius, and the cures they performed through the medium of handkerchiefs; of the globe of fire, which, in his last illness, covered his head, and then crept into his mouth, leaving his face as white as snow; and, lastly, of the voice, which, just before he expired, cried out three times, in the hearing of a bishop, "Arise, and hasten to him, for he is departing." The manner in which Ambrose came into the church, and several particulars of his management in acquiring popularity, will scarcely permit us to exculpate him from the charge of dishonest artifice. Of his intolerant and persecuting spirit, his conduct towards pa gans, Jews, and heretics, leaves no room to entertain a doubt. Nor is it easy to believe, that the pertinacity with which he held fast the exclusive privileges of the catholic church, and the high tone in which he prescribed, in civil as well as ecclesiastical affairs, to the supreme magistrate, was merely dictated by a sense of duty, without any mixture of pride and arrogance. Nevertheless, the memory of this prelate is entitled to respect for the inflexible firmness with which he on all occasions delivered his sentiments, and discharged his duty; for the diligence with which he performed the offices of the church; for his unbounded liberality to the poor; for the generosity which he, in several instances, showed towards his adversaries; and for his zeal in the cause of humanity. In short, Ambrose appears to have possessed great natural strength of understanding, and an invincible energy and firmness of mind, and, in his natural disposition and general habits, to have been amiable and virtuous, and seldom to have acted wrong, except when he was misled by professional ambition, or religious bigotry.

The writings of Ambrose are numerous; but many of them are little more than transcripts from the Greek fathers, particularly Origen. The great object of all his works appears to have been, to maintain and establish the faith and discipline of the catholic church. Several of his treatises are written, to recommend per

petual celibacy as the summit of Christian perfection. His books, on this subject, are, "De Virginibus," written for the benefit of his sister Marcellina; "De Virginis Institutione," a discourse, to prove the perpetual virginity of the mother of Christ, against the heresy of Bonosus, who maintained, that, after his birth, Mary was no longer a virgin ; "Exhortatio Virginitatis," a sermon, preached at Florence. Other theological_tracts, among the works of Ambrose, are, "De Mysteriis; "De Pœnitentiâ;" "De Sacerdotali Dignitate;" "De Fide," a defence of the divinity of Christ, written for the instruction of the emperor Gratian. His book "De Officiis," chiefly intended to explain the duties of Christian ministers, is perhaps the most valuable of Ambrose's works: it is drawn up after the method of Cicero's "Offices," and, with much that is merely professional, contains many good moral sentiments concisely and pointedly expressed. The rest of the pieces may be classed under the heads of "Commentaries on the Scriptures, in which the author chiefly follows the absurd method of allegorical interpretation; "Sermons," or homilies, of which the number is small; and "Epistles," in eight books, which cast much light upon the history of his life and times.-Modern judgment may pronounce many of the sentiments of Ambrose to be, absurd, trivial, or ludicrous: but there is a terseness and smartness in his style, similar, though inferior, to that of Seneca, which may render his works not altogether unworthy of perusal. Perhaps the censure of Mr. Gibbon is too severe : "Ambrose could act better than he could write; his compositions are destitute of taste or genius, without the spirit of Tertullian, the copious elegance of Lactantius, the lively wit of Jerom, or the grave energy of Augustin."

The first edition of his works was published, without date or place, by Maffellus Venia: the second at Milan, by Cribellius, in 1490: in 1492 they were printed at Basil by Amberbachius. Erasmus undertook a new edition, printed at Basil in 1527, 1538, and 1555, and at Paris, 1529. Cardinal Montalto, afterwards pope Sixtus V. professed to give a correct edition at Rome, which appeared, in six successive volumes, between the years 1579 and 1587. This edition was found to be defective and faulty, and was superseded by the edition of the Benedictine monks, printed at Paris, in two volumes folio, in 1682, and reprinted in 1690. This edition is esteemed to be very accurate and complete. Vita Ambr. Pau

lini. Vie par les Benedict. apud Op. Dupin. Car Hist. Lit. Cave's Lives of the Fathers. Gibbon's Hist. c. 27. Moreri.-E. AMBROSIUS AURELIANUS, a general, and afterwards king of the Britons, is supposed to have been son of one of the kings chosen by the Britons after the departure of the Romans, and to have been of half Roman blood. He was educated at the court of Aldroen, king of Armorica, whence, at the request of the Britons, he was sent over, about the year 457, with a body of ten thousand men, to assist them against the Saxons, who had been called in by Vortigern. His success was so great, that, after the death or abdication of Vortigern, Ambrosius, probably already king of the Danmonii by the death of his father, was elected to the pendragonship or sovereignty of all England. In this high office he greatly distinguished himself by his valour against foreign enemies, and his civil abilities in regulating the affairs of the kingdom. The famous Arthur was trained to war under him, and obtained several victories against the northern Saxons during his reign. Ambrosius at length, according to Geof. frey of Monmouth, died at Winchester of poi son administered by a Saxon in the disguise of a physician; but the more common opinion is, that he was killed in a great battle, fought in 508, against Cerdic, a general of the West-Saxons. Geoffrey makes him the founder of Stone-henge: but his narration of this event is evidently fabulous. Biogr. Brit. Whitaker's Hist. of Manchester.-A.

AMEDEUS, a monk, bishop of Lausanne, flourished about the middle of the twelfth century. He was the author of "Sermons in Praise of the Virgin Mary," printed at Basil in 1537, and at Antwerp in 1600, and inserted in the Bibliotheca Patrum." Dupin.-E.

AMELIUS, GENTILIANUS, a Platonic philosopher of the third century, was a native of Tuscany. He was early instructed in philosophy by Lysimachus, a Stoic. Acquiring, in the course of his studies, a great fondness for the writings of Plato, he, in the year 240, became a disciple of Plotinus at Rome. He remained the pupil and friend of that celebrated preceptor twenty-four years; during the last six of which, Porphyry was his companion. It was a strong proof of the similarity of his talents and opinions to those of Plotinus, that he was employed by him to solve difficulties proposed by his disciples, and to refute the objections and calumnies of his enemies. He made large collections from the lectures and

disputations of the schools. He then ventured to write his own thoughts, and produced a large work, which, in forty distinct books, refuted Zostrianus, a Christian heretic, who confounded the doctrines of the gospel with those of the philosophers. He also wrote, in vindication of his master against a charge of plagiarism, a piece, "On the Difference between the Doctrine of Numenius and that of Plotinus." Longinus censures his writings as verbose, but admits that they merited attention. The productions of this philosopher are lost, but a passage is cited from him by Eusebius, (Præp. Evang. lib. ii. c. 19.) and also by Theodoret, (Græc. Affect. lib. ii.) and Cyril, (In Julian. lib. viii.) in which he quotes the beginning of the gospel of John in confirmation of Plato's doctrine concerning the divine nature. Porphyr. Vit. Plotin. c. 7. Eunapius. Suidas. Bayle. Bruckcr.-E.

AMELOT DE LA HOUSSAYE, a French author of some note in the seventeenth century, was born at Orleans in the year 1634. He was formed under the president of St. André, ambassador at Venice, who employed him as his secretary. He was a man of austere manners, and a harsh writer. His condition of life was a little above indigence; and he was frequently indebted to the bounty of his friends. He died at Paris in the year 1706. He wrote with great freedom on political subjects. Of his works, written in French, the principal are, "A Translation of Father Paul's History of the Council of Trent," 4to. 1686, well-esteemed before the translation of Courayer appeared: “ A Translation of Machiavel's Prince," in 12mo. with notes, intended to vindicate that writer from the reproach of having taught assassination and poi-. soning: "A Translation of Gratian's Cour- . tier," in 12mo. with moral and political reflections: "A Translation of the Annals of Tacitus," chiefly valuable for its political notes: "The History of the Government of Venice," in three volumes 12mo. printed in 1714, with an

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Inquiry into the Original Liberty of Venice, translated from the Italian;" a faithful history, which gave great offence to the Venetian senate : "The Morals of Tacitus, extracted from his Annals," in 12mo. a work which has been much read: " Memoirs Historical, Political, Critical and Literary," in three volumes, 12mo. a posthumous publication, ill-written, but abounding with satirical anecdotes. Moreri. Nouv. Dict. Hist.-E.

AMELOTTE, DENYS, born at Saintes, in 1606, a priest of the Oratory, is chiefly known