Page:A cyclopaedia of female biography.djvu/34

 inquired the cause of her sorrow. "Know you not," she replied, "that Persius, (a favourite dog,) is dead?" Her father exclaimed, "I accept the omen!" and entered hopefully on the war.

AFRA, in Crete, during the Dioclesian persecution, which commenced A. D. 303. She was a pagan and a courtezan, but she no sooner heard the Gospel preached, than she confessed her sins, and was baptized. Her former lovers, enraged at this change, denounced her as a Christian. She was examined, avowed her faith with firmness, and was burnt. Her mother and three servants, who had shared her crimes and repentance, were arrested, as they watched by her tomb, and suffered the same fate.

AGATHA, SAINT, lady, who was remarkable for her beauty and talents. Quiutianus, governor of Sicily fell in love with her, and made many vain attempts on her virtue. When he found Agatha inflexible, his desire changed into resentment, and discovering that she was a Christian, he determined to gratify his revenge. He ordered her to be scourged, burnt with red-hot irons, and torn with sharp hooks. Having borne these torments with admirable fortitude, she was laid naked on live coals mingled with glass, and being carried back to prison, she expired there, A.D. 251.

It is said that Quintianus was drowned while on his way to take possession of the estates of the virgin martyr, who was afterwards canonized, the 5th. of February, that being St. Agatha's day, and occupying a conspicuous position in the Greek and Roman calendar. She is considered the peculiar patroness of Sicily, where there is a miraculous well named after her, which has the credit of haring several times stayed the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius.

AGESISTRATA, of Eudamidas the Second, and mother of Agis the Fourth, king of Sparta, was a woman of great wealth and influence among her people. She had brought up her son very voluptuously; but when he became king, he resolved to restore the ancient severe discipline and mode of living of the Spartans, and began by setting the example himself. Agesistrata at first opposed the reformation, by which she would lose much of her wealth; afterwards she not only approved of her son's design, but endeavoured to gain the other women to join her, as they had great influence in the community, and the greatest difficulty was expected to arise from their opposition; but instead of uniting with her, they applied to Leonidas the Third, the other king of Lacedæmon, to frustrate the designs of his colleague. In consequence of the disturbances that ensued, Agis was obliged to take refuge in one of the temples; but one day, on his returning to his sanctuary from a bath, he was seized and thrown into prison. Agesistrata, and Archidamia, grandmother of Agis, used all their influence, but in vain, to induce the ephori to allow Agis to plead his cause before his own people. They were, however, allowed to share his prison, when one of the ephori, who was in debt to Agesistrata, by his intrigues succeeded in having them all strangled at once. Agesistrata met