Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/142

 A F E R. erected by him in honour of Caligula, wherein he declared, that this prince was a fccond time a conful at the age of twenty-feven. This he intended as an encomium, bui Ca- D : on. Cafi". ligula taking it as a farcafm upon his youth, and his infringe- lib. lu ad ment of the Jaws, raifed a procefs againft him, and p eaded himfelf in perfon. Domitius, inftead of making a defence, repeated part of the emperor's fpeech, with the higheft marks of admiration ; after which he fell upon his knees, and beg- ging pardon declared, that he dreaded more the eloquence of Caligula than his imperial power. This piece ot flattery fucceeded fo well, that the emperor not only pardoned, but alfo raifed him to the confulfhip. Afer died in the reign of Nero. AGARD (ARTHUR), a learned Englifh antiquary, born at Toiion in Derbyfhire in 1540, was bred to the law, and in a little time made a clerk in the exchequer office, la quer, which he held forty- ri^e years, under the following Jcicollbn's chamberlains, fir Nicholas Throkrnorton, fir Thomas Ran- Li? ift r ' dol P h fir Thomas We <^ Cieorge Young, efq. fir Walter p. 208.' Cope, fir William Kiiligrew, and fir John Poyntz. His fondnefs for Englifh antiquities induced him to make many Jarge collections, and his office gave him an opportunity of acquiring great flail in that fiudy. A conformity of tafte brought him acquainted with the celebrated fir Robert Cot- ton, and mod of the learned and eminent men in the king- Athen. dom. In his time, as Mr. Wood informs us, a moft illuftri- Oton.vol.i. ous ajfcmbly of learned and able perlons was fet on foot, who ftyled themfelves a Society of Antiquariep, and A^Ir. Agard was one of the molt confpicuous members [A]. Mr. Kearne publifhed the effays compofed by that fociety : thofe cf Mr. Agard, printed in that collection, are as follow. I. Opi- nion touching the Antiquity, Power, Order, State, Manner, JReame's Perfons, and Proceedings of the High Court of Parliament in Col. p. 19. E n gj anc |. 2. On this Queftirn, Of what Antiquity Shires were in England? In this efTiy various antient manufcripts are cited ; and Mr. Agard feems to think king /Elfred was the author of this divifion : it was delivered befoie the fo- p. 7-ciety in Eader term, 33 Eiiz,. 1591. 3. On the Dimenfions of the Lands in England. In this he fettles the meaning of tbefe words, felin, bida 9 caruata^ jugum y virgata, ferlingata t [A] Ss? a prjticubr account of this the introduftion to the c: Arcnaeologia," icn, and its early numbers, in vol. J.
 * 57 be was appointed deputy chamberlain in the exche-