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/326

 290 A R A T U S. to him. There is an edition of the " Phenomena" published 1 by Grotius, at Leyden, in quarto, 1600, in Greek and La- tin, with the fragments of Cicero's verfion, and the tranfla- tions ofGermanicus and Avienus ; all which the editor has illuftrated with curious notes. He was certainly much efteemed by the ancients, fmce we find fo great a number of fcholiaftsand commentators upon him ; afcnongft whom are Ariftarchus of Samos, the Aryflylli the geometricians, the Evasneti, Crates, Numerous the grammarian, Pyrrhus of Magnefra, Thaler, and Zeno. Suidas afcribes feveral other works to Aratus. Virgil, in his Georgics, has imitated or tranflated many pailages from this author ; and St. Paul has quoted a }>;)ffage of Aratus. It is in his fpeech to the Athe- nians (Ails xvii. 28.) wherein he tells them, that fome of their own poets have faid, T ydo ^ <yw(? itrptv : *' For we " are alfo his offspring." Thcfe words are the beginning of the fifth line of the Phenomena of Aratus. Thin author was publifhed by Henry Stephens at Paris, 1566, among his col- lodion of poets, in folio ; but the very neat and correct Fabric. Bill, edition (f o Fabricrus calls) of Aratus is that of Oxford, 1672, Or. lib. in. ]n g whh thg Scholiaf C I o ARBUTHNOT (Dr. JOHN), a celebrated wit and phy- fician in queen Anne's reign, was the fon of an cpifcopal clergyman of Scotland, nearly allied to the noble family of that name. He had his education in the univerfity of Aber- deen, where he took the degree of doctor of phyfic. The revolution deprived the father of his church preferment ; and though he was pofiefled of a fmall paternal eftate, yet necef- iity obliged the (on to feek his fortune abroad. He came to London, and at firft, as it is faid, for his fupport taught the mathematics. About this time, viz. 1695, Dr. Woodward's " Eflay towards a Natural Hiftory of ihe Earth" was pub- lifhed, which contained fuch an account of the univerfal de- luge, as our author thought inconfiftent with truth: he therefore drew up a work, intituled " An Examination of " Dr. Woodward's Account of the Deluge, &c. with a " comparifon between Steno's Philofophy and the Doctor's, 6 ' in theCafe of Marine Bodies dugup out of the Earth, &c." " 1 695, 8vo. which gave him no fmall fhare of literary fame. His extenfive learning, and facetious and agreeable conver- fation, introduced him by degrees into practice, and he be- came eminent in his profeffion. Being at Epfom, when prince George of Denmark was fuddenly taken ill, he was called in to his affiftaace. His advice was fuccefsful, and c his