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/66

 3 o A B R A B A N E L. ever the fubjecl: may be, he never fails, fomehow or other, to bring in the diftrefled condition of the Jews, fie was a moft arduous man in his ftudies, in which he woulJ fpend whole nights, and would faft for a considerable time. He had a great facility in writing; and though he difcovered an iin- when in company with them, he behaved with great pqlitenefs, and would be very cheerful in converfation. [E] His commentaries on the Scrip- that father Bartolocci was deluons th tures, efpecially thofe on the prophets, Jews fhould ue foi bid the perufal of them, are tilled with fo much rancour againft And he leils us ti.at they were accori- our Saviour, the church, the pope, the in^ly not allowed <o read or to keep i.i cardinals, the whole cleigv, and all their houfes /ibraoanel's commentaries Chriftians in general, but in a particu- on the latter prophets. Eibliaui. ilaboi. iar manner againft the Roman Catholics, torn. III. p. 8;0. 875. ABSTEMIUS (LAURENTIUS), an Italian writer, born at Macerata, in La Marca de Ancona, who devoted himfelf early to the ftudy of polite literature, and made a furprifing progrefs therein. He taught the Belles Lettres at Urbino, Cruteri, where he was librarian to Duke Guido Uhaldo j to whom he TWauf. dedicated a fmall piece, explaining forne dark paffagcs in '* the ancient authors. He publifhed it under the pontificate of Alexander VI. and another treatife alfo, entitled " Hecato- infcribed to Oc^avian Ubaldini, count de Mercate'ii. His Fables have been often printed with thofe of JEfop, Phasdrus, Gabrias, Avienus, 5cc. He has thefe ancient mythologifts generally in view, but does not always ftri&ly follow their manner; fometimes intermixing his fable with a merry ftory, and now and then fomewhat fityrical upon the clergy [A]. Some of his conjectures on particular pailages in the ancients are inferted in the firft volume of Gruterus's Thefaurus Cri- ticus, under the title of Annotationes Varise j but they are few in number. He wrote a!fo a preface to that edition of Aure- litis Victor publifhed at Venice, 1505. [A] His io4''h fable of the Talents a perfidious facrilegtous villain, for hav- Multiplied i a proof of this. A prieft, ing thus dsfiied the temples of the Holy ?i we are ther-.' toKi, v?s order'-d by his Gholr. " Lord," faid >he prieft,'' thou bifhop to Superintend a monaftery, where *' delivered^ unto me five talents; be- there were five nuns, by each of whom " hold I havegained v bcfides them, five he ha.1 a fr>n L-pfore the vcar v/as out. ' talents more." The prelate was fo The b.iliop, hening of this, was highly taken vviu'i this face'ious anfwer, that he enraged; arH, fencing for the prieft, gave the prieft plenary abfoiutioa. ' d him fesen'iy, calling him ABUL
 * placable hatred to the Chriftians in his cornpofitions [E) yet,
 * ' mythium," from its containing a hundred fables, which he