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ALE this is only a blemish on a work of science much in advance of its era. The author composed it, he tells us, when he had retired from practice; and its minute expositions of almost every form of disease fully entitle him to credit when he claims for it the authority of a lengthy experience. It has been translated into Latin, and several times reprinted. Alexander of Tralles was one of the first writers on the practice of medicine, after Galen, to question the absolute authority of that celebrated physician. He is honourably distinguished in this respect from most of his contemporaries, who appear to have yielded a blind adherence to every dictum of Galen. Several other treatises are attributed to Alexander, but it is only certain that he published one other work, a short treatise on intestinal worms.—J. S., G.  ALEXANDER,, first earl of Stirling, a Scottish poet and statesman, was born in 1580. A remote ancestor, Alexander Macdonald, obtained from the noble house of Argyll the small estate of Menstrie, near Stirling, and his descendants assumed the name of Alexander from his Christian name. Sir William Alexander is believed to have been educated at the university of Glasgow. He accompanied the earl of Argyll in foreign travels; and his poetical merits recommended him to the favour of the Scottish court. He was especially beloved by the short-lived Prince Henry, and received many substantial marks of royal favour from King James and his successor. In 1621 he obtained a grant of the territory of Nova Scotia; he was authorized to divide the lands into one hundred portions, and to dispose of these along with the title of baronet, for the stipulated price of £200 each. He acquired another source of revenue, by having granted to him the privilege of issuing base copper coins, denominated turners. He was appointed to a succession of lucrative and honourable offices. In 1625 he became master of requests for Scotland; in 1626, secretary of state; in 1627, keeper of the signet; in 1628, a commissioner of exchequer; and, in 1631, one of the extraordinary judges of the Court of Session. Having been raised to the peerage, he was finally created earl of Stirling, viscount of Canada, and Lord Alexander of Tullibody. In 1635 he obtained from the council of New England an extensive grant of land, including what was then called Stirling, and afterwards Long Island; and he is to be considered as the founder of that settlement, which produced the state of New York. He died at London, in February, 1640, and his body was interred in the parish church of Sterling. His earliest publication bears the title of "Avrora," containing the first fancies of the author's youth, William Alexander of Menstrie; London, 1604, 4to. His dramatic works, in a collective form, are described as "The Monarchicke Tragedies, Crœsus, Darius, the Alexandræan, Iulius Cæsar, newly enlarged," London, 1607, 4to. Several of his other poems were separately published; and a few years before his death appeared "Recreations with the Muses, by William Earle of Sterline," London, 1637, folio. This collection neither includes the "Avrora" nor the "Elegie on Prince Henrie," printed in 1612, and again in 1613. There is sufficient reason for suspecting that the earl of Stirling was the principal, if not the sole author of the version of the Psalms published under the title of "The Psalms of King David, translated by King James," Oxford, 1631, 12mo. Besides constructing an elegant house on his estate at Menstrie, Lord Stirling reared a magnificent mansion on the castle hill of Stirling, now known as Argyll Lodging, having subsequently passed into the hands of the noble family of Argyll. The earldom of Stirling has been dormant since the death of the fifth earl in 1739; and the question of succession, a few years ago occupied the attention both of the civil and criminal courts in Scotland.—C. R.  ALEXANDER,, a celebrated physician of the last century, was educated at Edinburgh, and, during the later years of his life, practised in London; died in 1783. He has left the following works:—"Experimental Essays on the External Application of Antiseptics in Putrid Diseases;" 1768. "Tentamen Medicum de Cantharidum Historia et Usu;" 1769. "An Experimental Inquiry concerning the Causes which have been said to produce Putrid Fevers;" 1771. "Directions for the Use of the Harrowgate Waters;" 1773. "The History of Women from the Earliest Antiquity to the Present time;" 1779.—J. S., G.  ALEXANDER,, an English engraver, who accompanied Lord Macartney to China in 1792, and executed the designs for a work descriptive of the embassy. He was afterwards appointed one of the curators of the British Museum.  * ALEXANDER,, D.D., was born at Leith on the 24th of August, 1808. He attended the grammar school of his native town for two years, and from that was removed to an academy in East Linton, which was under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Jamieson. He then passed three sessions at the Edinburgh university, and two other sessions were spent at St. Andrews, where he attended the lectures of Dr. Chalmers. After leaving college, he was invited to undertake the office of classical tutor in the Theological Academy at Blackburn in Lancashire, where he remained for four years. He afterwards preached for some time in Newington chapel, Liverpool. Thence he removed to Edinburgh, to preside over the church of which he still remains the pastor; and since Dr. Wardlaw's death, he has acted as one of the professors to the Independent Theological Academy in Scotland. He has been repeatedly invited to other charges in Glasgow and London, and has thrice had in his offer a professorship in New College, London, and recently the principalship of that institution.

The works of Dr. Alexander are very numerous, if we include his pamphlets and published sermons. His larger works are the following:—1. "The Connection and Harmony of the Old and New Testaments," 1841; 2nd edition, 1853. 2. "Anglo-Catholicism not Apostolical," 1843. 3. "Memoirs of the Rev. John Watson," 1845. 4. "Switzerland and the Swiss Churches, being Notes of a Short Tour, and Notes of the Principal Religious Bodies in that Country," 1846. 5. "Christ and Christianity; a Vindication of the Divine Authority of the Christian Religion, grounded on the Historical Verity of the Life of Christ," 1854. 6. "Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Ralph Wardlaw, D.D.," 1856. Besides these works. Dr. Alexander has edited two treatises on "The Divinity of Christ," with notes and dissertations. He has also edited a Latin commentary of Andrew Melville's "On the Romans" for the Wodrow Society, furnishing the same volume with a life of Ferme. He has translated from the German some valuable theological works. He has also been a frequent contributor to several of the quarterly reviews; and has written for the Tract Society two of the monthly volumes, "Iona," and "The Ancient British Church." He edited for some time the Scottish Congregational Magazine, has written for the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and contributed to Kitto's Cyclopædia of Biblical Literature the admirable articles on Paul and his various epistles, which exhibit a rare combination of sterling British thought and feeling, with a vast knowledge of the Greek and Latin Fathers, and of the stores of German criticism.—J. D.  ALEXANDER, a famous grammarian of the thirteenth century, was a native of Normandy, and exercised his profession of schoolmaster in Paris, where he published in 1209 the work by which he is remembered, "Doctrinale Puerorum." Like many other school-books of that and preceding centuries, the Doctrinale of Alexander was written in verse, and for convenience in the treatment of his subjects, as well as out of respect to the customs of poetry, duly divided into books. It had a great success at the time in the scholastic institutions of France, and also in those of Italy and Germany.—J. S., G.  ALEXANDRA, the daughter of Hyrcanus, wife of Alexander, son of Aristobulus II., and mother of Mariamne, wife of Herod the Great, died about 28. Resenting Herod's depriving her father first of his kingdom, and afterwards of the office of high priest, she did all in her power to bring him into disgrace with Antony, and even conspired against both his authority and his life. Herod having some time after appointed her son Aristobulus to the sacred office, a reconciliation seemed to have been effected between them; but it was only in appearance, for Herod still dreaded her intrigues, and commanded her to be kept prisoner in her own palace, and to desist from all interference in public affairs. Exasperated by this conduct, she appealed to Cleopatra, who recommended her to come immediately into Egypt with her son. She attempted to make her escape along with Aristobulus, but her plan was betrayed to Herod, who arrested the fugitives in the very act of flight. Fearing the anger of Cleopatra, however, he did not dare openly to punish them, but treacherously put the young man to death while they were both making merry during the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Dissembling her fury at this new outrage, Alexandra pretended to believe that the death of her son was accidental; but she wrote secretly to Cleopatra, and persuaded her to stir up Antony to call Herod to account for this crime. But on the return of Herod loaded with honours, her wrath knew no bounds: 