Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/148

ALT alone, and that kings are simply magistrates, who, may be deposed and put to death in case of misconduct.—J. W. S.  ALTICOZZI or ALTICOTIUS,, a learned jesuit, born at Cortona in 1689; died 1777; wrote against Beausobre's history of Manichæism.  ALTILIO,, an Italian poet of the fifteenth century, the exact time and place of whose birth are unknown. He resided at Naples, then the focus of European intellect, and wrote some admirable poems in the Latin tongue.  ALTING,, a celebrated theologian of the reformed church of Germany, was born at Embden in 1583. He was the third son of Menso Alting, a zealous champion of the protestant church in East Friesland. He studied first at Groningen, and then under Piscator at Herborn. In 1608 he became tutor at Heidelberg of Prince Frederick, afterwards elector of the Palatinate and king of Bohemia, to whom he was devotedly faithful, and by whom he was repaid with an unchanging attachment. In 1612 he accompanied the young elector to England, on occasion of his marriage with the Princess Elizabeth; and, on his return to Heidelberg in 1613, was made professor of theology, and rector of the Collegium Sapientiæ of that city. In 1618 and 1619 he took part with his colleagues, Scultetus and Tossanus, in the synod of Dort, where he distinguished himself by his learning. At the sack of Heidelberg by the Austrian troops under Tilly, Alting narrowly escaped being put to death by an Austrian officer, who came in quest of him into the house where he had taken refuge. After a short stay at Schorndorf in Wurtemberg, he was compelled, in 1623, to remove with his family to Embden, where he had the offer of an appointment as preacher; but he preferred to re-enter the service of his exiled prince, residing now at the Hague, and who appointed him tutor to his eldest son. In 1625 he declined the office of a theological professorship at Franeker; but accepted a similar offer in 1627 from the university of Groningen, where he remained for the rest of his life. He still continued, however, to maintain the closest correspondence with the banished elector, and was in the habit of paying him a yearly visit. Among other labours, he took part in a new Dutch translation of the Scriptures, which was undertaken by order of the synod of Dort. He died on the 25th August, 1644. His writings evince profound learning. In the department of Hebrew he was particularly eminent, and contributed much to promote those Oriental studies for which his age was so distinguished. The great Orientalist, John Heinrich Hottinger, was one of his scholars. His most important writings were the following, all posthumous:—"Scripta Theologica Heidelbergen sia," Friburg, 1646; "Exegesis Augustinæ Confessionis," Amster., 1647; "Theologia Historica," Amster., 1664; "Historia Ecclesiæ Palatinæ," Francf., 1701.—P. L.  ALTING,, a distinguished Hebraist and theologian of the Cocceian school, and son of Henry Alting, was born at Heidelberg in 1618. He was still a child when the sack of Heidelberg by Tilly drove his parents into exile. He studied theology and the learned languages at Groningen, Leyden, and Utrecht, and repaired to Embden to enjoy the instructions of Gumprecht Ben Abraham, a learned Jewish rabbi. In 1640 he made a journey to England, when he made many learned friends in London and Oxford, and took orders in the church of England with a view to settle in the country. But in 1643 he gave up this design, and accepted a professorship of Hebrew and the Oriental languages in Groningen. He had for one of his colleagues in the theological faculty, Samuel des Marets (Maresius), with whom he had the misfortune to become involved in a bitter controversy, which continued for many years. Maresius was strongly addicted to the scholastic method of teaching theology, while Alting was a Cocceian in his principles and views. Maresius accused his young colleague of rationalism and heresy. The curators of the university were obliged to interfere, and enjoin silence upon the disputants. The university of Leyden absolved Alting from the charge of doctrinal error; but he continued to be regarded with suspicion all his life by the anti-Cocceian party. He died at Groningen in 1679 Next to the Buxtorfs, he was one of the most distinguished promoters and professors of Hebrew and Oriental learning of his age. He was so much addicted to rabbinical studies and opinions, that he was spoken of as half a Jew. He kept up an extensive correspondence with the learned men of his time. His collected works were published after his death by his pupil and friend, Balthasar Becker, reformed preacher at Amsterdam, in 5 vols. folio. In his work on Hebrew punctuation, entitled "Fundamenta Punctationis Linguæ Sacræ," he brought forward a new theory on the quantity of Hebrew vowels, called the "Systema duarum morarum," afterwards further developed by Danz, but which failed to commend itself to the judgment of later grammarians. His grammatical works on the Hebrew, Chaldee, and Syriac languages were long in use in the universities of Holland, but are antiquated and obsolete.—P. L.  ALTING,, a Dutch topographer and antiquarian of the 17th century, author of several topographical works.  ALTISSIMO, or, an Italian improvisatore of the fifteenth century. Collections of his verses were repeatedly published.  ALTMANN,, a geographer, historian, and antiquarian of Aargu in Switzerland, who lived in the first half of the eighteenth century. <section end="148H" /> <section begin="148I" />ALTO, a Scottish monk and missionary of the eighth century, who travelled into Bavaria, and founded a monastery, which was endowed by king Pepin, and dedicated to Boniface. <section end="148I" /> <section begin="148J" />ALTOFER, ., a German divine and writer, born at Heersbruck in 1606; died in 1660; author of a commentary on several of Paul's Epistles. <section end="148J" /> <section begin="148K" />ALTOMARI,, an Italian physician of the sixteenth century, who appears to have suffered much persecution at Naples, his native city. He has left a number of works containing nothing very original or important. <section end="148K" /> <section begin="148L" />ALTOMARI,, the son of the preceding, practised medicine at Naples towards the end of the sixteenth century. He published an edition of the works of his father. <section end="148L" /> <section begin="148M" />ALTOMONTE,, a historical painter, born at Naples in 1657, of German parents, his real name being . He studied at Rome under Gian Battista Gauli, then proceeded to Poland, where he worked for some time for King Sobieski, and ultimately settled at Vienna, where he died in 1745.—R. M. <section end="148M" /> <section begin="148N" />ALTON,, a German archæologist and naturalist, was born at Aquileia in 1772, and after residing for a long time near Weimar and at Würzburg, and travelling in several countries of Europe, was appointed professor of archæology at the university of Bonn, where Prince Albert was among the number of his pupils. He died in 1840, leaving a work on comparative osteology, which has been continued by his son, Johann Samuel Edward D'Alton.—J. W. S. <section end="148N" /> <section begin="148O" />ALTON,. Count, an Austrian general of Irish extraction, who poisoned himself at Trier in 1790, to avoid appearing before a court-martial. <section end="148O" /> <section begin="148P" />ALTOUVITIS, a poetess of Marseilles, of the 16th century. <section end="148P" /> <section begin="148Q" />ALTOVITI,, a Florentine theologian, who was born in 1521, was appointed archbishop of Florence in 1548; took part in the council of Trent, and died in 1573. <section end="148Q" /> <section begin="148R" />ALTSCHUL,, the leader of the homœopathic party in Austria, was born at Prague in 1812. <section end="148R" /> <section begin="148S" />ALUNNO,, a caligraphist of Ferrara, who lived in the earlier half of the sixteenth century. <section end="148S" /> <section begin="148T" />ALUNNO,, an Italian painter of the fifteenth century, born at Foligno, and flourishing about 1480. He only worked in distemper, and left several pictures in which the truthfulness of design is highly remarkable. He enjoyed the greatest consideration during his time.—R. M. <section end="148T" /> <section begin="148Zcontin" />ALVA or ALBA, , Duke of, a Spanish general, distinguished under Charles V. and Philip II., born in 1508, was descended from a family of Castile, illustrious in the wars of Spain for several generations. He was only two years old when his father Garcias de Toledo fell in battle against the Saracens, and his education was therefore superintended by his grandfather, who sent him to the army at the age of sixteen. He fought under the Emperor Charles at Pavia. and followed him to Algiers. He defended Perpignan against a six months' siege by the French, under the Dauphin, and at last repelled the enemy. This exploit established his fame, and from that time important trusts were committed to him. As generalissimo of the imperial forces, he attended his master in the war in Germany against the Lutheran princes of the empire, and there, while displaying great military talent, he at the same time gave indications of that cruelty and fanaticism for which he afterwards became so noted. For example, he strongly advocated the death of the conquered elector of Saxony, and when at Wittemberg, proposed to the emperor to open the grave of Luther, and burn the bones of the heretic.

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