Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/153

AMA * AMARI,, an Italian author and revolutionary statesman, was born at Palermo in July, 1806. His father was condemned to death in 1822, for his connection with a revolutionary movement, but the punishment was commuted to thirty years' confinement. This did not deter Amari from treading in his father's footsteps. In 1842, when he occupied a government situation at Naples, he published the work by which he is best known, and which has been translated into English by Lord Ellesmere, "La Guerra del Vespro Siciliano." It created considerable sensation, was withdrawn from sale by the Neapolitan government, and its author was forced to seek refuge in France. On the breaking out of the revolution in 1848, he returned to Sicily, and filled various important offices of state up to April, 1849, when he quitted Sicily to live at Paris, and devote himself to literature. Amari has published, besides the work above referred to, various works relating to the period of the Moorish occupation of Sicily, (1857.)—A. M.  AMARITON,, a learned French jurisconsult of the sixteenth century.  AMASA, son of Ithra, an Israelite, and Abigail, daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother, was made captain of his host by Absalom, when he rebelled against his father. Nevertheless, David, on the death of Absalom, made Amasa captain of the host in preference to Joab, and sent him to assemble troops on the breaking out of the revolt of Sheba, son of Bichri. Amasa's delay in discharging this duty rendered him suspected, and he was slain by Joab on pretence of a friendly interview with him, 1019 .—A. M.  AMASEO,, was a scholar of the sixteenth century, father of the more celebrated Romolo Amaseo.  AMASEO,, son of Romolo Amaseo, and also a scholar of some note. Died in 1584.  AMASEO,, a distinguished Italian scholar and orator; born at Udine, in Friuli, in 1489; died about 1552. He was professor of Humanity successively at Padua, Bologna, and Rome. Under Pope Paul III. he also discharged important political functions. Amaseo has left a considerable number of Latin orations, pronounced by him on various occasions, and also Latin translations of Xenophon's Anabasis, and of Pausanias. The latter work has been frequently reprinted.—A. M.  AMASIS, a king of Egypt, who is said to have reigned about six generations before the Trojan war. He was a cruel tyrant, and was dethroned by the Ethiopians under Actisanes.  AMASIS, a king of Egypt in 570-526 ., whose reign was remarkable for general prosperity and splendour, and for the wise reforms introduced into the administration of public affairs; more particularly for the removal of the restrictions upon trade and intercourse with foreigners, which had previously existed. Amasis, in accordance with this policy, was very friendly to the Greeks, and gave them the port of Naucratis in the Delta. His wife, Laodice, was a Greek princess of Cyrene. Herodotus tells us of the colossal statues and structures with which this monarch adorned the cities and temples of his realm, works surpassed by those of no other Egyptian king. He died in the 55th year of his reign, just as Cambyses was preparing to invade Egypt.—A. M. <section end="153H" /> <section begin="153I" />AMASIS, a Persian general under Darius, son of Hystaspes, who distinguished himself by the treacherous stratagem through which he took Barca in the Cyrenaica, in 510. <section end="153I" /> <section begin="153J" />AMASTRIS, niece of Darius Codomannus, and a woman of great abilities, became the wife successively of Craterus, one of Alexander the Great's generals; of Dionysius, tyrant of Heraclea; and of Lysimachus. Returning to Heraclea when divorced by the last, she was murdered by her two sons, whom Lysimachus, however, punished by death. (See .)—A. M. <section end="153J" /> <section begin="153K" />AMAT,, a distinguished Spanish churchman, born at Sabadell in 1750. He held many high offices, among others the abbacy of St. Ildefonso and the archbishopric of Palmyra. Amat, who mingled a good deal in politics, appears, on the whole, to have sided with the French on their invasion of Spain, though, it may be believed, from pure motives. In 1814 he was among the persons banished by King Ferdinand from Madrid, as having held office under King Joseph. He died in 1824. Amat was a prolific author. His principal work is, "Tratado de la Iglesia da Jesu Cristo," a church history, which was prohibited by the Inquisition.—A. M. <section end="153K" /> <section begin="153L" />AMATI, the family of Cremona, consisting of three generations, who founded the universal celebrity of that city for the manufacture of violins, and successively practised their craft from the latter half of the sixteenth till near the end of the seventeenth century. Accounts vary as to which were the eldest and youngest of this family; that of M. Fètis, which agrees with the majority, and appears to have been the most carefully compiled, states that and his younger brother,, were the first Italians who made these instruments; the elder devoting himself to the manufacture of violins, while the other constructed violas and basses. Nicolo survived his brother, and was succeeded by his sons and ; these dissolved partnership upon the marriage of the latter, who, in conjunction with his son, produced the greatest number of instruments that bear the family name; this Nicolo, the grandson of the original maker, was alive at a very advanced age in 1692. M. Fètis states that, in 1789, an instrument of the kind called Viola Bastarda was in existence, which bore the name of the eldest of the family, and was dated so early as 1551, and that he has seen instruments with his and his brother's names, bearing date from 1568 to 1586. Mr. Dubourg states that some instruments of a large size, and most perfect workmanship, were made by the original brothers in 1570, for the chamber music of Charles the Ninth of France. The instruments of Antonio and Hieronimo are dated from 1589 to 1627. M. Fètis asserts that the Amatis originally copied their instruments from French and from Tyrolese makers, a statement that must be received with caution, since the viol (an instrument with frets like the guitar), which was superseded by the violin, was in common use throughout Europe, until an advanced period in the seventeenth century; and it is therefore unlikely that the violin can have been brought to the perfection of those made by the first Amatis, either in France or in the Tyrol, long before the year 1551. The Amati instruments are distinguished by their beautiful shape and exquisite finish, by their usually small size, by their flatness of model, and by their softness, richness, and sweetness of tone, rather than by their brilliancy and power. Nicolo, the last in the succession, and probably also his father, Hieronimo, increased both the size of the instrument and the convexity of the model, and by this means, we may suppose, augmented the power of the tone. It is considered that the instruments bearing date from 1599 to 1620 are the best this family produced. Straduario, who was not born till 1664, was a pupil of the Amati family, and worked in their factory; and when he was established on his own account, he at first made violins after their model, but soon effected those modifications in it which distinguished his instruments from theirs. We must always believe, however, that it is to his knowledge of the principles he acquired from his famous teachers, and which they seem to have perfectly mastered, that he attained his own eminent success as a maker.

There was also another, named , who lived at Bologna at the beginning of the seventeenth century (possibly a son of the original Andrea), and who made violins and basses, his instruments being famous for the same silvery quality of tone that characterizes those of the whole family.—G. A. M. <section end="153L" /> <section begin="153M" />AMATI,, one of the most eminent architects of our time, was born at Milan about 1786. He has designed many public and private buildings, churches, &c., his most renowned work being the Rotunda of San Carlo at Milan, but recently completed.—R. M. <section end="153M" /> <section begin="153N" />AMATI,, an Italian scholar of great merit; born in 1768. As librarian of the Vatican he had ample scope for developing his principal talent and favourite pursuit—that of collating and successfully deciphering ancient manuscripts. Many celebrated editors of the classics have been greatly indebted to the labours of Amati. He was the first to adopt and to demonstrate the truth of an opinion now pretty generally held, that Dionysius Halicarnassensis, not Longinus, was the author of the "Treatise on the Sublime," so long confidently attributed to the latter. Died 1834.—A. M. <section end="153N" /> <section begin="153O" />AMATI,, a Jewish physician, who, towards the close of the 13th century, translated Avicenna into Hebrew. <section end="153O" /> <section begin="153P" />AMATIUS,, an Italian of low origin, who, on the strength of a pretended relationship with Marius and Cæsar, excited tumults in Rome after the assassination of the latter in 44. Antony first connived at these disturbances, and afterwards had their author strangled in prison. <section end="153P" /> <section begin="153Q" />AMATO, also AMATUS, a learned and talented monk of Monte Casino, in the eleventh century. <section end="153Q" /> <section begin="153Rnop" />AMATO,, an Italian barber-surgeon, who published a book on surgery in 1671 at Naples. <section end="153Rnop" />