Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/159

AME * AMERLING,, one of the most celebrated painters of the present day in Austria, especially famed for his portraits. Some of his paintings, in which he introduces startling effects of reflected lights, have obtained extraordinary success. He was born at Vienna in 1803.—R. M.  AMES,, LL.D., born in 1758, was the son of Nathaniel Ames. Having devoted himself to the study of law, he became a barrister in 1781, but in the struggle between Britain and her American colonies, abandoned his profession for the more stirring pursuits of political life. His talents as a writer and an orator, his mental vigour and high moral character, gave him great public influence. He was a member of the convention of his own state, in which the federal constitution was considered and ratified, and he became the first representative of his own district in the legislative assembly of the new republic; in the debates of which he took a prominent part for several years. He was elected president of Harvard college a few years before his death, which took place in 1808, but declined the office in consequence of his state of health. His works, with a memoir of his life by president Kirkland, were published in 1809.—F.  AMES,, was a captain of marines in the British navy, born in 1619. Having entered the service at an early age, he was present in most of the engagements between the English and Dutch fleets, and distinguished himself by his gallantry in the battle in which the celebrated Van Tromp lost his life. Having retired from the service, he took up his abode at Yarmouth, where he died in 1695.—F.  AMES,, F.R.S., was an eminent writer on antiquarian subjects, born at Yarmouth in 1688-9. His principal work, the valuable produce of twenty-five years of laborious research, is entitled "Typographical Antiquities, being an historical account of Printing in England." Mr. Ames was long a fellow of the Society of Antiquarians, as well as of the Royal Society. He died in 1758.—F.  AMES,, a physician at Dedham, in New England, author of an astronomical almanac, which was extremely popular. He was born in 1708, and died at Dedham in 1765.  AMES [AMESIUS],, D.D., a learned divine and casuist, was a native of Norfolk, where he was born in 1576. He was educated at Cambridge, where his theological studies were directed by William Perkins, by whom his whole intellectual character, as well as his theological opinions and leanings, was powerfully and permanently influenced. After becoming fellow of his college, he was, in consequence of being "one of the rigidest of those called Puritans" (to use his own words), expelled from his fellowship, and forced to become an exile. This took place in 1610. He first betook himself to Leyden, and after a season to the Hague, where he succeeded Dr. John Burgess, whose daughter he married, as chaplain to the English troops in that place. His strenuous adherence to Calvinistic views led him, whilst at the Hague, to a protracted controversy with Grevinchovius, a follower of Arminius, on the principal points in dispute between their respective schools. He lost his appointment as chaplain to the English troops, in consequence of being supposed to be the author of a pamphlet bitterly reflecting on the English church for her indifference in regard to the Synod of Dort. Though the charge thus brought against him was unfounded, it had some colour from his antecedents, as well as from the interest he took in the proceedings of this famous convention. Though not himself a member, he received a stipend of four florins a day from the States-General of Holland, to enable him to live in Dort, and aid the president of the Synod by his suggestions; and there can be no doubt that the influence he exerted on the proceedings was considerable. After the close of the Synod, Ames received the appointment of inspector of the youths who were studying at Leyden, supported by bursaries derived from Amsterdam: and it was for their behoof that he composed his "Medulla Theologiæ," a work which has passed through many editions. In 1622 he entered on the office of professor of theology at Franequer, where he continued to labour: with increasing reputation for nearly twelve years. He enjoys the honour of being the first who assigned to practical theology its due place in the academical curriculum; and his writings in this department, all of which were published during his residence at Franequer, are still referred to by theologians and casuists with respect, especially his treatise "De Conscientia, et ejus Jure et Casibus." He issued during this period, also, several polemical writings, of which the best known are his "Puritanismus Anglicanus," an exposition and defence of the doctrines of the more rigid of the English Puritans, originally composed by William Bradshaw, but translated into Latin by Ames; his "Anti-Synodalia," in which he replies to the arguments of the Remonstrant party in the Synod of Dort; and his "Bellarminus Enervatus," in which he assails Cardinal Bellarmine's defence of popery. His Latin works were collected after his death, and published in 5 vols. 12mo. at Amsterdam, in 1658. In 1633 he resigned his office at Franequer, and accepted a call to be one of the pastors of the Independent church at Rotterdam. It is probable that conscientious motives, rather than reasons of health, led to this step. He died in 1633, at the age of fifty-seven, leaving behind him a widow and children, who soon after emigrated to America. Ames was a man of great controversial powers, accurate in his statements, acute in his reasonings, and rigid in his deductions. As a theologian he inclined to supra-lapsarianism; but his writings do not betray any antinomian tendencies. On the contrary, as already mentioned, they are still held in repute for their ethical worth. It is perhaps to be regretted that his zeal for what he believed to be truth was not tempered by more of a charitable and gentle spirit; for it must be admitted that the rigour of his strictures on his opponents is often extreme, and so little disposed was he to allow reasons of a personal nature to interfere with the stern discharge of what he thought duty, that he attacked even his own father-in-law, Dr. Burgess, and, as a contemporary expresses it, "laid him flat on the ground." But such severity was the fault as much of the times as of the man.—(See his Life by M. Nethenus, prefixed to his collected Latin works; Brook's Lives of the Puritans, vol. ii. p. 405; Mosheim's Eccles. Hist., Art. xvi., sec. 2, pt. 2, ch. 2; Hanbury's Memorials of Independents, sæpe.)—W. L. A.  AMESTRIS, the wife of Xerxes, who, according to Herodotus, having discovered an intrigue between her husband and Artiante, indulged her jealousy and vengeance by cruelly mutilating Artiante's mother. Another princess of this name is known to history. (See .)  AMFREVILLE, D', this name is of frequent occurrence in the history of the French navy during the seventeenth century It was borne by three brothers, who were distinguished for their heroism during the reign of Louis XIV.; of these the eldest was the Marquis d'Amfreville, who attained the rank of lieutenant-general of the naval forces of France. <section end="159H" /> <section begin="159I" />AMHERST,, Lord Amherst, born in 1717, was the second son of Jefferey Amherst, Esq. of Riverhead, in Kent. Having entered one of the regiments of guards at the early age of fourteen, he was a few years afterwards engaged in active service on the continent, and was present as aide-de-camp to Lord Ligonier at the battles of Roucox, Dettingen, and Fontenoy; having attracted the attention of the Duke of Cumberland, he was transferred to the staff, and was present at the battles of Laffeldt and Hastenbeck, as aide-de-camp to his royal highness. In the war with France in 1758, Amherst was appointed to command in North America, with the rank of major-general, and in the following year succeeded General Abercromby as commander-in-chief; and, by his brilliant services, amply justified the wisdom of the minister-at-war in the selection of so able an officer. He speedily made himself master of Cape Breton, a conquest of the highest importance to the British arms, and subsequently took a prominent part in the many gallant exploits by which the war was distinguished. At the termination of hostilities he received the thanks of the House of Commons, and was elevated to the dignity of a knight of the Bath. Having resigned his command in America in 1763, and returned home, he was received by the king with every mark of respect, and had several new rewards and honours conferred on him, being appointed governor of Virginia, and colonel of the third regiment of foot. In 1770 he became governor of Guernsey and its dependencies, and two years afterwards was appointed a member of the privy council, and lieutenant-general of the Ordnance. Six years later he was elevated to the peerage with the title of Baron Amherst of Holmsdale, in the county of Kent. His lordship was twice married, but having no issue, he received, in 1788, a second patent of peerage, as Baron Amherst of Montreal, with reversion to his nephew. He died in 1797. <section end="159I" /> <section begin="159Zcontin" />AMHERST,, Earl Amherst, was born on the 14th of January, 1773, and succeeded his uncle Jefferey, first Lord Amherst, in August, 1797. Lord Amherst was a lord of <section end="159Zcontin" />