Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/287

ASS unfinished work, entitled "Bibliotheca Orientalis Clementino-Vaticana," 1719-1728.—J. S., G.  ASSEMANI,, nephew of Giuseppe Luigi, born either at Tripoli or at Rome in 1752, became professor of Oriental languages in the seminary of Padua. His reputation as a scholar, founded as much on his immense correspondence with learned foreigners as on his published works, has considerably declined since his death at Padua in 1821.—J. S., G.  ASSEMANI,, sister's son of Giuseppe Simone, was born at Tripoli about the year 1707. After the completion of his studies at the Maronite college of Rome, he traversed Syria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, as a missionary of the Propaganda, and in 1736 was appointed archbishop of Apamea. The following year he visited England. He succeeded his uncle in 1768 as keeper of the Vatican, and held that dignity till his death in 1782. He catalogued the library of Cardinal Chigi, the Florentine Oriental MSS., and, along with his uncle, those of the Vatican. His other works are not of much importance.—J. S., G.  ASSEN,, a Dutch historical and landscape painter, born at Amsterdam in 1635; died in 1695.  ASSENEDE,, a Dutch poet of the early part of the fourteenth century, author of a version of the romance of Flores et Blanchefleur, imitations or translations of which are to be found in almost every European language, is supposed to have been a native of Assenede, a town in Flanders.  ASSEOLA or OSCEOLA, an Indian chief, born about 1800, noted as the leader of the Seminoles, who refused to remove from the eastern peninsula to the west of the Mississipi. The generals of the United States were obliged to have resort to treachery before this daring spirit could be subdued. Asseola died in 1838.  ASSER, (so called from Menevia, the Latin name of St. David's in Pembrokeshire), reputed the author of a history of King Alfred, "De rebus gestis ÆIfredi." He was probably a Welsh ecclesiastic; appears to have been invited by Alfred into Wessex, and to have been employed by the king in his schemes for the improvement of his subjects, and at his death in 910 occupied the see of Sherborne. The history extends from 849 to 889. Several other works are attributed to Asser.  ASSERETO,, an Italian painter, born at Genoa in 1600, was a pupil of Borzone and Ansaldo. He formed his chiaroscuro on the manner of the latter, and designed in the style of Ansaldo. Assereto was only sixteen when he painted a Temptation of St. Anthony for the monks of that order. Various works of his may be seen in the churches of Genoa.—A. M. <section end="287H" /> <section begin="287I" />ASSERIUS MENEVENSIS, a monk of St. David's, and friend of King Alfred, who in 880 invited him to his court, and made him bishop of Sherborne. Asserius died in 910. The genuineness of the life of Alfred, usually attributed to Asserius, has been disputed, and the "Annales Britannicæ," which go by his name, are generally allowed to be spurious.—J. B., O. <section end="287I" /> <section begin="287J" />ASSEZAN, ', a French dramatic author of the last half of the seventeenth century. <section end="287J" /> <section begin="287K" />ASSHETON,, D.D., was born at Middleton, in Lancashire, in 1641. He was successively chaplain to James, duke of Ormond, prebendary of Knaresborough, and rector of Beckenham. He died at Beckenham in 1711. His works, most of which are devoted to subjects of ephemeral interest, have never been collected. <section end="287K" /> <section begin="287L" />ASSHOD, four kings of Armenia bore this name:—

I., surnamed, or the , first king of the Jewish dynasty of the Pagratidæ, took possession of the government on the death of his father Sempad in 856, and in the course of his wise and temperate administration, secured the favour of two successive caliphs, so far as to be allowed to enjoy complete independence. He was formally crowned by an ambassador of the caliphate in 885. Died in 889.

II., surnamed, was crowned about the year 915, and, after a long struggle with the Arabs under Yusuf, who put forward another Asshod, first cousin of Asshod Ergathi, as legitimate sovereign, reigned peacefully till his death in 928. His title of Shahanshah (king of kings), he owed to the favour of the caliph of Bagdad, with whom, and the Greek emperor Constantine, Asshod maintained friendly relations.

III., surnamed (the Compassionate), succeeded his father Assas in 952. The first years of this reign were peaceful, and allowed the sovereign, as his tastes strongly inclined him, to promote the arts and industry of his kingdom. In 961 he repulsed an invasion of Seif-eddaulah, prince of Aleppo; and somewhat later powerfully aided the Greek emperor, John Zimisces, in his Syrian campaign. He died in 977.

IV. was the second son of Kakig I. On the death of his father in 1020, he made himself master of the greater part of the kingdom, and compelled his brother John, who retained only Ani and the country of Shiraz, to allow him the title of king. The dominions of both the brothers were invaded by the Emperor Basil II., and both reduced to a state of vassalage. Asshod died in 1039.—J. S., G. <section end="287L" /> <section begin="287M" />ASSIGNIES,, a Cistercian monk, subprior of the monastery at Cambron, and afterwards abbot of the Cistercian monastery at Nizelle in Brabant, born 1562, died 1642. He published some devotional works, and left a quantity of MSS., which are preserved in the libraries of Cambron and Nizelle. <section end="287M" /> <section begin="287N" />ASSIGNY,, a clergyman of the church of England, as his name indicates of French extraction, was born in 1643, studied at Cambridge, and took his degree of B.D. in 1668. His principal works are "The Divine Art of Prayer," 1691; "The Art of Memory," 1699; and "The History of the Earls and Earldom of Flanders," 1701. <section end="287N" /> <section begin="287O" />ASSING,, a German poetess, was born in 1783 at Dusseldorf. She belonged to the family of Varnhagen von Ense, which was driven, by the outbreak of the French Revolution, to Strasburg. In 1796 they settled at Hamburg, where, in 1799, the father died, leaving his family in difficulties, which forced Rosa Maria to have recourse to teaching. Under extremal circumstances of a gloomy and depressing character, a rich interior life had developed itself in the young girl; she moved in the most intellectual circles of Hamburg, and was on terms of intimacy with her brother's friend, Chamisso. In 1816 she married Dr. Assing, a physician from Königsberg; and the blended dignity and sweetness of the lady, combined with her talents and accomplishments, made their house, for many years, a favourite place of reunion for the leading literary men resident in Hamburg. Frau Assing wrote much more than she published during her lifetime, and it was not till "Rosa Maria's Poetischer Nachlass" (Poetical Remains), Altona, 1841, was published, after her death in 1840, that the public were able fully to appreciate her genius.—A. M. <section end="287O" /> <section begin="287P" />ASSOHAYLI, a celebrated Arabian writer, born at Malaga, in Spain, in 1115; died in the kingdom of Morocco in 1185. <section end="287P" /> <section begin="287Q" />ASSOMPTION, ', a Flemish monk of the Carmelite order, author of a number of doctrinal treatises, became provincial of his order at Douay. He died in 1686. <section end="287Q" /> <section begin="287R" />ASSOMPTION,, a French Carmelite monk, whose real name was, born 1612, died 1679; author of two treatises on the sacraments. <section end="287R" /> <section begin="287S" />ASSONVILLE,, a French physician, who lived in the sixteenth century, and wrote on pestilential fevers. <section end="287S" /> <section begin="287T" />ASSOUCY,, a comic French poet, or rather buffoon, who lived in the seventeenth century, and wrote some feeble parodies. <section end="287T" /> <section begin="287U" />ASSO Y DEL RIO, ', a Spanish lawyer and naturalist, lived during the second half of the eighteenth century. While he attended to law and languages, he also prosecuted natural history, and has left works in all these departments. He published treatises on the botany and zoology of Aragon.—J. H. B. <section end="287U" /> <section begin="287V" />ASSUMPCAO, ', a Portuguese divine of the last century, who produced Latin verses in great abundance. <section end="287V" /> <section begin="287W" />ASSUMPCAO-VELHO, ', a Portuguese physician and astronomer, was born in 1753, and died in 1792. <section end="287W" /> <section begin="287X" />ASSUNTO,, a Carmelite monk of Italy, was born in 1639, became professor of philosophy and theology in several colleges, and died in 1716. <section end="287X" /> <section begin="287Zcontin" />AST,, a German philologist, born at Gotha in 1778, died at Munich 31st December, 1841. Having distinguished himself as a student at the gymnasium of his native town, and at the university of Jena, Ast was invited in 1805 to take a chair of classical literature in the university of Landshut. Here he remained till 1826, when he was appointed to a similar professorship in Munich, where he afterwards became aulic councillor, and member of the Academy of Sciences. Professor Ast published various works on philosophy and aesthetics, but his latest and most important Labours were devoted to the interpretation of Plato. His "Life and Writings of Plato," which forms a valuable introduction to the study of that philosopher, was published at Leipsic in 1816; and between <section end="287Zcontin" />