Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/372

ALEMAN. (1604) and an Ortografia castellana (Mexico, 1608). His great work, however, is Guzman de Alfarache (1599), a novel with a rogue for the hero, which revives the picaresque tradition of Mendoza's ''Lazarillo de Tormes. Guzman'' at once became exceedingly popular, and within six years had run through twenty-six editions, aggregating upward of 50,000 copies, besides being translated into French and Italian. In 1623 James Mabbe published the first English version, of which Ben Jonson wrote: "This Spanish Proteus, though writ but in one tongue, was formed with the world's wit." Both in the delineation of manners and in the purity of style, Guzman ranks next to Lazarillo, which is recognized as the enduring type of the comic prose epic. While lacking Mendoza's originality, conciseness, and caustic humor, Aleman shows keen powers of observation and a wide knowledge of human nature; and in Guzman he has given the world a most diverting study of blackguardism, his hero showing all the resources of a consummate rascal in the various characters of stable boy, beggar, thief, coxcomb, mercenary, valet, and merchant. The book, however, is marred by the moral reflections of the author, which obtrude themselves with somewhat wearisome persistence. The best edition of Aleman is found in Aribaus's Biblioteca de autores españoles, vol. iii. (Madrid, 1846).

AL'EMAN'NI, more correctly spelled (probably, "all men"). The name of a military confederacy of several German tribes which began to appear on the lower and middle Main about the beginning of the third century. Caracalla fought with them first on the Main in 211 A.D., but without conquering them; Alexander Severus was equally unsuccessful, but Maximinus finally drove them beyond the Rhine. After his death they again invaded Gaul, but were defeated by Postumus, who pursued them into Germany, and fortified the boundary of the Roman territory called the Agri Decumates. The mounds near Pförung, on the Danube, the rampart extending through the principality of Hohenlohe to Jaxthausen, and the ditch with palisades on the north side of the Main, are remains of the fortifications. The Alemanni, however, did not desist from their incursions, although repeatedly driven back. After 282, being pressed upon from the northeast by the Burgundians, they made permanent settlements within the Roman boundary from Mainz to Lake Constance. At last Julian came (357) to the relief of Gaul, which had been suffering from the incursions of the Alemanni, and soon compelled eight chiefs to sue for peace. Their united force, in their principal battle with Julian, amounted to 35,000 men. After the fifth century the confederated nation is spoken of as Alemanni and Suavi or Suevi. During the fourth century they had crossed the Rhine, and extended as far west as the Vosges, and south to the Helvetian Alps. At length Clovis broke their power in 496, and made them subject to the Frankish dominion. The southern part of their territory was formed into a duchy, called Alemannia. The name of Swabia was later applied to the part of the duchy lying east of the Rhine. From the Alemanni the French have given the name of Allemands and Allemagne to Germans and Germany in general, though the inhabitants of the north of Switzerland, with those of Alsace and part of Swabia, are the proper descendants of the Alemanni.

AL'EMAN'NIA, or AL'AMAN'NIA. The country of the Alemanni (q.v.). The region included part of the later Switzerland and Tyrol. In the tenth and eleven centuries Alemannia, or Swabia (q.v.), was one of the four great duchies of the German kingdom.

ALEMBERT, a'liiN'bar', See.

ALEM'BIC (formed by the Arabs from their article al and Gk. ἄμβιξ, ambix, a goblet). A form of still introduced by the alchemists, who used it in manipulative chemistry for distillation and sublimation. The vessel consisted of a body, cucurbit or matrass. A, in which the material to be volatilized was placed; a head or capital, B, into which the vapors rose, were cooled, and then trickled to the lower part, C, whence by a pipe, D, the distilled product passed into the receiver, E. When very volatile liquors were distilled, it was customary to introduce the receiver, E, into a vessel with cold water, so as to increase the effectiveness of the condensing part of the arrangement. The alembic has now been entirely superseded by the retort and receiver, or by the flask attached to a Liebig's condenser.

ALEMBIC.

ALEMTEJO, a'laN-ta'zho (literally, in Por- tuguese, "beyond the Tagus"). A province in the south of Portugal, bounded by the province of Beira on the nortli, Spain on the east, Algarve on the south, Estremadura and the Atlantic Ocean on the west (Map: Portugal, B 3). Area, 9431 square miles. Alemtejo is the largest and most sparsely populated province of Portugal. The eastern and southern parts are covered with low mountains, rising to nearly 2000 feet on the southern frontier. The chief rivers are the Guadi- ana, Tagus, and Sado. The climate is hot and dry. The fertile plains are found chiefiy in the northeast, where wheat, barley, corn, and fruit are raised in considerable quantities. The rear- ing of domestic animals is also important. The manufacturing industries and commerce are ut- terly neglected, and the rich mineral resources are left untouched. Administratively, Alemtejo is divided into the three districts of Portalegre, Evora, and Beja. Pop., 1890, 388,813.

ALENCAR, U'lan-kiir', (1829-77) . A Brazilian jurist and novelist, born at Fortabza. He studied law at São Paulo, and became a brilliant advocate. In 1868 he was elected deputy for Ceará as a Conservative, and in 1868-69 was Minister of Justice. His works,