Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/493

AMADIS OF GREECE. Tale," and of the "Masque of Cupid," in Spenser's Faerie Queene.

AMADOR DE LOS RIOS, a'ni:i-D6r' da 16s rS'os, Jose (1818-75). A Spanish critic and historian, born at Baena. He first became known as editor (with Madrazzo) of the col- lection entitled Monumentos arquitectonicos de España. His most noted work is the Historia de la literatura española (1861-65), of which he completed but seven volumes. Despite many defects resulting from its seope and comple.Kity, this work remains standard in the subject of which it treats. His other publications include works on the art monuments of Toledo and Se- ville, a history of Latin-Byzantine art in Spain, and the exhaustive Historia social, politica y religiosa de los judios de España y Portugal Madrid, 1875-76).

AMADOU,;iiii'a-d(H>' (Fr.. tinder, from ama- douer, to bait, allure, coax, alluding to its use as tinder during the Middle Ages). A name given to some fungi of the genus Polyporus. They grow upon old trees, especially oak and ash, in Great Britain and on the continent of Europe. The pileus is completely blended with the hymeniuni, which is pierced with thin-sided, rather angular, tubular, vertical passages — the whole fungus thus appearing as a leathery or fleshy mass, the under side of which is pierced hr deep pores. Polyporus igniarius is called Hard amadou, or Touchwood. Polyporus fotnen- tarius is called Soft Amadou, or German Tinder. They are used as styptics for stanching slight wounds: and when steel and Hint were in general >ise for striking fire, were much employed as tinder, being prepared for this purpose by boiling in solution of nitre. The soft amadou is used for making small surgical pads, for which its elasticity peculiarly fits it. Polyporus fomen- tarius. or a very similar species, is found in In- dia, and is there used in the same manner as in Europe. The remarkably light wood of Her- nandia Guianensis, a shrub of the natural order Thymelæaceæ, is readily kindled by flint and steel, and is used as amadou in Guiana.

AMAGER, ji-ma'ger. An island in the district of Copenhagen, Denmark: it is in the sound, and separated from Zealand by the Kalvebod Strand (Map: Denmark, F 3). Amager has an area of 25 square miles, is twice as long as it is wide, with a very low and level surface that is very well cultivated. Christianshavn, at the northern end of the island, forms part of the city of Copenhagen. The chief trade is market gardening for Copenhagen. The shipping of the island is of some importance. The inhabi- tants are chiefly descendants of Dutch emigrants of the sixteenth century, who still preserve their old dress and customs. Pop., 1890, 19,700.

AMAI'MON, or AMOY'MON (Probably Gk. a, a priv. + Heb., maimin, believer). A demon named in the theory of the Middle Ages as king of the eastern part of hell. Asmodeus (q.v.), the demon of desire, was his lieutenant. See allusions in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor, II., 2, and Henry IV., first part, II., 4.

AMAL'ARIC (502-531). The last Visisothic King of Spain (526-531). He married Clotilda, daughter of Clovis, King of the Franks, in 527, and treated her so badly because she would not embrace Arianism that her brother Childebert marched against him and defeated him. According to Gregory of Tours, Amalaric was killed in the battle; according to others, he was killed at Barcelona.

AM'ALASUN'THA (?-535). Queen of the Ostrogoths, daughter of Theodoric the Great. On the death of Theodoric, her son Athalaric succeeded under the regency of Amalasuntha. She was well educated, and preferred the Roman civilization. The Goths, who were opposed to this, incited her son to rebellion in 533. Amalasuntha subdued the rebellion, and Athalaric died the following year, at the age of eighteen. She then associated Theodahad with her in the kingdom, but did not marry him. In 535 Theodahad murdered Amalasuntha, under the pretext that she was planning to betray the Goths to Justinian. Her actions had made it probable that she was thinking of retiring to Constantinople. Belisarius avenged her death by killing Theodahad in 530. Consult Hodgkin, Italy and her invaders, Volumes III. and IV., second edition (Oxford, 1896). See.

AMAL'ECITE. An Algonkian tribe, closely related to the Abnaki, and scattered over western New Brunswick, chiefly along the St. John River, to the number of about 850. The name, frequently written Malisit, has been variously rendered "disfigured foot" and '"broken talkers." Together with the more eastern bands of the Abnaki, they were sometimes known as Etchemin. In the colonial wars they took the French side.

AM'ALEKITES. One of the fiercest and most warlike of the old nomadic Arabian tribes. They dwelt in the land south of Judea (Numbers xiii:29), between Idumea and Egypt, though it would also appear that a branch extended at one time into central Palestine. Their country is first mentioned in Genesis xiv as the scene of the wars of Chedorlaomer of Elam. From the very first they manifested great hostility to the Israelites, attacking them at Reiihidim during the journey toward Sinai. They were defeated in this encounter (Exodus xvii: 8-10), and their complete extermination was prophesied (ib., Numbers xxiv: 20; Deuteronomy xxv: 17-19). When Israel was attempting to enter Palestine, the ."Vmalekites led the opposing Canaanitish forces (Numbers xiv: 43-45). In the days of Saul they were almost annihilated (I. Samuel xv: 2); and later David overcame a band of marauding Amalekites with great slaughter, pur- suing them until "there escaped not a man of them save 400 young men who had camels and fled" (I. Samuel xxx: 1-20). The last Amale- kites were finally extirpated in the days of Hezekiah by the Simeonites (I. Chronicles iv: 43). The inveterate hostility between Amalek and Israel is reflected in so late a production as the Book of Esther, where the designation of Haman, the arch-enemy of the Jews, as "the Agagitc" (Esther iii: 1), is introduced in order to emphasize his descent from Agag, the King of Amalek (Numbers xxiv: 7).

AMALFI, a-mal'fe. A seaport town in Campania, southern Italy, situated on the Gulf of Salerno, about 22 miles southeast of Naples. It is situated on the slope of a mountain rising from the coast and covered with splendid trees and gardens. The houses tower one above another, and are connected by stairways and bridges. The most interesting building of the place is the old cathedral, with its bronze doors cast in Constantinople in the eleventh century.