It is more of a burlesque than a comedy, and is full of humour

It is founded on the well-worn fable of Jupiter and Alcmena, and has been imitated by Molière and Dryden. Its source is uncertain; but it is probably from Arc hippus, a writer of the old comedy (415 B. C.). Its form suggests rather a development of the Satyric drama. Cruttwell, Hist. of Roman Lit., p. 44. 2. A comedy by Molière, produced in 1668: a version of Plautus's play.-3. An opera by Sedaine, produced in 1781.-4. A comedy by Andrieux, produced in 1782. A mph i try on, or The Two Socias. A comedy by Dryden, performed in 1690: an altered version of Molière's play. part ment of Rhône, France, 29 miles northwest of Lyons. It has manufactures of cotton and muslin. Population (1891), commune, 7,113. Ampsivarii (amp-si-vā'ri-i), or Amsivarii. [L. Ampsivarii (Tacitus); cf. L. Amisia, the Ems.] A German tribe described by Tacitus as originally neighbors, in the region of the Ems, of the Chauci who had driven them out. In the year 58 A. D. they appeared on the Rhine whence they were dislodged by the Romans, and were thought to have been annihilated. They reappeared, however, in the 4th century in incursions into Roman territory. They were ultimately merged in the Franks. Ampthill (ampt'hil). A small town in Bedford shire, England, 40 miles northwest of London. Ampthill, Baron. See Ru ell , Odo William . Ampudia (äm-pö'de-ä), Pedro de. A Mexican general, in command of the Mexican army on the Rio Grande at the beginning of the Mexican war, 1846. As commander at Monterey he surrendered to General Taylor Sept. 24, 1846. Ampurdan (äm-pör-dän'). A valley-plain in the province of Gerona, Spain, in the vicinity of Figueras. Amraoti (äm-rä-ō'tē), or Amrawati (äm-räwä'tē). À district in East Berar, Haidarabad A igned Districts, India, intersected by lat. 21° N., long. 78° E. Area, 2,759 square miles. Population (1891), 655,645. Amraoti. A town in Amraoti district, lat. 20° 56′ N., long. 77°44′E. Population (1891), 33,655. Amraphel (äm'rä-fel). A king of Shinar (southern Babylonia) who, allied with Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and two other kings, marched, in the time of Abraham, against the five kings of the Vale of Siddim (Gen. xiv.). He is identified by some with Hammurabi who reigned about 2200 B. c., by others with his father Sin-muballit, whose name is sometimes read Amarpal: all this is, however, very uncertain. Amri (am'ri). In the second part of Dryden and Tait's "Absalom and Achitophel," a char acter intended to represent Heneage Finch. Amrit (am'ret) A ruined town on the coast of Phœnicia, 30 miles north of Tripolis: the ancient Mar a thus. It contains important antiquities. of huge blocks of stone. It is square, with a plain mas. sive cornice, and terminated in a pyramid, now ruined. The original height was 52 feet. It contains two chambers, one over the other, with niches for corpses. The Burdj el-Bezzák is an ancient Phenic i an tomb built Another tomb at Amrit is one of the most elaborate of surviving Phenic i an works. The base is square and on it rest three superposed circular drums, each smaller than that below. The top drum terminates in domical form, and the two upper drums have a cornice of combined dentils and lowest and middle drums. On the corners of the base stand four rude lions, i uing from the lowest drum. The height is about 32 feet. The so-called "monolithic" house is a structure with walls for the most part hewn from the solid rock. It is isolated by the cutting away of the rock behind. The chief front is about 97 feet long serrations. A molding of concave curve connects the Amun cities in northern India. It is the religious center of the Sikhs, and contains a Sikh temple attended by 500 to 600 priests. Population, including cantonment (1891), 136,766. Amru ben-el-A (äm'rö ben-el-äs'), or Amer. Died about 663 A. D. An Arab general and statesman. He conquered Syria during the reign of By his statesmanlike reorganization of the conquered provinces, and by the excellence of his administration, he did much to reconcile the inhabitants to Islam. The story that, at the taking of Alexandria, he gave the order to destroy the celebrated Alexandrine library, is probably unhistorical. the calif Abu-Bekr, and Egypt 639-641, in that of Omar. Amru-el-Kais (äm'rö-el-kis'). Lived at the beginning of the 7th century. An Arabian poet, hostile to Mohammed. His "Moallakât" was translated by Sir W. Jones, 1782. Amrum (äm'röm), or Amrom (äm'rom). One of the North Friesian Islands in the North Sea, west of Schleswig. Its length is 6 miles. Amsancti, or Ampsancti, Vallis (äm-sänk'tē väl'lēs). A valley in the province of Avellino, Italy, near Frigento, in lat. 41° N., long. 15°7′ E., noted for its sulphurous lake and cave. Amsdorf (äms'dorf), Nikolaus von. Born at Torgau, Germany, Dec. 3, 1483: died May 14, 1565. A German Protestant reformer. He was the intimate friend of Luther, whom he accompanied to Leipsic in 1519 and to Worms in 1521, and whom he aided introducing the Reformation into Magdeburg in 1524, into Goslar in 1528, and elsewhere; was consecrated bishop of Naumburg by Luther in 1542, but was driven from his see in 1546 in the Smalkaldic war, and was a prominent opponent of Me lanch thon in the adiaphoristic controversy. in the translation of the Bible. He was instrumental in Amsler (äms'ler), Samuel. Born at Schinznach, Aargau, Switzerland, Dec. 17, 1791: died at Munich, May 18, 1849. A German engraver. Among his noted works are the "Triumphal March of Alexander the Great" (after Thorwaldsen), the "Triumph of Religion in the Arts" (after Over beck), etc. Amsteg, or Amstäg (äm'stāg). A village in the canton of Uri, Switzerland, situated on the St. Gotthard route 27 miles southeast of Lucerne. Amstel (äm's tel). A small river in the Netherlands, which flows through Amsterdam and empties into the Y. Am stell and (äm's tel-länt). Formerly, the name given to the region which lies near the Amstel. Amsterdam (am's ter-dam). [Orig. Amstelle damme , dam of the Amstel.] A city in the province of North Holland, Netherlands, built on marshy ground (traversed by canals connected by numerous bridges) at the junction of the Amstel and Y, in lat. 52° 22′ N., long. 4°5′E.: the chief commercial city and the capital of the Netherlands, and one of the leading seaports of Europe. It has communication by the North Sea Canal and North Holland Canal with the North Sea. It is a market for colonial products, including sugar, coffee, spices, rice, tobacco, etc., has ship-building industries and important manufactures of sugar, sails, tobacco, beer, etc., and is especially famous for diamond-cutting beams. The Maabed is an old Phenic i an temple consisting of a small cella, open on one side to exhibit the sacred image, and raised on a square base or die. The roof is a great slab hewn to the form of a flat arch on the under side, the whole forming a miniature and simplified Egyptian temple. The total height is 23 feet. The cella was originally surrounded by a colonnaded court. There are also ruins of a stadium with ten tiers of seats, on one side all rock-hewn, on the other partly built up of ma sonry. It now measures 99 by 411 feet, but has probably lost some of its length. Amrita (am-rē'tä). [Sometimes Amreeta ; Skt. amrita , prop. adj., immortal, = Gr. άμβροτος, whence ult. E. ambrosia.] In Hindu mythology, a god (masc.); the water of life (neuter); ambrosia. In the latter sense the term is variously applied in the Vedas, but especially to the soma juice. In later legend it was the water of life produced at the churning of the ocean by the gods and demons. The Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Puranas give the story with variations. The gods, worsted by the de. mons, repaired to Vishnu, asking new strength and im mortality. He bade them churn the ocean for the Amrita and other lost treasures. Collecting all plants and herbs, they cast them into the sea of milk, which they churned, using Mount Mandara as a churning-stick and the serpent as a rope, while Vishnu was the From the sea came the sacred cow, Surabhi, Varuni, godde of wine, Parijata, the tree of paradise, the Apsarases, the moon, poison, Sri, the godde of beauty, and Dhanvantara, physician of the gods. Amritsar (am-rit's an), or Umritsir (um-rit'sèr). A division in the Panjab, British India. Area, 5,354 square miles. Population (1881), 2,729,109. Amritsar. A district in the division of Amrit sar, intersected by lat. 31° 30′ N., long. 75° E. Area, 1,601 square miles. Population (1891), 992,697. Amritsar, or Umritsir (um-rit's er). The capital of the Amritsar district and division, in lat. 31° 40′ N., long. 74° 45′ E.: one of the most important commercial and manufacturing 13th century, became of great importance on the decline of Antwerp about 1585-95, and was the first commercial city of Europe in the 17th century. It was entered by the French in 1795, and belonged to the French Empire 1810-13. It contains various important buildings, museums, etc. Population (1900), 520,602. Amsterdam. A city in Montgomery County, New York, situated on the Mohawk 30 miles northwest of Albany. It has important manufactures of knit goods. Population (1900), 20,929. Amsterdam. A small uninhabited island in the Indian Ocean, in lat. 37° 51′ S., long. 77° 32′ Ε. Amsterdam, New. An old name for New York (city). Amstetten (äm's tet-ten). A small town in Lower Austria, situated on the Ips 28 miles east by south of Linz. Amucu (ä-mö-kö ́), Lake. A small lake in British Guiana, about lat. 3° 40′ N., connected with the E equibo and, through the Branco, with the Amazon. According to Schomburgk this was the so-called Lake Parima connected with the myth of El Dorado. Amu Daria (ä-mö' där'yä), Ar. Jihun (jēʼhön) or Gihon. The principal river of Central Asia the ancient Oxus. It rises as the Ak-Su in the east ern Pamir near the frontier of eastern Turkestan; flow generally west to near long. 66° E., separating in part o its course Bokhara from Afghanistan; flows then north west, and empties by a delta into the southern part o the Sea of Aral. It is generally thought to have emptied into the Caspian Sea in ancient and even in medieva times. Among its tributaries are, among those on th right, the Wakash (or Surghab) and Kafir nag an; and o the left, the Pandja, Koksha, and Kunduz. At Tchardju it is cro ed by the Trans cas pian Railway. Its length i about 1,400 miles, and it is navigable by ve els about 30 miles. Amun (ä'mön). [Egypt., 'the hidden or veile one.'] An Egyptian deity. He is variously repre sented as a ram with large curving horns, as a bein Amun with a ram's head and a human body, and as a man enthroned or standing erect. In art his figure is colored blue. On his head he wears the royal symbol and two long feathers, and in one hand he carries a scepter and in the other the sign of life. His chief temple and oracle were on an oasis in the Libyan desert near Memphis. Also Amen, Ammon, Amon , and Hammon . See the extract. But after the rise of the Theban dynasty the supreme form under which Ra was worshipped was Amun, "the hidden one." In course of time he absorbed into himself almost all the other deities of Egypt, more especially Ra and Khnum. He reigns over this earth, as his representatives, the Pharaohs, over Egypt, and inspires mankind with the sense of right. He is called Khem as the self be getting deity, "the living Osiris" as the animating principle of the universe. On his head he wears a lofty crown of feathers, sometimes replaced by the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt or the ram's head of Khnum, and and Khunsu form with him the trinity of Thebes. Sayce , Anc. Empires, p. 63. Amunátegu i (ä-mö-nä'tā-gwē), Miguel Luis. Born Jan. 11, 1828: died Jan. 22, 1888. A Chile an historian, a ociated, in the production of most of his works, with his brother, Gregorio Victor Amunátegu i. Among these are "Memoria sobre la recon quist a española" (1850), "Compendio de la hist or i a polític a y eclesiástica de Chile" (1856), "Descubrimiento y con quist a de Chile" (1862), "Los pre cursores de la inde pendencia de Chile" (1872-73). Amur, or Amoor (ä-mör'). A river in Siberia formed by the junction of the Shilka and Argun, about lat. 53° N., long. 121° E. It flows generally southeast, then northeast, and then east, and it enters the Gulf of Saghalin. In part of its course it forms the boundary between Siberia and Mantchuria. Its chief tributaries are, on the right, the Sungari and Usuri; the left, the Zeya, Bureya, Kur, Gorin, and Im. Its length, including the Argun, is about 2,700 miles, and it is navigable for about 2,400 miles. Amur. A province in eastern Siberia, situated north of the river Amur, ceded by China to Ru ia in 1858. Its capital is Khabarovka. Area, 172,848 square miles. Population (1897), 112,396. Amurath (ä-mö-rät') I., or Murad. Born 1319: killed June 15, 1389. Sultan of Turkey 1359-89, son of Orkhan. He completed the organization of the janizaries, begun by his father, and was the first of the Ottoman sultans who made conquests in Europe. In 1361 he occupied Adrianople, which he made the capital of his European dominions, took Sofia in 1382, and defeated the princes of Servia and Bosnia in the battle of Kosovo 1389. He was killed after the engage. ment by a wounded Servian who, it is said, started from among the dead, and plunged a dagger into his breast as he surveyed the field of battle. Amurath II., or Murad. Born about 1403: died 1451. Sultan of Turkey 1421-51, son of Mohammed I. He unsucce fully besieged Constantinople in 1423, carried on war against the Hungarians under Hunyady and the Albanians under Scanderbeg, defeated the Hungarians at Varna in 1444 and Ko ova in 1448, and subdued the Morea in 1446. Amurath III., or Murad. Born 1546: died 1595. Sultan of Turkey 1574-95, son of Selim II. He continued the war against Austria with varying succe , and took Luristan, Georgia, Shirvan, Tabriz, and part of Azerbaijan from Persia in 1590. Amurath IV., or Murad. Born about 1611: died 1640. Sultan of Turkey 1623-40. He captured Bagdad from the Persians in 1638. Amurath V., or Murad. Born 1840. Sultan of Turkey May to Aug., 1876, nephew of Abdul-Aziz. He was dethroned Aug. 31, 1876. Amu at (ä-mü-sä'), Jean Zuléma. Born at St. Maixent, Deux-Sèvres, France, Nov. 21, 1796: died May 14, 1856. A French surgeon and surgical writer, author of "Torsion des artères" (1829), etc. He invented a probe used in lithotrity. Amyas Leigh, Sir. See Leigh . Amyclæ (a-mí'klē). [Gr. Ἀμύκλαι.] In ancient geography, a town in Laconia, Greece, 3 miles south of Sparta, the legendary seat of Tynd are us. It long retained its Achæan population. According to a tradition the inhabitants of Amyclæ had been so often alarmed by false reports of the hostile approach of the Spartans that all mention of the subject was forbidden: hence when they did come no one dared to announce the fact, and the town was captured. "Amyclæan silence" thus pa ed into a proverb. Amymone (am-i-mō'nē). [Gr. Ἀμυμώνη .] In Greek legend, a daughter of Danaus. Amynta (a-min'tä). A character in D'Urfé's romance "Astrea." Amyntas (a-min'tas) I. [Gr. Αμύντας.] Died about 498 B. c. King of Macedonia, son of Alcetas, and fifth in descent from Perdiccas, the founder of the dynasty. He presented earth and water in submi ion to Megabazus, whom Darius, on the return from his Scythian expedition, had left at the head of 50,000 men in Europe. Amyntas II. King of Macedonia 394-370 в. с., Dephew of Perdiccas II. He succeeded his father in Upper Macedonia; obtained the crown of Macedonia Proper in 394 by the murder of Pausanias, son of the surper Aeropus; was driven from Macedonia by Argæus, the son of Pausanias, supported by Bardylis, an Illyrian chief; and was restored by the The alians, with whom he had taken refuge. Amyntas III. Died 336 в. с. King of Macedonia 360-359, grandson of the preceding. He was an infant at the death of his father 360 в. с., and was excluded 359 B. C. from the throne by the regent, his uncle Philip, at whose court he was brought up, and whose daughter he married. He was executed by Alexander the Great for a conspiracy against the king's life. Amyntas, or The Impo ible Dowry. A pastoral drama of the Italian type by Thomas Randolph, first printed in 1638. It has no connection in plot with Ta o's "Aminta.” Amyntor, Gerhard von. A pseudonym of Dagobert von Gerhardt, a German novelist. Amyot (ä-me-ō'), Jacques. Born at Melun, France, Oct. 30, 1513: died at Auxerre, France, Feb. 6, 1593. A French writer. He was tutor to Anakim forces, but in the midst of a festival in their honor they attacked her village, ma acred a great number of Indians, and carried her to Santo Domingo, where she was hanged. Anacapri (ä-nä-kä'pre). 1. The western part of the island of Capri, Italy.-2. A small town on the island of Capri. An achars is (an-a-kär's is). [Gr. Ανάχαρσις .] A Scythian prince, brother of Saulius, king of Thrace, a contemporary of Solon. He visited Athens where he obtained a great reputation for wisdom. On returning to Thrace he was slain by his brother. By some he was reckoned among the seven sages. An achars is Clootz. See Clootz . Anacletus (an-a-klē'tus), or Cletus (?), I., Saint. Died 91 (?) A. D. Bishop of Rome, said by some to have been elected 83 A. D. Anacletus II. Antipope in opposition to In. nocent II., 1130-38.