Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/95

This page needs to be proofread.

ADRIAN. but they were mingled with great vices. Tie was gcncroir, induftrious, polite, andcxadl; he maintained order and dif- cipline ; he adminiftered j^ftice with indefatigable applicati< , and puniihed rigoroufly all thofe who did not faithful! v cxci utc the offices with which they were entru(ted : he had a pr< jt (hare of wit jnd a lurprifing memory ; he was well verKd in mod of the polite arts and faiences, and is laid to have written leveral works [oj. On the other hanJ, he was cruel, in- vious, lalcivious, fuperfiitious, and fo weak as to give him- felf up to the lluiiy or magic : and what can be more infamous than his p;iffi'.n for Antinous ? Adrian having no children hy Sabina, adopted Lucius Au- relius Annius (..'nonius Commodus Veru" ; but Lucius dying the ift of Janu iry i3-->, he then adopted Titus Antoninus on condition that he (hould adopt Marcus Annius Verus, and the fon or. Lucius Verus. The Dying Chriftian to his Soul. Ooi. I. Vital fpark of heav'nly flime : Quit, '>h quit this mortal trainc ; Tremoling, hoping, ling'ringi flying, Oh the pain, the bl'.ls or dy n ! Ceafe, fond Nature, crale thy ftriic, And let me languilh into life. ir. Hark! they whiTper; Angels fay, Sifter Spirit, come away. Vhdt is (his abforbs me quite ? Steals try fenfes, fhut? my lit;nt, Drowns my fpirits, draws my breath ? Tell rre, my Soul, cau this be death ? III. The world recedes j it difapuears ! H avea opens on mv fves ! my ears With founrfs leraphic fins: t,end, lend your wings ! 1 nio'int ! I fly ! O g'ave ! where is thy viftory ? O Death ! where is thy Stin ' ? fn] There are fome fragments of his and a very learned perfon. Spart. p. T -o. Lstin poerr.s extj .t. See Spartian. Sre- He compofed fomc Sio-.Uj in if ttl i phanus Byzantinns qin t<"i a I.Jiin porm, of Arvimachu?, a Greek post (ibid p. intitled, " Al-xandrcis,"of which AHnan I <;i.) Ft i f-'d by Grl'nrr, ' h.it he wiots^ is f^id, by fome, tn have r>een f he author, like^il- concerning the niilit.;: ; He wrote 1 krwif- lorre difc-urfe? arid butVoffins pn"es this to be i n.ill. ke. orations, lever.il quotations out of them DC Hift. Gra-c. p. 115. A being ftill extant. (Photius p. 17(1.^ But t^n, 4 . that the work of l"r '.< > upon the chief work of this rmperor was the TaftifS was Adrian's, t v Hiftory of his own life: he Hid not Urbicius's additions, Sulaia . i- chu r e to put his own narre to i', but p, 83. that of f hlegon. one of his frecd-men, ADRIAN 59