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ARIOBARZANES, the name of three kings of Cappadocia:—Ariobarzanes I., surnamed Philoromæus from his attachment to the cause of Rome, lived in the early part of the first century b.c. He was four times driven from his kingdom by Mithridates, and four times reinstated by the Roman arms. He finally abdicated the crown in favour of his son, 63 b.c.—Ariobarzanes II., son of the preceding, succeeded his father, 63 b.c., though some writers date his accession to the throne a few years earlier. It was he who at his own cost rebuilt the Odeon at Athens after its destruction by Sylla.—Ariobarzanes III., the son and successor of the foregoing, died about 42 b.c. Julius Cæsar added to his possessions, and aided him in his wars with Pharnaces II., king of Pontus.—S.

ARION, a celebrated Greek bard, who flourished about 700 b.c. He was born in Methymna, a city of Lesbos, but spent most of his days with Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Almost nothing is known of this poet; but a beautiful story, illustrative of the protection which the gods afforded to poets, has been related by Herodotus. Arion had sailed to Italy and Sicily, and having made a considerable sum of money, he wished to return. Placing most confidence in the sailors of Corinth, he hired a Corinthian ship, and set sail. The sailors, however, cast greedy eyes upon the gold of the poet, and resolved to put him to death. They told Arion their intention, and he simply requested permission to sing. So, arraying himself in the robes worn by poet-singers, and standing on the benches of the ship, he sang an air then well known, and, having finished his melody, threw himself into the sea, robed as he was. A dolphin appeared, and carried him on its back to Tænarum. He then made his way to Periander, related to him what had happened, and, on the arrival of the ship at Corinth, confronted the sailors to their utter confusion. Herodotus says that it was he who discovered and named the dithyramb.—J. D.

ARIOSTI, Attilio, often called Padre Ariosti, was born at Bologna in 1660. He became a monk of the Dominican order; but he had so ardent a love for music, that he obtained a dispensation from the pope to enable him to retire from his holy calling, and pursue his favourite art as a profession. He then devoted himself to the practice of the violoncello and the viol d'amore, on both of which instruments, especially the latter, he obtained great proficiency. In 1696 he produced, in his native city, his one-act opera of Dafne, which met with the greatest success. This led to his engagement as kapellmeister in 1698 by the electress of Brandenburg, in whose suite he went to Berlin. Here he met with Handel, then a boy, to whom he gave some lessons on the harpsichord, and with whom he formed an intimate friendship. On the occasion of the marriage of his patroness, in the year 1700, he produced an opera, called "La Festa d'Imenei," which is said to have been a close imitation of the style of Lulli; it was coldly received. The year following he brought out another opera termed "Atis," in which a piece of music called the Sinfonia Infernale, representing the torments of the hero who is mad with love, created particular sensation; this work is said to have been as direct a copy of the style of Alessandro Scarlatti, as its predecessor was of that of Lulli, and its success was equally indifferent. Disgusted at his failure as a composer, which he attributed to the bad taste of the Germans, after a few years he threw up his appointment and returned to Italy. Here, though not more original, his music pleased better, and his operas of "Erifile," produced at Venice in 1706, and "La più gloriosa fatica d'Ercole," produced at Bologna in the same year, were received with the utmost favour. In 1708 he went to Vienna, where he wrote his opera of "Amor tra nemici," for the celebration of the birthday of the Emperor Joseph, but the German bad taste, as he esteemed it, was as rampant in Austria as it had been in Prussia, and the work was received accordingly. In eight years from this time he came to London, where he made the same powerful impression by his playing on the viol d'amore, that he had made in every place he had visited. After a short residence here, he returned again to Italy, to be recalled in 1721 by the invitation of the noble directors of the Royal Academy of Music. He was placed by them with Buononcini in opposition to his old friend Handel, and in the course of this contest, produced the operas of "Giro," "Muzio Scevola," "Coriolano," and "Lucio Vero," the last two of which only were printed, and they were the only two that met with any success. He now became greatly embarrassed in his pecuniary affairs, so, finding that Buononcini had gained the large sum of a thousand pounds by the subscription publication of some of his music, he printed a set of six cantatas, with a dedication to George I., in the hope that he might become a like gainer; but though he begged for subscribers in a most servile manner, his purpose so entirely miscarried, that he could barely pay the cost of his journey back to Bologna. The date and place of his death are not known. He wrote fifteen operas, an oratorio called "Santa Radegonda Regina di Francia," and many separate vocal pieces and compositions for his favourite instrument, the last of which are spoken of as possessing very superior merit. Upon the whole, it appears that his more ambitious works were deformed by a pedantic affectation, but that, when he wrote naturally, he always produced something of interest.—(Hawkins, Fètis, Schilling.)—G. A. M.

ARIOSTO, Alessandro, a Bolognese monk of the order of St. Francis, who, in 1476, was sent on a mission to the Maronites of Mount Lebanon. He spent three years in Syria, and wrote a topographical description of Palestine, and his pilgrimage to Mount Sinai. Sixtus the fifth appears to have had a high opinion of him, and employed him upon ecclesiastical matters at Romagna. He wrote several other works, some only of which have been printed.—(Mazzuchelli, Scrittori d'Italia.)—J. F. W.

ARIOSTO, Alfonso, a son of Gabriello, was a canon in the cathedral of Ferrara, apostolical prothonotary and chamberlain to Clement VIII. He wrote some poetical pieces, which are found in the "Rime scelte de' Poeti Ferraresi." He died about 1592.—(Mazzuchelli.)—J. F. W.

ARIOSTO, Azzone, a native of Bologna, who wrote some odes, which he dedicated to Gregory XV. in 1621.—(Mazzuchelli.)

ARIOSTO, Battista, the author of a work entitled "Exhortatio ad juvenes," the manuscript of which is preserved in the Vatican library at Rome.—(Mazzuchelli.)

ARIOSTO, Francesco, was born in Ferrara early in the fifteenth century, and filled the chair of philosophy and civil law in that city. He was also employed diplomatically by dukes Borso and Ercole I. He wrote a work on the spring of Petroleum at Monte Gibbio. He died in 1492, and was buried in the church of St. Francesco, in Ferrara. His grand-nephew, the great poet, placed an inscription over his tomb.—(Mazzuchelli.)—J. F. W.

ARIOSTO, Gabriello, one of the brothers of Lodovico, and himself a man of considerable talent, especially in the composition of Latin poetry, a volume of which was published at Ferrara in 1582. After his death, Silio Giraldi wrote an excellent elegy upon him, in the second of his dialogues upon the poets of his time. He was a cripple from his birth, and lived in continual suffering. He died in his native town of Ferrara about the year 1552, according to Mazzuchelli. This date is probably a mistake for that of the death of his brother Galasso, and it would seem that Gabriello lived many years longer, as it is stated that his son Orazio was born in 1555. He completed the comedy of his brother, "La Scolastica," which the latter left unfinished.—J. F. W.

ARIOSTO, Galasso, a brother of Lodovico, who was acquainted with most of the distinguished men of his times, his correspondence with whom is preserved. He was a man of some literary ability, and wrote a comedy. He went as ambassador of the duke of Ferrara to the court of Charles V., where he died.—(Mazzuchelli.)—J. F. W.

ARIOSTO, Lodovico, a celebrated Italian poet, was born on the 8th September, 1474, at Reggio, near Modena, of which place his father Niccolo was governor for the duke of Ferrara. The family of Ariosto was ancient, and of respectable if not noble rank, and was connected by marriage with several princely families of Italy, amongst others with that of Este. In 1479 Niccolo left Reggio, and went to Ferrara, where he was subsequently chosen "judge of the twelve," or president of the council. Here Lodovico received his first education, and at a very early age exhibited his talents for poetry, and used to dramatise such stories as he could find for his brothers and sisters, and amongst others he composed a tragedy of "Pyramus and Thisbe," which they acted. His father destined him for the profession of the law, and he spent five years in the college of Ferrara, applying himself but little to the subject, but rather to general literature. His father at last abandoned the idea of the law for Lodovico, and suffered him to follow the bent of his own inclinations. Accordingly, at the age of twenty, he devoted himself