nounced many Latin orations, granted him his protection, and recommended him to the celebrated Bottari, who appointed him to the canonry of S. Teresa in Trastevere. Through the influence of the same pontiff, the Countess Palavicini settled on Fabroni an annuity that enabled him to devote his time to the study of the Roman law, on which he wrote a very erudite dissertation. His lives of the literary men of Italy, published in 1766, are cited as models of style. To this work, and particularly to the life of Lorenzo De Medici, he owed his election to the Academy of La Crusca. Having reached the summit of literary renown, he died at Pisa on the 22nd September, 1803.—A. C. M.
FABRONI, Giovanni Valentino, Baron, a celebrated Italian naturalist, was born at Florence on the 13th of February, 1752. His high birth introduced him early to the Tuscan court, and he became the favourite of the Grand-duke Leopold, who chose him as his companion and collaborator in the study of natural history. Fabroni visited France and England, and became acquainted with all the modern discoveries in that science. Soon after his return to Florence he was appointed director of the museum of physical science, and occupied his leisure hours in writing a voluminous essay on the subject of uniform weights and measures. The changes effected by the French revolution even in Italy, called Fabroni to public life; and he was employed by the various governments that succeeded each other in many political and scientific missions. Nor was he a stranger to literature and archæology, on which he left numerous works. He died, 17th December, 1822.—A. C. M.
FABROT or FABROTUS, Charles Annibal, a French jurist, born at Aix in Provence in 1580 or 1581; died at Paris in 1659. In the university of his native town he taught law from the year 1609 to the year 1637. In the latter year he went to Paris to print his "Institutionum Justiniani imperatoris paraphrasis Græca," &c. His next work was an edition of the Basilica, containing a version of the several parts of the Corpus Juris, and also the additions made under the eastern emperors. It was published at Paris in 1647 in seven volumes folio. The supplementary matter contained in the work was, with the exception of the fragments edited by Hervetus, previously known to jurists only in manuscript. Of the sixty books of the Basilica, Fabrot's edition comprised thirty-three complete and ten incomplete. In the compilation of it he was greatly indebted to the manuscripts left by Cujas. It was the last of Fabrot's labours to edit the works of this great jurist, which he published in ten volumes folio at Paris in 1658. He left some minor works connected with his profession.—J. S., G.
FABRY, Jean Baptiste Germain, born at Cornus, Rouerge, in 1780; died in 1821. He was called to the bar in 1804, but can scarcely be said to have practised there. In 1805 he commenced the publication of a journal called the French Spectator of the nineteenth century, which continued till 1812. He published several political pamphlets.—J. A., D.
FABVIER, Charles Nicolas, Baron, a French general, born at Pont-a-Mousson, 10th December, 1782; died at Paris, 15th September, 1855. He entered in 1804 a regiment of artillery; and, after some service with the grand army, was sent by Napoleon in 1807 to assist in the defence of Constantinople. He was afterwards sent to Persia, along with a number of other officers, to organize the Schah's army after the model of the French. On his return to Europe, Fabvier joined the Polish army as a volunteer, but shortly afterwards went to Vienna, and thence to Spain, where he became aid-de-camp, on the staff of Marshal Marmont. From Salamanca, where he was wounded, he was despatched to Napoleon to obtain instructions for the marshal. He found the emperor at Moskowa; the morning after his arrival he was in arms, and one of the first to mount to the assault of the great redoubt, and was immediately promoted. He afterwards served in Saxony, and in 1814 in France. After the Restoration Fabvier accompanied Marshal Marmont to Lyons on a mission which resulted in increasing the disorders it was intended to suppress. For an account of the mission which he published in 1817, he was heavily fined. He shortly afterwards lost his commission, and entered upon some commercial speculations, which did not avert from him the attentions of the police. In 1823 he left France and went to Greece to take part in the war of independence. He played an important part in that struggle, and, like many others, was dismissed with insult. After the revolution of 1830 he was sent ambassador to Constantinople, and subsequently to Denmark.—J. S., G.
FABYAN (FABIAN), Robert, a famous chronicler of the fifteenth century. There are few, if any, reliable records of his early life. He was descended from an ancient family in Essex. He was a member of the Drapers' Company, an alderman of the ward of Farringdon Without, and a sheriff of London, 1493-94. In 1502 he excused himself from the civic functions of alderman on the ground of poverty. He died, according to Bayle, on the 28th February, 1512. His will, which was proved on the 12th July, 1513, contains curious comments on the manners of the times of Henry VIII. He was buried in St. Michael's church, Cornhill. Strype, who gives a copy of his epitaph, says that his monument was not extant in 1603. He had sixteen children who were each represented on his monument by a brass plate. Fabyan affords a rare instance of a citizen and merchant of London in the fifteenth century, devoting himself to the pleasures of literature. He is celebrated as the author of "Fabyan's Cronycle," which is a posthumous work. Before his time historical compositions were written in verse, and to him is due the credit of having made the first attempt to write English history in prose. "Fabyan's Chronicle" is a work of considerable merit, considering the time in which it was written. It evinces great diligence and assiduous research, although the materials, in many instances, have not been selected with much judgment. It is compiled from various sources, such as the works of the venerable Bede, Geoffrey of Monmouth, William of Malmesbury, &c. The chronicle is exceedingly prolix; and its chief value consists in its relation of matters concerning the city of London which had not been previously published. The "Concordaynce of Storues," (which was the name that Fabyan himself gave to this chronicle), is divided into seven portions. Parts i. to vi. inclusive embrace the history of Britain from the time that the Trojan "Brute entryed first the isle of Albion" to the Norman conquest. Part vii. continues the history from the conquest, and brings it down to the year 1485. The author appears to have possessed a very fair knowledge of both the Latin and French languages, as well as a tolerable command of his own. He recorded the most minute facts, and was especially careful in chronicling every incident regarding the succession of the monarchs of England and the mayors of the city of London. Of his chronicle there have been five editions; namely—the first, a folio edition published in 1516, now a great rarity in a perfect state. It bore no title. The second edition, two volumes, folio, appeared in 1533, and continued the history to 1509; the third appeared in 1542, two volumes folio, continuing the history to 1541; the fourth, in 1559, two volumes, folio, bringing down the history to the 4th May in that year. The names of the authors who continued the history are unknown. For the fifth edition, in quarto, which appeared in 1811, Sir H. Ellis collated all the prior editions, and added a copy of Fabyan's will, as also a short sketch of his life. Some modern authors style Fabyan "the dullest of compilers," "a poor scholar," and an "uncouth rhymester," &c., while Stowe calls his work "a painful labour, to the great honour of the city and of the whole realm." Fabyan, as a layman, was very learned for the times in which he lived; and he displayed most commendable diligence in gathering together so many facts for which he had only manuscripts to consult.—W. A. B.
FACCINI, Pietro, an Italian painter, was born at Bologna about 1562, and became a pupil of the celebrated school of the Carracci there. He displayed great ability, and is said to have excited so strong a jealousy on the part of Annibale Carracci, that they separated, and Faccini opened a rival school of his own. He died in the prime of life in 1602, in the same year as Annibale's brother Agostino. There are several of his works still at Bologna. His masterpiece is the "Martyrdom of St. Lawrence," in the church of San Giovanni in Monte, of which Annibale Carracci exclaimed—"My God! he has not ground up colours, but human flesh, for his tints."—R. N. W.
FACCIO or FATIO DE DUILLERS, Nicolas, a learned geometrician, but better known as a religious enthusiast, was born at Basle in 1664, and died in 1753. The first part of his life was Spent at Geneva, whence he went to Paris, then to the Hague, and finally settled in England. Faccio was only eighteen when he wrote a letter to Cassini, containing a new theory of the earth, &c., and soon became known as an able and ingenious astronomer. Navigation and the industrial arts also occupied his attention. He is said to have been the original cause
