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 Goths.
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.
