134 A L B E R T U S. /ib. ;. v 2 r. articulate found? ; like to the machines of Boetius, of which ^f .45- Caffiodorus has faid, " Metals lowe, the birds of Di-omcck-a "' trumpet in brafs, the brazen ferp^nt hiiU's, counterfeited
- ' fwallows chatter, and fuch as have no proper note, fiorn
t; brafs fend forth harmonious mufic." John Mattbasus de r ap. ii. J jUna-i j n his trt-atlfe' 1 De rerum inventoribus," has attributed JOJ. 1O. , . , , ..... tne invention or nre-arms to Albert j but in this he is con- Anr.alsof futed by Naude, in. his " Apologie des grands hommes." We vo j ( V ; 1U ' are told, that Albert was naturally very dull, and fo incapa- ble of in ft ruction, as to be upon the point of quitting the cloifter, from defpair of learning what his habit required ; but that the holy Virgin appeared to him, and afked him in which he chofe to excel, philofopby or divinity I that having chofen the former, (he aflured him he fhould become incom- parable therein ; but that, as a punifhment for not preferring divinity, he fhculd fink, before he died, into his former ftu- pidity. It is added, that after this apparition he had an in- finite deal of wit, and that he advanced in all the fciences with fo quick a progrefs, as utterly aftonifhed his matters ; but that three years before his death, he {topped fhort when reading a divinity-lecture at Colcgn, and having in vain en- deavoured, to recal his ideas, he found that the Virgin's pre- diction was accomplifhed. " It would be very unnecciTary," fays Bayle, after relating thefe particulars, " to obferve that " they are fables; thofe who would believe me, need not be 46 told this, fince they would judge in the fame manner of " their own accord ; and as for fuch as think otherwife, they Ci would not alter their opinion by reading here, that I am of <c a different way of thinking." Albert died at Cologn, November 15, 1280, being about 87, or, according to fome, 75 years of age. Ke wrote fuch a number of books, that they make twenty-one volumes in folio, in the Lyons edition of 1615. ALC-rEUS, a famous ancient lyric poet, born at Mitylene, in the ifland of Ltfoos. Horace feems to think be was the author of lyric poetry. lie fiounPned in the 44th Olympiad, at the fame time with inSappho, who was likewife of Mitylene. In Ariftotle's Rhe- tor i c> Alcaeus is introduced, requeuing- a favour of that lady, in thefe words : O/Xw rlv H7TiV, AAa ps sewXuft AjtJVj. Fain would I fpeak, but muft, thro' fhame, conceal The thought my eager tongue would foon reveal. Sappho -
