FLAMINIO (MARC ANTONIO), fon of the former, born at Imola, followed the fame purfuits as his father, and was even fuperior to him. Cardinal Farnefe, who patronized him as a wit, named him for his fecretary at the council of Trent: but he was in too infirm a state of health to execute the commiffion. He died at Rome in 1550, aged 57. There are extant by him letters and epigrams, published in 1561, 8vo, and tranflated into French verfe, by Anne des Marques, at Paris, in 1569. His Paraphrafe of thirty Pfalms, undertaken at the folicitation of cardinal Pole, was published in 12mo, at Florence, in 1558. The verfification is good, and the Latinity pure. His other writings are also valuable.

FLAMINIUS, properly FLAMININUS (TITUS QUINTIUS), a celebrated Roman general, raifed to the confulfhip by his merit, in the year before Chrift 198, when he was not yet thirty years old. Scipio was the model he propofed to himself; and like him he was excellent, no lefs as a citizen, than as a foldier. He commanded the armies of Rome against Philip V. king of Macedon, whofe army his generalfhip forced into the defiles of Epirus, where he defeated it. He then nearly fubdued that province, with Theffaly, Phocis, and the Locri.

FLAMSTEED (JOHN), a very eminent English aftronomer, was born of reputable parents at Denby in Derbyshire, Aug. 19, 1646. He was educated at the free-school of Derby, where his father lived; and at fourteen was vifited with a fevere fit of fickness, which being followed by other diftempers, prevented his going to the univerfity, as was defigned. He was taken from fchool in 1662, and within a month or two after had Sacrobofco's book "De Sphæra," put into his hand, which he fet himself to read without any director. This accident, and the leifure that attended it, laid the groundwork of all that mathematical and aftronomical knowledge,. for which he became afterwards fo juftly celebrated. He had already turned over a great deal of hiftory, ecclefiaftical, as well as civil: but aftronomy was entirely new to him, and he found great pleasure in it. Having tranflated as much from Sacrobofco, as he thought neceffary, he proceeded to make dials by the direction of fuch ordinary books as he could get together; and having changed a volume of aftrology, found among his father's books, for Mr. Street's Caroline Tables, he undertook to calculate the places of the planets:

Having calculated by the Caroline Tables an eclipfe of the the fun, which was to happen June 22, 1666, he imparted it to a relation, who thewed it to Mr. Halton of Wingfield manor in Derbyshire. This Halton was a good mathematician, as appears from fome pieces of his, in the appendix to Foster's Mathematical Mifcellanies." He came to fee Flamfteed foon

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after; and finding he was not acquainted with the aftronomical performances of others, he fent him Riccioli's "Almageftum

Novum," and Kepler's "Tabula Rudolphina," to which he was before a stranger. He profecuted his aftronomical ftudies from this time with all imaginable vigour and fuccefs. In 1669, he collected fome remarkable eclipfes of the fixed stars, by the moon, which would happen in 1670, calculating them from the Caroline Tables; and directed them to lord Brouncker, prefident of the Royal Society. This produced very good effects; for his production being read before that fociety, was fo highly approved, that it procured him letters of thanks, dated Jan. 14, 1669-70, from Oldenburg their fecretary, and from Mr. John Collins, one of their members, with whom he correfponded several years.

From this time he began to have accounts fent him of all the mathematical books which were published at home or abroad; and in June, 1670, his father, who had hitherto difcountenanced his ftudies, taking notice of his correfpondence with several ingenious men whom he had never feen, advised him to go to London, that he might be perfonally acquainted with them. He gladly embraced this offer, and vifited Oldenburg and Collins; and they introduced him to fir Jonas Moore, who prefented him with Townley's Micrometer, and undertook to procure him glaffes for a telescope, at a moderate rate. At Cambridge, he vifited Barrow, Newton, and Wroe, then fellow of Jefus-college, of which he also entered himself a student. In the fpring of 1672, he extracted feveral obfervations from Gafcoigne's and Crabtree's letters, which had not been made public, and tranflated them into Latin. He finished the tranfcript of Gafcoigne's papers in May; and spent the remainder of the year in making obfervations, and in preparing advertisements of the approaches of the moon and planets to the fixed ftars for the following year. These were published in the "Philofophical Tranfactions," with fome obfervations by the fame author on the planets.. In 1673, he wrote a finall tract in English, concerning the true and apparent diaineters of all the planets, when at their nearest or remoteft diftances from the earth; which tract he lent to Newton in 1685, who made ufe of it in the third book of his " Principia.'

In 1673-4, he wrote an Ephemeris, to fhew the falfity of aftrology, and the ignorance of thofe that pretended to it; and gave a table of the moon's rifing and fetting carefully calculated, together with the eclipfes and approaches of the moon and planets to the fixed ftars. This fell into the hands of fir Jonas Moore, for whom he made a table of the moon's true fouthings that year; from which, and Philips's theory of the tides, the high waters being made, he found that they fhewed the times of

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the turn of the tides very nearly, whereas the common feaman's coarse rules would err fometimes two or three hours. In 1674, paffing through London in the way to Cambridge, fir Jonas Moore informed him, that a true account of the tides would be highly acceptable to the king; upon which he composed a small ephemeris for his majesty's ufe. Sir Jonas had heard him often difcourfe of the barometer, and the certainty of judging of the weather by it, from a long feries of obfervations he had made upon it; and now requefted of him to conftruct for him one of these glaffes, which he did, and left him materials for making more. Sir Jonas highly valued this barometer; and mentioning it as a curiofity to the king and duke of York, he was ordered to exhibit it the next day, which he did, together with Flamsteed's directions for judging of the weather from its rifing or falling. Sir Jonas was a great friend to our author; had fhewn the king and duke his telescopes and micrometer before: and, whenever he acquainted them with any thing which he had gathered from Flamfteed's difcourfe, he told them frankly from whom he had it, and recommended him to the nobility and gentry about the

court.

Having taken his degree of master of arts at Cambridge, hẹ defigned to enter into orders, and to settle on a small living near Derby, promised to him by a friend of his father's. In the mean time, fir Jonas Moore, having notice of his defign, wrote to him to come to London, whither he returned Feb. 1674-5. He was entertained in the house of that gentleman, who had other views for ferving him, but Flamfteed perfifting in his refolution to take orders, he did not diffuade him from it. March following, fir Jonas brought him a warrant to be the King's Aftronomer, with a falary of 100l. per annum, payable out of the office of ordnance, to commence from Michaelmas before; which, however, did not abate his inclinations for orders, fo that at Eafter following he was ordained at Ely-house by bishop Gunning, who ever after converfed freely with him, and particularly upon the new philofophy and opinions, though that prelate always maintained the old. Auguft 1675, the foundation of the royal obfervatory at Greenwich was laid; and during the building of it, Flamsteed lodged at Greenwich; and his quadrant and telescopes being kept in the queen's house there, he obferved the appulfes of the moon and planets to the fixed stars. In 1681, his Doctrine of the Sphere" was published in a pofthumous work of fir Jonas Moore, entitled, "A new System of the Mathematics," printed in quarto.

About 1684, he was prefented to the living of Burstow in Surrey, which he held as long as he lived. He was, indeed, very moderately provided for, yet seems to have been quite contented, afpiring after nothing but knowledge, and the promotion

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of the fciences. This, however, as it raised him to the notice of the world, and recommended him to royal favour and protection, fo it likewife procured him the friendship and confidence of fome of the moft illuftrious perfons in the way of fcience; fuch as fir Ifaac Newton, Dr. Halley, Mr. Molineux of Dublin, Dr. Wallis, Caffini, &c. He fhewed the fame affiduity in labouring for the improvement of astronomy, after this moderate provifion was made for him, as he did before; witness the numberlefs papers addreffed by him to the secretaries of the Royal Society, many of which are printed in the Philofophical Tranfactions. He spent the latter, as he had done the former part of his life, in promoting true and useful knowledge; and died of a ftrangury, Dec. 31, 1719. Though he lived to above 73 years of age, yet it is remarkable, that he had from his infancy a peculiar tenderness of constitution; and in a letter to Mr. Collins, March 20, 1670-71, he says, that "he fhall fcarcely have time to tranfcribe, and fit his papers for the prefs, partly, because his occafions, but more frequently his diftempers, withdraw and detain him from his pen-endeavours. For the fpring," fays he, "coming on, my blood increases, which, if I fhould not exercise ftrongly, I fhould fpit up, or receive into my ftomach, with great detriment to my health." He was married, but had no children. His "Hiftoria Coeleftis Britannica," was published in 1725, in three volumes, folio, and dedicated to the king by his widow. A great part of this work was printed off before his death, and the rest completed, except the prolegomena to the third volume; In the preface we are informed, that in 1704, he communicated by a friend an account of his collection of obfervations to the Royal Society, who were fo highly pleased with it, that they recommended the work to prince George of Denmark. By him, Francis Roberts, efq. fir Chriftopher Wren, fir Ifaac Newton, Dr. David Gregory, and Dr. John Arbuthnot, were appointed to infpect Mr. Flamfteed's papers. This being done, and a report made in their favour, ninety-feven fheets were printed at the prince's expence before his death; after which the remainder was published at the charge of the author and his executors, and will be a noble and lasting monument to his memory. He was moft highly spoken of by many contemporary writers of great eminence; particularly Wotton, in his Reflections on ancient Learning; and Dr. Keil, in his Introductio ad veram Astronomiam.

FLASSANS (TARAUDET DE), a Provençal poet, who flou. rished in the middle of the fourteenth century; a native of Flaffans, a little village in Provence, whence he took his name, He wrote a poem, called, "Enfeignemens pour éviter les tra→ hifons de l'Amour;" i. e. "Leffons to avoid the Treacheries

of Love," for which he obtained a piece of land near his native place, from a perfon named Foulques de Pontéves: buț it is faid, that the leffons answered neither to the teacher nor the learner, both being betrayed by their miftreffes. Queen Joan employed him to make remonftrances to the emperor Charles IV. when he paffed through Provence, and he acquitted himself ably in that office.

FLATMAN (THOMAS), an English poet, was born in Alderfgate-street, London, about 1633; and educated at Winches ter fchool. He went from thence to New-college in Oxford; but leaving the university without a degree, he removed to the Inner-Temple, where in due time he became a barrifter. It does not appear that he ever followed the profeffion of the law; but, having a turn for the fine arts, he indulged his inclination, and made fome proficiency both as a poet and a painter. He speaks of himself as a painter in a poem, called, "The Review;" and it appears from thence, that he drew in miniature. The third edition of his poems, with additions and amendments, was published by himself, with his portrait before them, in 1682, and dedicated to the duke of Ormond. The first poem in this collection is, " On the Death of the right honourable Thomas earl of Offory," and had been publifhed feparately the year before. Soon after, it was read by the duke of Ormond his father, who was fo extremely pleased with it, that he sent Flatman a mourning ring, with a diamond in it worth 1ool. He published also, in 1685, two Pindaric odes; one on the death of prince Rupert, the other on the death of Charles II.

In 1660, came out, under the letters T. F., a collection of poems, entitled, "Virtus Rediviva: a Panegyric on the late king Charles the Firft, of ever bleffed memory," &c. but thefe not being reprinted in any edition of his " Poems," Wood will not affirm them to be Flatman's. In 1661, was published a piece in profe, entitled, "Don Juan Lamberto, or a Comical Hiftory of the late Times;" with a wooden cut before it, containing the pictures of giant Desborough, with a great club in his right hand, and of Lambert, both leading, under the arms, the meek knight Richard Cromwell: and this taking mightily, a fecond part was published the fame year, with the giant Hufonio before it, and printed with the fecond edition of the firft. This witty and fatirical work, has to it the difguifed name of Montelion, knight of the oracle; but, Wood" fays, the acquaintance and contemporaries of Flatman always averred him to be the author of it. Montelion's Almanack came out in 1660, 1661, 1662. The Montelions of the two laft years are fuppofed to be Flatman's, that of the firft was written by Mr. John Philips. It is remarkable, that Flatman, in his

younger