Abbot (Francis Ellingwood). American Freethinker, b. Boston, 6 Nov. 1836. He graduated at Harvard University 1859, began life as a Unitarian minister, but becoming too broad for that Church, resigned in 1869. He started the Index, a journal of free religious inquiry and anti-supernaturalism, at Toledo, but since 1874 at Boston. This he edited 1870-80. In 1872 appeared his Impeachment of Christianity. In addition to his work on the Index, Mr. Abbot has lectured a great deal, and has contributed to the North American Review and other periodicals. He was the first president of the American National Liberal League. Mr. Abbot is an evolutionist and Theist, and defends his views in Scientific Theism, 1886. Ablaing van Giessenburg (R.C.) See Giessenburg. Abu Bakr Ibn Al-Tufail (Abu J'afar) Al Isbili. Spanish Arabian philosopher, b. at Guadys, wrote a philosophical romance of pantheistic tendency Hai Ibn Yakdan, translated into Latin by Pocock, Oxford 1671, and into English by S. Ockley, 1711, under the title of The Improvement of Human Reason. Died at Morocco 1185. Abu-Fazil (Abu al Fadhl ibn Mubarak, called Al Hindi), vizier to the great Emperor Akbar from 1572. Although by birth a Muhammadan, his investigations into the religions of India made him see equal worth in all, and, like his master, Akbar, he was tolerant of all sects. His chief work is the Ayin Akbary, a statistical account of the Indian Empire. It was translated by F. Gladwin, 1777. He was assassinated 1604. Abul-Abbas-Abdallah III. (Al Mamoun), the seventh Abbasside, caliph, son of Haroun al Rashid, was b. at Bagdad 16 Sept. 786. He was a patron of science and literature, collected Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, and invited the scholars of all nations to his capital. He wrote several treatises and poems. Died in war near Tarsus, 9 Aug. 833. Abul-Ola (Ahmad ibn Abd Allah ibn Sulaiman), celebrated Arabian poet, b. at Maari, in Syria, Dec., 973. His free opinions gave much scandal to devout Moslems. He was blind through small-pox from the age of four years, but his poems exhibit much knowledge. He called himself "the doubly imprisoned captive," in allusion to his seclusion and loss of sight. He took no pains to conceal that he believed in no revealed religion. Died May, 1057, and ordered the following verse to be written on his tomb:--"I owe this to the fault of my father: none owe the like to mine." Abu Tahir (al Karmatti), the chief of a freethinking sect at Bahrein, on the Persian Gulf, who with a comparatively small number of followers captured Mecca (930), and took away the black stone. He suddenly attacked, defeated, and took prisoner Abissaj whom, at the head of thirty thousand men, the caliph had sent against him. Died in 943. Achillini (Alessandro), Italian physician and philosopher b. Bologna 29 Oct. 1463. He expounded the doctrines of Averroes, and wrote largely upon anatomy. Died 2 Aug. 1512. His collected works were published at Venice, 1545.