Another derivation is Al’bia, eldest of the fifty daughters of Diocle’sian king of Syria.  These fifty ladies all married on the same day, and all murdered their husbands on the wedding night.  By way of punishment, they were cast adrift in a ship, unmanned, but the wind drove the vessel to our coast, where these Syrian damsels disembarked.  Here they lived the rest of their lives, and married with the aborigines, “a lawless crew of devils.”  Milton mentions this legend, and naively adds, “it is too absurd and unconscionably gross to be believed.”  Its resemblance to the fifty daughters of Dan’aos is palpable.

Drayton, in his Polyolbion, says that Albion came from Rome, was “the first martyr of the land,” and dying for the faith’s sake, left his name to the country, where Offa subsequently reared to him “a rich and sumptuous shrine, with a monastery attached.”—­Song xvi.

Albion, king of Briton, when O’beron held his court in what is now called “Kensington Gardens.”  T. Tickell has a poem upon this subject.

Albion wars with Jove’s Son.  Albion, son of Neptune, wars with Her’cules, son of Jove.  Neptune, dissatisfied with the share of his father’s kingdom, awarded to him by Jupiter, aspired to dethrone his brother, but Hercules took his father’s part, and Albion was discomfited.

  Since Albion wielded arms against the son of
  Jove.

M. Drayton, Polyolbion, iv. (1612).

ALBO’RAK, the animal brought by Gabriel to convey Mahomet to the seventh heaven.  It had the face of a man, the cheeks of a horse, the wings of an eagle, and spoke with a human voice.

ALBUMA’ZAR, Arabian astronomer (776-885).

  Chaunteclere, our cocke, must tell what is o’clocke,
  By the astrologye that he hath naturally
  Conceyued and caught; for he was never taught
  By Albumazar, the astronomer,
  Nor by Ptholomy, prince of astronomy. 
  J. Skelton, Philip Sparoiv (time, Henry VIII.).

Alcestis or Alcestes, daughter of Pelias and wife of Admetus (q. v.) On his wedding-day Admetus neglected to offer sacrifice to Diana and was condemned to die, but Apollo induced the Fates to spare his life if he could find a voluntary substitute.  His wife offered to give her life for his, and went away with death; but Hercules fought with Death and restored Alcestes to her husband.  This story is the subject of a tragedy Alcestes, by Euripides.  Milton alludes to the incident in one of his sonnets: 

  Methought I saw my late espoused saint
  Brought to me like Alcestes from the grave.

John Milton, Sonnet On his deceased Wife.

William Morris has made Alcestes the subject of one of the tales in his Earthly Paradise.

A variation of the story is found in Longfellow’s The Golden Legend, Henry of Hoheneck when dying was promised his life if a maiden could be found who would give up her life for his.  Elsie, the daughter of Gottlieb, a tenant-farmer of the prince offered herself as a sacrifice, and followed her lord to Sorrento to give herself up to Lucifer; but Henry heard of it, and, moved by gratitude, saved Elsie and made her his wife.