AS`CAPART, a giant conquered by Bevis of Southampton, though so huge as to carry Bevis, his wife, and horse under his arm.

ASCENSION, a bare volcanic island in the Atlantic, rising to nearly 3000 ft., belonging to Britain, 500 m.  NW. of St. Helena, and 900 m. from the coast of Africa; a coaling and victualling station for the navy.

ASCHAF`FENBURG (14), an ancient town of Bavaria, on the Main, 20 m. from Frankfort, with an old castle and cathedral.

ASCHAM, ROGER, a Yorkshireman, Fellow of Cambridge, a good classical, and particularly Greek, scholar; wrote a book on archery, deemed a classic, entitled “Toxophilus,” for which Henry VIII. settled a pension on him; was tutor and Latin secretary to Queen Elizabeth, and much esteemed by her; his chief work, the “Schoolmaster,” an admirable treatise on education, held in high regard by Dr. Johnson, the sum of which is docendo discas, “learn by teaching” (1515-1560).

ASCHERSLE`BEN (22), a manufacturing town in the Magdeburg district of Prussia.

ASCLEPI`ADES, a Bithynian who practised medicine with repute at Rome in Cicero’s time, and was great in hygiene.

AS`COT, a racecourse in Berks, 6 m.  SW. of Windsor, the races at which, instituted by Queen Anne, take place a fortnight after the Derby.

AS`GARD, the garden or heaven of the Asen or gods in the Norse mythology, in which each had a separate dwelling, and who held intercourse with the other spheres of existence by the bridge Bifroest, i. e. the rainbow.

ASGILL, JOHN, an eccentric Englishman, wrote a book to prove that death was due to want of faith, and to express his belief that he would be translated, and translated he was, to spend 30 years, apparently quite happily, writing pamphlets, and end his days in the debtors’ prison.

ASH, JOHN, a dissenting divine, author of an English dictionary, valuable for the number of obsolete and provincial words contained in it (1724-1779).

ASH`ANTI, or ASHANTEE, a negro inland kingdom in the Upper Soudan, N. of Gold Coast territory, wooded, well watered, and well cultivated; natives intelligent, warlike, and skilful; twice over provoked a war with Great Britain, and finally the despatch of a military expedition, which led to the submission of the king and the appointment of a British Resident.

ASHBURNHAM, JOHN, a member of the Long Parliament, a faithful adherent and attendant of Charles I., and assistant to him in his troubles (1603-1671).

ASHBURNHAM, 5TH EARL OF, collected a number of valuable MSS. and rare books known as the Ashburnham Collection; d. 1878.

ASHBURTON, ALEXANDER BARING, LORD, second son of Sir Francis Baring, a Liberal politician, turned Conservative, member of Peel’s administration in 1834-35, sent special ambassador to the United States in 1842; concluded the boundary treaty of Washington, known as the Ashburton Treaty; in his retirement “a really good, solid, most cheery, sagacious, simple-hearted old man” (1774-1848).