(St Thomas), styled the Angelical Doctor, was of the ancient and noble family of the counts of Aquino, descended from the kings of Sicily and Arragon; and was born in the castle of Aquino, in the Terra di Lavora in Italy, in the year 1224 or 1225. He entered into the order of the Dominicans; and, after having taught school-divinity in most of the universities of Italy, at last settled at Naples: where he spent the rest of his life in study, in reading of lectures, and in acts of piety; and was so far from the views of ambition or profit, that he refused the archbishopric of that city, when it was offered him by Pope Clement IV. He died in 1274, leaving an amazing number of writings, which were printed at Venice in 17 vols folio, in the year 1490. He was canonized by Pope John XXII. in the year 1323; and Pius V. who was of the same order with him, gave him, in 1567, the title of the Fifth Doctor of the church, and appointed his festival to be kept with the same solemnity as those of the other four doctors. His authority has always been of great importance in the schools of the Roman Catholics. Lord Herbert, in his Life of Henry VIII. tells us, that one of the principal reasons which induced that king to write against Luther was, that the latter had spoken contemptuously of Aquinas.