JOANNES SCOTUS, a famous scholastic divine, was born about the beginning of the ninth century; but where, is a matter of dispute among authors. Bale and Pitts affirm that he was born at St David's in Wales; Dempster, Mackenzie, and Henry, that he was a native of Scotland. Dempster contends that he was born in Ayr, and in order to suit the name to the hypothesis, he describes him as Joannes Airigena. Du Pin, Sir James Ware, and Dr Ledwich have with greater probability asserted that he was by birth an Irishman, Ireland being in those days called Scotia, and by the natives Erin. Various writers agree in relating that he travelled to Athens, where he acquired a competent knowledge of the Greek and oriental languages; and that he afterwards resided many years in the court of Charles the Bald, king of France, who, on account of his singular abilities, treated him as his intimate friend and companion. He slept frequently in the royal apartment, and was constantly admitted to the king's table. "We may judge," says a modern historian, "of the freedom which he used with Charles, by the following repartee. As the king and Scots were sitting one day at table, opposite to each other, after dinner, drinking a cheerful glass, the philosopher having said something that was not quite agreeable to the rules of French politeness, the king in a merry humour asked him, Pray, what is between a Scot and a sot? To which he answered, "Nothing but During his residence with Charles, he wrote several books of scholastic divinity, and was not so fortunate as to escape the imputation of heterodoxy. On that account the pope commanded Charles to send him to Rome, but the king had too great a regard for his companion to trust him with his holiness. One of the chief controversies in which Erigena was engaged, and with which the pope was much offended, was concerning the real presence. His opinion of this weighty matter is expressed in these few words: "What we receive corporally is not the body of our Lord, but that which feeds the soul, and is only perceived by faith."

Whether Erigena ended his days in France is a matter of doubt. Some of our historians tell us that he quitted it in the year 864; and that, after residing about three years in Oxford, he retired to the abbey of Malmesbury, where his scholars stabbed him with their pen-knives. There is no foundation for this story. Probably he died about the year 874; but whether in France or England, is uncertain, and of little importance. Some have related that he was invited to England by King Alfred; but they have apparently confounded him with John abbot of Etheling, who was assassinated in 895; and to this mistake the various accounts concerning Erigena are to be attributed. Besides many other works, he composed the following:

1. *Excerpta de Differentiis et Societatibus Graci Latini-que Verbi.* 2. *De Divisione Naturae lib. v.* 3. *De Pro-destinatione Dei.* 4. *De Visione Dei.* 5. *De Corpore et Sanguine Domini.* 6. *Ambigua S. Maximi, sex Scholia ejus in difficilis locos S. Gregorii Nazianzeni, Latina versa.* 7. *Opera S. Dionysii quatuor in Latinam lingum con-versa.*

Most of these works have been printed. There is an edition, somewhat recent, of his books *De Divisione Na-ture.* Oxon. 1681, fol. The author was formerly denominated the Glory of the Greeks; an appellation to which, in the opinion of Montfaucon, he was not sufficiently entitled. For the age in which he lived, he however appears to have been a person of eminent learning; and his translation of Dionysius Areopagita has received no mean commendation from Huet.

**ERIGONE,** in fabulous history, daughter of Icarus. She died of grief on account of her father's death, was translated into heaven, and formed the sign Virgo.

**ERITH,** a town of the county of Kent, in the hundred of Lessness and lathe of Sutton, fourteen miles from London. It stands on the right bank of the Thames. It is chiefly inhabited by fishermen and other seafaring people; but Belvedere House, on the site of an ancient monastery, is one of the most striking objects to passengers in vessels ascending or descending the Thames. The population amounted in 1801 to 969, in 1811 to 1119, in 1821 to 1363, and in 1831 to 1533.

**ERIVAN,** a province of Persia, bounded on the north and west by the Mossian Hills, on the south by the Araxes, and on the east by the districts of the Karabang and Karadang. It is of considerable extent, and has a salubrious climate, though the winter is of long duration. It possesses, according to Sir R. K. Porter, by whom it was visited in 1817, every natural beauty which a fine assemblage of mountain, dale, and water can bestow. The principal towns are Erivan and Nackshivan. This province is ruled by a sardar, who differs from most others in the empire, as he pays no tribute to the king, holding his station by a military tenure, by which he is bound to furnish to the royal army in time of war a certain quota of troops. To him is entrusted the defence of the frontier within the limits of the province; so that he more resembles a prince in his authority, as well as in all his appointments, than a provincial governor. He has immense wealth both in money and land. The province is 200 miles in length and 100 in breadth. According to a general census taken in 1814, the number of inhabitants capable of bearing arms amounted to 18,000. The annual revenue is 150,000 tomans, or L75,000 sterling.

**ERIVAN, Iricon, or Irivan,** the capital of the above province, situated in an angle of a great plain at the foot of the Mossian Hills, on the banks of the river Zengui, which rises from a lake about seventy miles farther north, and falls into the Araxes about three leagues below the town. It is defended by a fortress of an elliptical form, upwards of 6000 yards in circumference. The city is of considerable extent, but, as generally happens in Persia, ruins mingle everywhere with the habitable parts of the town. The north-west side of the town is built on a precipice impending over the river, to the height of 600 feet. The fortress spreads over a great deal of ground. It is fortified in the mixed ancient and modern Asiatic manner; and has been lately strengthened by European engineers. But it is commanded on every side by hills at a distance of scarcely 6000 yards. The Zengui flows close past the north-west face, which is on the summit of a perpendicular rock seventy feet deep, forming a natural ditch. "Nothing," says Sir R. K. Porter, "can exceed the grandeur of these bulwarks of nature, which so frequently present themselves around fortified places in those precipitous countries; their vastness, simplicity, and impregnable appearance being far beyond the powers of man to imitate." The walls of Erivan, with their numerous towers, make a line of defence exceeding 2000 yards. Immediately beyond them a fine stone bridge crosses the river, which is almost the only object in the town that does not appear in a state of ruin or decay. Erivan has been so often the scene of devastation, plunder, and massacre, that the population has dwindled to about 15,000 persons. The singular old tower described by Chardin being struck with lightning and greatly damaged, has been pulled down, and the materials appropriated to the repairs of the town. The city is well supplied with water from the little river Querk-boolak, which has its source in the great lake, and runs thence north-east, but on approaching the city is divided into numberless little canals for the irrigation of the surrounding gardens, or for other purposes. Sir R. K. Porter supposes that the Erivan was founded sixty-five years before the Christian era, by Ervandus, one of the Armenian kings. In 1635 it was taken from the Turks by the Persians, and its position changed to its present site. It was besieged in 1724 by the pasha of Diarbekir, who in four successive attempts to storm it lost about 24,000 men. It afterwards capitulated, after a brave defence. It was taken by Nadir Shah in 1748, and has since remained in possession of the Persians. In 1808 it was blockaded for six months by the Russians, who, in attempting to storm, were repulsed with great slaughter, and lost half their army in its retreat to Tiflis. It was taken by them in 1829, and given up to Persia by the subsequent treaty of peace. Long. 44° 35'. E. Lat. 40° 9' 30". N.

**ERIPHYLE,** in fabulous history, a sister of Adrastus, king of Argus, who married Amphiarous. She was daughter of Talus and Lysimache. When her husband concealed himself in order that he might not accompany the Argives in their expedition against Thebes, where it had been predicted he was to perish, Eriphyle suffered herself... to be bribed by Polynices with a golden necklace which had been formerly given to Hermione by the goddess Venus, and discovered where Amphiarus lay hidden. This treachery of Eriphyle compelled him to go to the war; but before he departed, he charged his son Alcmenon to murder the betrayer as soon as he received information of his death. Amphiarus perished in the expedition; and his death was no sooner known than his last injunctions were obeyed, and Eriphyle was murdered by the hands of her son.