Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/139

 AMP

Tliis ftone is alfo called Erotylos, E ? w1t>M, Amatoria, probably on account of its fuppofed power of creating love.

_ The Ampbicome is mentioned by Democritus and Pliny, though little known among the moderns. Mercatus takes it for the fame with the lapis lumbricatus, of which he gives a figure. Ajjalt. Not. ad Mercat. Ioc. cit.

AMPHICTYONS (Cycl.)— Some fuppofe the word V?'*?"»c to be formed of «a*P'? about, and jfl«ir, or xL^iv, in regard' the inhabitants of the country round about met here in coun- cil. Others, with more probability, from jlmphifiyon, lbn of Deucalion, whom they fuppofe to have been the founder of this aflembly ; though others wilt have Acrifius, king of the Argives, to have been die firft who gave a form and laws to this body.

Their aflembly was called to *oii«v t»» tWw trvnfyor, or commune Greecits concilium ; fometimes alfo £kx?w)<"« Ap- (pixlvcvm, Ecclefia AmpbiStyonum.

Authors give different accounts of the number of the Ampb'ic- tyons, as well as of the ftates who were entitled to have their reprefentatives in this council ; according to Strabo, Harpo- cration, and Suidas, they were twelve from their firft institu- tion fent by the following cities, and ftates; thelonians, Do- rians., Perrhaebians, Bceotiansj Magnefians, Achseans, Phthi- ans, Melians, Dolopians, /Enianians, Delphians, and Pho- ceeans. iEfchines only reckons eleven, mftead of the Achx- ans, ^Enianians; Delphians, and Dolopians, he only gives thefe three, the Theflalians, CEtseans, and Locrians. Laftly, Paufanias's lift only contains ten Amphiclyons, which are men- 'tioned in the Cyclopaedia.

In the time of Philip of Macedon, the Phocxans were ex- cluded the alliance, for having plundered the Delphian tem- ple, and the Lacedaemonians were admitted in their place ; but the Phocaeans fixty years after, having behaved gallantly againft Brennus and his Gauls, were reftored to their feat in the Amphifiyonic council. Under Auguftus, the city Nico- polis was admitted into the body ; and to make room for it, the Magnefians, Melians, Phthians, and ^Emanians, who till then had diftinct voices, were ordered to be numbered with the Theflalians, and to have- only one common reprefentative. Strabo fpeaks as if this council were extinct in the times of Auguftus and Tiberius : but Paufanias who lived many years after, under Antoninus Pius, allures us it remained intire in his time, and that the number of Ampbifiyons was then thirty.

The members were of two kinds ; each city fending two de- puties, under different denominations, one called 'le^ojawftu*, whofe bufinefs feems to have been more immediately to in- fpedt what related to facrificcs and ceremonies of religion ; the other niA«yo§«r, charged with hearing and deciding of caufes and differences between private perfons. — Both had an equal right to deliberate and vote, in all that related to the common interefts of Greece. The Hieromnemon was elected by lot ; the Pylagoras, by plurality of voices. Though the Amphiclyons were firft inftituted at Thermopylae, M. de Valois maintains that their firft place of refidence was at Delphi, where, for fome ages, the tranquillity of the times found them no other employment than that of being, if we may fo call it, church-wardens of the temple of Apollo. In after times the approach of armies frequently drove them to Thermopylae, where they took their nation, to be nearer at hand to oppofe the enemies progrefs, and order timely fuccour to the cities in danger. Their ordinary refidence, however, was at Delphi.

Here they decided all public differences and difputes between any of the cities of Greece ; but before they entered on bufi- nefs, they jointly facrifked an ox cut into fmall pieces, as a fymbol of their union. Their determinations were received with the greateft veneration, and even held facred and in- violable.

The Amphiclyons, at their admifiion, took a folemn oath never to diveft any city of their light of deputation, never to avert its running waters, and if any attempt of this kind were made by others, to make mortal, war againft him : more particularly, in cafe of any attempt to rob the temple of any of its ornaments, that they would employ hands, feet, tongue, their whole power, to revenge it. — This oath was backed with terrible imprecations againft fuch as mould vio- late it ; e, rr. May they meet all the vengeance of Apollo, Diana, Minerva, &c. their foil produce no fruit, their wives bring forth nothing but monfters, &c.

The ftatcd terms of their meeting was in (bring and autumn ; the fpring meeting was called "Eccqm rit-/,«l a, that in autumn Mtlovr&ptti. On extraordinary occafions, however, they met at any time of the year, or even continued fitting nil the year round.

Philip of Macedon ufurped the right of prefiding in the af- fembly of the Amphiclyons, and of firft confuting the oracle, which was called ngof««flwa. Vid. Potter, Arcliaeol. Grsec. 1. i. c. 16. p. 89. feq, Valois, ap. Mem. Acad. Infcrip. T. 4. p. 265. feq. It. T. 7. p. 641. Trev. Diet. Univ. invoc. Richcl. -Diet, invoc. Mfcbhu Orat. m& w*§#s:Mtf&i«s.

AMPHIDROMIA (Cycl.) See Lustricus dies.

AMPHIDRYON, in ecclefiaftical writers, a veil or cur- tain ufually drawn before the door of the bema in anticnt

See the

AMP

churches. Vid. Du Conge, Gloft". Grace, in 1 article Bema.

AMPHIMALLUM, in ecclefiaftical writers, is otherwife called Ampbibalum, and Amphibolum.

Magri fuggefts the Ampimnallum, fpoken of by ecclefiaftical writers, to have been a garment peculiar to bifhops. Magri, Vocab. Ecclef. p. 15.

AMPHIPNEUMA, among antient phyficians, a great degree or fpecies of difficult refpiration. Hippoc. Epid. 1. 4. c 24. ■n. 17. Foff. ad Eund. p. 43. Cajl. Lex. Med. p. 4 r.

AMPHJPPU, in antiquity, thofe who practifed riding on two horfes, by jumping from one to the other. Pitifc. Lex, Ant. T. 1. p. 84.

The word is Greek, A^ir™ ; they are fometimes alfo called iwvccyayot, and fometimes by corruption, Ahwoti. The ap- pellation was given to a fort of cavalry in the Grecian armies, who, for their conveniency, had two horfes a-piece, on which they rode by turns, leading the other. Vi.-i. Pollux, Onomaft. Aquin. Lex. Milit. T. 1. p. 49. Ttraquel. ad Alex, ab Alex. c. 22. Potter, Archajol. Grax. T. 2. 1. %, c.3. p. 18. *

AMPHlPRORiT,, in antiquity, were fhips which had prows at both ends, that no time might be loft in turning them, and alfo on account of the rapidity of ftreams, and narrownefs of channels. Caliagr. de Re Naut. c. 12. Pitifc. Lex Ant.

T. 1. p. 89. J

AMPHISB^NA, In zoology, the name of a fpecies of fnake, which goes with equal eafe either forward or backward. This is all its name imports, though there has been generally un- derftood by it a ferpent, with a head at each end, a monfter not to be expected in the works of nature. It is a fmall fpecies of fnake, of a pale brown colour, equally thick at the head and tail, and moving, like many infects, either backward or forward. It is found in Lybia, and in the ifland of Lemnos. Ray's Syn. Anim. p. 288'. Pliny, Galen, ./Elian, Solinus, and other antient naturalifts, fpeak much of a ferpent fuund in Lybia, under this denomi- nation, which, according to them, could bite either at head or tail, tanquam parum ejfet una ore effundi venenum % as if one mouth were not enough to convey its poifon by. — The moderns generally deny the exiftence of fuch an animal, at leaft of any fuch fpecies : inftances of this kind may be found, but then they are irregular and monftrous b. What feems to have given rife to the opinion is, that there are fome kinds of worms equally big at both ends j fo that 'tis difficult to di- ftinguifh the head from the tail. It may be added, that there are fome which move both ways ; and thefe are the Ampbif- beetle, according to the etymon, — Such is the ccscilia, or flow-worm, or blind-worm, and fome forts of [colopendrcs. — Pj Pliu. 1. 8. c. 23. b Brown, Vulg. Err. 1. 3. c. 15.] Sir Phil. Vematti even affirms the exiftence of a fpecies of ferpents in Java Major, with a head at each end, called capra capella, held facred by the people. We fuppofe he means'the cobra de cabelos, which 'tis certain, from other accounts, has not this property. Vid. Phil. Tranf. ^.43. p. 863. Some naturalifts apply the term Ampbijb^na to infects which have no heads.— In this fenfe, Aldrovand gives the name Ampbijbcena aquatica to that fpecies of infects which he other- wife calls animated horfe-hairs ; from an opinion, that they have no heads, but fwim both ways. Amphisbjena aquatica, z. name given, by Bertrutius, Albertus, and feveral other authors, to that long and flender infect, called by others the fcta aquatica, and vermis fetarlus. It has the name Amph/flnena, from its going backwards or for- wards with equal cafe and celerity. This creature is, by the vulgar, fuppofed to be an animated horfe-hairi and Albertus and other the like authors, have taught many to believe, that a hoife-hair thrown any where into a ftanding water, will become fuch an animal. The ufual fize is four or five inches long, and the thieknefs of a large hair. They are defcribed by fome as growing to a cubit long, and by others as grow- ing even to two cubits. Thefe authors alfo affirm, that they are poifonous to fwallow, but of no hurt to the touch, and that they move like ferpents.-

Dr. Lifter accidentally found out the origin of this worm, in his refearches into the hiftory of a very different fort of infect. Diffecting one of the common black beetles dug up in a garden, he found in its belly two of thefe hair-worms, or Amphifbtfntz ; and renewing the experiment on other beetles of the fame fpecies, he found that they ufually con- tained one, two, or three of thefe worms. As foon as the body of the beetle is opened, they always crawl out. When put into water, they will live a confiderable time, and fwim nimbly about ; but often put up their heads above water, as if endeavouring to make their efcape, and fometimes fatten- ing themfelves by the mouth to the fides of the veflel, and drawing their whole bodies after them.

This author obferves alfo, that they cannot be fairly faid to be Amphifbamts, but move always with the head forwards ; and that the head is diitinguifhed from the reft of the body, by being confiderably blacker than any other part, and is eafily diitinguifhed from the tail end, which is white. When there are two or three of thefe found in the body of one beetle, they are ufually fmall ; but when the worm is finglc, 2 '■&