Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/230

 ATR

ATOLLENS Oeuli, in anatomy, a name given by Afbinus to one of his Quatmr' refii muj'culi oaili ; this is the mufcle cal- led by Molinett, and others, the Superbus, and by Cowper, the Elevator oculi.

ATONICS, in grammar, words unaccented. See Accent* Cycl

ATRA Dies, in antiquity, denotes a fatal day, whereon the Romans received foine memorable defeat. V. A. Gell. i. 5* c. 15. Plut. in Qitaeft. Rom. qu. 15.

The word literally imports a black day ; a denomination taken from the colour, which is the emblem of death, and mourning. Whence the Thracians had a cuftom of marking al] their happy days with white ftones, or calculi ; and their unhappy days with black ones, which they caft, at the clofe of each day, into an urn. At the perfon's death, the ftones were taken out, and from a comparifon of the numbers of each complexion, a judgment was made of the felicity or infe- licity of his courfe of life. V. Plin. 1. 7. Dempji. in Paralip. ad Rofin. I, 4. c. 9.

The Dies Atrx, or Atri, were afterwards denominated, Nefajli, and Pojferi.

Such, in particular, was the day when the tribunes were de- feated by the Gauls, at the river Allia, and loft the city ; alfo that whereon the battle of Cannae was fought ; and feveral others marked in the Roman calendar, as Atra, or unfortu- nate. V. Struv. Antiq. Rom. Synt. c. 8. p. ^7 6. feq.

ATRAGENE,. the name by which the viorna, or traveller's joy, a fmall winding fhrub, common in hedges, is known in the fhops. Dale, Pharm. p. 162.

ATRAPHAXIS, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, ac- cording to Linnaeus, called by Dillcpius, a fpecies of the atri- plex. The characters are thefe : The cup is permanent and coloured ; it confifts of two leaves, which ftand oppofite one to another, and are of an oval form. The flower confifts of two roundifh finuated petals, larger than the leaves of the cup, and permanent. The ftamina are fix capillary filaments of the length of the cup ; the anthers are roundifh. The germen of the piftil is comprciTed, there is no ftyte. The ftigmata are two in number, and are capitated ; the cup fhutting itfelf up, finally includes the feed, which is Tingle, roundifh, and fome- what compreffed. Lhmeei, Gen. PI. p. 153. Dill. Hort. Elth. p. 40.

ATRESIA, AJpe-ia, In medicine, im perforation, or theftate of thofe perfons who want fome natural aperture. Brun. Lex. Med. p. go. a.

ATRETI, Arfuloi, thofe perfons, of either fex, in wnom the anus, or genitals, are imperforate, or clofe, whether na- turally, or occafioned by fome accident, or difeafe, as the growth of fome flefhy excreffence, or a membrane which Sops the orifice. Gorr. Med. Def. p. 62. a. Brun. Lex. Med. p. go. b.

ATRICAP1LLA, in zoology, the name of a little bird, com- monly known by the name of the black cap, and called, by fome other authors, Ficedula, Sycalis, or ■ Melanchorypbus, and by the Italians Capon egro. See Melanchoryphus.

ATRICES, orATTRicES, in medicine, fmall tubercles about the anus, which fometimes difappear, and then return again, at leaft while in their early ftate. Brim, Lex. Med. in voc. The Atrices are ranked in the number of condylomata, or fid. Some authors alfo give the denomination Atrici to a kind, of latent wounds in the extremity of the re&um, which how- ever do not perforate the fame. Brun. ubi fupra.

ATRIENSES, in antiquity, a kind of fervants, or officers, in the great families at Rome, who had the care and infpe&ion. of the atria, and the things lodged therein. Thefe are otherwife called Atriarii, though fome make a diftin£tion between Atrienfes and Atrial it ; fuggefting that the latter were an inferior order of fervants, perhaps aftiftants of the Atrienfes, and employed in the more fervile offices of the atrium, as to attend at the door, fweep the area, &c. '. V. Pitife. Lex. Ant. T. 1. p. iqq. a. The Atrienfes are reprefented as fervants of authority and command over the reft : They a&ed as procurators, or agents, of their mafter, in felling his goods, &c. To their care Were committed the ftatucs and images of the mafter's anceftors, &e. which were placed round the atrium j and which they; carried in proceflion at funerals, X&e.

In the villa's, or country-houfes, the Atrienfes had the care of the other furniture, and utenfils, particularly thofe of me- tal, which they were to keep bright from ruft. Other things they were to hang from time to time in the fun, to keep them dry, &c. ^ They Were cloathed in a fhort white linen habit, to diftinguifh them, and prevent their loitering from home. V. Calv. Lex. Jur. p. 96. b. Heder. Lex. p. 461. Pitifc. loc. cit. Fab. Thef. p. 286.

ATRIPLEX, Orach, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which arc thefe: The flower has no petals, but is compofed only of a number of ftamina and a piftil, arifing from a fivc-leav'd cup. The piftil' finally becomes a flat orbi- culated feed, inclofed in the cup in the manner of a capfule. Some fpecies of Atriplex have alfo another fort of fruit, placed in a different part of the plant, not in that of the flowers.

ATT

The ermSfya's of this fruit are large, and confift of two angu- lar leaves, which nicely cnclofe and furround a feed of a roundifh figure.

The fpecies of Atriplex enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe :

i. The pale green garden Atrip/ex. 2. The red garden Atriplex. 3. The broad-lcav'd Atriplex, or fhruby halimus. 4. The Spanifh fhrubby procumbent fea Atriplex, 5. The racemofe moorifh fhrubby fea Atriplex, with filvery leaves, like thofe of the common knot-grafs. 6- The narrow-leav'd fez Atriplex, called by many halimus, and fea purflain. 7. The fea Atriplex, with jagged leaves. 8. The fea Atriplex, with narrow dentated leaves. 9. The halimus-leav'd Atri- plex. ro. The little narrow-leav'd. fea Atriplex. 11. The perennial fea Atriplex, with fpear-pointed leaves, fcarce at all hoary. 12. The common Atriplex, with fpear-pointed leaves. 13. The Atriplex, with long and narrow leaves.

14. The Atriplex, with extremely long and narrow leaves.

15. The wild Atriplex, with rofcate, ftarry, and comprefled fruit. Tourn. Inft. p. 505.

This plant is fometimes cultivated in gardens as a culinary herb, being ufed as fpinach, and, by fome, much preferred to that herb : But there are few in England that are fond of it. It is to be fown in the fpring as fpinach, and muft be eaten while it is young ; for when it is run up to feed, it is very ftrong. If fuffered to fcatter its feed in a garden, it will make itfelf a lafting inhabitant, without farther trouble ; the feeds often remain many years in the ground, and every time it is turned up, fend up new plants. Miller's Gard, Di£t. All the fpecies of Atriplex are cooling and emollient. The leaves are fometimes ufed in clyfters, and in cataplafms, in- tended to foften tumours, and to abate pains. Some give the feeds internally as diuretics, and others recommend them againft diforders of the uterus and menfes. V. !$uitic. Difpenf. P. 2. Sec. 1. §. 59. ATRIUM, in ecclefiaftical antiquity, denotes an open place, or court, before a church, making part of what was called the Nartbex, or Ante-Temple. Bingh. Orig. 1. 8. c. 3. §- 5. The Atrium in the antient churches was a' large area, or fquare plat of ground, furrounded with a portico or cloyfter, fituate between the porch or veftible of the church, and the body of the church.

Some have miftakenly confounded the Atrium with the porch or veftible, from which it was diftinct ; others with the nar- tbex, of which it was only a part. Schmid. Lex. Ecclef.

The Atrium was the manfion of thofe who were not fuffered to enter further into the church. More particularly, it was the place where the firft clafs of penitents flood, to beg the prayers of the faithful, as they went into the church.

Atrium is alfo ufed, in the canon law, for the cemetery, or church-yard.

In this fenfe we find a law, prohibiting buildings to be raifed in Atria Ecdefits, except for the clergy a ; which the gloflary explains thus; id eft in Caenieterio, which includes the fpace of forty paces around a large church, or thirty round a little church, or chapel b. — [ a Gratian. 12. q. j, c, 4. b Spelm* Glofl: p. 48. a.]

ATROPHY. See Defefi ^/Nutrition.

ATTAGEN, in zoology, a name by which authors have cal- led two different fpecies of birds, tho' of the fame genus, both being of the gallinaceous kind. The Atiagen of Aldro- vandus is the francolino of the Italians, a bird very like our red game, or perhaps the fame with it ; and the Attagen of Gefner, and many others, is the gallina corylorum, or hazel- hen. Ray's Ornithology, p. 125. See the articles Fran- colino and HAZEL-Hen.

ATTALICiE Vejles, in antiquity, garments made of a kind of cloth of gold. Jun. Paint, of Ant. c. 8. §. 9. They took the denomination from Attalus, furnamed Philo- meter, a wealthy king of Pergamus, who was the firft, ac- cording to Pliny, who procured gold to be woven into cloth. Hift.Nat. I.3. c.48.

ATTALUS, Aria*®-, and Attalicus, AtI«Xi*®', in the antient phyfic ; epithets given to certain medicines, defcribed by Galen, but now out of ufe. Gorr. Def. Med. p. 62. b.

ATTEMPERATION, in rhetoric, ©V. the cafting a reftri- dion, or foftening, on fomcthing (aid by the formulas, Fama eji, ut perhibent, &c. Seal. Poet. 1. 3. c. 35.

ATTENUANTS, in the materia medica. See Incidents.

ATTERMIN1NG, in our old writers, is ufed for a time, or term, granted for payment of a debt, according to Blount.

ATTILUS, a river fifh, of the fturgeon kind, called by fome adello, adano, and adeno. It grows to a very large fize, and, when full grown, cafts its fcales, and never has any frefh ones in their place, but remains perfectly fmooth ; in which it dif- fers from the common fturgeon. But it feems not to differ in any effential point from the hufo germanum. It is an eatable fifh, but is greatly inferior in tafte to the fturgeon. Wil- lugbby's Hift. Pifc. p. 241. See the article Huso.

ATTORNARE, in the original fenfe, fignified to turn over money and goods, that is, to aifign and appropriate them to

certain