Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/234

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Aoriculje Secundus Muf cuius, in anatomy, a name given by Fallopius, and others, to the mufcles of the ears, called, by Albinus, Retrahentes Auriculam. Thefe are three in num- ber, and fo like one another, that they are eafily miftaken for one. Riolanus calls them the Preprint Juris Externa. AURIFLAMMA, in the French hiftory, properly denotes a flag, or ftandard, belonging to the abby of St. Dennis, fuf- pended over the tomb of that faint, which the religious, on occafion of any war in defence of their lands, or rights, took down, with great ceremony, and gave it to their protestor, or advocate, to be borne at the head of their forces. Du Cange, Gloff. Lat. T. i. p. 394. feq. ,

The word is alfo written Aurifambe, Aurifamheum, Ori~ fiamme, and Orijlambe.

It is fuppofed to have taken the denomination on account of its yellow, or golden colour, from Aurum zndfammata, which was a name given to all flags.

In later times the kings of France had the Aurifiamma carried before them in all their military expeditions ; and great virtue was fuppofed to be in it. Du Cange conjectures, that this practice came not in ufe before Lewis the fixth, who acquired the county of Vilcaflin, to which the protection or advowfon of the abbey of St. Dennis was annexed. Auriflamma is alfo fometimes ufed to denote the chief flag,

or ftandard, in any army. AURIFUSIA, Aurifugia, or Auriphrigia, in middle- age writers, denote gold fringes, or borders, ufed on Veft- mencs, tsV. V. Spam. GlofT. p. 52. a. AURIGRAPHUS, Xrwoy?"-?®'* in middle-age writers, a co- pift, or calligrapher, who wrote in gold letters. Du Cange, Gloff. Lat. T. 1. p. 397. AURIS Afini, Affes Ears, a name given, by natural ifts, to a fpecies of fea-fhell, fuppofed to referable the ear of an afs in ftiape. It is of the family of the murex, and of that kind which has an alated and jagged lip. It is known by the crookednefs of the beak, and the rednefs of the in fide of the mouth. There is another fhcll nearly allied to this, called Juris Porct. See Murex. Auris Marina. See EAK-Shell.

Auris Porci, Hog's Ear, in natural hiftory, a name given by authors to a fea-fhell, a fpecies of the murex kind, of that feries which have for their peculiar character an alated and laciniated lip. This fpecies is of a fort of triangular figure, and is ridged and furrowed very deeply. There is another fhell very nearly allied to this, which is called Auris Afini. See Murex. AURORA (Cycl.)— We read of an Aurora Aujlralis, a kind of light feen in the fky, towards the fouth, fomewhat re- fembling thofe often feen towards the north. See Phil. Tranf. N°. 461. Sect. 23, 24, and 25. Aurora Bcrealis. — Mr. Euler thinks the caufe of the Au- rora Borealis not owing to the zodiacal light, as Mr. de Mai- ran fuppofes; (fee Aurora Boreaiis, Cycl.) but to particles of our atmofphere, driven beyond its limits by the impulfe of the light of the fun. On this fuppofition, he endeavours to account for the phaenomena obferved concerning this light. He fuppofes the zodiacal light, and the tails of comets, to be owing to a fimilar caufe. See Tail of Comets, and Zo- diacal Light.

This light fometimes appears remarkably red, as it happened Dec. 5. 1737. of which we have very full accounts from divers parts of Europe, in the Phil. Tranf. N°, 459. Sect. 7. p. 583—606. Aurora Surgens, a phrafe, ufed by alchemlfts, to exprefs the multiplicative virtue of the philofophers ftone. Theat. Chym. T. 1. p. 169. AURUM ad Refponfum, among the Romans. See Magister

Scr'tnii Difpojitionum. Aurum Mufivum, the antient name of what has been fince called Aurum mofaicum. This old name is brought into ufe again in the London difpenfatory, and the preparation direct- ed to be made in the following manner : Take tin one pound, flower of brimftone feven ounces, fal armoniac and purify'd quickfilver, of each half a pound ; melt the tin, and add to it the quickfilver, and when this is cold, reduce it to powder, and mix it with the other ingredients. Then fublime the compound in a matrafs, and the Aurum Mufivum will be found under the part fublimed, with a fmall quantity of foul- nefs at the bottom. Pembertorfs Lond. Difp. p. 220. Aurum Potabile (Cycl.) — Mr. Boyle gives us a method of making Aurum Potabile in an hour or two, without a fur- nace, or any other diftilled liquor than rectified fpirit of wine. See his Works abr. vol. 1. p. 63. Aurum SophiJlicu?ii, mimic gold, a chymical preparation, made as follows : Take fine diftilled verdegreafe eight ounces, crude Alexandrian tutty four ounces, borax twelve ounces, fait- petre one ounce and a half; pulverize and mix them altoge- ther, tempering them with oil to the confiftence of a plaifter ; then put a german crucible into a wind -fu man ce, heat it red hot, and putting your mafs into it, let it be covered, and the furnace filled with coals over the crucible. When the mafs . is melted, let it cool of itfelf, then break the crucible, and

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you will find at the bottom a fine regulus, like gold, weigh- ing about four ounces, which being malleable, may be wrought into any form. V. Smith, Laboratory, p. 34.

AUSTRO-.AFR1CJUS, the fouth-fouth-weft point, or wind. Wolf Elcm. Geogr. §.213.

AUSTROMANCY, Aujlromant'ia, properly denotes footh- faying, or a vain method of predicting futurity, from observa- tions of the winds. Rul. Lex. Alchym. p. 96.

AUTER Droit, in law, is where perfons fue, or are fued, in another's right ; as executors, administrators, csV.

AUTERFOIS Acquit, in law, a plea by a criminal, that he was heretofore acquitted of the fame treafon or felony. For one fhall not be brought in danger of his life, for the fame of- fence, more than once. 3 Inft. 213.

AUTOCABDAL1, Aifc*«|32 a * 0|, in antiquity, an order of muficians, who wore an ivy crown, or garland. Fabric. BibL Grsec. 1. 5. c. 40. p. 759.

Scaliger feems to rank them in the number of mimi. Seal. Poet. 1. r. c. 10.

AUTOCHTHONES, Avlox^t, an appellation affirmed by fome nations, importing that they fprung, or were produced, from the fame foil which they ftill inhabited. In this fenfe, Autochthones amounts to the fame with Abori- gines.

The Athenians valued themfelves on their being Autochthones^ felf-born, or yxyiKij, earth-born, it being the prevailing opi- nion among the antients, that, in the beginning, the earth, by fome prolific power, produced men, as it ftill does plants. Potter, ArchaeoL 1. 1. c. 1.

The proper Autochthones were thofe primitive men, who had no other parent befide the earth.

But the name was alfo affirmed by the defcendants of thefe men, provided they never changed their antient feat, nor fuf- fered other nations to mix with them. V. Fab. Thef.

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In this fenfe it was that the Greeks, and efpecially the Athe- nians, pretended to be Autochthones, and, as a badge thereof, wore a golden grafshopper woven in their hair, an infect fup- pofed to have the fame origin.

AUTOCRATOR, Atfwp*1« f9 a perfon vefted with anabfolute independent power, by which he is rendered unaccountable to any other for his actions.

The power of the Athenian generals, or commanders, was ufually limited ; fo that, at the expiration of their office, they were liable to render an account of their adminiftration. But, on fome extraordinary occafions, they were exempted from this reftraint, and fent with a full and uncontroulablc authority : In which cafe they were ftiled Ay1oxf«7op^. Pott. ArchaeoL 1. 3. c. 5.

The fame people alfo applied the name to fome of their ambaf- fadors, who were vefted with a full power of determining matters according to their own difcretion. Thefe were deno- minated rifisc-£=K Aiflexpalopif, and refembled our Plenipoten- tiaries. Id. ib, c. 7.

Autocrator was alfo a title given the Roman emperors, firft to Julius, and afterwards to his fucceffors, like that of Csefar, or Auguftus. Dion. 1. 331 Calv, Lex. Jur- p. 105. a.

AUTODIDACTUS, AwloMaxTfis a perfon felf taught, or who has had no mafter, or affiftant of his ftudies, befides himfelf. V. Morhof Polyhift. T. 1. 1. 1. n. 14. Bud. Ifag. ad Theol. Li. §. 15. c. 3. Suic. Thef. Ecdef. T. 1. p. 581.

AuiodidaSius Is ufed In divers fenfes, fometimes to denote a perfon who received his knowledge immediately from hea- ven, without any help of ftudy. in which fenfe the word

' -["Odyff.

occurs in Homer % and Clemens Alexandrinus b

1. 22. v. 347. b Pasdag. 1. 3. c. 8.]

Sometimes for him who acquires his knowledge without either

inftruction by word of mouth, or reading of books. Such

were the inventors of fciences and laws.

Sometimes, and that raoft ufually, for him who arrives at

learning by the ufe of books alone, without the affiftance of

any mafter, or inftruction by word of mouth.

AUTOGLYPHUS Lapis, a ftone, mentioned by Plutarch, and fome other of the antients, as having naturally impreffed on it the figure of Cybele. It is faid to have been found in Sagaris, a river of Perfia. Doubtlefs if any fuch ftone ever exifted, the priefts had got it made to deceive the people.

AUTOLITHOTOMUS, he who cuts himfelf for the ftone. Of this we have a very extraordinary inftance given by Rei- felius, in the ephemerides of the academy naturse curioforum. Ephem. Acad. N. C. dec. r. an. 3. obf. 192. Some chufe to read the word, HauthoUthotomus, or Heautoli- thotomus, fuppofing it formed on the model of Terence's Heautontimorumenos. Brun. Lex, Med. p. 95. a.

AUTONOMIA, a power of living, or being governed by our own laws and magiftrates.

The liberty of the cities which lived under the faith and pro- tection of the Romans, confifted in their Autommia, i. e. they were allowed to make their own laws, and elect their own magiftrates; by whom juftice was to be adminiftred,

and