Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/95

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ALE

fruit like the common turpentine tree, only fmaller. Abuanlfa fays, that in fome places the turpentine tree grows wild on the mountains, and grows to as large afizeas an oak, bearing proportionably large fruit j and Theophraftus tells us, that in Syria, the turpentine grows to a large and lofty tree, tbo' in other countries it be but a low fhrub. The whole difference therefore between thefe authors may be, that the wild tur- pentine tree, and not the lentifk, produces thofe large fruit, which Avifenna fpeaks of; and indeed on comparing the whole chapter of Avifenna, with the Greek of Diofcorides, from which it is taken, it will be found fo full of errors, that it ■will not appear wonderful he fhould have faid wrong in this article.

ALDEBAC, in the materia medica of the antient Arabian phyficians, the name by which they have called bird-lime. They place this among the vegetable poifons, and always tranflate the *i J|i«c of Diofcorides by this word, or by the word debac, without the particle Al. In this, they are much to be pre- ferred to Pliny, who always tranflates E|Uy, Vifcum ; whereas they only tranflate it fo, where the Greeks meant it fo, that is, where they ufed it as a fubftanrive feminine ; but where they ufed it as a mafculine adjective, they have properly dif- tinguifhed it, and translated it by the chamaeleon thiftle. This was evidently the fenfe of the Greek writers, who in this fenfe mention it as a fafe remedy, and who called the white chamseleon thiftle by this name, not from its poffeffing the qualities of bird-lime, but from its yielding a vifcous juice, which in time hardened into a fubftance like maffick, and was ufed to hold in the mouth, to fweeten the breath.

ALDEBARAN ( Cycl. ) is otherwife called Lampas, Occu- his Tauri) in Englifh the bull's eye. The Romans gave it the name Palilit'ium, from its rifing at the time when their feaft called PaliUa was celebrated. Plin. Hift. Nat. i 18. c. 26.

ALDERAIMIN, in aftronomy, a ftar of the third mag- nitude on the right Shoulder of Cepheus. SeeCEpHEus, Cycl.

ALDHAFERA, in the Arabian aftronomy, denotes a fixed ftar of the third magnitude, in the lion's mane. Vital. Lex. Math. p. 19. feq.

ALDII, in antiquity, fervantswho attended their mafters in ex- peditions to the wars. Aquin. Lex. Milit. T. 1. p. 38. Thefe were otherwife called Aldiones, Aldionii, and Aldio- Tiarti.

ALE (Cycl.) — The word Ale is originally Danifh, Ael, by which name the liquor is ftill called in that language. Verjleg. Antiquit. c. 3. p, 49.

We have different accounts of the origin of Ale. Some after Pliny derive it from the Egyptians, who it is even faid afcribed the invention to one of their gods, viz. Dionyfius the fon of Ammon, that is to Bacchus himfelf, who firft difcovered the method of making a potable liquor, by fermenting the water of the Nile with fome of the grains of that country. Others, after Tacitus, maintain it to have been of German origin, tho' ufed alfo among the antient Gauls, and other more northern na- tions. Jour, des Scav. T. 67. p. 273. Plin. Hift. Nat. 1. 22. c. 25. Hardouin, Not. ad Eund.

Ale is fuppofed to be much the fame with what was known among the antients, by the names of Zyihum and Curmi.

Pale Ale, that prepared of malt (lightly dried.

Brown Ale, that made from malt higher dried, of foafted. The latter is found purer, thinner, and more fluid, the for- mer ftronger of the malt, and more vifcid. Quinc. Difpenf. P. 2. Sect. 13. p. 2 1 6.

Ale is generally held more diuretic than beer, in regard Ale is fmoother, more foftening and relaxing, fo that where urine is to be promoted by facilitating the paffage, Ale is rnoft likely to effect it. £>hiinc. Difpenf. P. 2. Seel. 13. p. 215. Ale, it is faid, fouls the glands, fluffs the veffels with flime and vifcidity, makes the body unweildy and corpulent, and paves the way for cachexies, jaundice, afthmas, and incura- ble dropfies ; fills the urinary paffages with flough and matter of as ill confequence as gravel itfelf. But may it not be afked what proof there is of this? And whether all the difeafes afcribed to Ale, be more than what may arife from a diet too plenti- ful in proportion to the exercife of a perfon ?

Pale Al e brewed with hard waters, as thofe of fprings and wells, is judged the molt wholefome in regard the mineral particles, tend to prevent the cohefions of thofe drawn from the grain, and enable them to pafs the proper fecrctions the better j fofter waters, as thofe of rivers, and rain, feem better fuited to draw out the fubftance of high dried malts, which retain many igneous particles, beft abforbed in a fmooth ve- hicle. $>uinc. loc. cit.

In Staffordfhire, they have a fecret of fining Ale, in a very ftiort time. Plot conjectures it to be done by adding alum, or vinegar in the working. Plot, Nat. Hift. Stafford, c. 9. §. 72. Ale is prepared various ways, and of various ingredients, as of wheat, rye, millet, oats, barley, the berries of the quick bean, &c. Bruckman, ap. Act. Erud. Lipf. 1722. p. 545. feq. Evelyn^ Sylv. c. 15. §. 1.

Some have found that the juice which bleeds from the birch or fycomorej is of great ufe on this, occafion, applied inftead

of water. It makes one bufhel of malt go as far as four in the common way. Evelyn, c. 16. §.4. Some have a method of preparing Ale, fo that it will keep carried to the Eaft or Weft-Indies. The fecret is by mafh- ing twice with frefh malt, boiling twice ; and after fhipping it, putting to every five gallons two new laid eggs whole, to remain therein. It is faid, that in a fortnight's time, the fhells will be diffolved ; and the eggs become like wind eggs : and that afterwards the white would difappear, and the yolk remain untouched. Phil. Tranf. N°. 27. p. 495. Ale brewed of white malt abounds in a fait and crude tartar, and on this account is found to heat too much, and, as fome fay, fatten, render the blood vifcid, and load the refpiration, create obftructions in the vifcera, difpofe to the ftone, &c. Yet the Ale of Koerenigs Lutter in Brunfwick is famous, and tho* made of white malt, is, by its panegyrifts, pre- tended to have the contrary of all thefe effects. Bruckman, loc. cit.

The confumption of Ale in England is incredible. A late author makes it amount to the value of four millions yearly ; including Great Britain, and Ireland. Plan of Engl. Comm. p. 202. feq.

ALEA, in Roman antiquity, fignifiesin general games of chance. V. Pitifc. Lex. Ant in voc.

Ale a, in a more limited fenfe, is applied by Roman writers to a particular game played with dice, in a pair of tables, fome- what after the manner of our back gammon, or trie trac. Inftead of our men, they played with white and black ftones, which were moved this way or that, as the dice directed. Alea in this fenfe appears to have been the fame game with what the Greeks called Pettia and Chiv'ta j the Romans forrietimes Tabula, Tejfara, and XII. Scripta. Giorn. de Letter, de Parm. 1690. p. 230. feq.

This game of Alea is very imperfectly delivered by antient writers. Agathias Scbolafticus a defcribes it the fullcft, but fo obfeurely, that feveral of his commentators frankly own they underitand nothing of the matter. Salmafius undertook to explain this matter, but did not fucceed. Corn, de Paw, has published a work exprefs on the fubject, by which a bet- ter idea may be formed of the manner of playing at this game b. — [ a Epigram, in Anthol. Grasc. 1. 1. c. 61. b Diatribe de Alea Veter. ad Epigr. Agath. Scholaft. Utr. 1726. 12°. An Extract of it is given in Bibl. Anc. Mod. T. 24. p. 222.J

ALEATORIUM, in Roman antiquity, was the place where they played at alea.

The Aleatorium was near the Spharijlerium ; that the fportf- men when tired with the pila, or more robuft exercifes, might refrefh themfelves in the Aleatorium. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. in voc.

ALEC, in ichthyology, a name given by Gaza, in his com- mentaries on Ariftotle, to the fifh called by that author mainis, and by Ovid Menerela. This is the Mana of the Latin ichthyologifts, and is called by the Venetians Menelo y and Menola. The nth is properly of the fparus kind, accord- ing to the Artedian fyftem, and is diftinguifhed from the other fpecics of that genus, by having four large teeth, its fides variegated, and a large black fpot on each. See

SpARUs.

ALECTORIA {Cyd.)— TKis is otherwife called AUaorius La- pis, fometimes Aleilorolithos, in Englifh the cock-ftone. The more modern naturalifts hold the Aleclorius Lapis to be originally fwallowcd down, not generated in the ftomach or gizzard of cocks and capons. It is known that many of the fowl kind make a practice of fwallowing pebbles, as it is fuppofed to be of fervice in the bufinefs of trituration and di- geftion. In two oftriches diffected fome time ago, there were found above a hundred in each ftomach a . It is in vain there- fore that fome have laboured to account for the origination of this ftone in the ftomach from the hypothecs of alkali, and acid b . — [ a Worm. Muf. Lands Not. ad Mercat. Me- talloth. Arm. 8. 6. p. 182. feq. Giorn. de Letter, d' Ital. T. 32. p. 150. Bibl. Ital. T. 1. p. 140. b Plin, Hift. Nat. 1. 37, c. 10. p. 787. //id. Orig. 1. 16. c. 13. Mercat. Metalloth. loc. cit. Go?-ra:i, Deff. Med. p. 19. Cajlel. Lex. Med, p. 30. Nichols, Lapid. p. 173. See Palumbella- rum Lapis.

ALECTORICARDITES, in natural hiftory, a name given by Plot, to a figured ftone refembling a pullet's heart, with the fat near the bafis of it, and the coronary veffels defend- ing from it. Plot, Nat. Hift. Stafford, c. 5. §. 7. p. 180. The word is compounded of the Greek a?\extuo, cock, and xxfiuz, heart.

ALKCTORIUS Lapis, in natural hiftory. SeeALECTORiA.

Alectorius Lapis, is alfo ufed for a fmall fpecies of Bufo- nites, or disjunct fegment of a palate of a fifti approaching to the nature of the Chelidonius Lapis.

ALECTOROMANTIA, (Cycl.) an antient kind of divination, formed by means of a cock.

This is otherwife called Aleclryomantia, Aleclryomancy. The word comes from the Greek AAtxIwf, a cock, and ftavltia, di- vination.

There appear to have been divers fpecies of Aleclryomancy. In fome the augury was taken from the crowing of cocks ; wherein regard was had to the time of the day, as whether before before noon or after, to which fome added the confide-