Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/96

 ALE

ALE

ration of the fign the fun was in, and the motion of the moon a. Others fpeak of a kind of AleSiryomancy, performed with the help of a ring b. But the fpecies moft fpoken of by authors was performed as follows. A circle was made on the ground, and divided into twenty-four equal parts, in each of which was written one of the letters of the alphabet, and upon each of thefe letters was laid a grain of wheat : this done, a cock was turned loofe into the circle, and careful obfervation made of the grains he picked. — The letters correfponding to thefe grains were afterwards formed into a word, which word was to be the anfwer defired. — [ a V. Philof. Tranf. N°. 162. p. 707. b Ammian. Marcellln. 1. 29. c. 1. Jour, des Scav. T. 51. p. 593.]

It was thus, according to Zonaras, that Libanius, and Jam- blicus fought who fhoutd fucceed the emperor Valens ; and the cock eating the grains anfwering to the {paces ©eoa. Se- veral whofe names began with thofe letters, as Theodotus, Theodiftes, Theodulus, isc. were put to death ; which did not hinder, but promote Theodofuis to the fuccefTion c. But the Story however current, is but ill fupported : It has been called in queftion by feme, and refuted by others from the filence of Marcellinus, Socrates, and other hiftorians of that time d. — [ c V. Zona?: Annal. p. 744. Gidren. p, 257. Kir- cber, CEdip. /Egyp. P. 2. p. 472. feq. Vojf. de Philof. p. 167. Bulling, de Divin. 1. 3. c. 40. Potter, Archseol. Attic. I. 2. c. 18. p. 352. Jour, des Scav. T. 18. p. 337. d V. Mar- cellln. 1. 29. c 1. Socrat. 1. 4. c. ig. Sozom. 1. 6. c. 31. Nicepb. Hilt. Ecclef. 1. 11. c. 45. Fabric. Bibl. Gnec. 1. 4. c. 28. §. 2. Id. ibid. 1. 5. c. 10. §. 1.] Pra: tonus has a difcourfe cxprefs on Aleilryomancy. Franco/ , 1681. 4 . Fabric. Bib!. Andq. c. 12. p. 410.

ALEGER, a name given to an inferior fort of vinegar, made of ale, or malt liquor, inftead of wine. Power has given a descrip- tion of the eels in Alegcr. V. Power, Exper. Philof, Gbf. 3. p. 32.

ALEIPHA, in the materia medica of the anticnts, a word ufed for all fatty bodies whatever. The oils of vegetables, and fat of animals were all called by this general name. But thefe fimple fubftances were not the only ones called by it, for it is very frequently ufed to exprefs any fort of medicated oil impregnated with aromatick vegetables ; but its general acceptation in this fenfe, was for fuch compofitions as were intended to anoint the body ; and therefore, they were pro- perly only vegetable or animal fats, impregnated with the lighter parts of plants, and not clogged with an addition of powders, nor with wax or any thing of that kind, which might have given them the confiftence of ointments. The antient phyfirians were very fond of thefe compofitions, which they ufed either to fome difeafed part only, or to the whole body, and after they had made the patient ufe the warm bath to relax and open the pores. Hippocrates.

ALEMBIC (Cycl) is the fame with what is otherwife called Lem- b'tc, Helm, Galea, Pileus, Capitellum, and Ambix. This laft name feems to have been the moft antient; Diofcorides=>

. fpeaks of it, and attires us, they had a method in thofe days of extracting the mercury from cinnabar, by fublimating it in an ambix b .— [ a Diofcor. 1. 5. c. no. b Le Clerc. Hift.de Medic. P. 3. 1. 1. Nouv. Rep. Lett. T. 24. p. 407. Jour, des Scav. T. 75. p. 643.]

The open Alembic is called alfo Roftratus, that is beaked. This di.fcharges its vapour thro' a beak or nofe, into a reci- pient. The blind Alembic is ufed in fublimation, being fome- times alfo perforated at top to let the vapour afcend. German chemifts defcribc methods of colouring liquors in their paflage thro' the Alembic. Ephem. Acad. N.^C. dec. 2 An 3. Obf. 28. p. 83. feq.

Some naturalifts fuppofe rocks and mountains to do the office of Alembics, with regard to the waters of the fea, which they thus raife to the furface of the earth ; and hence the the origin of fprings and rivers c. Others reject this hypo-: theft's of natural Alembics, and fuppofe (brings to be formed from vapour d . Dr. Halley adopts this laft opinion, yet re- tains the Alembics, only inverting their ufe. He fuppofes the tops or external parts of hills, to collect the vapour where- with the atmofphere is loaded and ferve as it were for Alcm- &Vj- todiftil frefli water for the ufeof man and beaft c . — [^Scbeucb. Hift. Alp. 2. p. 45. feq. Phil. Tranf. N\ 316. p. 146. De la Hire in Hift. Acad. Scienc. An. 1703. p. 5. * Giorn. des Letter, d'ltal. T. 25. p. 349. c Phil. Tranf. N\ 192.P.473 1 See Spring, Vapour, River, &c. Cycl.

ALEMBROTH, in the writings of the alchemifts, a word ufed for a fort of fixed alkaline fait, which had the power of the famous alcaheft, in diflblving bodies, opening the pores of moft or all known fubftances, and thence, as well as by de- ftroying fulphurs, promoting the reparation of metals from their ores.

The word is faid to be of Chaldee origin, and its natural meaning to be clavis artis, the key of art. The word is alfo written Alembrot, fometimes EhbroU It is otherwife called falfvfimis, and fal fixionis. Alembrotb is reprefented as partaking of the nature of halo- nitrum, and alum ; it is faid to be extra&ed from a pecu-

. liar fort of earth refembling coagulated blood, found on the mountain Olympus in Cyprus. Lihavius gives divers methods

of preparing it, Ruland. Lex. Alch. p. 29. ap. Cajlcl. Lex. Med. p. 30. Libav. Synt. Arcan. Chcm. 1. 8. c. 28. Some alfo ca'll fait of tartar Alembrotb deftccatum.

ALENON, a word ufed by fome of the old medical writers^ as a name for the oil of fweet almonds.

ALEORE, AA£wg>i, aword ufed by the old medicalwriters, for an intermiflion of cafe, from the raging pains of any violent acute diftemper. Hippocrates.

ALEUROMANCY, Aleuromantia, is the fame with what was otherwife called Alphitomantia, and Critbomantia. Milan, de Animal. I. 8. c. 5. Fabric. Bibl. Antiq. c. 12. p. 410. Akuromancy was an antient kind of divination performed by means of meal or flower.

ALEXANDERS, in botany, a genus of umbelliferous plants. See Smyrnium.

ALEXANDRIAN, in a particular fenfe, is applied to all thofe who profefled or taught the fciences in the fchool of Alexan- dria.

In this fenfe, Clemens is denominated Alexandrinue, tho* born at Athens. The fame may be laid of Apion, who was born at Oafis ; and Ariftarchus by birth a Samothratian. John/, de Script. Hift. Philof. 1. 1. c. 2. §. 6. The chief Alexandrian philofophers, were Ammonius, P1g- tinus, Origen, Porphyry, Jamblicus, Sopatcr, Maximus, and Dexippus. Id. ib. 1. 3. c. 16. §. 2.

Alexandrian is more particularly undcrftood, of a college of pricfts, confecrated to the fervice of Alexander Severus, after his deification. Lampridius relates, that notwitbftand- ing Severus was killed by Maximin, the fenate profecuted his apotheofis ; and, for regularity of worfhip, founded an or- der of pricfts or fodales, under the denomination of Alexan- drini. V. Act. Erud. Lipf. 1684. p. 41.

ALEXANDRIN {Cycl.)— Alexandras are otherwife called do- decafyllables ; and are peculiar to the modern poetry. We find them in the Englifh, French, Italian, and German poets; but moft in the French, who generally compofe their trage- dies and Epic poems in this yerfe. The Italians appear to have been the firft who ufed it. Maffei mentions a MS poem, in the library' of Verona, written about the year 1200, com- pofed of Alexandrins. But they have been long difufed by the writers of that country. The like may be faid of the Eft- giiih.

The advantages of the Alcxandrin verfe, are its keeping the rhimes from coming fo near, and confequently hindering them from being fo much perceived. To this may be added, that coming nearer to the nature of profe, it is fitter for theatrical dialogue, and fupplies the office of the antient iambics, bet- ter than any other verfe in rhime. V. Contin. des Mem. de Saleng. T. 2. P. 1. p. 438. Jour, des Scav. T. 82. p. 381. It. T. 75. p. 222. Bibl. Ital. T. 2. p. 299. Mem. de Trev. 1730. p. 755. Nouv, Liter. T. 5. p. 3. Alexandrins fell into difufe among the antient French poets, from which Ronfard firft retrieved them, and brought them into vogue. That author fpeaks much in their praife, as the only verfe fit for great fubjects, as anfwering to the antient heroic, or hexameter verfe. If he did not compofe his Franciad in them, he affures us it was not the effect of his own choice, but the commands he had received from Charles IX. who was fond of the common verfe. Ronfard e?en pro- mifed after that prince's death, to make his Franciad walk on Alexandrian feet, that is, to tranfiate it into this meafure. But the fame poet, in his latter days, recanted all this, con- feffing that he had been deceived in fuppofing the Alexandrian verfes to have correfponded to the antient heroics, which the common verfes rather do ; that the Alexandrins rather an- fwer to the Senarii of the antient Tragic poets; that they are too low and profaic for great fubjects, too rambling and diftufive, and by the cafinefs of their compofrrion give too much fcope to tattle ; on the whole, that they are only fit for translation, where they afford great advantages for expref- fing the fenfe of the original. Notwithftanding this we find moft of the French epic, dramatic, as well as elegiac and paftoral pieces, compofed in this verfe. V; Menag. Orig. Franc, in voc.

ALEXANDRINUM, in the antient phyfick, is ufed for a kind of green faive, or drawing plaifter, a defcription of which is given by Celfus. V. Gelf. de Art. Med. I. 5. c. 19. Gorr. Med. Defin. p. 19. Cajl. Lex. Med. p. 31.

ALEXICACUS, ibmething that preferves the body from harm or mifchief. The word is Greek, K&f|ix«*'cj, compounded of ate£h> 9 I drive away, and xuxov, malum, evil. Alexicacits amounts to much the fame with alexiterial. Conft. Rhodocanaces gives the name more peculiarly to the fpirit of fea-falt, and has published a work under that title. Alexicacus, fpirit of felt or of the world, which vulgarly pre- pared is called the fpirit of fait. Lond. 1664. 4°«

Alexicacus, in antiquity, was an attribute of Neptune, whom the tunny-fifhers ufed to invoke under this appellation, that their nets might be preferved from the §Mpi«j, or fword- fifh, which ufed to tear them, and prevent the afliftance, which it was pretended the dolphins ufed to give the tunnies on this; occafion. Hift. Acad. Infcript. T. 2. p. 21.

ALEXIPHARMIC (Cycl.)— Phyfical authors afford many par- ticulars relating to tHe Alexipharinic quality of myrrh % the 3 Alexi-