Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/104

 ALE

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ALG

Ai^Conner, an Officer in the City of London, whbTe Sufineis is to inlpeft the Meafures of the Publick Houfes. — There are four of them, and they are chofen by the Com- mon-Hall of the City. See Measure.

Ax&Silver, a Rent or Tribute yearly paid to the Lord Mayor of London, by thofe who fell Ale within the City.

Lt,%' t fa$er\ is an Officer appointed, and fworn in every Court-Leet, to look that there be a due Size and Goodncis of Bread, Ale, and Beer, fold within the Jurifdi&ion of the Leet. See Assize, &c.

ALECTORIA, in Natural Hiftory, a Stone fometimes found in the Stomach, Liver, or rather Gall-Bladder of old Cocks. See Stone.

It is ordinarily of the Figure of a Lupine, and feldom exceeds the Bignefs of a Bean. — It has abundance of Vir- tues attributed to it, but molt of them arc fabulous.

The Word is deriv'd from dhvtj&f, a Cock.

ALECTOROMANTIA, an anticnt Kind of Divination, perform 'd by means of a Cock. See Divination.

This Art was in ufe among the Greeks 5 and the manner of it was this. — A Circle was made on the Ground, and divided into 24 equal Ponions, or Spaces $ in each of which Spaces 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 turn'd loofe into the Circle, and careful Obfervarion made of the Grains he peck'd. — The Letters correfponding to thofe Grains, were afterwards form'd into a Word ; which Word was to be the Anfwer defired.

'Twas thus that Libanius and Iamblichas fought who Jhould fucceed the Emperor Valcn$ ; and the Cock eating the Grains anfwering to the Spaces 0EOA, they concluded upon Theodore, but by a Miftake inftead Q? e Pheodo$u$,

The Word comes from the Greek a'AS*7®fi a Cock, and fj&vj'tct, 'Divination.

ALEMBICK, or Limbeck, a Chymical Veffel, confin- ing of a Matrafs, fitted with a roundim Head, perforated in a Doping Tube, for the condenfed Vapours to pafs thro' in Diftillation. See Cucurbit, and Distillation.

Alembick is popularly understood of the whole Inftrument of Diftillation with all its Apparatus} but in the proper Senfe of the Word, it is only a Part hereof, viz. a Veffel uiually of Copper, whereto a concave, globular, metalline Head is clofely luted 5 fo as to flop the riling Vapours, and direct, them into its Rofirum or Beak.

The Heat of the Fire raifing the volatile Parts of the Subject, expofed in the bottom of the Veffel ; they are received into its Head, where they arc condens'd, either by the Coldnels of the ambient Air, or by Water exter- nally apply'd ; and become a Liquor, which runs out at the Beak into another Veffel, called the Recipient. See Reci- pient.

The Head or Capital of the Alembick, is fometimes in- compaffed with a Veffel full of cold Water, by way of Re- frigeratory ; tho this Intention is now more commonly an- fwered by a Serpentine, See Refrigeratory, Serpen- tine, &c.

There are divers Kinds of Alembicks : An Open Alem- hick, where the Capital and Cucurbit are two feparate Parts ; a "Blind Alembick, or Blind Head, where the Capi- tal is fealed Hermetically upon the Cucurbit, &c.

The Word is form'd of the Arabick Particle Al, and the Greek *{*&%, a fort of earthen Veffel, mention 'd by Athenens, and Hefychius. Tho, Matth&m Silvaticus, in his Tan deft Medicine, afferts the Word Alembick to be Arabick, and that it literally denotes the upper Part of a diltilling Veffel.

ALEXANDRINE, or Alexandrian, in Poetry, the Name of a kind of Verfe, which confifis of twelve and thirteen Syllables alternately ; the reft or Paufe being always on the fixth Syllable. See Verse.

It is faid to have taken its Name from a Poem on the Life of Alexander, intitled, the Alexandriad ; written, or at leatt tranilated into this kind of Verfe by fome French Poets : tho others will have it denominated from one of the Tranflators, Alexander 'Paris.

This Verfe is thought by fome very proper in the Epo- pca,and the more fublimc Kinds of Poetry : for which Rea- fon it is alfo called Heroic Verfe. See Heroic.

It anfwers in our Language to tbe Hexameters in the Greek and Latin. — Chapmans Translation of Homer., con- fills wholly of Alexandrines.

ALEXIPHARMIC, in Medicine, expreffes that Properry which a Remedy, either fimple or compound, hath to refiit, or deftroy every thing of a poifonous Nature : For the An- tients had a Notion, that there was Poifon in all malignant Difcaies, and in the generality of thofe whofe Caufe is un- known. See Poison.

Alexiterlal, Cardiac, Antidote, Alexipharmic, and Coun- ter poifon, are all Terms of the fame Signification. See An- tidote, Cgunterpoison, £5?c.

Alexipharmics are ordinarily divided into fuch as are ge- neral ; and thofe more particular, fuppoled only to combat

fome particular Difeafe.-But this Divifion is founded more on Speculation than Experience.

Alexifbarmic Medicines, contain a great Number of vo- latile farts, and fuch as render fluid tho Mafc of Blood The greatcit part of them are aromarick, and pungent to the

Tatte. See Aromatic. -Among the reft,°it is true

there are fome acid Plants and Juices ; but thefe are only reckon dm the Number, on account of their Ufe in malio- nanf, colliquative Fevers. °

Alexipharmics chiefly aft by exciting or increafing a Dia- phoreiis, or Peifpiration ; by which the noxious Matter is thrown off. See Diaphoreticks, Perspiration, £V.

Alexipharmics, whether fimple or compound, are alfo efteemed Preservatives againfl malignant, and pestilential Fevers : But they arc to be ufed with Caution ; fome being only proper in Condcufations, and others in Colliquations of the Blood. Sec Preservative, Plague, $$c.

The Word is derived from the Greek dh^a, arceo, to drive out, or expel ; and wV""') Venerium, Poifon.

AtExiPHASMic Waters, &c. See Water, igc.

ALEXITERIAL, in Medicine, a Term of the fame im- port with Alexipharmic. See Alexipharmic.

It is form'd from the Greek zte.!;n, arceo, 1 drive away, or Opitulor, I aflilr.

ALFET, antiently fignified the Cauldron in which boiling Water was put, for the Accufed to plunge his Hand in up to the Elbow, by way of Trial or Purgation. See Water.

ALGAROT, or Algarel, in the Arabian Chymi'dry, a Poudcr prepared of Butter of Antimony ; being in rea- lity no more than the Regulus of that Mineral, diffolv'd in Acids, and feparatcd again by means offcveral Lotions with lukewarm Water, which imbibes rhofe Acids. See Regulus.

This is alfo called Mercurius Vitbilofophi'Cal Vitriol.

ALGEBRA, a Method of refolving Problems by means of Equations. See Problem, and Equation.

Some Authors define Algebra the Art of foiving all Pro- blems capable of being folv'd : But this is rather rhe Idea of Analyfis, or the Analytic Art. See Analysis.

The Arabs call it, tho Art of Reftimtion and Comiari- fon ; or, the Art of Refolution and Equation.— Lucas de Burgos, the firft European who wrote at Algebra, calls it, the Rule of Reflorathn and Ofpojilion.— The Italians call it, Regula Rei ££? Cenfus, that is, the Rule of the Root and the Square ; the Root with them being called Res, and the Square Cenfus.— Others call it Specious Aritbmetick ; others Univerfal Aritbmetick, &c.

Menage derives the Word from the Arabic Algebra, which fignifics the fetting of a broken Bone ; fuppofing rhat the principal Part of A'gebra is the Consideration of

broken Numbers. Others rather borrow it from the

Slianifb Algebrifla, a Petfon who re-places diilocated Bones ; adding, that Algebra has nothing to do with Fraction ; in that it confiders broken Numbers a« if they were entire, and even expreffes its Powers by Letters, which are incapable of Fraction.

Some, with M. d'Herbelot, arc of Opinion, that Algebra takes its Name from Geber, a celebrated Phiiofopher, Chy-- mifl, and Mathematician, whom the Arabs call Giaber ; and who is fuppofed to have been the Inventor. — Others, from Gefr, a kind of Parchment, made of the Skin of a Camel, whereon Alt and Giafar Sadek wtote in myftick Characters the Fate of Mahomet anifm, and the grand Events that were to happen till the End of the World. — But others, with more probability, derive it from Gebr, a Word whence, by prefixing the Particle Al, we have formed Algebra, which is pure Arabic, and properly fignifies tha Reduction of broken Numbers to a whole Number.

However, the Arabs, it is to be obferved, never ufe the Word Algebra alone, to cxprefs what we mean by it 5 but always add to it the Word Macabelah, which fignifies Oppo- fition and Comparifon. — Thus, Algebra- Almocabelak, is what we properly call Algebra.

Algebra is a peculiar kind of Aritbmetick, which takes the Quantity fought, whether it be a Number, or a Line, or any othet Quantity, as if it wcte granted ; and by means of one or more Quantities given, proceeds by confequencc, till the Quantity at firll only fuppos'd to be known, is found to be equal to fome Quantity or Quantities which are certainly known, and confequently it fclf is known. See Quantity, and Arithmetic.

Algebra is of two Kinds, viz. Numeral, and Literal.

Numeral, or Vulgar Algebra, is that of the Antients, which only had place in the Relblution of Arithmetical Quel- tions. — In this, the Quantity fought is reprelented by fome Letter or Charafler ; but all the given Quantities are ex- prefs'd by Numbers. See Number, and Numerous.

Literal,