Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/1040

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HYP

HYPERBOLE, in Rhetoric, a Figure, whereby the Truth and Reality of Things is excelfively either cnlarg'd or diminifh'd.

As, He ran fwifter than the Wind ; He went flower than a Tortoife, £gtt.

The Character of an Hyperbole is to exaggerate or exte- nuate the Idea of the Thing fpoke of, beyond the Bounds of Truth, or even Probability.

Hyperbole's,iays Senece, lye without deceiving; they lead the Mind to Truths by Fictions, they convey the Sentiment intended, by exprefling it in Terms which render it incredi- ble — The Hyperbole promifes too much, to make you con- ceive enough.

Ariftotle obferves, that Hyperbole's are the favourite Fi- gures of young Authors, who love Excels and Exaggeration; ft that Philofophers Ihould not ufe them without a great deal of Referve.

The Pitch to which an Hyperbole may be carry'd, is a Point of great Delicacy : To carry it too far, is to deitroy it : It is of the Nature of a Bow-ftring, which, by immoderate Tenfion, flackens ; and frequently has an Effect quite con- trary to that intendedi LongilttlS.

Thofe Hyperbole's ilk beft, which are latent, and are not talcen for Hyperbole's. For this Reafon, they fliould lcarce ever be us'd but in aPaflion,and in the Middle of fome impor- tant Incident : Such is the Hyperbole of Herodotus, fpeaking of the Lacedemonians, who fought at Thermopylte, " They " defended themlelves, for fome time, with the Arms that " were left them, and at laft with their Hands and Teeth ; " till the Barbarians, continually /hooting, buried them, as " it were, with their Arrows." Now, what Likelihood is there that naked Men fhould defend themfelves with their Hands and Teeth againft armed Men ; and that 16 many Peribns fhould be buried under their Enemies Arrows? Yet does there appear fome Probability in the Thing, by reaibn it is not fought for rhe Sake of the Figure ; but the Hyper- bole feems to arife out of the Subject itielf. Id.

Of the like Kind is that Paffage of a Comic Poet men- tion'd by Longinus: He had Lands in the Country no larger than a Lacedemonian Epiftle. See Laconic.

There are certain Manners of tempering the Harfhnefs of Hyperbole's, and giving them an Air of Probability. Virgil lays, That to lee the Fleets of Anthony mAAuguftus at the Battel of AB'nnn, one would have taken them for the Cyelades floating on the Water : And Florus fpeaking of the Expedition wherewith the Romans built a Number of VeCfeis in rhe firlt 'Punic War, fays, It fcem'd, not that the Ships were built by Workmen, but that the Trees were transform'd into Ships. by the Gods. They do not lay that the Ships were floating lflands ; nor that the Trees were meta- morphofed into Ships ; but only that one might have taken them to be fo. This Precaution ferves as a Kind of Paff- port to the Hyperbole, if we may be allow'd the Phrafe, and makes it go down even in Profe ; For what is excus'd before 'tis laid, is always heard favourably, how incredible ibever it be. Bouhours.

The Word is Greek, tmifiMi, fuperlatio, form'd of the Verb u375f^aAAfir, exfltperare, to exceed, furpafs by far.

HYPERBOLIC, fomething relating either to an Hyper- bole, or an Hyperbola. See Hyperbola and Hyperbole.

Thus we lay, an Hyperbolic Expreflion ; an Hyperbolic Image, ££?c.

Hyperbolic Line is us'd by fome Authors for what we call the Hyperbola itfelf.

In their Senfe, the plane Surface terminated by the Curve Line, is call'd the Hyperbola ; and the Curve Line that ter- minates it, the Hyperbolic Line.

Hyperbolic Leg of a Curve, is that which approaches infinitely near to fome Afymptote.

Sir If. Newton reduces all Curves, both of the firft and of the higher Kinds, into thole with Hyperbolic Legs, and thofe with Patabolic ones. See Curve.

Hyperbolic Conoid. See Conoid.

Hyperbolic Solid. See Cubature.

Hyperbolic Mirrcltr. See Mirror.

HYPERBOLICAL Cylindroid, is a folid Figure, whofe Generation is given by Sir Christopher Wren, in the 'Philofo- fhical Lranfaclions.

Two opyoGte Hyperbola's being join'd by the Tranfverf'e Axis, and thro' the Centre a right Line being drawn at tight Angles to that Axis ; and about that, as an Axis, the Hyperbola's being fiippos'd to revolve ; by fitch Revolution, a Body will be generated, which is call'd the Hyperbolic Cy- lindroid, whole Bafes and all Sections parallel ro them will be Circles. In a fubfequent TranfaBion, the fame Author ap- plies the new Figure to the grinding at Hyperbolical Glaffes ; affirming, rhat they mull be form'd this Way, or not at all. See Mirror.

HYPERBOLI-FORM figures, are fuch Curves as ap- proach, in their Properties, to the Nature of the Hyperbola ; call'd alfo tlyperboloids.

HYPERBOLOIDES, are Hyperbola's of the higher Kind, wherein mz> 1 and n> 1. e.gr. a<\'- ==b x* {a-Cx\

HYPERBOREAN, in the ancient Geogra P hy..-The Ancients denominated thofe People and Places Hyper burean, which were to the Northward of the Scythians. They had but very little Acquaintance with thefe Hyperborean kegi- ons ; and all they tell us of them is very precarious, much of it falfe.

'Dioderus Sicultis fays, the Hyperboreans were thus call'd by reafon they dwelt beyond the Wind Boreas ; Cms figni- fying above or beyond, and pofb;, Boreas, the North Wind. This Etymology is very natural and plaufible ; notwith- ftanding all that Rudbccks has laid again!! it, who would have the Word to be otiginally Gothic, and to fignify Nobi- lity. See Boreas.

Herodotus doubts, whether or no there were any fuch Thing as Hyperborean Nations. Sirabo, who profefles that he believes there are, does not take Hyperborean to lignify beyond Boreas or the North, as Herodotus undcrflood it: The Prepofition vyyif, in this Cafe, he fuppofes only to help form a Superlative; fb that Hyperborean, on his Principle, means no more than wojl Northern : So that it appeals the Ancients (carce knew themfelves what the Name meant.

HYPERCATALECTIC, in the Greek and Latin Poetry, is apply'd to Verfes which have one or two Syllables too much ; or beyond the Mcafure of regular Verfe. See Verse.

The Greek and Latin Verfes are diftinguifh'd, with re- fpect to their Mealiire, into four Kinds: Acataleflic Verfes, where nothing is wanting at the End ; Cataleflic, which want a Syllable at the End ; Btachicatalefiic, which wane a whole Foot at the End ; and, laftly, Hyfercataletlic, which have one or two Syllables too many. — Thefe laft ate alio ciW'i Hypermeters. See Acatalectic, Catalectic, t$c.

The Word is Greek, compos'd of $mg; over, beyond t and rjj.-m\t- l a, 1 put to the Number, I add ; fb that Hyper cataletlic denotes as much as fuper-added.

HYPERCATHARSIS, in Medicine, Super purgation ; a too violent and exceffive Purgation. Sec Purge, Purga- tion, and Purgative.

The Word is compounded of the Greek, imp, fupra, and ){a-Stf.ei£«, I purge.

HY.PERCRISIS, in Medicine, an immoderate critical Excretion. See Crisis.

Thus, wheq a Fever terminates in a Loofenefs, the Hu- mours fbmetimes flow off fatter than the Strength can bear, and are therefore to be check'd. — This is a Hypercritis.

The Word is compounded of vmp fitpra, and t-etm, Crip, Judgmenr.

HYPERCRITIC, an over-rigid Center, or Critic ; one who will let nothing pais, but animadverts feverely on the flighteff Fault. See Criticism.

The Word is compounded of vmp,'fuper, above, beyond, and xernxot, of r.emi, Judex ; of asiva, Yudico, I judge

HYPERDUL1A, in the Kemp Theology, is the Wor- fhip render'd to the Holy Virgin. See Virgin.

The Worfliip offer'd to Saints is call'd Dulia; and that to the Mother of God, Hyperdlllia ; as being fupcrior to the former. See Worship.

The W 7 ord is Greek, vmpAa\Ha, compos'd of &57ej>, above and cTaA««, Worfhip, Service.

HYPERMETER, in the ancient Poetry, the fame with Hypercataleclic. See Hypercatalectic.

The Word is compos'd of vTtip, paper, and turejr, Mea- fure.

HYPERTHYRON, in the ancient Architecture, a Sort of Table, us'd after the manner of a Frieze, over the Jambs of Doric Doors and Gates, and the Lintels of Windows, lc lies immediately under the Corona; and is by our Work- men ufiially call'd the King-piece. See Door, Window, &c.

The Word is form'd of fyi Sj fiper, over, and du^g, janua, Gate.

HYPERSARCOSIS, in Medicine and Chimrgery, an Ex- cefs of Flefh ; or rather, a flefhy Excrefcence, fuch 'as thofe generally arifing on the Lips of Wounds, £gc. See Ex- crescence, Wound, Fungous, &c.

HYPJETHROS, Hypjethron, Hypethre, Hyp*- tros, in the ancient Architecture, a Kind of Temple, open a-top, and thereby expos'd to rhe Air. See Temple.

The Hypetlmn, according to Vitrieuins, is any open Build- ing or Portico, fiich as anciently were certain Temples that had no Roof or Covering. — Of this we have an Inllance in the Temple of Jupiter Olympius, built by Cojjatius, a Ro- man Archirecr, at Athens.

Of Hypfthrons, fome were Decaflyle, others Ficnoftyle. But they had all Rows of Columns within-ftde, formino a kind of Periflyle ; which was effential to this Sott "of Temple. See Peristyle.

The Word is form'd of tiiri, fub, under, and £& M Air. ^

HYPHEN,