Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/220

 AUT

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AUT

AURIPIGMENTUM, call'd alfo Orpimmt. See Orpi-

MENT.

AVOWRY, in Law, is where one takes a Diftrefs for Rene or other thing; and the other lues Replevin. In which Cafe the taker fhall juitify, in his Plea, for what Caufe he took it : And if he took it in his own Right, is to iliew it, and fo avow the ta- king; which is called his Avowry. If he took it in the Rkht Of another, when he has (hewed the Caufe, he is to make Co- nufance of the taking, as being a Bailiff or Servant to him in whofe Right he did it. See Distress, &c.

AURIS, an Ear. See Ear.

The cutting off the Ears was a Punifhment inflicted by the Saxon Laws on chofe who robbed Churches j and afterwards on every Thief; and at length on divers other Criminals. See Po-

• NISHMENT.

AURISCALPIUM, an Inftrument wherewith to pick and cleanfe the Ear from Wax. See Ear_. Cerumen, &c.

The Word is compounded of the Latin, Juris, Ear ; and Scal- p, I fcratch.

AURORA, Crepufculum, Twilight; that faint Light which begins to appear in a Morning, when the Sun is within eigh- teen Degrees of the Horizon. See Crepusculum and Twi- light.

The Poets have perfonified, and even made it a Goddefs; re- prefenting her with a Chariot, rofy Fingers, &c.

Nicod. derives the Word, ab Ortentc fole Quia aer aurefdt. Aurora Borealis, or Aurora Septentrionalis, the Northern Pawn or Light; is an extraordinary Meteor, or luminous Ap- pearance, fhewing it (elf in the Night Time, in the Northern Part of the Heavens. See Meteor.

'Tis uliially of a reddiih Colour, inclining to yellow, and fends out frequent Corufcau'ons of pale Light, which feem to rife from the Horizon in a pyramidal undulating Form, and ftrike, with great Velocity, up to the Zenith.

This kind of Meteor never appears near the Equator, and was fo rare in 'England, that none are recorded in our Annals fince chat remarkable one, Novemb, 14. 1574- till rhe furpriiing.^ror^ £0- realis, March 6- 1716. which appeared for three Nights fucceffive- ly, but by far more ftrongly on the firft. — Indeed, in the Years 1707 and 1708, five fmall ones were obferv'd in little more than eighteen Months.

Hence it mould feem that the Air or Earth, or both, are not at all times difpos'd to produce this Phmiomemn ; for though 'tis pofiibleit may happen in the Day-time, in bright Moon-ihine, or in cloudy Weather, and fo pafs unobferv'd ; yet that it mould appear (b frequent at fome times, and fo jTeldom at others, can- not well this way be accounted for. — That in March 1716", was viftble to the Weft of Ireland, Confines of Rujjia, and to the Eaft of Poland^ extending at Ieaft near 30° of Longitude, and 50° in Latitude, that is, over almoft all the North of Europe; and in all Places at the fame time, it exhibited the like wondrous . Qrcumftances.

i A fufficient number of Obfervations have not yet been made by the Curious, to enable them to aflign the Caufe of this Phe- nomenon, with any certainty. — Dr. Halley, however, imagines that watery Vapours, or Effluvia, rarified exceedingly by fubter- raneous Fire, and tinged with fulphurous Streams, which Natu- ralifts fuppofe to be the Caule of Earthquakes^ may alio be the Caufe of this Appearance: Or, that 'tis produced by a kind of fubtile Matter, freely pervading the Pores of the Earth, and which entering into it near the fouthern Pole, panes out again with fome Force into the jftrber at the fame Diftance from the Northern; the obliquity of its Direction being proportion'd to its Diftance from the Pole. This fubtile Matter, by becoming fome way or othet more denfe, or having its Velocity increas'd, may be capable of producing a fmall Degree of Light, after the manner of Effluvia from electrick Bodies, which by a ftrong and quick Fridtion, emit Light in the Dark: To which fort of Light this feems to have a great Affinity. Phil. Tranf. N 9. 347. AURUM, in Natural Hiftory, Gold. See Gold. The Word is chiefly applied to certain Chymical Preparations, whereof Gold is the Bans or principal Ingredient.— Such are the Aurum potabile, Aurtim fulmmans, &c.

Aurum fulminavs, fulminating or thundering Gold. See Au- rtim FulMinans.

Ic is inflammable, not only by Fire, but alfo by a gentle Warmth; and gives a Report much louder than that of Gun- powder. -

Its Effect is commonly faid to be principally downwards; in oppofition to Gun-powder, which is chiefly upwards; but this rather feems a vulgar Error. See Gun-powder.

A Scruple of this Powder a&s more forcibly than half a Pound of Gun-powder: a tingle Grain laid on the Point of a Knife, and lighted at the Candle, goes off' with a greater Noife than a Musket. — It is faid to confume even to the very laft Atom.

AVR-MMpotabile, Potable Gold, is aCompofition made of Gold, by reducing it, without any Corrofive, into a Gum, orSub- ftance like Honey, of the Colour of Blood ; which Gum fteep'd in Spirit of Wine acquires a Ruby-colqur, and is call'd 7inanre
 * f Gold.

An Ounce of this Tincture, mix'd with fixteen Ounces of an- other Liquor, is call'd Aurum potabile, becaufe of its Gold-co- lour ; and is faid to be a fovereign Remedy againft feveral Dif- eaies. See Potable Gold.

A modern Phyiician has afferted that Gold is a Refin drawn from the Earth; and that the grand Secret of rendering Gold potable, does not confift in dittolving this Refin by means of Corrotives, but by a Water, wherein it melts like Ice or Snow in hot Water; and this Water niuft be nothing but a Water ex- tracted from Gold, agreeable to an Axiom that he lays down, which is, that Matters of different Natures have no Ingrefs into one another,- but that every Menftruum or DilTolvent ouo ht to be taken from Bodies of the feme kind with thofe it is to act upon.

The fame Author obferves, that Blood and Urine furnim a Sal Armoniac, which mingled with Aqua-fortis, acts upon Gold : whence he conjectures* that there may be a conformity or Na- ture between Gold and Blood ? and that by contequence, Gold well open'd and iubtiuVd, might produce a Reiin, and a Fire that wou'd augment the Blood.

Aurum Mofacum. See Mosaic Gold.

Aurum Mb&iium is alio a Preparation in Pharmacy, thus cal- led from its golden Colour and Appearance. It is marie of Mer- cury, Tin, Sal Armoniac, and Flowers of Sulphur, by grinding mixing, then fetting them three Hours in a Sand Heat.— The dirty Sublimate being taken off, the Aurum Mofaicum is found at the Bottom of the Matrafs.

It is recommended in moft chronical and nervous Cafes ; and particularly Convuliions of Children.

Aurum Rgiva. See Queen Gold.

AUSCULTARE, in our anticnt Cuftoms.— In regard the reading of Prayers with a graceful Tone or Accent, makes fome Impreflion on the Hearers; there was anticntly a Peribn ap- pointed, in Monasteries, to hear the Monks read,' who inftruct- ed them how to perform it, before ihey were admitted to read pubiickly in the Church, or before the People.— This was call'd Aufwltare, q. d. to hear, liften.

guicunque Lcclurut vet Cantaturus eft aliquid in Monaftcrio ; fi necejje habeat ab eo, viz. Cantore, pnufiuam vnipiut debet Atif. cultarr. Lanfranc in Decret. pro Ord. Benedicl.

AUSPICES, in Antiquity, a fort of Priefis or Southfayers, ap- pointed to obferve the Flight of Birds, and thence to form Pre- lages of future Events. See Divination.

The Aufpices were thus call'd, §uafi Avifpices, ab avibui Is- Jpiaendit.— lhey are ordinarily confounded with the Aimirs, tho' in ftridnefs there be a Difference. See Augur.

AUSPICY, Auspicium, a kind of Augury amongft the An- uents, which confifted in coniidering the Flight and feeding of Birds, in order to know whether any Undertaking they were a- bout, would prove happy or unfortunate. See Auspices and Augury.

Pliny attributes the Invention hereof to Xrefias the TheBan See Divination, Omen, & c.

r^ U ^ E 5 Ej ^P 1 *" a rough, aftringent Tafte,; fuch as that of Vitriol, &c. See Taste.

Aujlers things differ from acerb or four ones; in that they con* ftringe the Mouth and Tongue fomewhat ids, and are devoid of Acidity. See Acerb,

The Word comes tiorn the Greeks d^fa

n^^PEF* A ^TEKENESS<2^, that which dcUCmi-

nates a iapid Body, Aujhre. See Austere

Austerity, in a moral Senfe, fignifies Severity* or 3 ricid Carnage and Deportment in any thing. fc

Thus we fay, Aufierity of Manners, rhe Auflerities of theMo- naftick Life. The Auperity of the Roman Ceuibrs kept the Peo- ple in their Duty 'I he greateft ferity of the Carth«f iam is perpetual Solitude. See Censor, Carthusian, Solitary,

AUSTRAL, AusTralis, the fame with Southern. See South and Southern.

Thus, Aujfral Signs, are the fix laft Signs of the Zodiack: fo See 1'ign!* ufethe y areonthe So^-hae of the Equino&al.

Wmd W ° Td ^ dCriVed fr ° m At< ^ r> lhe SoulI>Wind - Sefi AUSTRALIS Pifiis, is a Compilation of the Southern He-

SutIiSw^ il \° UT LatitUde ' St ' e CpNSTELLAT.ON.

f a a u '- AuTHEN ^ c us, fcmething genuine, and

of good Authority i m oppolition to what is hdfitious and fpu- nous. r

It alfo fignifies fomething folemn, and celebrated; cloth'd in all its torrnauties; and atteltcd by proper Perlomto whom cre- dit has been regularly given.

In this Senle we lay, the Truths of Chriftianity are founded

uS, T»°',*- A "™' i P W Inftruments. -The Notality, and Perfons of Rank, were particularly call'd Authentic terjom, as being fuppofed more ddervine oi Credit than others. B

The Word is Creek, 'fyiamue, q. d. cum AntJmitati.

AlITHEN-