Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/468

 CON

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CON

Eye; Pleiades in the Back, and BytdtS in the Forehead of the Suit : Caftor and Pollux in the Heads of Gemini; C*- GrMfe, with the Bedi in the Shoulder of Auriga i Re- glllus, or Cor Leonii; A?ifi"J u fi™l" ' r Re r gal,m the Foot of 0«o»; £WM, m the Mouth gf Gnu Vi»" 5 and the Vote-Star, the laft in the Tail of Urfa

The Greek and Raman Poets, out of the amient Theolo- gy give us wild and romantick Fables about the Origin of fhe Conftellatiom; which may be fecn in Swims, N«f«/» G«WI, and Ricciolus. Hence, feme out of a vain Zeal, rather than any Love for the Science, have been mov d to alter either the Figures of the Conftellatiom, or at lead their

Thus, Venerable Sede, inftead of the profane Names and Figures of the twelve Conftellatiom of the Zodiack lubiti- tured thofe of the twelve Apoftles; whofe Example being follow'dby ftttias Schillerus, in li<f*7. he complcated the Reformation, and gave Scripture-Names to all the Conftel- latiom in the Heavens. .

Thus Aries, or the Ram, became converted into bt. re- fer ■ Taurus, or the Bull, into St. Andrew; Andromeda in- to the Sepulchre of Chrift; Lyra into the Manger or Chrift; Hercules into the Magi coming from the Eaft; Ca- ms Major into 'David, &c. .

Weigelius, a Profeffor of Mathematicks in the Umverfity of 7c«a, made a new order of Conftellatiom; converting the Firmament into a C*tew Heraldicum; and introducing the Arms of all rhe Princes in Europe, by way of Conftellatiom.

Thus, Urfa Major, he transform'd into the Elephant of the Kingdom of {Denmark; the Swan into the Ruta with Swords of the Houfe of Saxony; Opbiucbm into the Us of Cologne; the Triangle into the Compaffes, which he calls the Symbol of Artificers; and the Pleiades into the Abacus Pythagoricus, which he calls that of Merchants, iSc.

But the more knowing among Aftronomers never ap- prov'd of thefe Innovations; as ferving for no Purpole but to inrroduce Quarrels and Confufion into Aftronomy. 1 he old Conftellatiom, therefore, are {till retain'd; both becaufe better could not be fubftituted, and likewife to keep the greater Correfpondence and Uniformity between the old Aftronomy and the new. See Catalogue.

CONSTIPATION, in Medicine, a hardnefs of the Al- vus, or Belly, with a difficulty of difcharging the fame 5 otherwife call'd Coftivenefs. See Costiveness.

Riding Poft, earing of Medlars or Quinces, feveral Prepa- rations of Milk, hard-roafted Eggs, &C. conftipate the Belly.

A Conftipation of the Belly, if it continue long, fometimes degenerates into the Iliac Paffion. See Iliac Paffion.

Mod Perfons of a hot and dry Conftirution are affiled with a Coftivenefs, or Conftipation : But this is feldom at- tended with any ill Effect.

The proper Remedy for a Conftipation is a Clytter; it this fail, lenient Catharticks; and when they alfo fail, we muft exhibit others of a more draftick or powerful Effeft. See Clyster, and Purgative.

CONSTITUTION, an Eftablifhmenr, Ordinance, De- cision, Regulation, or Law, made by Authority of a Prince or other Superior, Ecclefiaftical or Civil. See Law, S&s.

The Conftitutions of the Roman Emperors make a Part of the Civil Law. See Civil Law.

The Conftitutions of the Church, part of the Canon Law. See Canon law. .

Some of the Papal Conftitutions are in form of Bulls, others of Briefs. See Bull, Brief, (Sc.

Apoftolical Constitutions, are a Colleflion of Regula- tions a'ttributed to the Apoftles, and fuppofed to have been collected by S. Clement, whofe Name they likewife bear.

They are divided into eight Books; confifting of a great Number of Rules and Precepts, relating to the Duties of Chriftians, and particularly to the Ceremonies and Difci- pline of the Church.

Authors are divided about their Genuinenefs : The gene- rality hold them fpurious, and endeavour to prove them po- llerior to the Apoftolical Age, and maintain they were un- known till the fourth Century; which, if fo, {hews S. Cle- ment had no hand in 'em.

Mr. If bifida has venrur'd to oppofe the general Opinion; and with fome Reafon, much Learning, and more Warmth, afferted the Apoftolical Conftitutions to be one of the Sacred Writings, dictated by the Apoftles in their Meetings, written down from their Mouths by S. Clement, and intended as a Supplement to the New Teftament; or, rather, as a Scheme and Syftem of Chriftian Faith and Polity. See his FJfay on the Apoftolical Conftitutions, and his Hiftorical Preface; wherein the feveral Steps he made in his fancied Difcovery are rraced.

What makes the Conftitutions more fufpectcd by the Or- thodox, is, that they feem to favour of Arianifm.

Constitution, is alfo ufed in a phyfical Senfe, f or ,(,. Temperament of the Body, or that Difpofition of the Whol. arifing from the Quality and Proportion of its Parts. Se ° Temperament.

Phyficians have confider'd the Confutution, as dependino chiefly on the Humors or Juices of the Body; and hence as this, or that Humour was fuppofed to predominate, the Bile, e. gr. or the Blood, Phlegm, Choler, or Mercury; the Perfon was denominated of a •Bilious, Sanguine, Phlegmatic Choleric, or Mercurial Conftitution. See Sanguine, Cho- leric, &c. fee alfo Humour, Bile, Choler, Blood, Fc- C

CONSTRICTION, the A3 of binding, or drawing ^ Parts of a Thing clofe together. See Constrictor.

CONSTRICTOR Labiorum, or Orbicularis, a Mufcle proper to the Lips. See Lip.

Its Fibres make a kind of Ring about the Mouth; and ferve to conftringe and draw up the Lips, as in Rifling, {£ Ci whence fome call it Bafiator.

This, Verbeyen will not have to be one Mufcle, but a Pair, whofe Fibres meet and join at both Corners of the Mouth; each afting on one Lip only, tho concurrently.

Other Authors are unanimous in calling it one Mufcle • and will have it of the Sphincter kind; rho Dr. Xlreke thinks improperly : in regard, it is not like the other Sphinc- ters in conftant Aft ion, but at the Command of the Will : The diftinguifhing Mark between a Sphinfler and another Mufcle. See Sphincter.

Constrictor Palpebrarum. See Orbicularis.

CONSTRICTORES Nafl, a Pair of Mufcles common to the Al<£ of the Nofe, and the upper Lip. See Nose, gfe.

They arife flefliy from the Forepart of the fourth Bone of the. upper Jaw; and after a ftrait afcent, are inferted into the Roots of the At* nafl, and fuperior Parts of the upper Lip.

Their ufe is to draw the AUe downwards, nearer each other - and ar the fame time draw the upper Lip alfo down- wards': an Action we ufe in taking of Snuff, or fmelling of any thing.

CONSTRUCTION, in Geometry, the Art or Manner of drawing, or defcribing a Figure, Scheme, the Lines of a Problem, or the like. See Description, Figure, E-ic.

The Equality of the Lines of fuch a Triangle, (£c. is demonstrated from their ConftruBion. See Problem.

Construction of Epilations, is the Method of reducing a known Equation into Lines and Figures; whereby the Truth of the Rule, Canon, or Equation, may be demonilra- ted geometrically. See Ecjiation.

This Method of conftruBing Equations is different, ac- cording to the Diverfity of Equations. For Simple and j^M- dratick Equations the Methods lhall be here fubjoin'd; As to Cubic Equations, Geometrical ConftruBions are of no ufe, in Practice; their Intent being better anfwer'd by the Me- thod of extracting Roots by Approximation.

To ConftruB a fimple Equation : The whole Myftery confifts in this; that the Fractions, to which the unknown Quantity is equal, be refolved into proportional Terms: The Method of which will be better Ihewn by Examples than taught by many Rules.

1. Suppofe a?— — • then will c : a : : b : x, to be de- termin'd by the Method of finding a fourth Proportional.

a. Suppofe * = -,—; let d : a : s b :— —. This fourth

dc Proportional found, being call'd g;

fore found as in the former Cafe.


 * — which is there-

5. Suppofe # = -

Since a a — bb = ( a--1>)

(a — b); c : a-\- b : : a — b : x. 4. Suppofe x— —5

By the firft Cafe we find

ab tfb, , be. . . „ r. he

S~ -J = 7> and h —~d '■> A ^ ua ' b? Cafe '• ' ~ T and * =g — i, the Difference of the Lines g and i.

5. Suppofe x = - — [— t —. Find, as in the preceding Cafe, g = Y, and /=^- Then will *=g+/b» the Sum of the Lines g and/.

6. Suppofe x = a '*+ tc4. Seek C J, and let /+££

tf+cg, a , 1

= b; then will af-\-cg=ah; conlequently, x —

a'b + bed Thus is (he pre f ent Ca fe brought to the prece-

a b

' rr af-\-bc b b

-j- c =s h; Then will a f -\- b c = b b. Hence, * == a'b + bad = a>—ad Confequently, b :a::a— i:»-

bb h H "

8. Suppofe x = (a'~\-b')-.c. Conftrua the Triangle ABC, (Plate Algebra, Fig. 1.) whofe Side AB = «, BC

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