Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/57

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The Word is compounded of the Privative Particle «, and ShyA/op, potable ; q. d. not potable.

ABUNDANCE, Ce#ut- t 'Plenty. See Fertility, Cor- nucopia, &c.

Abundance, when carried to an Excefs, is a Fault, call'd Redundance, Exuberance, &c. See Redundance, EXU- BERANCE, £f?C.

. The Author of the DiBionaire Oeconomique gives divers Manners or Secrets of producing Abundance $ an abundant Crop of Wheat, Pears, Apples, Peaches, &c. See Foecun- dity.

ABUNDANT Numbers, are thofc whofe Quota-Parts added together, exceed the Number it felf whereof they are Parrs. See Number.

Thus, the Number 12 is abundant, its Quota-Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, amounting to 16. — In oppofition to Abundant 'Numbers (land DefeBive ones. See Defective.

ABUSE, an irregular Uic of a thing 5 or fomething in- troduced contrary to the proper Order, and Intention thereof.

The Eufinefs of Reformations, Vifitations, &c. is to cor- tc.Et Abufes fecretly kept into Difcipline, &c. — Conflantinc the Great, by introducing Riches into the Church, laid the Foundation for thofe numerous Abufes which the fucceeding Ages groaned under.

oV/'-A buse, is a Phrafe ufed by fome late Writers for the

Crime of Self-Pollution. See Pollution. Nero is faid

to have frequently abttfed Sritannicus.

In Grammar, to apply a Word abitjivcly, or in an abufivc Senfe, is to mifapply or pervert its meaning. See Cata- chresis.

A Permutation of Benefices, without the Confent of the Bifhop, is deem'd abujive, and confequently null.

ABUTALLS, orABBUTALs. See Abbuttals.

ABYSS, Agyssus, a profound, and as it were, bottomlefs Gulph, or Cavern. See Gulf.

The Word is Greek, a@v, I enter, reach - 7 q. d. fomething impenetra- ble, or not to be fathom'd.

In Scripture, the Word Abyfs, a$v<rtr§-, is ufed by the Septuagint, for the Waters which God created at the Be- ginning with the Earth, which encompafs'd it round ; and which our Tranflators render the Deep. Thus it is that Dark- nefs is faid to have been on the Face of the Abyfs. — The fame Word is aifo ufed for that immenfe Cavern in the Earth where God collected all thefe Waters on the third Day ; which in our Verfion is render'd the Sea 5 and elfe- where the Great Deep.

Dr. Wood-ward has let fome Light into this great Abyfs,

in his Natural Hijlory of the Earth. He afTerts, That

there is a mighty Collection of Waters inclofed in the Bow- els of the Earth ; conflicting a huge Orb in the interior or central Parts of it 5 and over the Surface of this Water, he fuppofes the Terrefirial Strata to be expanded. — This, according to him, is what Mofes calls the great Deep, and what moll Authors render the great Abyfs.

That there is fuch an Aflemblage of Waters lodged in the Depths of the Earth, is confirmed by abundance oi" Ob- servations. See Earth, Deluge, £*?£.

The Water of this vail Abyfs, he aflerts, does communi- cate with that of the Ocean, by means of certain Hiatus's, or Chafms pafling betwixt it and the bottom of the Ocean : And this and the Abyfs he fuppofes to have one common Centre, around which the Water of both is placed ; but fo, that rhc ordinary Surface of the Abyfs is not level with that of the Ocean, nor at fo great a diltance from the Centre as the other, it being for the moft part reftrained and depreffed by the Strata of Earth lying upon it ; but wherever thofe Strata are broken, or fo lax and porous that Water can per- vade them, there the Water of the Abyfs doth afcend, fills up all the Cletts and Fiffurcs into which it can get admit- tance ; and faturates all the Interftices and Pores of the Earth, Stone, or other. Matter all around the Globe, quite

up

to the Level of the Ocean. See Strata, Fossil, &c.

ACACIA, in Medicine, an infpiffated Juice, of a Shrub of the Thorn kind ; ufed as an Allringent. See Astrin- gent.

There are two Kinds, the Vera and Germanica. The Acacia Vera, is brought from the Levant ; and fup- pofed to be the Juice of the Pods of a large thorny Tree, growing in Egypt and Arabia. — Some NaturaliAs will have it the fame Piant that yields the Gum Arabick.

It is very auflere and binding ; and on that account good a?,aind Fluxes. — Chufe that of a tan-colour, fmooth, and Ihining 5 and an aftringent di (agreeable Tafle. — It is, or ihnuld be, an Ingredient in the T'heriaca Audromachi.

The German Acacia is a Counterfeit of the former j be- ing made of the Juice of unriiie Sloes, boil'd to the Confif- tence of a fo'.id Extracl - and put up in Bladders, like the former. — It is diAinguifh'd from it chiefly by its Colour, which is as black as that of Spanijb Liquorice. — It is ufed as a Subftitute to the true Acacia*

AcaciA, among Antiquaries, is a kind of Roll, ram- bling a Bag j feen on Medals in the Hands of feveral of the Confuls and Emperors, from the Time of Anaftajiiis.

Authors are not agreed either about the Ufe of this Roll, of about the Subflance whereof it confifls ; fome taking it for a plaited Handkerchief, which the Pcrfm who preGded at the Games threw out as a Signal for their beginning ; whillt others rather imagine it intended to reprefent a Roll of Me- moirs, or Petitions. See further under the Article Roll.

ACADEMICKS, Academici, Academists, a Seel of antient Philofophers, founded by Plato 3 and called, alfo,. the Academy. See Acatjemy.

The Acade /nicks, in the later Ages, have taken the Name of Tlatonifis. See Platonist.

The great Dogma of the Academicks was this : Unum fcio, quod nihil fcio ; ( I know this one tiling, that I know

' nothing.' 'Accordingly, they pleaded, that the Mind

ought always to remain undetermin'd and in Sufpence ; as having nothing to determine on but bare Probability or Ve- riiimilitude, which is as likely to lead into Error as Truth. See Probability, Truth, Error, &c.

It mull be added, that 'Plato, in thus recommending it to his Difciples to diflruft and doubt of every thing ; had it not fo immediately in View to leave 'em flu equating, and in continual Sufpence between Truth and Error $ as to guard againfl thofe rafli precipitate Decisions which young Minds are fo liable to, and put 'em in a Difpofition to enable 'em the better to fecure themfelves from Error, by examining every thing without Prejudice.

M. des Cartes, has adopted this fame Acatalepfia, or Prin- ciple of Doubting 5 but, it mull be allow'd, he makes a ve- ry different ufe of it. — The Academicks doubted of every thing, and were rcfolved flill to doubt : Des Caries, on the contrary, fcts out with doubting of every thing; but declares he will not always doubt 5 and that he only doubts at fir A, that his Determinations afterwards may be the furer. Sea Cartesianism.

t tcs, there is nothing doubted of ; every thing is accounted c for, and yet nothing is explain'd, otherwile than by bar- 6 barous unmeaning Terms, and dark confulcd Ideas : 1 Whereas Des Cartes makes you even forget what you c knew before : but from your new affected Ignorance, leads
 * In Ariflotle's Philofophy, fay the Followers of Des Car-

c you gradually into the fublimeft Knowledge.' Hence

they apply to him what Horace fays of Homer.

Non Fttmum ex Fulgore, fed ex fumo dare Lttcem Cogitat, v.t fpeciofa dehinc miracula prodat Antiphatem, Scyllamque & cum Cy elope Charybdim.

'Tis thus the Cartefians talk : But we may add, that long before their Mafler, Ariflotle him felf had faid, that to know a thing well, a Man mufl full have doubted of it ; and that 'tis with doubting all our Knowledge muft begin. See Pe- ripatetic, Pyrriionian, Sceptic, ££fc.

Academics, or rather Academists, is alfo ufed among us for the Members pf the modern Academic s, or inilitutcd Societies of learned Perfons. See Academy.

ACADEMY, Academia, in Antiquity, a fine Villa, or Pleafure-Houfe, fituate in one of the Suburbs of Athens* about a Mile from the City ; which gave the Denomina- tion to the Seel of Academifhs. See Academick.

It took its Name, Academy, from one Academus or Eca- demus, a Citizen of Athens, to whom it originally belong'd ; and who ufed to have Lectures, and Affemblics of learned Men therein. — He lived in the Time of 'Thefeus.

Some, miflakenly, derive its Name and Origin from Cad- mus the, Phoenician, as being the full who introdue'd Learn- ing, and the ufe of Letters among the Greeks.

The Academy was further improved and adom'd by Cy- mon, with Fountains, Trees, fliady Walks, &c. for the Convenience of the Philofophers and Men of Learning, who here met to confer, difpute, ci?c.—- It was alfo the Burying- Place of illuflrious Perfons, who had deferv'd well of the Republick.

Here it was that Plato taught his Philofophy ; and from him, al! publick Places deflin'd for Aflemblies of the Learn- ed and Ingenious, have been fmce call'd Academies.

Sylla facrifie'd the delicious Groves and Walks of the Academy, planted by Cymon to the Laws of War ; and em- ploy^ thofe very Trees to make Machines wherewith to batter the City.

Cicero\\c\A a Villa, or Country Retirement near Puzzndi t which he call'd by the Name Academia ; where he ufed to entertain his Philofophical Friends. — 'Twas here, fays Dr. Harris, he compos'd his Academical J^ucfcions, and his Books de Ojficiis, de Amicitia, and de Na'mra Decrum.

Academy is alio ufcd for a Seel of Philofophers, called the Academicks. See Philosopher, and Academick.

We ufually reckon three Academics, or Seels of Acade- micks ; tho fome make five. — The Antient Academy, was that whereof Plato was the Chief. See Platonism.

Arceft-