Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/689

 EPI

[ 323 ]

EPI

circular Motion, to the Velocity of the circular Motion. Such little Poems retain'd the Name Epigrams ; even rhe Demonstration hereof, See in 'Phil. TrtmfiB. K° 118. after the Dcfign of their firlt luftitution was varied, ami EPIDEMIA, or EPIDEMIC 'Dijeafe, is fometimes used People began to ufe them^for the relating of little. Facts,

for a catching,' or contagious Difeafe ; communicable from one to another : Such as the Plague, Pox, Scorbutus, &c.

Epidemic Tjifeaj'e, however, is more properly, and ufually, underflood of a general or fpreading Difcrder, as a Plague, arifin" from fome Corruption, or Malignity in the Air,which feizes great Number of People in a little Time.

The Word is form'd of «rf and JV©-, 'Papains, People ; tn vfe Bounds, fuch Difeafes running among all Kinds of People, of what- ever Age, Sex, Quality, (Sc. as arifing from a common or general Caufe. Whence the Latins call them 'Populares Morbi, popular Difeafes ; in Oppofition to thofe call'd Sporadic!, which are only here and there, as arifing from private, or particular Caufes. See Sporadic.

Epidemia, in Antiquity, Feafts of Apollo at Ttelphos, and Miletus ; and of 'Diana at Arms, Sec Feast.

Thefe Feasts bore the Name Epidemia, by Reafon thofe Gods were imagin'd to be prefent on thofe Days among the 'People. Accordingly, on the laft Day of the Epidemia, they fang Hymns, call'd d7m1rsy.Trvr.0e, to bid them adieu, and fct 'them forwards on their Journey.

As thofe Gods could not be every where, and yet were honour'd in Abundance of different Places ; there were Times allow'd them to pais irom one Place to another to receive the Vows of their Adorers. See Scaliger, 'Poet. L. III. C. 114.

EPIDERMIS, in Anatomy, the Cuticula, or Scarf-fkin. See Cuticle.

Some hold the Epidermis to be form'd of the Excre- ments of the 2)ermis, or Skin -. Hippocrates is of Opi-

and Accidents, the Characterizing of Perfons, &c.

The Greeks confine their Epigrams to "a very narrow

Compafs : For tho', in the Anthology, we here and there

meet with a very long one ; ordinarily, they don'c exceed

fix, or, at moif, eight Vcrfes. The Latins were not al-'

fo fcrupulous, and the Moderns much lefs, as to

the Preface to his Epigrams, defines an Epigram a little Poem, fufceptible of ail Kinds of Sub- jects, and ending with a lively, just, and unexpected Thought ; Which are three Qualifications cflential to the Epigram ; particularly the firlt and laft of them, via. Brevity and the Point, or Clofe of the Epigram.

To attain Brevity, only one Thing is to. be aim'd at in the Poem, and that to be punued in the conciccft Terms poilible. Authors are much divided, as to the Length the Epigram is to be confined to : The ordinary Limits are from two to twenty Vtrfes-; tho' we have Instances, both among the Antients and Moderns, where they extend to fifty. But Hill it is allow'd that the (hotter the better, and more perfect, as it partakes more of the Nature and Character of this kind of Poem.

The Point is a Quality much infilled on by the Criticks, who require the Epigram constantly to cloie with fome- thing poignant, and unexpected, to which all the reft of the Composition is only preparatory. Others there are, who exclude the Point, and require the Thought to be equably diitiifcd throughout the whole Poem, without laying >rtie , whole Strefs on the Clofe : The former is ufually Martial's

' ' he Prafficc. and tbc Lutcr that of CmuOus. Which is the

moft beautiful and perfect Manner, is difputed by a thud Clafs of Criticks.

The Greek Epigrams have fearce any Thing of the Point, or Brifknefs, of the Latin ones : Thofe collected in the Anthology, have moft of them a certain Air of Easincfs and Simplicity, attended with fomething juft and witty : Such as we find in a fenfible Peafant, or a Child that has Wit. They have nothing that bites, but fomething that tickles. Tho' they want the Salt of Martial, yet to a good Tail they are not infipid ; except a few^ of them,

nion, it is engender'd by Cold ; as, on Blood, Broth, or like, when cold, we fee a Pellicle form'd.

But 'tis now pail doubt, that it is produced at the fame Time, and after the fame Manner with the other Parts ; it being found in Fmus's of all Ages, in the Womb : It has neither Veins, Arteries, nor Nerves 3 whence it is infenfible.

The Word is form'd of the Greek, BWj on, over, and Ji$H&, Skin.

EPIDIDYMIS, in Anatomy, a little, round Body, on the Back of each Tefticle ; call'd alfo Paraflata. See Parastata.

The Word is form'd of the Greek, Z$t> and JWV//©-, 'Twin, Tejiicle.

which are quite flat and fpiritleis. However, the general Famine's, and Delicacy of the Plea&ntry in mem, has given Occasion for a Greek Epigram, or Epigram a la Grecque, to be the Denomination for an Epigram void or,"

EPIGASTRIC Region, is a Name given to the upper Salt or Sharpncfs.

Part of the Abdomen, or Belly; reaching from the Cartilage 'Tis principally the Point that character'! fes the Epigram,

Xjjt'oides, almoft to the Navel. See Region. and diftinguifh.es it from the Madrigcl. See Point.

It is divided into three Parts: The Sides, or lateral Jn the modern Verfification- as obferved by Fa. IfeuKgttes,

Parts, call'd Hypochondria ; and the middle, the Epiga- the Epigram and Madrigal, diftinguiflh'd by t;ie_

jiriiim. See Hypochondria, iSc. Number of Vcrfes, and the Clofe. i ', By the Number of

There are alfo two Epigajlric Veins, and as many Ar- Verfes, which in the Modern Epigram does .101 go beyond

eight, not in the Modern Madrigal, comes fhort of fix And, sdly, In that the Clofe, or Fall of the Iptgram, has always fomething more lively and ftudied than. natot the Madrigal. See Madrigal.

The Epigram is the loweft, and leafl considerable of all the Productions of Poetry; and 'tis rather an Effect of The Word is form'd of the Greek, lit and >«!-»?, Belly, good Luck, than of Art, to succeed therein. The FinesTe, EPIGLOTTIS, in Anatomy, the Cover or Lid of the and Subtlety of ^-the Epigram, M. Soiieau obfoves, fliouid Larynx. —See Larynx,

teries. The Arteries are Branches of the Iliac External Arteries : The Veins difcharge thcmfelves into the Iliac External Veins.

EPIGASTRIUM, in Anatomy, the middle Part of the Epigajlric Region ; or, according to others, the interior Part of the lower Venter, or Abdomen. See Epigastric

The Epiglottis is a thin, moveable Cartilage, in Form of a Leaf "of Ivy, or a little Tongue, and therefore like- wife call'd Lingida ; ferving to cover the Cleft, or Rima of the Larynx, call'd Glottis. See Glottis.

The Word is form'd of lH and yhSteu, or ykSr-m, Tongue.

Galen takes the Epiglottis to be the principal Organ, or Instrument, of Voice ; ferving to vary, modulate, and render it harmonious. See Voice.

Its Bafe, which is pretty broad, is in the upper Part of the Cartilage Scntiformis, and its Point, or Tip, tum'd towards the Palate. It is only iliut by the Weight of the Piece in fwallowing ; but not fo exactly, but that a Crurn, or a Drop, fometimes efcapes thro' it into the Trachea. SccTrac-hea, cSV.

'EPIGRAM, in Poetry, a fhort Poem, or Compofition in Verfe, treating of one only Thing, and ending with fome Point, or lively, ingenious Thought. See Poem.

The Word is form'd of the Greek, ffiyej/w, Infcrip- tion, of &nypct$etv, to inscribe, or make an Injcription.

Epigrams, in Effect, properly fignify Lnfcriptions, and

turn on the Words, rather than the Thought ; which feems very little to the Credit of this Kind of Compofition, as it reduces it to the Nature of the Pun, or Equivoque. Fa. Sot/hours confirms the Hint, in adding, that the Equi- voque is what ufually fhines the mod in the Epigram.

One great Beauty of the Epigram, is to leave fomething for the Reader to guefs, or fupply. Nothing picafes the Mind fo much, as to find fomething of it felt" in the Objects presented it ; nor does any Thing difgufl it more than to preclude it from (hewing and exercifing a Faculty it values it felf for. Segrais.

Monf. S. L. M. the' Author of a new Collection of French Epigrams, in the Year 1710, has a deal of good Observations on the Nature of Epigram. He defines it an ingenious Thought delivered in a few Vetfcs; and conceives it as a Generical Name, including under it divers Kinds or lhort, lively Pociies, as the Sonnet, Rondelay, Madrigal, and little Tales which only turn on fome merry Thought. Epitaphs and lnfcriptions, he thinks, may be alfo uied, reduced to the Head of Epigrams. See Sonnet, Ron- delay, iSc. r „, • o

The Epigram admits of great Variety of Subjects: Some arc made to Praife, and others to_ Satynze,

which

derive their Origin from thofe lnfcriptions placed by the ]aft, ^ ^^ ' m Nature ftr vi„ g inftead of

A ., r. *>..... -!_„■.. nn L~ c...... — IVwTilpt, rrTimmnn — ... ' -II c. *.,..,. ,— nnA

Antients on their Tombs, Statues, "Temples, triumphal Arches, (Sc See Inscription.

Thefe, at firft, were only Ample Monograms ; after- wards, increasing their Length, they made them in Verfe, to be the more easily rctain'd : 'Herodotus, and others, have preferved us feveral of them.

Point and Wit. Soileau's Epigrams, are all Satyrs en one or another. Thofe of del Realiv, are all made in Honour of his Friends. And thofe of Mad. Scudery, are io many Eloges. ' The Epigram being only a hngle Thougnt, it would be ridiculous to exprcls it in a gteat Number^ or

Vefics j