Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/706

 EQU

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EQU

tion. E. gr. The Word Taurus, which Hands for a Sign, a Mountain, and an Animal; and in one fignifies a lowing Animal; in another, a Heap of Stones and Earth; and in the third, a Conflellation, or Syftem of Stars.

Equivoca Equivocata, or thoic that are called, or de- nominated; are the Things fignificd by ambiguous Names e. gr. a Sign, a, Mountain, and an Animal. Which latt Species of Equivocals alone, /Iriftotle feems to have had in View in his Definition, which agrees to thefe, and thele only. , . ■ „.

EQUIVOCATION", the ufing a Term, or Expretiion, that has a double Signification. See Equivocal.

Equivocations are Expedients to fave telling the Truth, and vet without telling a Lye for- the Matter. The Fa- thers are great Patrons of Equivocations, and mental Rcf'ervations ; holding, that the Ufe of fuch Shifts, and Ambiguities, is in many Gales allowable.

St. Augl/flim, particularly, is reproach'd with endeavour- ing to vindicate Ifaac for faving his Wife from a Crime, by an Equivocation : Tacuit aliquid veri, iS ntm dixit illiquid falji. To advance a dubious Proposition, knowing it will be underftood in a Senfe different from that you give it in your Mind, is an Equivocation, in Broach of good Faith and Sincerity. See Truth, Falshood, SSc.

Equivocation, or Equivocal, in Moral Theology, is ftrictly underftood of a Term, or Phrafe, with two different Significations; the one common, and obvious; the other more unufual, and remote ; the latter of which being under- ftood by the Speaker, but the former by the Hearers, they mies ; where the Soldiers of the Garrifon, (3c. are con- conceive fomething different from one another. demn'd to the Wooden-Horfe, for divers Offences.

in confiderable Authors, from fome other the like Relations that have been better inquired into. Such are feveral Reports of the raining of Millet-feed, Wheat, Whitings, &c. An Account of which, with the Grounds of the Deceit, fee under Rain and Shower.

The Doctrine of Equivocal Generation we call an Egyptian Doctrine, as having, in all Probability, had its Rife in Egypt, to falve the Hypothefis of the Original Production of Men, and other Animals, out of the Earth, by Help of the Sun's Fleat. To prove which, the Egyp. tians, as 1)iodorus Siculus obferves, produce this Observa- tion ; that about Thebes, when the Earth is moiitcn'd by the Nile, and afterwards impregnated by the intenfe Heat of the Solar Rays, an innumerable Swarm of Mice do come forth : Whence he infers, that all Kinds of Animals might equally have arofe out of the Earth at the -Begin- ning of Things. And from thefe, Bilhop Stillingfleet takes the other Writers and Adherents, to the Doctrine of Equivocal Generation, Mela, 'Pliny, Ovid, &c. to have borrow'd the Hypothefis, without enquiring into its Truth. Derham's Thyf. Theol. Lib. IV. C. 15.

EQUULEUS, among the Antients, was an Instrument of Torture, or Punifhment ; being a Kind of Wooden- Horfe, made with very iharp Ridge, or Back, widening much in its Defcent. See Punishment.

The Criminal being feated on the Ridge, Weights were huno to his Feet, to make his Scat more painful.

This Puniihrnent is Hill retain'd in Cittadels and Ar-

Of this we have an Inftance in St. John, Chap. 11. where our Saviour is represented as faying, Lazarus Jleep- eth : For the Difciples taking the Word Sleeping in the ufual Signification, concluded 'that Lazarus, whom they had been told was fick, began to take Reft, and would foon recover ; but Jefus, taking the Words in a lefs, di- rect and uiual Signification, meant that Lazarus was dead.

When the Equivoque confifts of feveral Words, tis pro- perly call'd an Amphibology: Of which we have an fnflance in St. John, Chap. 2. 'Defiroy this Temple, fays Jefus Chrift, ipeaking to the Jews, and 1 mill raife it again in three Days.

The Ufe of Equivoques has been greatly difputcd among the modern Cafuifts : Many grave Authors deny that it is allowable to ufe them on any Occafion whatever. Their Realon 5s, that an Equivoque is to all Intents and Furpofes the fame with a Lye. See Falshood.

Cithers, on the contrary, particularly C' ! bujfot, a Divine famous among the Pricfts of the Oratory, hold a World of Difference between an Equivocation and a Lye; maintaining that it is ever criminal to ufe a Lye ; but that there are fome Occafions where an Equivocation may be ufed inno- cently : And fiich, in Effect, is the Sentiment of St. Thomas, Sr. Anthouin, St. Raymond, and efpecially St. Augujiin, as Fa. Cabuffot feems to have demon!! rated. Lib. IV. Theor. de Trax. Jur. Can. Edit. Lugd. 1685. Cap. 4.

Equivocal Generation, is a Method of producing Ani- mals and Plants, not by the ufual Way of Coition between Male and Female, but I know not what plattic Power, or Virtue in the Sun, (Sc. Sec Generation.

Thus Infects, Maggots, Flies, Spiders, Frogs, (5c. have ufually been fuppofed to be produced by Equivocal Genera- tion, i. c. by the Heat of the Sun warming, agitating and impregnating the Duft, Earth, Mud, and putrified Parts of Animals.

This Method of Generation, which we alfo call sponta- neous, was commonly afferted and believed among the anticnt Phibfophcrs : But the Moderns, from more and better Obfervations, unanimoully reject it, and hold that all Animals, nay and Vegetables too, are Univocally pro- duced, that is, by Parent Animals, and Vegetables of the fame Species and Denomination. See Univocal Gene- ration.

'Twefe a Thing one would imagine fufneient to dif- crcdit the Ariftotclian, or rather the Egyptian SoSrine of Equivocal Generation, to fee Flics, Frogs, Lice, Sc. to be Male and Female ; and accordingly to engender, lay Eggs, (Sc.

To imagine that any of thofe Creatures could be fpon- taneoufly produced, efpecially in fo romantic a Manner, as in the Clouds, as they particularly thought the Frogs were, and that they dropp d down in Showers of Rain, were, certainly, highly unphilofophical.

"Yet fome, even to this Day, credit the raining of Frogs ; and, among the reft, the very curious and learned Dr. Lifter, feems inclined to the Opinion : Inftancing in Frogs," found on the Leads of the Lord Afton's Gatehoufe at Tinea! in Staffordshire, which he imagines came there bv fome fuch Means. But we may make a judgment of this, and a hundred the like Reports to be met with

Hieronyinus Magius, when a Prifoner among the Turks, wrote an cxprefs Treatife de Equuleo ; and another of Bells ; merely, as 'tis faid, from his Memory, without any Affiftance of Book. Sigonius has another Treatife on the fame Subject.

Equuleus, in Aftronomy, a Conflellation of the Nor- thern Hemi r phere. See Constellation.

The Stars in the Conflellation Equuleus, in Ttolomy's Catalogue are 4 ; in Jycho's 4 ; in Mr. Flamfteed Cata- logue 10.

The Longitudes, Latitudes, Magnitudes, (Sc. whereof are as follows.

Stars in the Conflellation Equuleus.

Names «»i Situations ef the Stars.

Preced. of two In the Mouth. 5

Subfeq. of the fame. Preced. of two in the Head,

Subfeq. in the fame.

Equuleus., in the Arts and Manafictures. See Horse.

ERADICATIVE, in Medicine. An Eradicative Cure is that which takes away the Caufe, or Root of the Di- ftemper ; in which Senfe ir ftands oppofed to palliative ; which relieves for a Time, but not going to the Caufe of

Longit.

Latitude. North.

2

3

14 12

57

20 32 56

V

■? 59

37

23 02 36

<S

16 02

3°

21 16* 01

6

\6 25

37

21 38 31

6

19 06

24

25 13 12

4

19 07

07

25 06 52

6

20 07

30

24 46 57

4

iS 47

48

20 09 e9

4

20 51

°S

21 42 53

6

1 21 07

02

21 03 06

4

the Diforder, does not prevent its Return. See Cure.

The Word is a Compound of e out, and radix Root.

ERANARCHA, a pubhek Officer among the ancient Greeks, whofe Bufinefs was to prefi^e over, and direct the Alms and Provifions made for the Poor.

The Eranarcha was properly the Adminiftrator, or Commimoner of the Poor: When any Perfon was reduced to Poverty, taken Captive, or had a Daughter to marry, which he could not effect for Want of Money, (2c. this Offi- cer call'd an Aifembly of Friends and Neighbours, and' taxed each according to his Means and Eftate, to contribute towards his Relief This is what we learn from Corn. Nepos, in his Life of Epaminoudas.

The Word is form'd of the Greek tarns, Alms, Con- tribution, and «e^i', Command.

ERASED, in Heraldry, exprcfTes any Thing violently torn off from its proper Place.

It is iifcd in Contra-diftinclion to Couped, which fignifies a Thing clean cut off. The Family of Card bears Ermine, a demy Lion rampant erafed, Azure, &c.

ERASTIANS, a religious Sect, or Faction, that arofe in England during the Time of the Civil Wars.

They were thus call'd from their Leader Tho. Eraftus ;

whofe diftinguilhing Doftrine it was, that the Church

had no Right to difcipline, that is, no regular Power to

excommunicate, exclude, cenfure, abfolve, decree, or

the like. „rJn

ERECT,