Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/885

 GEN

( 138)

GEN

Among the Romans, Fejlus obferves, the Name Genius was given to the God who had the Power of doing all things, 2)eumqui vim obtineret rerum omnium gerendarum ; which Vofjius, de Idolol. rather chutes to read genendarum, who has the Power of producing all Things; b^ reafon Cenfori- ntts frequently ufes genere for gignere.

Accordingly, St. Augiifiin de Ci-vitat. 2)ei, relates, from_ Varro, that the Genius was a God who had the Power of generating ail things 5 and prelided over them when pro- duced.

Fejlus adds, that Aufujlius fpake of the Genius as the Son of God, and the Father of Men, who gave them Life ; others, however, reprefented the Genius as the peculiar or tutelary God of each Place: And 'tis certain, this laft is the moft ufual Meaning of the Word.

They had their Genu of Nations, of Cities, of Provinces, £5?c. Nothing is more common than the following Infcription on Medals, GENIUS POPULI ROM. the Genius oi the Roman People : Or, GENIO POP. ROM. to the Genius of the Roman People. — >

In this Senfe, Genius and Lar were the fame thing; as, In effect, Cenforinus and Apuleius affirm they were. See La- res, and Penates.

The Platonifls, and other Eaftern Philofophers, fuppofed the Genii to inhabit the vail Region, or Extent of Air, be- tween Earth and Heaven. They were a fort of interme- diate Powers, who did the Office of Mediators between Gods and Men. They were the Interpreters, and Agents of the Gods ; communicated the Wills of the Deities to Men; and the Prayers, and "Vows of Men, to the Gods. As it was unbecoming the Majeity of the Gods to enter into fuch trifling Concerns ; this became the Lot of the Genii, whofe Nature was a Mean between the two • who derived Immortality from the one, and Paffions from the other ; and who had a Body framed of an aerial Matter.

Moft of the Philofophers, however, held that the Genii were born, and died • and 'Plutarch attributes the cealing of Oracles partly to the Death of the Genii. See Oracle. The Heathens who confider'd the Genii as the Guardian Spirits of particular Perfons, believed that they rejoye'd, and were amifted at all the good, and ill Fortune that befel their Wards. They never, or very rarely appear 'd to them; and then only in favour of fome Perfon of extraordinary Virtue or Dignity.

They likewife held a great Difference between the Genii of different Men ; and that fome were much more power- ful than others ; on which Principle it was, that a Wizzard in Appian bids Anthony keep at a diftance from OBavius, by reafon Anthony's Genius was inferior to, and flood in Awe of that of 0£tavius.

There were alfo Evil Genii, who took a pleafure in per- fecting Men, and bringing them evil Tidings : Such was that in Paterculus,fkc. which appear'd to Brutus the Night before the Battle of Philippi. Thefe were alfo calPd Lar- v<e, and Lemur es. See Larvje, and Lemur.es.

Genius is more frequently us'd for the Force or Faculty of the Soul, confider'd as it thinks, or judges.

Thus we fay, A happy Genius, a fuperior Genius, an ele- vated Genius, a narrow confin'd Genius, &c. In the like Senfe we fay, A Work of Genius ; a Want of Genius, &c.

Genius is alfo us'd in a more reftrain'd Senfe for a na- tural Talent, or Difpofltion to one Thing more than another. In this Senfe we fay, A Genius for Verfe ; for the Sciences, &c.

GENS d'Armes, fee Gend'armes. GENTIAN, a Medicinal Root, the Produa of a Plant of the fame Name; which the Antients, to render it the more considerable, denominated from Gentius, King of II- lyria, who is fuppos'd to have been the firll that difcover'd the admirable Virtues thereof.

The Root Gentian is of a yellowifh Colour, and intoler- ably bitter; is fometimes as thick as the Arm, but more commonly divided into Branches no bigger than the Thumb : Its Stem is feveral Feet high, being very fmooth and po- lifh'd, tho' divided by Knots from Space to Space, out of which arife the Leaves, which refemble thofe of 'Plantain. Its Flowers, which likewife accompany the Knots, are yel- low; and its Seed, flat, round, fmooth, and light.

This Root is held excellent againft Poifons, and even againft the Plague. It fiands at the Head of the Stoma- chicks, warming and flrengthning the Stomach, and help- ing Digeftion. It is fudorifick, and us'd with Succels in in- termitting Fevers, whence fome call it ;the European Qui- naquma ; and is alfo an Ingredient in Treacle. Externally, it is ufed for Wounds.

The Plant affe&s moift Places, and is found commonly enough in fome Parts oi England, Burgundy, the Alps, and Pyren<eans : The Root istobechofe dry, new, of a moderate Thicknefs, free from Earth, and furnifh'd with five little Branches or Fibres; and, if poffible, that which is dry 'd by the Air, which is diftinguifhable by the Colour, it being

blackifii within Side, when dry'd in the Oven, and of a golden Yellow, when in the Air.

GENTILE, Gentius, a Pagan, or Perfon who adores Idols. See Idol, Pagan, Sec.

This Name the Jews gave to all who were not of their Religion ; as the Chriiiians give that of Infidel. St. Paul is called the 'Dotlor, or Apojllc of the Gentiles, which Ap- pellation he fir It gave nimfelf. Rom. xi. 13. As I am the Apoflle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine Office.

The Calling of the Gentiles ro Chrittianity, had been pre- dicted in the Old Teftament, as it was accompHJh'd in the New. See Pfal.'u. 8. xix. 4.8. If.ii. 2. Ixvi. rtf. Joel ii. 29; Matth. viii. 11. xii. 17. Acli xi. 40. xiii. 47, 48. xxviii. 8. Rom. i. 5. iii. 29. xi. 12, 15,25- Eph. 11. 11. Revel, xi. z; xxii. 2.

In the Roman Law, and Hiftory, the Name Gentile, Gen- tilis, fometimes expreites thofe whom the Romans otherwile called Barbarians- whether they were Allies of Rome, or not : In this Senfe the Word occurs in Ammianus, Aufonius, and the Notitia Imperii.

The fame People us'd the Word Gentilis in a more pecu- liar Senfe, for all Strangers, or Foreigners, not fubject to their Empire; as we fee in the 'Theodofian Code, in the Title 'De NuptiisGcntilium, where the Word Gentiles ftands oppofed to Provinciates, ox the Inhabitants of the Provinces of the Empire.

The Word is likewife us'd in the Greek ; but was not in- troduced either into that, or the Latin Tongue, till after Christianity was ettablifh'd ; it being taken from Scripture.

The Hebrews apply the Name EZl'IJ, Gentes, to all the other People of the Earth, who were not Ifraelites, or He- brews. Some will have it, that the Gentiles were thus called in Contradiltinftion to the Jews, and Chrijlians, by reafon thefe latter have a pofitive Law to obferve in Mat- ters of Religion, whereas the Gentiles have only the natural Law ; hence they are called Gentiles, quia funt uti geniti fuerunt.

GENTLEMAN, a Perfon of noble Birth, or defended of an antient Family, which has long bore Arms. See_No- ble, and Arms.

In Strictnefs, Chamberlain obferves, a Gentleman is one whofe Ancestors have been Freemen, and have owed Obe- dience to none but their Prince: So that in Propriety of Speech, no Man is a Gentleman who is nor born fo.

But, in England, the King, being the Fountain of Ho- nour, can make a Gentleman by Charter, or by beflowing an honourable Employment on \\\u\,—Guillim is even of O- pinion, that if a Gentleman be bound Apprentice to a Mer- chant, or other Trade, he does not lole his Degree of Gentility.

By the Cufiom of England, Nobility is either greater, or lefs: The greater contains all from Barons upwards, inclu- five : The JeiTcr, all from Baronets downwards, vonfifting nf Baronets, Knights, Efquires, and Gentlemen. See No- bility; fee alfo Knight, ckc.

The Werd is form'd of the French Gentilhomme, or ra- ther of Gentil, fine, fafhionable, or becoming ; and the Saxon, Man, q. d. honejitts, or honeflo loco natus.

The fame Signification has the Italian Gentil huomini, and the Spanifh. Hidalgo, or Hi jo d'Algo, that is, the Son of a Perfon of Note.

Among us, the Term is applicable to all above Yeomen 5 fo that Noblemen may be properly called Gentlemen. See Yeoman.

If we go further back, we fhall find Gentleman originally derived from the Latin Gentilis homo, which was ufed among the Romans for a Race of noble Perfons of the fame Name, born of free or ingenuous Parents, and whofe Anccftors had never been Slaves, or put to death by Law.

Thus, Cicero, in his T'opicks ; Gentiles funt, qui inter fe eodem funt nomine ab Ingenuis oriundi, quorum ma]o- rum nemo fer-vitutem fervivit, qui capite non funt dimi- nuti, &c.

Some hold, that it was formed from Gentile, i. e. Pagan, and that the antient Pranks, who conquer' d Gaul which was then converted to Chriltianity, were called Gentiles by the Natives, as being yet Heathens.

Others relate, that towards the Declenfion of the Ro- man Empire, as recorded by Ammianus Marcellinus, there were two Companies of Brave Soldiers, the one called Gen- tilium, and the other Scutariorum ; and that it was hence we derived the Names Gentleman, and EJquire. See Esquire.

This Sentiment is confirmed by Pafquier, who fuppofes the Appellations Gentils and Ecuyers to have been tranf- mitted to us from the Roman Soldiery; it being to the Genti- les andScutarii, who were the braveft of the Soldiery, that the principal Benefices and Portions of Lands were affigned. See Benefice.

The Gauls obferving, that during the Empire of thcRo- tnans, the Scutarii and Gentiles had the bett Tenements,