Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/918

 GOD

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GOD

long as their Deaths for the hyotheofis. Nebuchadnezzar pro- vided to have his Statue worfhip'd while living; and Virgil fhews that JfagttjltlS had Altars, and Sacrifices offer'd to him, Eclcg. i. v. 6, 7. As we learn from other Hands, that he had Priefts caXY&Augufhales; and Temples^ ztZyons, Nar- bona, and feveral other Places ; and he muft be allowed the firft of the Romans, in whofc behalf Idolatry was carried to fuch a Pitch. The Ethiopians deem'd all their Kings, Gods : The Vclleda of the Germans ; the Janus o{ the Himgarians; and the Thaut, Othin, and AjTa of the Northern Nations were alio Men.

12 Not Men only, but every thing that relates to Man has alfo been deified; as Labour, Rcfl, Sleep, Tonth,Age, Deaths Virtues^ Vices, Occajion, Time, 'Place, Numbers among the Pythagorians ; the Generative Power, under the Nameof^n^i: Infancy alone had a Cloud of Deities; as ViVgctanus, Levana, Rumina, Edufa, Potina, Cuba, Cu- mina, Carna, Offilago, Statulinus, Fa'bulmus, &c.

They alio ador'd the Gods Health, Fever, Fear, Love, 'Pain-, Indignation, Shame, Impudence, Opinion, Renown, 'Prudence, Science, Art, Fidelity, Felicity, Calumny, Li- berty, Money, War, Peace, ViUory, Triumph, &c.

Laftly, Nature, or the Univerfe, was reputed a God. See Nature, and Universe.

Hefiod has a Poem under the Title of Oioyo/ia,, 7. e. the Generation of the Gods ; wherein he explains their Genea- logy and Dclcent, lets forth who was the firft, and principal of all the others; who firft defcended from him and what llfue each had; the whole making a fort ofSyftem of Hea- then Theology. See Theogony.

Befide this popular Theology, each Philofopher had his feparate Syftem ; as may be feen from the Timeus oiplato, and Cicero De Natttra Deoram.

ffujiin Martyr, Tertullian in his Apologeticks and his Books contra Gentes ; Aruobius^ Mimicius Felix, La&an- tius, Eufcbius, Prepar. & Demon. Evangel. St. Augujl-in De Civit. Dei, and Thecdoret adverf. Gentes, Ihew theVanity of thefe Gods.

'Tis very difficult to difcover the real Sentiments of the Heathens, with refpect to their Gods: They are exceedingly intricate and confuted, and even frequently contradictory. They admitted fo many fuperior and inferior Gods, who fhared the Empire, that all was full of Gods. Varro rec- kons up no left than thirty thoufand ador'd within a fmall Extent of Ground, and yet their Number was every Day growing. The Way to Heaven was fo eafy for the Great Men of thofe Days, that Juvenal brings in Atlas complaining he was ready to fink under the Load of fuch a Number of new Gods as were daily placed in the Heavens : Yet Fa. Mourges feems to have proved, that all the Philofophers of Antiquity have acknowledg'd that there was but one God— Plan Theoi. des SetJ. Scavant. de Grece. See Goddess.

GODSote, in our antient Saxon Cufloms. MulBa ex dcli&is in Deum admijfis obveniens A Fine, or Amercia- ment for Crimes and Offences againft God: An Ecclefiafti- cal, or Church Fine.

Gon-Fathers, and G od -Mothers, Perfons who direct, and attend at the Baptifm of Infants, or other Perfons; and give the Name. See Baptism, and Name.

The Number of God-fathers, and God-mothers is now re- due'd to three in the Church of England, and to two in that of Rome : Antiently, they had as many as they pleas'd. —

The Romanijls have alio God-fathers, and God-mothers at their Confirmation. See Confirmation.

They alfo give God-fathers, &e. to Bells, at their Bap- tifm. See Bell.

Among the Antients it was the Cuftom for Perfons of Quality to have others of like Quality cut their Childrens Hair, the firft time; by which they became reputed a fort of God-fathers. And the like was praclis'd with regard to the Flair of the Beard. See Adoption, Father, Hair, Sic. The Name God-father was alfo antiently given to a kind of Seconds, who attended and affifted the Knights in Tour- naments, or fingle Combats.

The God-fathers of Duels were a kind of Advocates,

chofen by the two Parties, to reprefent the Rcafons of their

Combat to the Judges. See Combat, Duel, Champion, &c.

Something of this kind is ftill retain'd at foIemnCarroufals:

There are two, or more in each Quadrile. See Quadril.

The Inftitution of God-fathers and God-mothers, Pa-

■ trimi and Afatrimi is originally Roman : They were young

People, who in the Games of the Circus had the Direction

of the Chariots, Shews, and Images of the Gods. Cicero

makes mention ot them in his Oration de Harufpicum re-

fponfis.

Their Olfice was much like that of the Children in fome Romifh Ceremonies, who are drefs'd in the Habit of An- gels, to ftrew Flowers, bear Incenfe-Pots, Lights, &c. and accompany the Relicks, and Images of Saints.—

GODDESS, Dea, Diva, a Heathen Deity, of the fe- male 'Jhx. See God.

The Antients had almoft as many Goddess, as Gods:

Such were Juno, the Goddefs of Air; Diana, the Gcddcfs of Woods,'and Chaftity ; Profcrpina, the Gcddcfs of Hell 5 Venus, of Beauty; Thetis, of the Sea; Such alfo were Vi- ctory, Fortune, Sic. See Fortune.

Nay, they were not contented to make Women Gods, and admit both Sexes into the Roll; but they had alfoHer- mophrodite Gods: Thus Minerva, according to feveral of the Learned, was both Man and Woman, and worfhip'd both under the Appellation of Lnnus, and Luna. Mitra, the Perfian Deity, was both God and Gcddcfs ; and the Seats of Venus and Vulcan are very dubious : Whence, in the Invocations of thofe Deities, they ufed this Formula, Be thou God, or Goddefs ; as we learn from A. Gellius.

It was a'Privilege peculiar to Godde/fes, that they might be repreiented on Medals, naked: The Imagination, it was fuppofed, muftbeaw'd, and kept from taking Liberties, by the Consideration of the Divine Character.

GOD-Gild, in our antient Cuftoms, that which is offer'd to God. See Gild.

GOLD, Aurum, a yellow Metal; the heavieft, pureft, moft ductile, and fhining, and on thofe accounts the moft valuable, of all Metals. See Metal.

The Chymifts call Gold Sol, the Sun, to denote its Pre- eminence over the other Metals, which are call'd by the Names of the Planets : Its Symbol, or Character is 0, which in their Hieroglyphical way of writing, denotes Perfection, Simplicity, Solidity,^. — See Character.

The Weight of Gold is to that of Silver as 19 to 10 — A Cubic Inch of pure Gold weighs 12 Ounces, 2 Drachms, 52. Grains ; and the Cubic Inch of Silver <? Ounces^ 5 Drachms, 28 Gr. — The Pound Weight, or twelve Ounces Troy of Gold is divided into 24 Caracas. Sec Caract, Weight, and Specific Gravity.

The Value of Gold is to that of Silver as 14 to 1 ; antient- ly, it was only as 12 to 1. Indeed, this Proportion varies as Gold is more or lefs plentiful: For Suetonius relates, that Ceefar brought fuch a Quantity of Gold from Italy, that the Pound of Gold was only worth leven Pound and haft of Silver. Standard Gold is worth 44 lib. 10 s. Sterling the Pound- weight : Standard Silver, is worth 3/. the Pound; or 5 s, the Ounce. See Standard; fee alfo Silver, and Mo- ney.

The firjl Characterise, or Property ot Gold is that it is the heavieft of all Bodies — So that whoever would make Gold, mult be able to add to the Weight of other Matters, and make them equiponderate with Gold.

In every Mafs of Matter, therefore, heavier than Mercury, there mult of neceflity be a Share of Gold ; there being no Body in Nature of intermediate Gravity ; i. e. no Body whofe Gravity is to that of Gold, more than as 14 to 19. See Mercury.

hsfecond Character is, that of all known Bodies it is the moft ductile, and malleable, and of all Bodies its Parts have the greatefl: Degree of Attraction, i. e. cohere with the greateft Force. — Our Gold-beaters, and Wier-drawers fur- ni/h us with Proof of this Property. They every Day re- duce Gold into Leaves, or Lamella;, unconceiveably thin 5 yet without leaving the leaft Aperture, or Chafm vifible to the beft Microfcope, or even pervious to the Light. See this Property confider"d more at large under the Article Ductility.

This Tenacity, or cohefive Force of Gold depends altoge- ther on its being free from Sulphur : For mix but a iinglc Grain of Sulphur with 1000 times the Weight of Gold^ and the Mafs ceales to be malleable. See Sulphur.

The third Character of Gold is its Fixednefs in the Fire; in which it exceeds all other Bodies. — This Property feems to refult from the Homogenity, and Equality of its Parts, which equally aid, and fupport each other, and have equal Pores, or Interftices thro' which the fiery Corpufcles find an eafy Pafiage. — The Prince of Mirandola, Mr. Boyle, and other Chymifts furnifh divers Experiments to illuftrare this wonderful Fixity. After laying a Quantity of Gold two Months in the intenfeft Heat imaginable, it is taken out without any fenfible Diminution of Weight. See Fixity.

It muft be added, however, that in the Foci of the large Burning GlatTes of MefF. Tfchimhaufcn, and Villette, even Gold \iietf volatizes and evaporates. After this manner, we are told from the Royal Academy at Paris, a Quan- tity of pure Gold was vitrified 5 being firft fufed into a fort of Calx, which emitted Fumes, and loft of its Weight. But the fame Calx fufed again with a Quantity of Greefe was reftor'd into Gold. See Volatility, Vitrification, Burning Glafs, &c.

Its fourth Character is, not to be difloluble by any Men- ftruum in Nature, except Aqua Regia, and Mercury. See Menstruum.

The Bafis of Aqua Regia is Sea Salt, which is the only Salt in Nature that has any Effect on Gold. But this Salt has its Effect in what Form or Manner foever applied, whe- ther as a Fluid, or a Solid ; in Subftance, or in Spirit. See Aqua Regia, and Salt.

Mr. Soyle