Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/169

 MED

( ^2.2. )

MED

The Term Mechanical is alfo ufed in Mathematics, After the Time of Fhocas and Heraclim, Italy became 1

to fignify a Conitruflion or proof of fome Problem, not Prey to the Barbarians; fo that the Monuments we have

done in an accurate Geometrical Manner, but coarfely and remaining of thofe. two Emperors, finiiTi the Set or Series

unartfully, or by the affillance of Instruments, as are moll of Imperial Medals. To thefe are added the Medals of the

Problems relating to the Duplicature of the Cube, and Lower Empire, and the Greek Emperors; whereof a Se- me Quadratureof the Circle,

MECHOACAN, Macadossin, or White Jalap; called alfu White Rhubarb, and American Scammony; a me- dicinal Root, taking its Name from a Province of New Spain, from whence it is brought. Mechoacan was known and ufed as a purgative before Jalap, tho the latter is now in more general Life, as being found more efficacious. "Yet Mechoacan is the fwecter and more gentle of the two, and on that account preferable. The Seat of its Aclion is chiefly in the extreme Parts, for which reafon it is accoun- ted good in arthritic Pains. It has the advantage of needing no Preparation or Corrective 5 and purging in its own proper Subflancc, fuch as it grows. M. Boulduc found by analyfing ir, that it contains twelve times as much Salt as

ries may be made as low as our time, taking in the Modern ones. M. Fatin has made an ample Collection of the Imperial Medals till the Time of Heraclius. The Gothic Me- dals make part of the Imperial ones. They are fo call'd, as having teen ftruck in the Times of the Goths, and in the Declenfion of the Empire; and favouring of the Igno- rance and Barbarity of the Age.

As to the Modern, they are fuch as have Been ftruck in Europe, lince the Ufurpation of the Goths has been ex- tinct 5 and Sculpture and Engraving have begun to re* flouti/h. The firlt was that of the famous Reformer John Hits in 141 5; if any pretend to be more antient, they are fpurious. In France, there were none ftruck with the Prince's Effigy before the Reign of Charles VII. The

Refm; but neither the falme nor refmous Extract: purge Study of modern Medals is fo much more ufeful, as they Hi freely as the Subltance, even tho taken in larger Dofes; a ff ord more light than the antient, and mark the Times nor do they yet purge io gently. In the Choice of Me- an d Circumftances of Events precifely; whereas the In- pretcr thole Pieces which are thebrowneft f cr i pt ions of the antient Medals are very fhort and fimple,

and moft and generally without any Date. Add to this, that the antient Medals are extremely liable to be counterfeited,

within; and whofe Subftance is the dofeft, compacl.

MECONIUM, in Pharmacy, is the Juice of the Poppy, drawn by Exprcflion, and dried; differing from Opium, in that this laft 0u7.es out, after an lncifion made in the Heads of the Poppies. The Word comes from the Greek pmin, Foppy. SecOptuM.

by feafon of the exceflive Price they bear. But in the modern, thefe is not near that Danger of being impofed upon.

For the reft, Medals have been ftruck in three Kinds of Metals, which make three feveral Sets or Series in the

_ MECoNinM is alfo a black thick Excrement, gather'd Cabine ' ts of the Curious, That of Gold is the leaft nu. in the InteltmtMof a Child during the time of Geftation. merouS) as nct confilH[lg of above IOQ0< m I2Q0 rf, he

In Colour and Confiftence, it refembles Pulp of Ca^tis It is alfo found to refemble Meconium, or Juice of Poppy, whence it takes its Name.

MEDAL, a fmall Figure, or Piece of Metal, in form of a Coin, deilined to preferve to Pofterity the Porttait of fome great Man, or the Memory of fome illuftrious Ac- tion.

for the Manner of jinking Medals, fee Coining-.

Some Authors imagine, that the antient Medals were ufed for Money. M

Imperial; that of Silver may contain about 30CO Impe- rial; and that of Copper, of the three ftveral Sizes, viz,. the great, the middle, and the fmall Copper, confifts of 6 or 7000, all Imperial. See Series.

There are no true Hebrew Medals; thofe which we fee of the Heads ofMofes, and Jefas Chrift, at; fpimous and modern. We have a few Shekels of Copper and Silver, with Hebrew or Samaritan Legends; but none of Gold; tho there is mention made of one in the King of Denmark's aS, _ aC -, hapte. r C 5-"' efs tu P rove - Cabinet. F. So„c,et has a Differtation on the Hebrew Me-

that they had all a fix'd regular Price in Payments; not excepting even Medallions. F.Joubert is of the fame Opi- nion. Others, on the contrary, maintain, that we have no real Money of the Antients; and that the Medals we now Save, never had any Courfo as Coins. Between thefe two Extremes, there is a Medium, which appears by much more reafonable than either of them. See Money. Medals are divided into Antient and Modern; Thi

dais, commonly call'd' Samaritan Medals; where he diftin- guifties accurately between the Genuine and Spurious; and iliews, that they are true Hebrew Coins ftruck by the Jews, but on the Model of the Antients; and that they were current before the Babylonijh Captivity. See Sama- ritan.

The Parts of a Medal, are the two Sides; one whereof is call'd the Head, the other the Revcrfe. On each Side

. . r l n. i. : 15 can o 111c ncaa, uie otner the Jxeoerle. tin each Kid*

Jnuen, are fuch as were ftruck between the third and is th e Area or Field, which makes the middle of he Me

the feventh Centuries: Ihe Modern are thofe ftruck dal. the Rim or B order. and the 5™ which i-

within thefe 300 a ears Among, the Anitent, fome are ben ' eath the Ground, whereon the Figure! reSted

Creek, others X*M» The Greek ore the moft antient. „« placed. On the two Sides are diftinLm'dTe Type

That People firook Medals tn all the three Metals with a „d the Infcription or Legend. The Types are the Fi/uS

fuch exquffite «r, as the Romans could never come up repre fented; W Legend is the WritmTefpecially th^at a-

A n v Zl f ./ Def,gn ' L AccU ^ a 7' Force ' "»"> the MedJ > :h °; " ^e Greek Medal,,?he life iption

and a Delicacy that expreffes even the Mufcles and is frequently in the Area. What we find nth" eSZ

Veins and 1 mult be own'd, goes infinitely beyond any j s frequently no more than fome Initial Lw2

thing of the Roman, J here are alio Hebrew Medals; Funic, Meaning we ' are unac quain,ed with", bo fome'ime!

Gothic ^rabicMed.us, which make new Claffes in the, 00 , they contain Epochas, or Word that may be «

antient and modern ones The Confular Medah are cer- counted an Infcnptior,. See Exergue and Legend tainly the molf antient Medah 1 of the Romans: And yet - T is not either the Metal, or the Size which

thofe of Copper and Silver don't go beyond the 484th makes a Medal valuable; but the Scarcity of "he Sad

Year ofX«; nor thofe of Gold beyond the Year n s. r of the Reverfe, or he Legend Some Medal, are

If any are produced of an older Date they are f™, ■ r u \- u --^sci'"- »™ meaats are

■ ' e e ' the y a te ipu- common in Gold, which yet are very rare in Copper; and

Confular Medals are fo call'd, to diftim-ui/h them from °' herS ^^ '"^ S 'i Ver ' r hk r in ^ et and Gold are

the Imperial; not tha, they we re ftrookfy ordw of Z TVT'T V* if " f r e ]' meS COmmon > where

Confu,s P bu, becaufe in ,Lfe Tim« A^Cwk » S L & f /" *' ^ ^ "^ ™ ^^ Wh ° fe

governed by Lonluls, bout fifty or

fulare,. Vrfinu, has difpofed them Gel"dogicany"{c'cord". '^. V - C - r - y '-"^ S *° C °PP«,Sets,_and yet common

ng to the Order of the Raman Families. " M. Fatin hi collecfed an entire Scries of them, in the fame Order with Vrftnus; and only computes 1037 Confulars, which relate to 178 Roman Families. M. Vailiant, and M. Morel each promifed a new Edition of the Confular Medals; m'. Vailiant kept his word, and his Book was printed e'e'r he died, in 3 Vol. folk

Silver ones. Otho's, of the large Copper, are held at an immenfc Price; and thofe of the middle Copper, at 43 or jo Piftoles. And the Gordians are rated full as high. Singular Medals are invaluable. Singular Medals, in rhe' popular fenfe, are fuch as are not found in the Cabinets of the Curious, and are only met with by chance; but in the flriaer fenfe are fuch, whereof there is not above one

Julianas is hardly found any where

but in large Copper. Carteren, a Dutchman, and fome o'

thers, have made Mills exprefs to ftrike Medah that never

were, as thofe of Cicero, Virgil, Priam, ike. M. Fail/am has

--.jeau- collected all the Medals ftruck by the Roman Colonies-

tme of Heraclius, wh o died in S+I. F. Hardouin thofe of the Greek and Latin Ciries. F Nor!,

thofe

near i-coYears, ma, till the taking of Conflantinople. 'Tis the Cuftom, however, to account all the Imperial Medals till the Time of the Faieohp, among the Antique; and yet we have no Imperial Medals, of any confiderable Bi ty, later than the Tf