Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/284

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NOD

The Nolle was antiently- a red Coin, under the Deno- mination of Noble, or Rofe Noble. See Coin.

Authors obferve, that there has not been any Piece of Gold or Silver of this Name, coin'd with us, fince o H. V. They were firft coin'd by Edvi. Ill, in 1334.

The Noble contain'd 80 d. the fame with the prefent Money of Account: Its half was call'd Oholus, containing 40 d. its fourth part the Quadrance, or Farthing in thofe days, 20 d.

NOCTAMBULI, a Term of equal import with Som- nambuli, applied to Perfons who have a Habit of riiing, and walking about in theirSleep. See Sleep.

The Wordisacompoundofthe Latin Nox, Night, and ambulo, I walk.

Skenkttts, Horfiius, Clauderus, and Hildanus, who have wrote of Sleep, give us divers unhappy Hiftories of fuch Noctambuli.

The Diforder confifts in this, that the proper Organs of Mufcular Motion are at liberty, while the Organs deftined for Senfation are bound up, or in a State of Inaction. See Muscular Motion and Sensation.

To conceive the Caufe, it is to be obferv'd, that the Laws of the Union of the Soul and Body, are fuch, as that certain Ideas follow upon certain Motions of the Fibres of the Brain, and certain Motions of thofe Fibres upon cer- tain Ideas. Now, by much thinking on any one thing, the Fibres acquire fome permanent Situation, which gives a freer Paffage to the Spirits towards a certain part of the Body than ordinary. If then the Animal Spirits become too copious, or too much agitated, or confift of parts too folid j they throw themfelves into the Paffages they find the moll open, glide into the Nerves and Mufcles corre- fponding to thofe Paffages, and there produce the Motions proper to thofe Mufcles.

Accordingly, the Body rifes and walks ; tho the Soul be excluded from thinking on the Objecls that ufe to employ it on fuch occafions.

The Bilious, according to Horsl'ms; the Melancholic, ac- cording to Saliii i and the Sanguine, according to Libtmim, are the molt fubject to thofe notlumal Vagaries.

The Remedies are all fuch things as temper the Agita- tion of the Spirits, and relax the Fibres ; as Bleeding, and all Coolers, either internally or externally: Aperitives too, have a good effeft ; but the beft Remedy is Cold- Bathing.

NOCTILUCA, among Naturalifls, a Species of Phof- phorus, fo call'd becaufe it mines in the Night, and without any Light being thrown on it ; as that made of Urine, !>c. by which it is diflinguiihed from the other Spe- cies of Phofphorus, which, e'er they mine, mull be ex- pofed to the Sun-Beams ; fuch as is the Bolonian-Stone, ££?c. See Phosphorus and BoLoNiAN-itowe,

Mr. Boyle, in a particular Treatife on the Subject, gives an Account of three Noftilitce. The firft, invented by Kra-ffi, he calls the Confident, or Gammons NoBilaca, as be- ing of a Texture not unlike that of a Cherry-Gum. This, on account of its uninterrupted Aclion, is, by the Germans, call'd the Conftant NoBiltica; among us it is now known un- der the denomination of jolid Tboffhorits.

Thefecond, Liquid, invented by the faid Kraft ; being only a Diffolution of the former in a convenient Liquor. The thitd Kind was prepared by Mr. Boyle himfelf ; and of a different Nature from both the other ; for, it would not mine of itfelf, like either of them, but required the Con- tact of the Air (tho not any external Rays or Heat) to make it produce Light, which would be very durable, in a well-ftopp'd Veffel. Add, that it was not the Body that Ihone, but an Exhalation, or Effluvium mix'd with the Air ; on which accounts, the Inventor gives it the Denomination of the Aerial NoSiluca.

The fame Mr. Boyle, afterwards, prepared another fort ; which, from the little pellucid Fragments, or Cryilals therein, he denominated the IcyNoBiluca.

NOCTURNAL, fomenting that relates to Night, Nox; in contradiftinilion to Diurnal. See Night and Diur- nal.

In this fenfe we fay, NoBurnal AJJemblies 5 NoBurnal Fol- ltttions,S$c. See Pollutions, tic.

Nocturnal Pains, a frequent Concomitant of Venereal Diforders, which can only be palliated with Narcoticks : nothing but a Mercurial Courfe, or a long continued ufe of Diet-Drinks can entirely remove them.

NOCTURNAL Arch, in Aflronomy, the Arch of a Circle defcribed by the Sun, or a Star, in the Night.

teBi-NocTURNAL Arch of the Sun, is that Portion of a Circle he paffes over between our Meridian, and the Point of the Horizon wherein he rifes; or, between the Point of the Horizon where he fets, and our Meridian.

NOCTURNAL, is particularly ufed for a Star-Dial, or an Inftrument ufed to determine the Hour of the Night ;

chiefly at Sea, from the Altitude, or Depreffion of fome of the Stars about the Pole. See Dial.

There are NiSumals of various Contrivances. fome of them Projections of the Sphere : Thofe ordinarily ufed are adapted either ,0 the Pole Star, or the two Stars in Urja minor, calld the Guards.

ConJiruBion of the Nocturnal,

The Inftrument confifts of two Circular Plates, (Tab Navigation, Fig. 13.) applied on each other! The greater, which has a Handle to hold the Inftrument, is about 2 1 Inches Diameter, and is divided into 12 Parts agreeing to the 12 Months ; and each Month fubdivided into every fifth Day : And fo as that the middle of the Handle cotrefponds to that Day of the Year, wherein the Star here regarded has the fame right Afcenfion with theSun.

If the Inftrument be fitted for two Stats, the Handle is' made moveable. The upper left Circle is divided into 24 equal Parts, for the 24 Hours of the Day, and each Hour fubdivided into Quarters, as in the Figure. Thefe 24 Hours are noted by 24 Teeth 5 to be told in the Night. Thofe at the Hours 12, are diflinguiihed by their length. In the Centre of the two circular Plates, is adjufted a long Index A, moveable upon the upper Plate. And the three Pieces, viz. the two Circles and Index, are join'd by a Rivet which is pierced thro the Centre, with a Hole two Inches in Diameter for the Star to be obferv'd thro.

Ufe of the Nocturnal.

Turn the upper Plate till the longed Tooth mark'd 12 be againft the Day of the Month on the under Plate ) then bringing the Inftrument near the Eye, fufpend it by the Handle, with the Plane nearly parallel to the Equi- noctial ; and viewing the Pole-Star thro the Hole of the Centre, turn the Index about, till, by the Edge coming from the Centte, you fee the bright Star or Guard of the little Bear ; if the Inftrument be fitted to that Star ; and that Tooth of the upper Circle, that is under the edge of the Index.is at the Hour of the Night on the edge of the Hour- Circle, which may be known without a Light, by accounting the Teeth from the longeft, which is for the Hour 1 2.

NOVATED Hyperbola, a kind of Hyperbola, which, in turning round, croffes itfelf. See Curve and Hype'r- bola.

NODE, Nodus, in Chirurgery, a Tumour arifine on the Bones, ufually proceeding from fome Venereal Caufe. See Tumor and Bone.

It feems generated of a thick, cold, vifcid Humour which is often found very difficult to refolve.

They frequently apply to it a leaden Plate. cover'd with Mercury. The Cure is firft attempted by Empla/1. de Ranis cum Nercurio ; which failing, fome Mercurial Unguent is now and then rubb'd on them ; and after- wards Mercurial Plaifters made of Cinnabar, &c. ap- plied.

Some Phyficians call it Exofiofii 5 others give the Name Nodus to all Tumors arifing on the Joints, and Nerves.

Node, Nodus, is alfo ufed for the Tumors, or Protube- rances arifing on the Joints of old Gouty People ; call'd alfo Tophi. SeeTopnus.

They are fuppofed to be form'd of a thick, crude, heavy, vifcid indigefted Matter ; mix'd with a hot, ftiarp, bilious Juice, thegroffer and more terreftrial Part whereof being detain'd, grows into a ftony fort of Concretion. See Gout.

NODES, in Aftronomy, the two Points whetein the Or- bit of a Planet interferes the Ecliptic. See Orbit and Ecliptic.

Such are the two Points C and D, (Tab, Astroh. Fit. 33.) whereof the Node C, where the Planet afcends North- wards above the Plane of the Ecliptic, is call'd the Afending Node, the Northward Node, and the Head of the Dragon; and thus matk'd SI. The other Node D, where the Planet de- fcends to the South, is call'd the Defcending Node, the Southward Node, or the Dragon's Tail ; thus mark'd l?- See Dragon's Head and Tail,&c.

The right Line D C, wherein the two Circles interfere, is CsLVdtbe Line of the Nodes. See Line.

It appears from Obfervation, that the Line of the Nodes of all the Planets conftantly changes its Place, and Ihiftsits Situation in confequentia ; i. e. from Eaft to Weft, contrary to the Order of the Signs.

Thus, by a retrograde Motion, the Line of the Moon's Nodes finiihes its Circuit in 19 Years ; in which time, after having receded from any Point of the Ecliptic, it returns to the fame. See Moon.

When the Moon is in the Nodes, (lie is alfo in the K-

cliptic, viz. twice in each Period ; when /he is at her

7 T greateft