Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/440

 if JL) A

833)

Ha

fteiievo'si and Other Decorations in Architecture. See Stone, Statue, &c.

It is dug out of Quarries, in feveral Parts of the Neigh- bourhood of Paris ; whence it! Name.— The fined is that of Montmartzje.

This Plafler is of two kinds, viz.. Crude, or in the Stone ; and burnt, or beaten.

The crude is the native Plafler as it comes out of the Quarry ', in which irate 'tis ufed as Shards in the Founda- tions of Buildings.

The burnt Plafler is a Preparation of the former, by cal- cining it like Lime in a Kiln or Furnace, and then beating it into Powder, and diluting and working it. See Lime, &c. In this ftate it is ufed as Mortar or Cement in Buildings. See Mortar.

This, when w"eH fifted and reduced into an impalpable Powder ; is ufed to make Figures and other Works of Sculpture', and is befides of fome SUfe in taking out Spots of Greafe, &~c. in Stuffs and Silks. See Figure, Scul- pture, &c.

In the Plafler-Qumks is alfo found a kind of falfe Talc, wherewith they counterfeit all kinds of MarMe. See Mar- ble, Gypsum Stuc, &c. See alfo Plastice.

PLASTIC-PVttM, a Faculty of forming, or fafhioning any thing. See Faculty.

The Word comes from the Creek cWissm, of ihtixm, fingo, 1 fajhion, form, &c.

Some of the ancient Epicureans, and perhaps the Peripate- ticks too, imagined, a 1'laflic Virtue to refide in the Earth ; or at leaft to have anciently refided therein ; and that 'twas by means hereof and without any extraordinary Interven- tion of a Creator, that it firfl put forth Plants, &c. See Earth, World, &c.

Nay, fome of them, whether ferioufly or not we don't undertake, taught, that Animals, and even Man, were the Effeft of this Plafiic Power. See Platonist, Peripate- tic, cfrc.

PLASTICE, or the Plastick Art, a Branch of Scul- pture; being the Art of forming Figures of Men, Birds, Beafls, Fifhes, Plants. &c. in Plafler, Clay, Stuc, &c. See Sculpture, Plaster, &c.

The Workmen concerned herein are called Plafl&. Plaftice differs from Carving, in that here the Figures are made by Addition of what wants: But in Carving always by Subtraction of what is fuperfluous. See Carving.

The Plaflic An is now chiefly ufed among us in Fret- Work-Cielings; but the Italians apply it to the Mantlings of Chimnies with great Figures. See Fret-work, Cieling, &c.

PLAT, a popular Term among Mariners, &c. for a Sea Chart. See Chart.

PLATA, Plate, in Commerce, a Spanifli Term, fig- nifying Silver; as Vellon, which they pronounce Veillon, fignifies Copper. See Silver, Coin, &c.

Thefe two Terms are not only ufed to exprefs the Species of thofe Metals ftruck in Spain, but alfo to diflinguifh be- tween feveral of their Monies of Account.— Thus they fay a Ducat of Plata, and a Ducat of Vellon ; a Rial of Plata, and a Rial of Vellon ; which Denominations augment and di- minifh the Value by almofl one half; 34 Maravedis of Plata being equal to 63 of Vellon ; and the Piece of Eight being only 272 Maravedis of Plata, but 510 of Vellon. See Du- cat, Piece of Eight, Rial, and Maravedis.

Plate, in Commerce, denotes Gold or Silver wrought into Veffels for domeflick Ufes. See Gold, Silver, Mark, Punchion, &c.

Plate, in Heraldry, is a round, flat Piece of Silver, with- out any Impreffion; but as it were form'd ready to receive it.

The Term is ufed only by Englifli Heralds : for in other Nations they are known by the Name of Bezants, Argent. See Bezants.

PLAT-BAND, in Gardening, a Border, or Bed of Flowers, along a Wall, or the fide of a Parterre; frequent- ly edg'd with Box, &c. See Border, Parterre, Edg- ing, &c.

Plat-band, in Architefture, is any flat fquare Mould- ing, whole Height much exceeds its Projefture. See Moul- ding.

Such are the Faces or Fafcioe of an Architrave, and the Plat-band of the Modillions of a Cornich. See Archi- trave, Cornich, &c.

The Plat-band is (ignified in Vitmvius, and others, by the Words Fafiia, Taiia, and Corfu. See Fascia, Taenia, &c.

Plat-band, of a Door or Window, is ufed for the Lin- tel, where that is made fquare, or not much arch'd. See Lintel.

Thefe Plat-bands are ufually crofs'd with Bars of Iron, when they have a great Bearing : But 'tis much better to eafe them by Arches of Difcharge built over them. See Door, Window, &c.

Plat-bands of Flutings, the Lifts or Fillets between the Flutings of Colums. See Fluting.

PLAT-FORM, in War, is a Place prepared on the Ramparts, to raife^a Battery of Cannons upon. See Ram- part, Battery, &c.

It is made by the heaping up of Earth on the Rampart; or by an Arrangement of Madriers, rifing infallibly for the Cannon to roll on ; eicher in a Cafemate, or on an Attack in the Out-works.

Platform, in Architefture, is a Row of Beams, which fupport the Timber- Work of a Roof, and lie on the top of the Wall, where the Entablature ought to be railed.

The Word is alfo ufed for a kind of Temis-Walk, or even Floor, on the top of a Building, from whence we may take a fair Profpeft of the adjacent Country.

Hence an Edifice is faid to be cover'd with a Platform, when it is flit a-top, or has no Ridge. See Roop.

Moil of tiie Oriental Buildings are thus cover'd ; as were all thofe of the Ancients.— Csfir was the firfl among the Ro- mans who procured Leave to Build bis Houfe with a Ridge, or Pinnacle. See Pinnacle.

Platform, or Orlop, in a Man of War, is a Place otl the lower Deck, abaft the MainMafl, and round about the main Capflan ; where Provlfion is made for the wounded Men, in time of Service.— It is between the Main-Malt and Cockpit.

PLATONIC, firaething that relates to Plato, his School, Philofophy, Opinions, or the like. See Piaio- ni s m.

Platonic Bodies, are the fame with what we otherwife call Regular Bodies. See Regular Bodies.

Platonic Love, denotes a. pure fpiritu.il Affeftion, fub- fifiing between the different Sexes, abflrafted from all car- nal Appetites, and regarding no other Objeft but the Mind, and its Beauties; or a (ulcere difintereiled Friendfhip, fun- filling between the fame Sex, abflrafted from any felfifh Views, and regarding no other Objeft but the Perfon.

The Term took its Rife from the Philoi'opher Plato, a flrenuous Advocate for each Kind. See Platonism.

The World has a long time laugh'd at Plato's Notions of Love and Friendfhip In effeft, they appear arrant Chi- meras, contrary to the Intentions of Nature, and inconfi- ftent with the great Law of Self-Prefervation; which Love and Friendfhip are both ultimately refolvabie into. See Passion.

Platonic Tear, or the great Tear, is a Period of Time de- termined by the Revolution of the Equinoxes; or the Space wherein the Stars and Conflellations return to their former Places, with regard to the Equinoxes. See Year, Star, Precession of the Equinoxes, &c.

The Platonic Tear, according to Tycho Brahe, is 25S16; ac- cording to Ricciolus 25920; according to Ca/fmi 24800 Years. This Period, which is more than five times the Age of the World, once accompli IVd; it was an Opinion among the Ancients, that the World was to begin a-new, and the fame Series of things turn over again. See Period.

PLATONISM, the Doctrine and Sentiments of Plato and his Followers, with regard to Philofophy, &c. See Philosophy.

The Founder of thisSyflem of Philofophy, Plato, the Son of Ariflccles, was an Athenian ; born about the Year of the World 3625 ; who after having fpent his Youth in Exer- cifes of the Body, Painting, and Poetry, became a Difciple of Socrates. — After his Mailer's Death, he applied himfelf to Cratylus and Hcrmsgenes; 'till being a Mafler of the Greek Philofophy, he travelled into Italy, where he learnt that of the Pythagoreans. See Pythagorean.

Thence he proceeded into Egypt; where, in thirty Years Refidence he became fully acquainted with the Secrets of the Egyptian Priefls. See Symbol.

At his Return to Athens he began to retale the Stock of Learning he had coilefted, among his Countrymen; philo- fophizing daily in the Academy, a delicious Villa in the Neighbourhood of that City. See Academy.— And hence his Difciples were called Academkki.

In Phyficks, he chiefly followed Heraclitus; in Ethicks and Politicks, Socrates; in Metaphyficks, Pythagoras.

After his Death, two of the principal of his Difciples, Arifiotle and Xenocrates, continuing his Office, and teaching, the one in the Academy, the other in the Lyceum ; form'd two Setts, under different Names, tho' in other refpefts the fame; the one retaining the Denomination of Acadermcks ; fee A c a d e M 1 c K. The other afluming that of Peripaie- ticks. See Perifatetick.

In after-times, about the firft Ages of the Chnllian Church ; the Followers of Plato quitted the Title of Aca- demifts, and took that of Platonifls.

'Tis fuppofed to have been at Alexandria in Egypt that they firfl affumed the new Title; after having reftored the ancient Academy, and re-eflablifh'd Plato's Sentiments ; which in procefs of Time had many of them been laid afide.

10C

Porphyry