Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/488

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There are various Preparations of Mercury, Antimony, and other Drugs to purify 'em, fublime, calcine, edulco- rate 'em, &c. See Mercury, z£c.

Crude Antimony is ufed in fudorific Decoctions ; tho', when it has undergone a certain Preparation, it becomes a violent Vomitive. See Antimony.

PREPOSITION, in Grammar, one of the parts of Speech, orDifcourfe, SeeSpEECH.

The Prepofltion is an indeclinable Particle, which yet ferves to govern the Nouns that follow it. Such dreper, pro, propter, in, with, thro, from, by, ££c.

They are call'd Frepofitions, becaufe pnepof\t<e, placed before the Nouns they govern.

Y.'Buffier does not allow the Trepofltion to be a Part of Speech ; but merely a Modificative of a Part of Speech, viz. of the Noun, ferving only to modify or circumftan- tiateit. See Modificative.

PREPENSED, in Law, Fore-thought. In this fenfe we fay frepenfed Malice.

If, when a Man is flain upon a fudden Quarrel, there were Malice prepensed formerly between them, it makes it Murder 5 and, as it is call'd in fome Statutes, prepenfed Murder. See Murder.

PREPUCE, Pneputium, in Anatomy, the Fore-Skin ; feePRJEPUTiuM.

PREROGATIVE, a Privilege, or Pre-eminence, which a Perfon has over another.

The Word is borrowed from the Name of a Century in antient Rome, which gave the firft Vote, or Suffrage in the Comitia, or Affemblies, for the Election of Magiftrates ; aliafl Prairogati ; becaufe firft ask'd, or their Suffrage firft required. See Suffrage and Century.

Their Vote was call'd Omen Pr<erogativum, becaufe the reft ufually gave their Votes the fame way. See Omen.

PREROGATIVE of the King, is that Power and Privi- lege which the King hath over, not only other Perfons, but over the ordinary Courfe of the Common Law, in Right of his Crown.

Such are thefe, That the King may pardon a Perfon condemn'd to die : That the King's Perfon is fubject to no Man's Suit : His Poffeflions cannot be taken from him by any Violence, or wrongful Diffeifin : His Goods and Chattels are fubject to no Tribute, Toll, or Cuflom, nor diftrainable, &C. See King.

PREROGATIVE Court, is a Court belonging to the Archbifhop of Canterbury, wherein all Wills are proved, and all Adminiftrations granted, that belong to the Arch- bifhop by his Prerogative ; that is, where the Party at his death had five Pounds or upwards in the Diocefe, or ten Pounds out of the Diocefe where he died. See Court.

The Archbifhop of Tork hath alfo the like Court call'd, his Exchequer.

All Citations and Decrees of this Court run in the Name of the Archbifhop. See Archbishop.

This Court, for the Province of Canterbury, is kept in the common Hall in Doctor's Commons, in the Afternoon, next day after the Arches.

The Judge is attended by the Regifter, who fets down the Decrees and Acts of Court; and keeps, records, l$c. all original Wills and Teflaments of Parties dying, having bona notabilia.

The Place is ufually call'd the Prerogative Office, now kept in ^Dean's Court ; where, for a moderate Fee, one mayhave a Copy of any fuch Will. See Will.

PRESAGE, Prjesagium, an Augury, or Sign of fome- thingtocome. See Augury.

The Romans judged of future Events by certain Signs, which their Superftition, or the Artifice of their Priefts had invented. Their moll celebrated Prcfagcs were founded on 'he Flight of Birds, or the Entrails of Victims : All Night- Birds pafs'd for Birds of ill 'Prefage. See Victim, ££c.

'Tis a popular Error, that Comets prefage Misfortunes. See Comet.

Clofe Weather, and a Southern Wind, prefage Rain. See Weather, i£c.

PRESBYTER, a Trieft ; or a Perfon in Priefts Orders. See Priest.

He is thus call'd from the Greek w[ia$vnv;, Elder, of fuch as were advanced in Years.
 * fw&vi, Old i becaufe, antiently, none were ordained but

The great Difpute between the Retainers to the Geneva, and the Roman Difcipline, is about the Samenefs or Diffe- rence of Presbyters and Bifhops, in the Times of the Apoftles. The Presbyteral Character is indelible.

PRESBYTERIANS, a Name affumed by the Calvinifls of Great Britain. See Calvinist.

^^Presbyterians, as to Doctrine agree with the Church of England: Their chief Difference lies in the Point of Difcipline ; viz. who fhall appoint the Governours of the Church, and what Subordination there fhall or fhall not be between them. See Discipline.

The Presbyterians allow of 1

Hierarchy ; no Subor-

dination in rhe Perfons of their Minifters : Bi/hoos and J nelts, they maintain, in the Times of the Apoftles were the lame ; and, therefore, tho' they allow Epifcopacy as now fettled in the Church of England to be very antienr, yet they deny it to be jure dlvino. See Bishop and Epis- copacy.

In lieu of a Series of Minifters one over another in Qua- lity of Priefts, liifiops, and Archbifiops, their Polity con- fifts in a Series of Affemblies, or Synods : Thus every Minifter is to be obedient to the Clafs under which he lives \ and that Clafs to a Synod, Provincial, Claffical, or Oecume- nical. SeeC^ASs, Synod, £jc.

The Power of Ordination, with them, reiidesin a Clafs; and none are admitted to adminifter the Sacramenr, but thoie ordained by the Impofition of Hands of other Mini- ilers.

They make ufe of Deacons to take Care of their Poor, and in the Government of the Church, call in Lay-Elders ; whence their Name, from the Greek weeo-Stfe?©-, fiEnifvine Senior, Elder. See Elder. ' 5

This is now the reigning Difcipline in the Church of Scotland ; asir was, during thelnter-regnum, in England.

PRESBYTERY, Presbyterium, an Affembly of the Order of Presbyters, or Priefts, with Lay-Elders ; for the Exercife of Church-Difcipline.

The Kirk or Church of Scotland is divided into fixty- nine Presbyteries, each confiding of a number of Parifhes, not exceeding twenty-four, nor lefs than twelve.

The Minifters of thefe Pari/lies, with one Ruling-Elder chofen half-yearly, conftitute 4 Presbytery ; who, meeting in their chief Town whence the Presbytery is denominated, chufe a Moderator, or rather Prolocutor, half-yearly.

^hey determine all Appeals from Kirk-Seffions, i. e. from the feveral Parochial-Aflemblies ; but can try nothing at the firft lnftance cognizable before a Kirk-Seffion. See Kirh- Seffwn.

They compofe all Differences between Minifters and People ; for which end they hold Presbyterial Vifitations in each Panfh, where they examine the Regifters of the Kirk-Seffions, fgc

They enquire into Repairs of Churches, fee that the Glebe, iSc. fuffer no Dilapidations ; appoint Schools in the Parifhes, and fee that the Funds ben't mifapply'd.

'Tis they alone can exclude from the Communion, li- cenfe Probationers, fufpend, depofe, and, in effect, deter- mine all Ecclefiaftical Matters within their Diftrift. From the Presbytery there lies an Appeal in all Cafes to Provin- cial Synods. See Synod.

Presbytery, 'Presbyterium, is fometimes alfo ufed for the Choir of a Church, becaufe antiently appropriated to the Presbyters ; in oppoiition to the Nave or Body of the Church, which was for the People. See Choir and Church.

PRESBYTjE, in Optics, a Term apply'd to Perfons in whom rhe Configuration of the Cryftalline of the Eye is too flat, fo that they fee diftant things clearly, but thofe near at hand confufedly. See Vision.

TheReafonis,that,in near Objects, the vifual Rays paffing the Retina before they unite, there can be no diftinctnefs fince the dillinct Bafe falls too far off beyond the Retina! See Crystalline and Retina.

This defect is helped only with convex Glaffes, or Spec- tacles ; which will make the Rays converge fooner, and if theyare well fitted, fall exactly on the Retina. See Con- vex and Spectacle.

The Word is form'd from the Greek «fsir(3w, Senex ; be- caufe old People are naturally fubject to this defect; Time and the Friction of the Eye-Lids, £?c. gradually wearing the Ball flat. S

Presbytte are oppofed to Myopes, in whom the Cryftalline is too round. See Myopes.

If the diflance between the Retina and the Cryftalline be too fmall, the Perfon will likewife be a Presby'ta. See Crystalline, &c.

PRESCIENCE, in Theology, Previfion, Fore-know- ledge ; the Knowledge which God has of things to come.

The Doctrine of Predeftination is founded on the Pre- fcience ot God, and on the fuppofition of all Futurity's be- ing prefent to him. See Predestination.

Human Reafon can fcarce reconcile the Prefcience of God with the Free-Agency of Man. See Liberty and Necessity.

How are we to admire the depth of the Prescience and Wifdom of God ; who, in giving the firft Morion to Mat- ter, fore-faw all the poftible Combinations this firft Itn- prefiion might undergo during infinite Ages? Malebr.

PRESCRIPT I ON, in Law, a Title introduced foraffuring the Property of Effects in favour of Perfons who have pofiefs'd them a certain time ; and to keep off any who would difquiet them, or recover the thing poffefs'd, after the Term fixed by the Laws. See Possession.

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