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con&fcrable. The Deciftons of theft were received with the fame Refpea as the Law of God itfelf. The fecond Kind, properly called Scribes of the People, were a Kind of Magiftrates, among the Greeks, as well as among the Jew* The third Kind were publick Notaries, or Se- cretaries of the Council : Theie were the leaft confi- derable.

Scribe, Scriba, was alfo an Officer, among the Romans, who wrote Decrees, or Acts, and gave out Difpatches. Every Magiftrate had his Scr'iba or Secre- tary, id that there were Scribe Edilitii, <Pr£tmu $®$®r fit, &c. They were not admitted to the Management of the principal Offices of the Republick, unlefs they re- linquished their Profeflion. In the Time of the Em- perors, they were alfo called Notarii, becaufe they made ufe .of Abbreviations, and ihort Notes in Writing. See Notary. £, " :

SCRIBING, in Joinery, && A Terra ufed, when one Side of a Piece of Stuff being to be fitted to the Side of fome other Piece, which laft is not. regular; to make the Two, then, join clofe together all the Way, they Scribe it, thus : That is, they lay the Piece of Stuff to be Scribed clofe to the other Piece they intend to Scribe to, and open their Compaffes to the greateft Diftance the two Pieces any where ftand from each other; then, bearing one of the Legs againft the Side to be Scribed to, with the other Point they draw a Line on the Stuff to be Scribed: Thus have they a Line on the irregular Piece parallel to- the Edge of the regular One ; and if the Stuff be wrought away exactly to the Line, when the two Pieces are put together, they will feem a Joint.

gCRtPTUARY, among the Jews. See Caraites.

SCRIPTURE, ot Scriptures. See Bible.

SCROBICULUS CORDIS, the fame as Anticar- Eium ; which lee.

SCROPHULJE, in Medicine, Schirrhous Tumours, ari- fing ufually about the Neck, and fometimes on other glaodulous Parts, called alfo Struma, and popularly the King's Evil, or fimply, the Evil, See Evil. The Word is ZaUn, formed by Diminution, from Scropha, Sow.

SCROTUM, or Scroton, in Anatomy, the common Capfula or Membrane, wherein the Tefticles are con- tained; thus called from its refembling a Pouch orPurfe of Leather, called by the Ancients Scortea. The Scro- tum confifh of two Membranes ; the Exterior whereof is only a Production of the Cuticula or Cutis, which is here very thin, and without any Fat underneath it. The Inner, called £)artoS t is only an Expanfion of the Panni- cuius Carriojus, which, together with the Cutis, is drawn into the Figure of a Purfe, externally. 'Tis divided longi- tudinally into two Parts, right and left, by a Line, called the Stain of the Scrotum ; anfwering to which inward- ly is a Membrane, called the Septum, which divides the Cavity into two Parts, being only a Production of the Zkrtos. : Tis divifible into Lamella:, and the Tefticles are on each Side loofely connected to it by means of their outer proper Tunic. Its Ufe is to fiiftain them, pre- vent their Collifion, as alio their falling too low, and to promote the Corrugation of the Scrotum, See Tes- ticle.

SCROTUM CORDIS, the fame as Pericardium; which fee.

SCROWLS, in Architecture. See Volutes.

SCRUPLE in Chronology. The Chaldee Scrupule is r lg t Part of an Hour ; called, by the Hebrews, Hclakim. Theie Scruples are much ufed by the Jews, Arabs, and other Eaftern People.

Scruples, in Aftronomy. Scruples eclipfcd are that Part of the Moons Diameters which enters the Shadow, CK preffed in the fame Meafure wherein the apparent Di- ameter of the Moon is expreffed. See Digit.

Scruples of half Duration, are an Arch of the Moon's Orbit, which the Moon's Centre defcribes from the Be- ginning of the Eclipfe to its Middle. See Eclipse.

Scruples of Immerfion, or Incidence, are an Arch of the Moon's Orbit, which her Centre defcribes from the Beginning of the Eclipfe, to the Time when its Centre Sails into the Shadow. See Immersion.

Scruples of Emerfion, are an Arch of the Moon's Orbit, which her Centre defcribes in the Time from the firft Emerfion of the Moon's Limb, to the End of the Eclipfe. See Emersion.

SCRUPULUS, Scruple; the leaft of the Weights ufed by the Ancients ; and ^amongft the Romans was the Twenty-fourth Part of an Ounce. See Ounce.

Scruple is fiill a Weight among us, containing the Third Part of a Dram, or 20 Grains. See Grain. Among Goldfmiths, the Scruple is 24 Grains. See Weight.

SCRUTOIR, Scritory, from the French Efcritore, a kind of long Cabinet, with a Door or Lid opening down- wards, for the Convenieocy of Writing on, &c.

SCRUTINY, in Antiquity* an Examination, or Pro- bation, performed in the laft Week of Lent, with regard to the Catechumens who were to receive Baptiim n Eafier Day. The Scrutiny was practifed with a great many Ceremonies. Kxorcilms and Prayers were made over the Heads of the Catechumens. Palms were given them on the Sunday, with the Lord's Prayer, and the Creed ; which they were afterwards made to rehearie. The Procefs was called Scrutinium, Scrutiny ; becaufe hereby the Hearts of the Catechumens were fcritthiized or iearched, that the Priefts might underftand who were fit to be admitted to Baptiim. This Cuftom was mure in Ufe. in the Church of Rome than any where eliel Though it appears, by feme Miflals, to have been Iikewiie ufed, though much later, in the Gallican Church, 'Tis fuppofed to have ceafed about the Year S6cv

Scrutiny is alio ufed, in the Canon Law, for a Ticket, or little Paper Billet, wherein, at Elections, the Electors write their Notes privately, fo as it may -nut be known for whom they vote.

Among us, Scrutiny is chiefly ufed for a ftrict Perufa!, and Examination of the ieveral Votes haftily taken at an Election ; in order to find out any Irregularities com- mitted therein, by unqualified Voters, l£c.

SCULK,(amongft Hunters] is a Company 5 as* A Sculli of Foxes.

SCULPTURE, the Art of Cutting, or Carving Wood, Stone, or other Matter, to form various Figures for Reprefentations 5 as alio of fafhioning Wax, Earthy Plaifter, %£c. to terve as Models, or Moulds, for the Call- ing of Metal Figures. Sculpture, in its Latitude, includes both the Art ot working in Creux, properly called En- graving, and of working in Relievo, which is what we Itrictly call Sculpture. See Engraving.

The Antiqui ty of thi s Art is patt Doubt 5 as the Sacred Writings, the raoft ancient and authentic Monuments we have of the earlieft Ages, mention it in ieveral Places: Witnefs Za ban's Idols itolien away by Rachel^ and the Golden Calf which the Ifraelites let up in the Defart, f$#j But 'tis very difficult to fix the Original of the Art, and the firft Artifts, from prophane Authors $ what we read thereof, being intermixed with Fables, after the Manner and Tafte or thole Ages : Some make a Porter of Stcycn, named < Dibutades l the firfl Sculptor. Others fay, The Art had its Origin in the Ifle of Samos, where one Idcocus and TheodoruSj perform'd Works of this Kind, long be- fore ZJibutades's Time. 'Tis added, That Demui atus, Father of Tarquin the Elder, firfl: brought it into Italy upon his retiring thither; and that by Means of EnciropuS and Entygramma, Two excellent Workmen herein, who communicated it chiefly to the •Jjifcans ; among whom it was afterwards cultivated with great Succcfs. They add, That 'Tarquin fent for Zatrramts, one of the moil eminent among them, to Rome, to make a Statue ©f jfytj>ifer s &c. of baked Earth ; for the Frontifpiece of the Temple of that Deity. About this Time, there were many Sculptors^ both in Greece and Italy, who wrought altogether in Earth. Some of the moll noted, are, Calijlhcncs, an Athenian, who made himfelf and his Houfe famous, by the great Number of Earthen Figures he adorned it withal, he- mophilus and Gorfa'aiis j two Painters, who inrich'd the Temple of Ceres with great Variety of Painting and Earthen Images. In effect, all the firfl Statues of the Heathen Deities, were either of Earth or Wood 5 and 'twas not fo much any Frailty of the Matter, or Unfitnefs for the Purpofe, as the Riches and Luxury of the People, that firft induced them to make them of Marble, and other more precious Stones. Indeed, how rich fbever the Matter were, whereon they wrought, yet they ftill ufed Earth, to form Models thereof. And to this Day, whether they be for cutting Marble Statues with the ChifTel, or for cafting them Hi Metal, they never under- take the one or the other, without firft making a per- fect Model thereof in Earth. Whence, doubtlels, arofe the Obfervation of 'Praxiteles* That the Art of Moulding Earthen Figures, was the natural Mother of that of making Marble and Metal Figures ; which laft never appeared in Perfection, till about 300 Years after the Building of Rome; though the Firft was at its Height long before.

Phidias of Athens^ who came next, furpafs'd all his PredeccfTors, both in Marble, in Ivory and Metals: And- about the fame Time, appeared ieveral others, who carried Sculpture to the higheft Perfection it ever arrived at ; particularly Policletes at Sicyon; then Myron 5 Z^'fip- pti-S, who alone was allowed the Honour of cafting AhX" andefs Image in Brafs. Praxiteles and Scopas, who made thole excellent Figures, now before the 'Pope & Palace at Montecavallo ■ Sriaxis, Z'imotheus and Leo- chares, who, with Scopas, wrought at the famous Tomb of Maufolus King of Carla.\ Ceffodorus, Canachus, Z)e- dalus, Sttrhieus. 'Nyceratns, Euphamr, Z'heodorits, Xeno-

crates,