Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/708

 SEN

of exporting it. The fecond comes from Tripoli : The third is called Sena of Mocha. The bed of thefe Kinds js the firft, which <Pomet directs us to chufe, in narrow Leaves, of a moderate Size, ihaped like the End of a Tike, of a pale green Colour, a penetrating Smell, ibfr to the Touch, i$c. The Sena of Tripcli holds the fecond Rank in Goodnefs. Its Difference from that of Seyda, confifts in its Colour, which is green; its Smell which is very weak ; and in a certain Harfhnefs, or Roughnefs, which it difcovers upon the Touch. Beiides thefe three Kinds of Sena, and their Pods ; the Druggifts fell the Duft found at the Bottom of the Bales ; which is a very poor Commodity ; and yet much better than what they call the Small Sena, which comes with it in the Bales, by way of Package, and which many hold to be a Plant of no Virtue, put in by Chance, or, at beft, to increafe the Weight.

The beft Sena, ordinarily found inour Shops, Dr.JPitmcy obferves, is that which is fliarpeft leaved, and which lmells fre/heft. The Brighrnefs of its Colour, and Quicknefs of its Flavour, are the Indications of its Goodnefs ; for when it has loft its Scent, and grows dusky, it is good for little : This Drug, at firft taking, is apt to nau- icate the Stomach; and therefore, if a little Cinnamon, or a Dram or two of its diftilled Water, be added, it pafleth thro' with Iefs Sicknefs. This is exaSIy conform- able ro the Sentiments of Lndovicus, who fays, That the purgative Quality of this Herb relides in its mucilagi- nous or gummy Juice ; which, the more it is divided, gripes the lefs, in its Operation. Rulandus imagined a Sudonfick Quality to be in it; and accordingly order'd it in fome Compofitions of that Intention. This is fo ancient in Medicine, that Schroder fays, Serapion firft prefcribed it.

SENATE, an Aflembly or Council of 'Senators ; that is, of the principal Inhabitants of a State, who have a Share in the Government. See Senator. As, the Senate of Rome, of Carthage, (fc. among the Ancients ; the Senate of Venice, of Genoa, $$c. among the Moderns. The Senate of Ancient Rome, was, of all others, the moft celebrated, during rhe Splendor of the Republic. The Roman Senate exercis'd no contentious Jurifdiction. It appointed Judges, either out of the Senate, or among the Knights ; but never ftoop'd to judge any ProcefTes, in a Body. The Senate concerted Matters of War; appoint- ed who fliould command the Armies ; fent Governors into the Provinces ; took Order, and difpofed of the Reve- nues of the Empire. Yet did not the whole Soveraign Power refide in the Senate. It cou'd not elect Magi- ftrates, make Laws, nor decide of War and Peace : But in all thefe Cafes they were to confult the People. Un- der the Emperors, when the Senate became difpoil'd of moft of its other Offices ; they began to judge Caufes. For Caufes of lets Confequence they appointed particular Judges ; the reft, principally Criminal Caufes, they referv'd for their own Cognizance, to be judg'd by them in a Body, and that frequently in the Emperor's Frefence. This was to keep their Heads from State Af- fairs. Nero further committed to the Senate, the Judg- ment of all Appeals : But this did not hold long ; nor do we find any Footfteps thereof any where but in the 6id Novel. The Senate affembled on certain ftated Days, viz. ordinarily on the Calends, Nones and Ides of each Month. Their extraordinary Meetings were on any other Days ; when the Coniiil, Dictator, or Tribune, thought fie to call them. Their Place of Meeting, was either the Tem- ple of Concord, at the Gate of Capua, or in the Temple of Bellena : The Conful prefided at the Senate. Till Augiijlus's Time, the Senate was always open'd with a Sacrifice. But that Prince, in Lieu thereof, appointed, That each Senator, e'er he took his Place, fhou'd offer Wine and Incenfe on the Altar of the God, in whole Temple they were met ; and take an Oath, That he would give his Vote according to his Conference.

Jlalicaniajfeus, and other Authors, mention it as a great Defect in the Authority of the Roman Senate, That they had none under their Command, to execute their Orders. Hence the Ieaft Tribune had it in his Power to obftruct their Decrees ; and hence it is, that when they gave their Orders to the Confuls, and Prretors, they did it with a kind of Submiffion, Si eis ita videtur ; If they think fit.

SENATOR, a Member of a Senate. There were Two Orders, or Degrees, among the Roman Nobility ; that of 'he Senators, and that of the Knights : After the Two, tame the 'People. The firft hundred Senators were ap- pointed by Romulus, called Vatres. Upon the Union w "h the Salines, Romulus, or, as others fay, Tullius, added a fecond Hundred, called <Patres maiorum Gentium, '? ' oiftinguifli them from a third Hundred added by the cider Tarquin, and called Tarns minorum Gentium. The

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Number, of Senators was not fix'd. In the Time of Grac chits they were 600 .5 during the Civil Wars, they were reduced to 300. Julius Ctcjar augmented that Number to 800 or 900 i and Augufius brought them back again to 600. 1 he Choice ot Senators belong'd at firft to the Kings, then to the Confuls, then to the Cenfurs ; who in their Cenfus or Survey, every five Years, appointed new Senators in lieu of thole dead or degraded : At length it fell to the Emperors. Though, for a long Time, none were railed to the Dignity of Senators, but thofe moll confpicuous for their Prudence, £&. yet fome Re- gard was afterwards had to their Eftate, left the Dig- nity fhould become debafed by Poverty. To hold the Dignity, a yearly Revenue of goo Thoufand Sefterces was required, which amounts to nearly 0000 Pounds of our Money. Half as much was required for the Knights, ihe Senators who funk below this Revenue, were dif- carded, and expunged out of the Lift by the Cenfor The Senators ; were ordinarily chofe from among the Knights

At firft the Magiftrates were taken wholly from among the Senators i whence Tacitus calls the Senate, The Semi- nary of all pigmies : But after the People had been ad- mitted to Magi tratures; Senators were taken from among fuch as had 1 chfeharged thofe Offices, though, before llebeians The Senators carried their Children with them to the Senate, to inform them betimes of Affairs of State : Their Children, however, had not Admittance till 17 .Years of Age.
 * •»'« a n had b0fe the Pr,nci P al Magiftracures!

Some make a Diftina.on among the Senators. Be- fides the Senators who were allow'd to fbeak, and were ask d their Sentiments, there were others, who without fpeaking, or being ever asked their Opinion, were only to follow the Opinion of thofe they thought the moft reafonable, and were hence called Vediarii. J. Gellws gives us another Notion of the fediani, and fays, JThofe were thus called, who having never bore the Office of Curule Magiftrate, were obliged to go to the Senate on foot. B

The Senators alone were allowed to wear the Habit caWd Zaticlaziiam : (which See) Had a Right to fit, and be carried in Curule Chairs ; to aflift at Plays, and Shews, m the Orcheftra ; at Feafts of the Gods, fee. All which Privileges were reierved to fuch as Auguftus (in the Reform he made of the too numerous Senate of Julius Ufar) fet afide. They had the Names Senators, q. d. old Men, given them in Imitation of the Greeks, who called their Senate yi fx!! icu,. So when the Atheni- ans affembled the People to confiilt about the Affairs of the Public ; the Officers fiimmoned none but fuch as were Fifty Years Old. The /Egyptians and Terfians followed the fame Example, after the Hebrews. The Lacedtemcnians, and Carthaginians received none but fuch as were Sixty Years of Age.

SENATUS CONSULTUM, a Vote or Refolution of the Roman Senate, pronounced on fome Queflion or fome Point of Law propofed to it. The Seimtts confvlta made a lart of the Roman Law, when pafs'd They were depofited in the Temple of Ceres, under the Cu- ftody of the JEddes, and at laft carried, by the Cenfor

t0 ,, ,h J e Jf m, pk ° f ¥ be a ty ' and P ut U P in ™ ^.uory called Tabularta. See Law.

SENESCHAL, a Name anciently ufed for a Steward ■ form'd from the Saxon Sein, Houfe or Place, and Schalc Governor. Thus the Senefchal of a Baron is his Steward' or Bailiff, who holds his Courts, and manages his Demefne Lands: Sub- Senefchal, his Under-Steward High Senefchal of England, is the High-Steward of England: High Senefchal del Hotel du Roi, the Steward of the Kings Houfhold. The Ancients uled the Term Senefchallus indifferently with that of 'Dapifir, whence VS-gtefare i{ figmfies Slewapi. See Stewird

SENSATION, the Action of perceiving 'external Objects, by Means of the Organs of Senfe. See Sense.

To conceive the Manner wherein Sulfation is effect- ed : Obferve by the way, That all the Organs con- fift of little Threads, or Nerves ; which have their Ori- gine in the Middle of the Brain, are diffufed thence throughout all the Members which have any Senfe and terminate in the exterior Parts of the Body : That when we are in Health, and awake, one End of thefe Nerves cannot be agitated, or fhaken, without fhaking the other ; by reafon they are always a little ftretch'd, as is the Cafe of a ftretch'd Cord, one Part of which cannot be ftirr'd without a like Motion of all the reft. Obferve, again, That thefe Nerves may be agitated two ways; either by the End out of ' the Brain, or that in the Brain. If they be agitated from without by the Action of Objects, and their Agitation be not com-' municated as far as the Brain; as frequently happens in CO] Sleep,