Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/913

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falfe Fifth comprehends Five, viz. fa, fol t tfyfi, lit $ befides, 'that among the Six Semitones, which compole the Tritme chromatically, there are three greater and three letter $ whereas among the Six Semitones, which compofe the falfe Fifth, there are only two lefTer, and four greater. See Third, Fourth, Fifth, &c.

TRITURATION, in Pharmacy, Grinding ; the AS of reducing a fblid Body into a iiibtile Powder; call'd alfo Leviganon, c Pnherifation, 0c. See Powder, Leviga-

TIOM, &C.

The trituration of Woods, Barks, Minerals, and other hard and dry Bodies, is performed in Metalline Mortars.

The JameTerm is alfo applied to the comminuting, bruiting and dividing of humid Matters, into little Parts : — The 'Tri- turation of mo iit Bodies is perform'd in Marble, or Stone Mortars, with Peftles of Wood, Glafs, Ivory, &c. The Word is form'd from tri and tero, I wear. Trituration, Soerhaave obferves, has a wonderful Force to diffolve fome Bodies, and will render them as fluid,

as if they were fufed by the Fire Thus if you grind the

Powder of Myrrh, and Salt of Tartar together, they will diffolve each other. By rubbing new and bright Filings of Iron in a Mortar, with double their Weight of clean Sulphur, the Iron will be diffolved, lb as by diluting it with Water to afford the Vitriolum Martis. See Iron and Vitriol.

Gold long ground in a Mortar, with Salt of Tartar, will yield a kind of Tincture ; and rubbed with Mercury, in a Mortar of Glafs, it entirely diflblves into a Purple Liquor, and becomes a mo ft powerful Medicine.

Dr. Lavgeloite has wrote a curious Treatife of the great Effects of Trituration in Chymiftry ; and defcribes a pe- culiar Way he employed to grind Gold, whereby he could render it as fluid as the Fire does, and make an Aurum Po- tabile,by the bare Motion of a Mill. See Got, p and Potable. That Author, in the c PhilofophicalTra?;fa£lio??s, mentions his way of grinding Gold, and defcribes two Engines, or Phi lofophi cat Mills tor the Purpofe, with one of which, in the Space of Fourteen natural Days, he reduced a Leaf of Gold to a dusky Powder, and putting it into a /hallow Re- tort placed in a Sand Heat, he thence obtained, by gradually increafing the Fire and giving a ftrong one at laft, a few very red Drops, which, di gelled per fe, or with tartarized Spirit of Wine, afforded a pure and genuine Aurum Potabile.

The Succels of this Operation, the Doctor attributes, in a great meafure, to the Salt of the Air, which in grinding, plentifully mixes ,ind unites itfelf with the Gold.

Trituration, in Medicine, is uled for the Action of the Stomach, ontheFood. SeeSTOMAGH, &C

Some Phyficians have maintain'd, that Digeftion was per- form'd by Trituration, and not by Fermentation, i. e. that all the Stomach does, is to grind and comminute the Food in- to fmaller Parts to fit it for Nutrition, without any other Alteration therein. See the Article Digestion, where the Doctrine is laid down atlarge.

This Syftem was much talk'd of fome Years ago, being countenanced by Dr. Witcaim, and others ; but feems now much declined.

The Doctrine of Trituration is not new : — Erifjlratus maintain'd it in all its Latitude many Ages ago 5 and the Moderns have only reyived it.

It was firft broach'd in the Time of Hippocrates, that is, in a Time when Anatomy was but little known 5 and 'twas this that render'd it current. — - An Opinion was entertain'd by fome Phyficians of thofe Times, that the Stomach was only the Receptacle of the folid or dry Foods 5 that thofe Foods, after having been diluted, and broke in the Mouth, were again broke more perfectly in the Stomach, and by this means alone were converted into Chyle : but that the Drink, by reafbn of its Liquidity, not being fubject to be broken, went to the Lungs, and not the Stomach, where, by reafon of its abundance, it would rather have prejudiced the Digeftion than have aided it.

Hippocrates, we read, in the fourth Book of T)ifeafes, flood up flrenuouily againft an Opinion fo vifibly contrary ro Reafon and Experience ; and he informs us, That if he gave himfelf this Trouble, 'twas becaufe the Error had already got a good number of Partizans. — It could not fland long againft the Reafons of Hippocrates ; and its Defeat was followed by the jntire Ruin of the Syflem of Trituration, which had its Foundation thereon.

But Erifijfratns retrieved it again ; and the Doctrine, after having been fupported for fome time, fell anew into Oblivion; whence lbme late Authors have in vain endea- vour'd to recover it.

TRIUMPH, Triumphus, a Ceremony or Solemnity, practifed among the ancient Romans, to do Honour to a victorious General, by affording him a magnificent Entry into their City.

The Triumph was the moft pompous Spectacle known among the Ancients: Authors ufually attribute its Invention to Bacchus ; and tell us, that he firft triumph'd upon the Con-

quer! of the Indies ; and yet this Ceremony was only in uie among the Romans.

The Triumph was of two Kinds, the lejfer and the greater, — The lejfer Triumph was granted upon a Victory over fome unequal or unworthy Enemy ; as over Pyrates Slaves, %3c. — This they call'd Ovatio ; becaufe the only Sacrifices offer'd herein, were Sheep. See Ovatio.

The greater Triumph, call'd alto Curulh, and, limply, The Triumph, was decreed by the Senate to a General, upon the conquering of a Province, or gaining a fignal Battle.

The Order and Oeconomy of the Triumph was thus : --The General having difpatch'd Couriers with Tidings of his Succefs, the Senate met in Bel/ona's Temple to read his Letters : — This done, they fent him the Title of Imperator y with Orders for him to return, and to bring his victorious Troops along with him. When he was arrived near the City, the General and principal Officers took Oath of the Truth of the Victory $ and the Day of Triumph was appointed.

The Day being arrived, the Senate went to meet the Con- queror without the Gate call'd Capeva or Triump'hahs, and

march 'd in order before him to the Capitol He was richly

clad, in aPurple Robe Embroider'd with Figures of Gold, {et- ting forth his glorious Atchievements : His Buskins were befet with Pearl, and he wore a Crown, whichatfirft was onlyLaurel, but afterwards, Gold : One Hand bore a Laurel Branch, and the other a Truncheon. He was drawn in a Car or Chariot, adorn'd with Ivory and Plates of Gold, drawn ufually by two white Horfes, though fometimes by other Animals ; as that or Tomfey, when he triumph'' d over Africa, by Elephants 5 that of Mark Anthony, by Lions ; that of Heliogabalus, by Tygers ; that of Awelian, by Deer 5 that of Nero by Her- mophrodite Mares, £S?c.

At his Feet were his Children, or, fometimes^ on the Chariot Horfes. — 'Tis added, that the public Executioner was behind him, to remind him, from Time to Time, that thefe Honours were Tranfitory, and wou'd not fcreen him from the Severity of the Laws, if he fliould ever be found delinquent.

The Cavalcade was led up by the Muficians, who had Crowns on their Heads : after them came feveral Chariots, wherein were Plans of the Cities and Countries fubdued, done in Relievo : They were followed by the Spoils taken from the Enemy, their Horfes, Arms, Gold, Silver, Machines Tents, ggfc. After thefe came the Kings, Princes or Generals fubdued, loaden with Chains, and followed by Mimicks and Buffoons, who infulted over their Misfortunes. — Next came the Officers of the conquering Troops, with Crowns on their Heads.

Then appear'd the triumphal Chariot ; before which as it pafs'd, they all along ftrew'd Flowers ; the Mufic play'd in Praife of the Conqueror amidft the loud Acclamations of the People, crying lo Triumphe.

The Chariot was follow'd by the Senate clad in white Robes, and the Senate by fuch Citizens as had been fe't at Liberty or Ranfom'd.

The Procefiion was cldftd by the Sacrifices, and their Officers and Utenfils, with a white Ox led along for the chief Victim.

In this Order they proceeded through the triumphal Gate, along the Via Sacra to the Capitol, were the Victims were flain.

In the mean time, all the Temples were open 5 and all the Altars loaden with Offerings and Incenfe 5 Games and Com- bats were celebrated in the public Places, and Rejoycings ap- pear'd every where.

What was horrible amidft all this Mirth, was, that the Captives, when arrived at the Forum, were led back to Prifon and Strangled ; it being a Point of Religion with them, not to touch the Victims till they had taken full Revenge of their Enemies. — The Rites and Sacrifices over, the Triumpher treated the People in the Capitol, under the Porticos, and fometimes in Hercules' s Temple. TRIUMPHAL Crown or Garland. See Crown. It is faid to have been taken from Apollo's crownino his

Head with a Laurel, after killing the T)elphick Serpent.

It was as much efteem'd by the Romans, as if it had been Gold.

TRIUMVIR, one of three Perfons who govern abfolutely and with equal Authority in a State.

The Word is little ufed but in the Roman Hiftory. — Gejar* Crajfus and Pempey were the firft Triumvirs^ i. e. the firft who divided the Government of the Republic among them. See Triumvirate.

There were alfo other Officers, call'd Triumvirs, Trium- viri ; as the Triumviri Cafitales, created in the Year of Rome 463, to take Care of Prifoners, and look to the Ex- ecution of Criminals.

Trhtmviri Monetales, who were Magiftrates created at the fame time, to look to the Coinage of the Money ; whence

that Mark fti 11 extant on many ancient Coins, IIIVIRI.

Thefe Officers were very conliderable, and chofen out of the

Knights.