Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/951

 VER

good while in the Stomach : But one fingle Grain of Ruft of Venus immediately vomits. See Emetic.

Hence, Syrups that have flood over-night in Copper vei- fels, create a vomiting. ■, -

It is alfo an excellent Medicine in Chronical Cales. Hence a famous Phyfician is recorded to have cur d Charles V. of a Dropfy by the Ufe of Coffer. .,

Venus is diffoluble by all the Salts known, both Atia, Alkaline, and Nitrous ; nay, even by Water and Air, conll- der'd as they contain Salt. See Dissolution, Salt, i?C.

'Tis from this common Reception of all Menftruums, that Copper is called Venus, q. d. meretrix pnbhea, a com- mon Proftitute : Tho others take the Denomination to have been occafion'd by its turning" of a Sea-green Colour, when diffolved by Acids., a

Mount of Venus, Mons Veneris, among Anatomitts

£ 294 ] VER

not according to what is effential to it, which is to affirm ; but according to fome of its accidental Relations.

Thus, Ariftotlc, taking up with the third of thofe addi- tional Significations, defines Verb to be Vox fignificans cum "tempore ; a Word fignifying fomething with Time.

Others, as Suxtorf, adding the fecond Relation, define it, Vox flexilis cum tempore i$ perfona ; a Word admitting of divers Inflexions, in refpefl of Time and Perfon.

Others, taking up with the firft of the additional Signifi- cations, which is that of the Attribute, and confidering that the Attributes Men ordinarily add to the Affirmation, were Actions and Paffions ; have fuppoied the Effence of a Verb to confift in fignifying ASions, or •Pajions.

Laftly, Scaliger imagin'd he had made a great Difcovery in his Book of rhe 'Principles of the Latin Tongue, in fav-

g, that the Diftinflion of Things into 'Permanentes, and luentes, into what remain, and what pafs away, is the pro-

a little hairy Pro'mberance, in the »^£*»»£j ^ource of the Diftinflion between Nouns,' and

of Women; occafion'd by the more than ordinary of Fat under the Skin in that Place. See Pubes.

Among Chiromancers, the Mount of Venus is a little Emi- nence in the Palm of the Hand, at the Root of one of the

Fingers. ,

VERB, in Grammar, a Word ferving to exprefs what we affirm of any Subjeft, or attribute to it ; as the Words «, nnderftands, bears, believes, &c. See Word.

The Verb is thus called of the Latin Verbum, Word, by way of Eminence ; as being the principal Word of a Sen- tence. See Sentence.

The common Dcfinirion given by Grammarians, is, that a Verb is a Word which betokens being, doing, or fuffenng.

To conceive the Origin and Office of Verbs, it may be obferved, that the Judgment we make of any thing, as when I fay the Earth is round, neceffarily includes three Terms. See Term. r

The firft, called the Subject, is the Thing we affirm ot, e.g. Earth. See Subject.

The fecond, called the Attribute, is the Thing affirm d, e. g. round. See Attribute.

The third, it, conneds thofe two Terms together, and final, and expreffes the Aflion of the Mind, affirming the Attribute of the Subjefl. This laft is what we properly call the Verb, and which Tome of our later Grammarians, particularly rhe Port Royalifts, chufe to call by a more fignificant Word, Af- firmation. See Affirmation. ,:,..-,

The Reafon is, that its principal Ufe is to fignify Affirma- tion ■ that is, to ftiew that the Difcourfe wherein that Word is ufed is the Difcourfe of a Man, who does not only con- ceive Things, but judges and affirms fomewhat of them.

By this Circumftance, a Verb is diflmguiih d from Nouns which alfo fignify an Affirmation, as affirmans affir- mation thofe only fignify an Affirmation, as that, by a Reflection of the Mind, is render'd an Object of Thought : fo, that they don't Ihew that the Petfon who ufes 'em affirms, but only that he conceives an Affirmation.

Tho the principal Ufe of Verbs be to fignify Affirma- tion • they alfo ferve to exprefs the other Morions of rhe Soul': as ro defire, pray, command, &C. but this they only do by changing the Mood, or Inflexion; which we lhall con- fider under the Arricle Mood. _

Here, we only confider the Verb in its primary Signfica- tion, which is that it has in the Indicative Mood.

On this Footing, the Verb Ihould have no other ufe, but to mark the Conneaion which we make in the Mind, be- tween the two Terms of a Propofition ; but the Verb ejfe, to be, is the only one that has retain'd this Simplicity : nor, in ftrianefs, has this retain'd it, but in the third Perfon ; as

In effeft, Men being naturally inclin'd to fliorten their Ex- preffions, to the Affirmation they have almoft always added other Significations, in the fame Word : Thus, e. g. rhey add that of fome Attribute, fo as that two Words make a Propofition ; as in 'Petrus vivit, -Peter lives : where vivit includes both the Attribute and Affirmation ; it being the fame thing to fay (Peter lives, as that 'Peter is living. And hence the great Variety of Verbs in every Language.

For, had rhe People been contented to give the Verb its neneral Signification, without any additional Attribute, each Language would only have needed one Verb, viz. the Verb Subftantive eft, is.

Again, on fome Occafions, they alfo fuperadd the Subjea of the Propofition, as Sum homo, I'm a Man ; or vivo, I live : And hence the diverfity of Perfins in Verbs. See Person.

Again, we alfo add to the Verb, a Relation to the Time with regard to which we affirm ; fo that one fingle Word, as cxnafti, fignifies that I attribute to the Perfon I fpeak, the Aaion of Supping, not for the prefent Time, but for the part : And hence the great diverfity of Tenfes in moll Verbs. See Tense.

The diverfiry of rhefe Significations, or Additions in the fame Word, has perplex'd and deceiv'd many of our bed Authors in the Nature of a Verb; and led 'em to confider it,

he firft being to fignify what remains, and the fecond what paffes.

But from what we have faid, 'tis eafy to perceive, rhat thefe Definitions are all falfe ; and that the only true Defi- nition is, Vox fignificans Affirmationem : This Definition in- cludes all that is effential to the Verb ; but if one would likewife include its principal Accidents, one might define it, Vox fignificans Affirmationem, cum defignatwne Perfonie, Humeri, cjf Temports ; a Word which fignifies an Affirma- tion, with a Defignation of Petfon, Number, and Tenfe : which is what properly agrees to the Verb Subftantive eft.

For as to other Verbs, "confidcr'd as becoming different by the union of certain Attributes, one may define 'em thus ; Vox fignificans Affirmationem alicujus attributi, cum defignatwne 'Perfoiue, Numeri, (Si Temporis ; a Word which expreffes the Affirmation of fome Attribute, with a Defignation of Petfon, Number, and Time.

Verbs are varioufly divided; with refpeft to the Subject, they are divided into, ASive, 'Paffive, Neuter, &c. with re- fpefl to their Inflexions, into Regular, and Irregular ; Per- ' ■erfonal ; Auxiliary, Subftantive, &c.

Verb Active, is a Verb which expreffes an Action that falls on another Subjea, or Objea. See Active.

Such are Hove, I work, &c. which fignify the Aflion of Loving, Working, i$c.

Of rhefe, Grammarians make two Kinds ; the one call d T"ranfitive, and the other intranfitive, or reciprocal. See Transitive, Sjfc.

Verb Paffive, is that which expreffes a Paffion ; or which receives the Aaion of fome Agent; and which is conjugated in the modern Tongues with the Auxiliaty Verb I am, je fuis, jo fo, &c. See Auxiliary.

Some don't allow of any Verbs 'Paffive in thefe Langua- ges : The Reafon is, that what we call paffive, is nothing but the Participle of the Verb, join'd with the Auxiliary Verb to be ; whereas the Verbs 'Paffive of the Latin, ckc. have their particular Terminations. See Passive.

Verb Neuter, is that which fignifies an Action that has no particular Objea whereon to tall ; but which of it felf takes up the whole Idea of the Aaion : as, I fleep, thou yawn'ft, he fnores, liie walk, you run, they ftand.

The Latins call 'em Neuters, by reafon they are neither Aaive nor Paffive ; tho they have the Force and Significa- cation of both : as I languifb, fignifies as much islam lan- guifhing ; / obey, as much as / exercife Obedience, &c. only that they have no Regimen to particularize this Signi- fication.

Of thefe Verbs there are fome which form their Parts by the Auxiliary Verb to have ; as, I have flept,you have run.

Thefe, Grammarians call Neuters ABive.

Others there are, which form their compound Parts by rhe Auxiliary to be ; as, to come, to arrive, &c. for we lay, J am come, not J come, &c. Thefe are call'd Neuters Paf-

Verb Subftantive, is that which expreffes the Being, or Subftance which the Mind forms to it felf, or fuppofes in the Objea ; whether it be there, or not : as, J am, thou art. See Substantive.

Auxiliary, or Helping Verbs, are thofe which ferve in conjugating Aaive and Paffive Verbs : fuch are, J am, I have, &c. See Auxiliary.

The Abbot de Dangeau diftinguifhes all Verbs into two general Kinds ; Auxiliary Verbs, and Verbs which make ufe of Auxiliaries.

This Diftinftion fome may tax as not very juft; in regard, Auxiliary Verbs fomerimes make ufe of Auxiliaries rhem- felves; but thisdoes not deftroy the Divifion : it only (hews, that the Auxiliary Verb has two Formalities, or two diffe- rent Qualities to be confider'd under ; in virtue where- of, it constitutes, as it were, two Verbs. _

The Verbs which make'ufe of Auxiliaries, he divides into ASive, Neuter, and Pronominal.

Verbs Neuter he dittinguiihes into beaters Attive, and Neuters Paffive. 'Pronominals he diftinguiflies into Identic,

Red-