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 ALT ALT ( 127 ) At the four corners, were four kinds of horns, and ALSWANGEN, a town of Livonia, in the dutchy of all round a little border or crown over it. This was Courknd, fituated upon the Baltic. ALT, in mufic, a term applied to the high notes in the the altar hidden by Jeremiah before the captivity; and - fcale. See Music. upon it the officiating pried offered, every morning ALTAMURA, a city in the kingdom of Naples, at0 the and evening, incenfe of a particular compofition. See plate XL fig. 2. foot of the Apennines. E. long. 17°. N. lat. 41. , ALTAR, a place upon which lacrifices were anciently The altar of burnt-offerings was made of Shittimoffered to fome deity. wood, and carried upon tire fhoulders of the prieds by The heathens at firft made their altars only #f turf; daves of the fame wood, overlaid with brafs. In the afterwards they were made of done, of marble, of time of Mofes, this altar was five cubits fquare, and wood, and even of horn, as that of Apollo in Dtlos. three high ; but in Solomon’s temple it was much larAltars differed in figure as well as in materials. Some ger, being twenty, cubits fquare, and ten in height. It were round, others fquare, and others oval. All of was covered with brafs; and at each corner was a horn them were turned towards the eaft, and flood lower or fpire wrought out of the fame wood with the altar, to than the ftatues of the gods, and were generally ad- which the facrifiies were tied. Within the hollow orned with fculpture, inferiptions, and the leaves and v/as a grate of brafs, on which the fire was made ; flowers of the particular tree confecrafed to the deity. through it fell the affies, and were received in a pan Thus, the altars of Jupiter were decked with oak, below. At the four corners of the grate were four thofe of Apollo with laurel, thofe of Venus with myr- rifigs, and four chains, which kept it up at the horns. This altar was placed in the open air, that the fmoke tle, and thofe of Minerva w ith olive. The height of altars alfo differed according to the of the burnt-offerings might not fully the infide of the different gods to whom they facrificed. Thoie of the tabernacle. See plate XI. fig. 3. The altar, orjable for the fhew-bread, was likeceleftial gods were raifed to a great height above the ground; thofe appointed, for the terreflrial, were al- wife of ffiittim-wood, covered tilth plates of gold, mofl on a level wdth the furface of the earth. On having a little border round it, adorned with fculpthe contraryj they dug a hole for the altars of the in- ture. It was two cubits long, one wide, and one and an half in height. Upon this table, which flood in fernal gods. Before temples were in ufe, altars were, eredfed the holy of holies, were put, every fabbath-day, twelve fometimes in groves, fometifties in the highways, and loaves, with fait and incenfe. The Jewifh altars, after the return from the captifometimes on the tops of mountains ; and it was a cuftom to engrave upon them the name, enfign, or vity, and the building of the fecond temple, were in charafter of the deity to whom they were confe- fome refpefts different from thofe deferibed above. That of burnt-offerings v/as a large pile, built of crated. In the great temples of ancient Rome, there were unhewn hones, thirty-two cubits fquare at the botordinarily three altars: The firfl was placed in the, tom, and twenty-four fquare at the to'p. The afeent fanftuary, at the foot of the flatue of the divinity, was by a gentle rifing, thirty-two cubits, in length, and upon which incenfe was burnt, and libations offered ; fixteen in breadth. the fecond was before the gate of the temple, and Altar is alfo ufod among Chriftians for the commuupon it they facrificed the viftims ; and the third was nion-table. See Communion-table. made at the altar, in contradiflinftion from the fettled and the facred veffels. Befides thefe ufes of altars, the ancients fwore revenues of a church. upon them, and fwore by them, in making alliances, Altar, in aftronom^. See Ara, confirming treaties of peace, and other fojemn occa- ALTAR-THANE, in old law books, an appellation the altarage belonged. See Altarage. thofe who fled to them, whatever crime they had ALTARAGE, in law, altars erefted in virtue of donacommitted. Among the Jews, altars in the patriarchal times were tions, 'before the Reformation, within a parochial church, for the purpofe offinging of mafs for deceaftd ▼ery rude. The altar which Jacob fet up at Bethel friends. See Scots Law, Ecclefaflicalperfons. was nothing but a ftone, which ferved him inflead of a bolder • that of Gideon, a done before his houfe; Altarage likewife fignifies the profits arifing to the and the fird which God commanded Mofes to ereft prieff on account of the altar. yas probably of earth, or unpolilhed dones, without ALTARIST, the fame with altar-thane. See Altar-thane. any iron ; for if any ufe was made of that metal, the ALTEA, a fea-port town of Spain, fituated upon the altar was declared impure. The principal altars of the Jews were thofe of in- Mediterranean, in the province of Valencia, about 45 cenfe, tof burnt-offering, and the altar, or table, for miles fouth of the city Valencia, W. Ion. f. N. lat. 38°. 40'. the Jhe w-bread. The altar of incenfe was a fmall table of fhittim- ALTEMBURG, a town of Tranfilvania, fubjeft to the wood, covered with plates of gold, of one cubit in houfe of Aufhaa, fituated in 230 E. long, and 46° length, another in width, and two in height. 25' N. lat. Altemburg,
 * a portable altar, upon which W'ere placed the offering Altar is fometimes alfo ufed to denote the offerings
 * fions. Altars alfo ferved as places of refuge to all given to the prieft or parfon of a parifh, to whom