Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/340

* CASSINO. 290 CASSIUS. diamonds) two, little casino (the deuce of bpades) one, and each ace one, so that eleven can be possibly counted by one person; the whole j;ame is twenty-one. The play is to take from the table as many cards as possible, preferring spades, or aces, or big or little casino. The tricks are taken by pairing — that is, by match- ing one card in the hand with another on the table ; thus, a ten will take a ten, or a nine and an ace, or four aces and a six, or anj' other combination of spots that makes just ten. An- other part of the game is 'building,' or combining cards on the board with one in hand; for e.x- a)iiple, a player puts a four on a si.x to make up ten, meaning" to take both when his turn to play again comes ; but any one having a ten may take them Iiefore him; or if he builds a six, the next player may make it a nine, and the next still may put on an ace and call it ten, but in build- ing, the one who makes any particular number must hold the card that wil'l take it. Some per- sons make a progressive build — that is, if one has a nine and cannot at the time make a nine, he puts a four on a two and calls it six, having of course a three to make a nine when it is next his turn to play. But this kind of building is generallv ruled'out as irregular. In a modern variation of the game, the knave counts eleven, the queen twelve, the king tliirteen, the ace one or fourteen, as the players may choose, and the 'joker' fifteen. This plan greatly enlarges the number of combinations; as, for instance, an ace may possibly take three other aces, four deuces, and a tray, making fourteen spots; or the ace may take 'the big and little casino and two aces, which would make six points in the game. CASSIO, kashl-o, Michael. The successor of lago to the position of lieutenant of Othello, in Shakespeare's tragedy of the latter name. He is a weak-minded but reputable soldier, vhose love of wine enables his enraged prede- cessor to direct against him the jealousy of Othello. lie is finally stabbed by lago. CAS'SIODOIIUS, or CAS'SIODO'KIUS, Flavius Magnus Aurei.ius, Senator (c.4S0- C.580). A Latin statesman and writer, the most profound and enlightened scholar of an age of barbarism. He was born shortly before a.d. 490, at Sevlaceum (Squillaeel. in Bruttii (now Ca- labria), of a noble family long settled in th.at region. His public services lay not so much in - directing affairs as in perpetuating the Latin civilization under the Gotliic rule. First raised to position under Odoacer, he held many im- portant offices under Theodoric the Ostrogoth. From the questorship he passed to the consul- sihip in 514: and during the following years, tliouffh engaged in public services, he devoted ids leisure to literary work and study. At the coTumand of Theodoiic he prepared a IHstonj of the Ooths, which has survived only in the epitome made by Jordanis. After the death of Theodoric, Cassiodorus pulilished a collection of valuable historical State ])ai)ers. under the title Yaridrum Epixtolnnim J.ibri A7/., which gives the best information we possess regarding the Ostrogothic rule in Italy (Consult Hodgkin, Letters of Cassiodorus. London, 188GK Late in life (toward a.d. .540) Cassiodorus retired from public life, and founded upon his estates at Vivarium, near Squillace, a monastery, in which he spent the remainder of his long life in study and pious endeavor. He required of his monks not only meditation, but also scholarship, and this included, as part of their monastic duty, the copying of manuscripts. To the hapi)y ex- ample thus instituted we owe the preseration of most of the classic literature. Cassiodorus died at the age of almost 100 years. His works are published bv Migne in the I'utrologia Latino, (ISOo), Vol. LXIX. CAS'SIOPEIA (Ok. Kao-o-iiireia, Kaxniopcia, Kaffffi^jreitt, Kassw/jeia) . .V cunstcllation in the Xorlhcru Hemisphere, sometimes called 'the Lady in Her Cliair,' near Ceplieus, and not far from the Xorth Pole. It was in this constella- tion that the famous 'new star' of Tycho Brahe blazed out in Xovember, 1572. This star is one of the most remarkable in astronomical annals. The brilliancy of its liglit, surpassing that of the large planets, and the suddenness with which it was extinguished, bear eloquent testimony to the extreme power of cosmic forces. Tyclio's star retained its maximum brightness about ten days only. Although sixteen months elapsed be- fore it finally disappeared from view, we do not know at present whether it still exists as a minute telescopic star, for Tycho's records, made before the invention of the telescope, <lo not U.x his star's place on the sky with sulBcient pre- cision to allow a modern identification. CASSIQtriAEE, kas'se-ke ii'ra, or CASSI- QTJIARI, -re. A river of Amazonas Territory, 'enezuela, which leaves the Orinoco in latitude 3° 10' X., longitude 00° 20' W'., taking from it one-third of its water, and after a rapid south- west course of about 2.50 miles, joins the River Guainia, a branch of (he Rio Xegro, in latitude 2° 5' N., longitude tl7° 40' V. About 300 yards in breadth when it issues from the Orinoco, it gradually increases until at its uni(m with the Rio Xegro it attains a width of 600 yards. By the means of this singular river, water communi- cation is est^-iblished between the systems of the Amazon and the Orinoco. CASSITERIDES. kas'sl-terldez. See SciLLY Islands. CASSIT'EKITE (Lat. cnssiternm, Gk. kcut- vtrepos, kassitcrus, tin, of imknown origin, bor- rowed in O. Church Sav.}:osilerii, Skt. kastirOf At. (/azilir, tin). A tin dioxide that crystallizes in the tetragonal system. It occurs both mas- sive and in the form of crystals, usually of a black or brown color, although sometimes red or yellow. Cassiterite is found in Cornwall, England (formerly in large quantities) : in Bo- hemia and Saxony, on the ^lalay Peninsula, in Banca, Australia, and in Alcxico. In the Unit- ed States it is reported from Maine, Virginia, •South Dakota, and California. It is an im- portant ore of tin, as, when pure, it contains nearly 79 per cent, of that metal. The ordinary massive cassiterite is called tin stofic ; when found in botryoidal or reniform shapes it is known as icood tin, and when in the state of sand along the beds of streams it is called stream tin. CASSIUS, kash'us, Avinius. A Roman gen- eral under Marcus Aurelius. He was from Cyrrhus, in Syria, and won much renown by his victories over the Parthians. He marched against Mesopotamia, captured and burnsd