Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/925

* ELIS. 803 ELIZABETH. tal being Pyrgos. Consult: Loake. Trucrls in the H una (London. 1S30 ) : Curtius./'c/o/joH/icsos (Gollia. 1S.52). ELI'SHA (Heb., Elisha, CJod is deliverance). A prophet of Israel, who uontinued the move- ment of Elijah against the Baal eult. The story of his career is told in 11. Kings ii.. i... xiii. as follows: He was the son of t>haphat, and lived at Abel-nieholah. where, until his call, lie was a farmer (1. Kings xix. 19). While at Horeb F.lijah is told to appoint Elislia his successor; tills he does by throwing his nuintle over him. whereupon Elisha sacrifices the o.cn with which he was plowing, and follows Elijah. During tlic life of his master nothing is heard of Elislia until immediately before Elijah's death. Eli- sha follows him ironi Bethlehem to .lericho and then across the Jordan, which Elijah divides with his mantle, and as Elijah is taken up he receives the mantle of his master (11. Kings ii. 13). Elisha also divides the .Jordan and comes to Jericho, where he lieals the poisonous waters (II. Kings ii. 10-22). On the road to Bethle- hem he is met by children wlio laugh at him for his bald head. He curses them and forty of their number are devoured by two she bears (II. Kings ii. 23-25). He severely rebukes Je- horam and refuses to speak to him. but proph- esies for the sake of .Jehoshaphat (II. Kings iii.). A wife of one of the sons of the prophets com- ing to Elisha for aid. he i>erforms the miracle of the oil (II. Kings iv. 1-7). and restores to life the son of another woman who has befriended him (II. Kings iv. 8-37). Another miracle like that performed at Jericho was the removing of the poison irom the food prepared by the sons cf the prophets (II. Kings iv. 38-41). Still an- other miracle is the making twenty loaves of bread serve one hundred men (II. Kings iv. 42- 44). He cures Xaaman of Syria of his leprosy and refuses to take any return for it and curses his servant Gehazi for liaving taken a present (II. Kings v.). He strikes the Syrian army with blindness, but sends them away in peace after he has brought them to Samaria ( II. Kings vi. 8-23). When he sees Hazael he knows at once the suffering that will be brought on Israel, but still tells Hazael that he will be king (II. Kings viii. 7-15.). To fulfill the prophecy of Elijah. Elisha sends a prophet to anoint .Jehu, who promptly kills the family of Ahab and takes the throne (II. Kings ix.). Before the death of Elisha he is vis- ited by .loash and predicts three victories against the Syrians (TI. Kings xiii. 14-1!)). Even after his death Eli^^h;! iK'rforms miracles; a body thrown upon his bones revives and stands tip (II. Kings xiii. 20-21). The character of the Elisha stories, it will be seen, is very much the same as that of those told of Elijah. Both perform miracles, restoring dead persons to life, striking the living with disease, predicting victories or disasters, and the like. While not so rugged as Elijah, he surpasses the latter in the political influence that he exercises. The narrative clearly indicates a progress to- ward the recognition of Yahweh to the exclusion of the Baal cults, so that Elisha's path is con- siderably smoother owing to the antecedent activ- ity of Elijah. ELIS'SA. See Dino. ELISSA. One of three quaintly differing sis- ters in Spenser's Faerie Qinfiif, whose tempera- ments were too opposite to iieriiiit of agreement. See Memxa. ELIX'IR ( Fr. elixir, OF., Sp. elixir, from Ar. pirits of wine. The term tincture is now more cunimon. Elixir of litriol, or aromatic sul- pluiric acid, is jjrejiared from PL- fl"'■_. ounce einnamou in powder. 1 ounce ginger in I'owder. Klixir litw of Mnthiohts is composed of alcohol and upward of twenty aromatic and stinuilating substances, and was at one time ad- ministereil to patients suffering from epilepsy. See also Chemistry. ELIZABETGRAD, ye - le'sa - bet - grad'. See Yei.iz.veh;kai). ELIZ'ABETH. A city and county-seat of Union County. X. .J., 12 miles southwest of New York and 4 miles southwest of Newark; on both sides of the Elizabeth River and on Newark Bay and Staten Island Sound; reached by the New Jersey Central and Pennsylvania railroads, the latter of which traverses the ]jriiicipal section of the city on an immense viaduct of earth and masonry (Map: New Jersey, D 2). A portion of the city bordering on Staten Island Sound is known as Elizabethport. Elizabeth is the sub- urban home of many New York business men, is laid out with broad and well-graded streets, and lias several small parks and many hand- some residences. The port is accessible to small vessels, and receives large quantities of coal and iron brotight by rail from the Pennsyl- vania mines for reshipment. The principal indus- trial establishments are sewing-macliine works, pump-works, foundries, chemical-works, and a ship-yard. The city has many points of historical interest. It was settled in 1664 by a companv from Long Island, and was called Elizabethtown. On May 26, 1668, the first Gen- eral Assembly of New Jersey convened here. It was the capital of the Colony from 1755-57. Dur- ing the Revolution it suffered greatly. It was chartered as the 'Borough of Elizabeth' in 1789, and was incorporated as a town in 1796. It w-aa chartered as a city in 1855. but is governed by a charter of 1863, which provides for a mayor, elected every two years, and a unicameral city council. Of the municipal officials, the excise commissioners are elected by the council; the board of health and sinking fund commissioners liy the executive and council ; and the board of education l)y the people. The annual income of the city is about .*SSO.O00 ; annual exixjnditure, .$770.0(ir). Po{)ulation.'in 1890. 37.764; in .1900, 52.130. Consult Hatfield, Hisloiif of Elizabeth (New York. lS(i8). ELIZ'ABETH, Cape. See Catk ELiZAnETii. ELIZABETH ( l;->33-1603) . Queen of England. She was the daughter of Henry VIII. and the unfortunate Anne Boleyn. ;ind was bnrn Septem- ber 7. 1533. While she was yet in her tliird year her mother was Iwheaded. After the moth- er's execution Elizabeth was sent to the country, where the greater part of her early youth was spent. When Catharine Parr liccaine Queen. Eliz-