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that they were foon deftroyed. The Brothers of the Rofy-Crofs are alfo called Illumined.
ILLUSTRIOUS, heretofore in the Roman Empire was a Title of Honour peculiar to People of a certain Rank. It was firft given to the molt diltinguifhed among the Knights, who had a right to bear the Latus Claims, after- wards they were entitled IMuJirkus, who held the firft Rank among thofc called Honorati ; that is, to the Trrfetti Fretorii, the Trrfefli Urhis, Treafarers, Comitcs, &c. There were, however, different Degrees among the Vlujires : As in Spain they have Grandees of the firft and fecond Clafs, fo in Rome they had their Ilhiftres, whom they called Great, sMajores, and others Lefs, called Mmores. For inftance, the TrcefebJus Tratorws was a Degree below the Mafter of the Offices, tho' they were both Vlujires. The Novel of Vahrttinian diflinguifhes as far as five kinds of Wttftres, among whom the lllitfires Adminiflratores bear the firft Rank.
IMAGE, a natural, lively Representation of an Ob- ject, oppofed to a fmooth well-polifhcd Surface. The Latin word Imago, comes originally from the Greek pi[/Ji3a.t, imitari. Image alfo fignifi.es any artificial Representation performed by Man, as in Painting, Sculpture, and the like: In which fenfe, the word is now generally ufed in fpeaking of Things holy, or Things imagined to be fo.
The Ufe, and Adoration of Images, are Things that have been a long time controverted in the World. The Lutherans condemn the Cahimjh, for breaking the Ima- ges in the Churches of the Catholics, looking on it as a kind of Sacrilege ; and yet they condemn the Romamfts, (who are profeffed Image-worfhippers) as Idolaters : nor canthefelaft keep pace with the Greeks, who go far be- yond them in this Point, which has occafioned abundance of Difputes among them. The Jevjs abfolutely condemn all Images, and don't fo much as fuffer any Statues or Fi- gures in their Houfes, much lefs in their Synagogues, or Places of Worfhip. The Mahometans have a perfect Aver- fion to Images, which was what led them to deftroy moft of the beautiful Monuments of Antiquity, both Sacred and Profane, at Confiantinople.
The noble Romans preferved the Images of their An- ceifors with a great deal of Care and Concern, and had them carried in Proceffion at their Funerals and Tri- umphs. They were commonly made of Wax or Wood, tho' fometimes of Marble or Brafs : They placed them in the Veftibles of their Houfes, and they were to flay there, even if the Houfes happened to be fold : it being accounted impious to difplace them. Jppius Claudius was the firft who brought them into the Temples, in the Year of Rome 159, and he added Infcriptions to them, Jhewing the Origin of the Petfons reprefented, and their brave and vertuous Achievements. It was not, how- ever, allowed for all, who had the Images of their An- cestors in their Houfes, to have them carried at their Fu- nerals 3 this was a thing only granted to fuch as had honourably difcharged themfelves of their Offices, for thole who failed in this refpect forfeited that Privilege, and in cafe they had been guilty of any great Crime, their Images were broken in pieces.
IMAGE, in Thilofofhy, fignifies the Trace or Mark which outward Objects imprefs on the Mind, by means of the Organs of Senfe. Image, in Opticks, fignifies an Object projected on the Bafe of a Convex-Mirror. As the Diftance of the Object from the Mirror, is to the Diftance from the Image to the Glafs ; fo is the Diameter of the Object, to the Diameter of the Image. This is a Rule which Mr. Molyneux gives us for finding the Diame- ter of an Image on the Bafe of a Convex-Glafs. See Op- tics. Image alfo fignifies the Defcription of any thing in a Difcourfe.
IMAGES, in Difcourfe, are defined, by Longinus, to be, in general, any Thoughts proper to produce Exprefllons,and which prefent a kind of Picture to the Mind. But, in the more limited Senfe, he fays, Images are fuch Difcourfe s as come from us, when by a kind of Enthufiafm, or an ex- traordinary Emotion of the Soul, we feem to fee the Things whereof we fpeak, and prefent them before the Eyes of thofe who hear.
IMAGES, in Rhetoric, have a very different Ufe from what they have among the Poets 5 the End principally propofed in Poetry is Aftonifhment and Surprize, where- as the thing chiefly aimed at in Profe, is to paint things naturally, and to fhew them clearly. They have this, however, in common, that they both tend to move, each in its kind. Thefe Images, or Futures, are of vaft ufe, to give Weight, Magnificence, and Strength to a Difcourfe. They warm and animate a Dif.ourfe, and when managed with Art, according to Longinus, feem, as it were, to tame and fiibdue the Hearer, and put him in the power of tho Speaker.
IMAGINATION, a Power or Faculty of the Soul, by which it conceives, and forms Ideas of Things, by means
of certain Traces and Impreflions that had been before made in the Fibres of the Brain, by Senfation. The Or- gans of our Senles are compofed of little Threads, or Fi- bres which, at one end, terminate in the outward Pans of the Body and Skm, and at the other in the middle of the- Brain. Thefe little Fibres maybe moved two ways ; either beginning at that end which terminates in the Brain or that winch terminates without. Now the Agitation of thefe Fibres cannot be communicated to the Brain, but the Soul will perceive fomething. If ,hen the Agita- tion begins where Objcfls make their firft Impreffion, "; , on the external Surface of the Fibres of our Nerves, and is communicated thence to the Brain, the Soul, in that Cale, judges that what ihe perceives is without that is, fhe perceives an Object as prefent: but if only the interior Fibres be moved by the Courfe of the animal Spirits, or in feme other manner, the Soul then imagines, and judges, that what Ihe perceives is not without, but withmthe Brain ; that is, /lie perceives an Objefl as ab- fent : And herein lies the Difference between Senfation and Imagination.
But in order to give a more precife and diftinfl Idea of the Imagination, it mull be obferved, that as often as there happens to be any Alteration in that part of the Bram where the Nerves terminate, there alfo happens an Alteration in the Brain ; that whenever there is any Motion in that part, to change the Order of its Fibres, there alfo happens a new Perception in the Soul, and ihe finds fomething new, either by way of Senfation or Ima- gination ; neither of which can be without an Alteration of the I'ibres in that part of the Brain. So that the Fa- culty of Imagining, or Imagination, only confifts in the Power which the Soul has of forming Images of Obiefls, by producing a Change in the Fibres of that part of the Brain, which may be called the principal Part, becaufe it correfponds to all the Parts of our Body, and is the Place where the Soul (if it may be fo faid) immediately refides. It matters not which that Part is, nor whether the Opinion of Willis be true, who places the common Senfe in the two Bodies, called Corpora Striata; and the Imagination in the Corpus Caibfum ; or that of Femelius who places Senfation in the Pia Mater, that encompaffes the Subflance of the Brain ; or that of Defeases, who. places it in the Pineal Gland .- it fuffices that there is fome fuch Part.
Since then the Imagination only confifts in a Power which the Soul has of forming Images of Objefls, by impreffing them on the Fibres of the Brain, it follows, that the larger and more diftinct the Vejtigia, or Tracks of the animal Spirits, which are the Lines or Strokes, as it were, of thofe Images, are, the more ftrongly and diftinflly the Soul imagines thofe Objefts. Now as the Breadth, Depth, and Cleannefs of the-Strokes of a Grav- ing depend on the Force wherewith the Graver acts, and the Obedience which the Copper yields ; fo the Depth and Cleannefs of the Tracks of the Imagination depend on the Force of the animal Spirits, and the Conftitution of the Fibres of the Brain 5 and it is that Variety which is found in thofe two things, to which we owe almoft all that vaft Difference which we obferve in Peoples Minds. Thus, on the one fide are Abundance and Scarcity, Brisfe- defs and Slownefs, Largenefs and Smallnefs of the ani- mal Spirits ; and on the other hand Delicacy or Groffhefsi Humidity or Drynefs, Stiffnefs or Flexibility of the Fibres of the Brain; and, laftly, a particular Relation which the animal Spirits may have with thofe Fibres. From the va- rious Combinations of which Things, will refult a fuffi- ciently great Variety, to account for all the different Characters which appear in the Minds of Men : and from the fame Principle flows that Difference which is ob- ferved in the fame Petfon's Mind, at different Times, and under different Circumflances, as in Childhood, Man- hood, and Old Age, in Sicknefs, Health, &c. See Animal Spirits. It may here be obferved, that the Fibres of the Brain are much more agitated by the Impreffion of Objects, than by the Courfe of the animal Spirits ; and for this reafon the Soul is more affected with Objects, which it perceives by Senfation, and which it looks on as prefent, and capable of giving it Fleafure or Pain, than by thofe perceived by Imagination, which it judges to be diflant. And yet it fometimes happens, that in Perfons, whofe animal Spirits are extremely agitated by Faftingj Waking, Drinking, a Fever, or fome violent Paffion, thefe Spirits move the inward Fibres of the Brain as forcibly as outward Objects do ; fo that thofe Perfons perceive things by Senfation, which they fhould only perceive by Imagina- tion j for Imagination and Senfation only differ from each other, as the greater from the lefs. See Father Male- branch, Recher.'de UVeriti, lih. z.
IMAM or IMAN: A Minifterin the Mahometan Church anfwering to a Vicar among us. The Word properly fignifies Prelate, or Chief; but the Muflulmen frequently
apply
