A L Z
bf a humped or protuberant fliape, divided into two cells by an intermediate membrane, and filled with fmall feeds, of a roundifh figure.
The fpecies of Alyjfon., enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe.
I. The hoary, perennial, mountain Alyjfon. 2. The larger, yellow flowered, hoary Alyjfon, with ferpyllum leaves. 3. The fmaller hoary Alyjfon, with ferpyllum leaves. 41 The naked- fruited ferpyllum-Ieavedj hoary Alyjfon. 5. The fea Aly/fon, commonly called the fea/AA?/^'. 6. The ever-green Alyjfon, with fea purcelain leaves. 7. The leffer Alyjfon , with a narrow filvery leaf. 8. The leaft Alyjfon. 9, The fhrubby, prickly Alyj- fon. 1 0. The hoary fhrub Alyjfon. 1 1 . The yellow flowered, hairy, alpine Alyjfon. 12. The hoary, knot>grafs leaved, alpine Alyjfon. 13. The common knot-grafs leaved Alyjfon, with naked ftalks. 14. The fpeed-well leaved Alyjfon. 15. The corn Alyjfon, with fharp pointed and auricukted leaves. 16. The larger fruited, corn Alyjfon, with fharp pointed auriculated leaves. 17. The fmall perennial Pyre- nean Alyjfon, with trifid leaves. Tourm Inft. p. 216. . The Alyjfon is a medicinal plant, celebrated among the an- tients as a preventive of the hydrophobia. The word is alfo written Alyfon. — It is formed of the priva- tive «, and Xvaou, rabies, madnefs.
The antient naturalifts relate of this herb, that being beaten to a pulp, and given among food to dogs, it cures madnefs ;
- and if hung up in a houfe, prevents the effect of all charms, fafcinations, &c a . It is added, that being tied to the neck, it preferves cattle from all difeafes, &c. Plutarch b reprefents it as a fpecific againft the hiccup, which, it is pretended, it cures by the mere touch, or even fight of it. — [* Diofcor, 1. 3. c. 97. b Sympof. 3.]
The Alyjfon is ufually faid to be one of thofe plants loft or un- known to the moderns ; yet Langius has difeo^ered it in what We call verbena, or vervain, fometimes perijlerion \ and, on account of its ufe in the hardening of iron, fideritis. Lang. Epift. Med. 2. app. 37. p. 663. feq. Id. ib. 1. 1. app. 73. p. 403. See alfo Lemer. de Drog. p. 32. feq.
Alysson, in botany, a name given alfo, by fome authors, to the mysgrum, or gold of pleafure. Town. Inft. p.217. See Myagrum.
ALYTARCHA, in antiquity, a prieft of Antioch in Syria, whofe office was to lead up the majligopbori, or jlagellipbori, in honour of the gods.
In this fenfe, tbd word is alfo written Alytarcheuu* — The office, or priefthood itfelf, was alfo hence denominated Aly- tarcbia.
The officer who prefided at the Olympic games was alfo fometimes denominated Alytarcha. Brijf. Calv. & Pitifc. in voc.
Some will have the Alytarcha to be the fame with the belle- nodicus, of which opinion are Faber and Prideaux. Van Dale {hews them to be different offices ; not but that the Alytarcbi might fometimes be fubftituted by the helleno- dici, to perform fome parts of their function. The Alytarcbi were the -directors, or prefc£ti of the majligo- fhori, or maftigonomi, officers with whips in their hands, who attended at the games or combats of the athlete, encou- raged them to behave ftoutly, and, on occafion, ferved to preferve good order, and keep off the crowd. Van Dak, Diflert. 7. Act. Erud. Lipf. 1703. p. 90. feq. Sec alfo Norris, Ann. Epoch. Syro. Maced. p. 220. The Alytarcbi were the fame with what were called, in fome other places, Alytee.
A late writer afcribes I know not what extraordinary dignity and honours to the Alytarcbi, whom he reprefents as the chief, of all the officers that prefided at games, that they were ho- noured as Jupiter himfelf, wore crowns fet with jewels, and ivory fcepters, and fandals, &c. Walk, of Coins, P. 1. c. 6. p. 91.
ALZACHI, in the materia medica, the name given, by the Arabian phyficians, to that kind of gourd called in the ftiops' the citrull, and by the people of fome parts of Italy, the an- garia. It is an oblong, and ufually crooked gourd, and contains in its cavity a confiderable quantity of water, which is drank by people of the places where the plant is common, to quench thirft. It contains feeds of an oblong figure, flatted, and covered with a hard flcin.
ALZAGIAT, in the materia medica, a name given, by the Arabian writers, to all the vitriolic minerals. It is alio written Zogi, or Zegi. See Zegi.
ALZARAC, in the materia medica of the Arabians, a name given to a kind of camphor, which was coarfe, and of a brown colour. It feems to have been the fame with our rough camphor, as imported from the Indies, before being purified.
ALZIZ, in the materia medica, a name given, by Seraplo and Avifenna, to the roots of the trafu The word Zi% is the name of a river in Africa, according to Leo ; and the roots probably had this name from their being found in great plenty on the banks of that river, the trafi always growing in wet places.
ALZUM, in botany, a name given, by the antients, to the tree which produces the gum bdellium. It is -alfu written,^/-
A M A
rum and Aldum % which laft feems the proper way. The giirri of this tree was caJled, by the Arabians, mokel, and the fame word mokel is ufed as the name of a fruit of a palm-tree; Hence it has been fuppofed, by fome, that the bdellium was the gum of a kind of palm. But this is not at all counte- nanced by the old writers, who all make the gum mokel, and the fruit mokel, to be the produce of two abfolutely different trees.
AMA, in ecclefiaftical writers, denotes a vefTel wherein wine, water, or the like, were held, for the fervice of the Eu- charift.
In this fenfe, the word Is alfo written Amula ; fometimes alfo Hama, and Hamula. Margr. Vocab. Ecclef. p. 13. Du Cange, Gloff. Lat. T. 1. p. 158.
Ama is fometimes alfo ufed for a wine mcafUrej as a calk, pipe, or the like. Du Cange, loc. cit.
AMAIN (Cycl.) — The word is alfo written Amayne. — Waving Amain, is to make a fign to another vefTel, by waving a bright fword, or other thing, as a demand that they ftrike their top- fails. — This they commonly do either in the fore-top, or on the poop. Manwayr. Seam: Direct; p. 2.
Amain is alfo a term ufed in letting down a thing, by a tackle} into the hold, or elfe where, in the lowering a yard; or the like, to denote, that they are to let go that part of the rope which they held before; and let down the thing eafily, and by degrees.
AMALGAMATION (Cycl.) Is defined, by alchemifts, the calcining of metals by mercury ; for though the procefs be fomewhat different, and not purfued to the obtaining a direct calx, it being fufficient for the purpofe that a folution be jnade, and the metal converted into an amalgama, or pafte, yet is it, in the mean while, reduced into a fine powder, which alchemifts call calx ; in which form it is found, upon evapo- rating the mercury by a gentle fire. Ruland, Lex. Alchem;
The inventor of this ingenious operation is not known ; but it appears to be of great antiquity. Pliny ■ and Vitruvius •* fpeak of it, though not under this name. Wedelius c even endeavours to prove it to have been known to Hippocrates; by an argument, which, if it be not folid, is at leaft pretty; " Thofe who work in gold, Hippocrates d ob'ferves; "diflblve "it by a gentle fire, for that a flrong one does not fufe it." "What fhould this gentle fire be, which diflblvcs gold fooner than a ftrong one ? It muft be mercury, anfwers Wedelius c . I st Plin. Hift. Nat. T. 2. 1. 33. c. 6. p 621. fcq. b JTtiruv: de Archit. 1. 7. c. 8- p. 140. feq. c JVedel Pharm. Acroam. 1. 1. fee. 4. c. 5. d Hippoc. de Duet. 1. 1. c. 15. c Burggr. Lex. Med. T. 1. p. 514. j
Some authors divide Amalgamation into vulgar and philofo- phical.
Vulgar Amalgamation is that made with vulgar mercury; or running quickfilver, above explained.
Pbilofophical Amalgamation is that performed with the mercury of the philofophers. Cajl. Lex. Med; p. 37. Amalga?natio7i is either done in the dry or humid way.
Amalgamation in the dry way, via f.cca, is performed in a mortar for the purpofei defcribed by Becchcr and others.
Amalgamation in the humid way; via bwnida, is when part of the metal is ftift diflblved in its proper menftruum; and afterwards precipitated into an amalgama, by the addition of mercury. Teichmey. Inftit. Chem. P. t. c. 4. §. 33. The amalgams of gold, filvcr, tin; lead, zink, bifmuth, and copper, with quickfilver, are all white j and when the quan- tity of metal is large in proportion to that of the mercury, they thicken into a kind of paile.
The following circumitances muft be dbfetved fof the quick making and good fuccefs of thefe mixtures. I. The metal muft be comminuted j this may be done any way 4 provided there is no alkali ufed ; becaUfe this either re- tards, or totally hinders the operation of the mercury. 2. A mechanical mixture muft be ufed between the two bodies, by grinding them together in a mortar. 3. As much heat is to be ufed as the mercury will bear, without being diffipated. 4. The furfacc of the metal muft be perfectly clean, anc 1 ., above all things, muft be free from any fort of greafynefc„ According to thefe rules, there will. always be an Amalgama- tion made, and a greater or lefter quantity of the metal will be taken up, according to the ftrict regard to thefe cautions, and the purity of the mercury.
Apart of the diffolved metal ,muft be, however, fo perfectly attenuated by the mercury, that it may infmuate through the pores of .a filtre, as lalts diflbived in water ; but it is only a fmall quantity that can be thus perfectly diflbived and atte- nuated j the ; reft.run9.;free\y, indeed, with the mercury, but if ftrained through -a fine leather, will be left behind, with a portion of the mercury remaining embodied in it. Iron .and the regulus of antimony refift Amalgamation with mercury, by all the known ways.
Amalgamation. of lead is thus performed-- Melt a proper quantity of pure lead in apt iron crucible, remove the veffel from the fire, .and when the metal is a little cooled, pour to it an equal weight of clean 'mercury, which will 'immediately enter the lead with a hiffing noife. .Stir the mixture well to- gether with an icon rod, ; and when cold, it will appear in
the
