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ttjfi'lfi, at in apothecary's (hop at Paris, and in another at the jefuits of Pont-a-Mouffon.
We find the bafnifc mentioned in the Bible; but the Hebrew word plhen, which is tranftated baftlifc, iignifies an aft, as the beft interpreters agree. Calm. Diet. Bibl. in voc.
Basilisc is alfo myftically ufed by the alchymifts, to denote the fublimate mercury of the philofophers.
Lully applies the name to a certain ftone, which kills mercury, and fixes it into perfeft filver, without fire. Others, by the word baftlifc, exprefs the philofophers ftone itfelf, and with lefs impropriety, if, as fome have held, this ftone is made of the powder of the hafilijc. Paracelfus gives the appellation bafiifc to the venereal difeale.
Basilisc alfo denotes a great piece of ordnance ; thus denomi- nated from its refemblance to the fuppofed ferpent of that name.
The balilifc throws an iron ball of 200 pound weight. It was much talked of in the time of Solyman emperor of the Turks, in the wars in Hungary ; but feems now out of ufe ». Paulus Jovius i relates the terrible (laughter made by a fingle ball from one of thefe baftlifis in a Spanhh fhin ; after penetrating the boards and planks in the flSp's head, it killed above thirty men K Maffeus < Speaks of baftlifis made of brafs, which were drawn eachby 100 yoke of oxen.— [ •' Trev. Difl. Univ. I . 1. p. 89- . > Hift. T. 2. P. 1. k Aquht. Lex. Miht. I . t. p. 118. a. 'Hift.Ind 1.2.]
Modern writers alfo give the name hafthfc to a much imaller and fi7.eable piece of ordnance, which the Dutch make fifteen feet long, and the French only ten. It carries forty-eight p-und. "Wolf. Lex. Math. p. 245- . , .,
BASIOGLOSSUM ((>/.)- The Par iaftoghffum is otherwile denominated, from its figure, par kpftlotdeum. Vid. Barthol. Anat 1. 3. c. 13. p. 550. ap. Caji. Lex. p. 100. Some have denied the exiftence of the jtar lafwghffiim, parti- cularly Fallopius and Mr. Cowper ; tho' this laft, on further inquiry, found fome fibres, which, by their contrary order to thofe of the genioghjj'um, induced bim to allow the bafio- glojfum '. Heifter only makes the ImfnghJJitm a part of the ceratoglofuiin b . — [ » Flrake, Anthrop. 1. 3. c. 15. p. 3S5- b Comp. Anat. §. 323.] _ ' '
The bafoghjfum, with the genioglofium, ceratogloffum, and ftvloglofliim, form the body" of the tongue. See Tongue.
BASIS (CW.)— The Bafts of a medicine denotes the principal part, or that dirc£tly levelled at the indication. Vid. Junk. Confp. Form. Medic, tab. I. p. 1.
Basis, in the antient mufic and poetry, denotes the equability of founds proceeding in the fame tenor. Scalig. Poet. 1. I. c. Iq.
In which fenfe, bafts ftands contradiftinguifhed from arfts, or elevation, as well as from thefts, or deprefiion.
Basis, in oratory, denotes the fourth member of a complete ex- ordium, being that which fucceeds the apodofis, and prepares the way for the propofition. Btdtr. Schul. Lex. p. 522.
BASIUM. Chemifts life the ward lajitun, which literally in La-
■ tin fignifies a kifs, for an extemporaneous tia&ute of iron and copper, invented by Cloffeus. SArsd. Pharm. 1. 3. c. 1 1 . Ca/f. Lex. p. ico.
BASKET, a kind of veffel made of oficr, wicker, rufhes, or the like, of difFerent figures and fixes, according to the ufe it is intended for. See Ozier.
Baskets have their ufes not only in the ceconomical, but mili- tary affairs : at fieges, they make ufe of a fmall basket filled with earth, and ranged on the top of the parapet. They are about a foot and an half high, as much in diameter at top, and eight or ten inches at bottom ; fo that being fet together, they leave a fort of embrafcures at their bottom, through which the foMiers fire, without expofing themfelves. GuilL 'Gent. Dicl. P. 2. in voc.
Basket alfo imports a kind of meafure or quantity of certain commodities : a basket of medlars contains two bufhels ; of ajfafcetida from twenty to fifty pound weight. KuftDift. T. 1. in voc.
Basket, corhille, in architeaure, a kind of vale, or figure- piece of fculpture, in form of a basket filled with flowers or fruits, ferving to terminate fome decoration. Daviicr. Axchit. P. 2. p. 519.
Basket fjb, in natural hiftory, a name given by the Englifh in North America to a very remarkable fifh, fometimes caught in the feas thereabout, tho' not frequent any whore. Mr. Hooke, to whom it was referred by the Royal Society to name it, has called it, Pifcis cchinoftdhris vifciformis, the bo- dy of it refembling an egg-fifh, or echinus marinus, and the arms a ftar-fifh, and finally, the dividing of the branches be- ing more like that of the branches of mifletoe than any other natural produftion we are acquainted with. This fiih fprcads itfelf from a pentagonal mouth- piece, or root, in the centre of which the mouth is placed, into five main limbs or branches ; and each of thefe, at its firft iffuing out of the body, is divided into two : this makes ten. Each of thefe ten again divides into two, which makes twenty, and fo on, each dividing to the fourteenth time ; at which place they make more than fourfcore thoufand limbs. Thefe are too fniail to be traced farther by the eye, or preferved in car-
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riage; but it is very probable, that even thefe were again di- vided, perhaps, feveral times.
The branches between the joints «re not all equally of a length, tho', for the moft part, they are pretty nearly fo ; but thofe branches, which were on that iitle of the fifh on which the preceding joint was placed, are always about a fourth or a fifth part longer tfiari thofe on the other fide. Every one of thefe branches, from the mouth to the very extremity, has a double range or chain of pores running regularly along it; and the body of the fifn much refembles the echini kind, being protuberant, and divided into five parts, each fupported by its bony ridge. The arms or branches are never very ftrong ; but, when they are dry, they are greatly more brittle than before, the leaft force imaginable deftroying them. The fhoals of Nantuket, an ifland on the coaft of New Eng- land, at times furnifh the fifhermen with this creature ; but it is remarkable, that they are never feen there, unlefs when taken by hooks in fifhing for other fifh. They clafp the hook- bait faff, and encircle it with all their arms, coming up, when drawn by it, in form of a wicker basket ; whence the name : but, when they have been fome time out of the water, they become fiat. ■
The ufe of the numerous arms of this fifh is plainly to catch its prey. It probably extends them to their full length while under the water, and then clafps hold of any thing fit for food that chances to fwim over them. The fifhermen have fome- times found the arms containing fmall mackrel, or pieces of larger. Vid. Phil. Tranf. N° 57, & 74.
Mr. Winthorp fays, this fifh might alfo be called mt-fijh, or purfe-mi-fijh. Phil. Tranf. N° 74.
It is evident from the dtfcription, that this fifh is of theJleHa arborefcem, or branched ftar-fifh kind ; but whether the fame with the commonly known kind called the caput medtfte^ is not evident from this defcription. The body of this fifh, by what is related of its protuberance, and refemblance to the echini marini, may probably be the after cpodhnn in its fofTil ftate.
Basket fait. This is a brimefalt, made from the water of our fait fprings in Chefhire and elfewhere, differing from the com- mon brime fait in the finenefs of the grain, and in its white- nefs and purity.
In the preparing this kind of fait, fome ufe refin, and other additions, to break the grain, and make it fmall : others effect this by keeping up a very brisk fire under it, and ftirring it all the while; but the moft approved method is only to. take out for this kind the third draught of every pan that is working for the common brime fait, and to do this before the granules or cryftals are perfectly formed. By this means, the fait is very- fine, and when it has been had hard prefied down into fmall wicker baskets, it is dried at the ftove in them, and fo kept for fale.
BASON (CycL)-Sale by the Bason, at Amfterdam, is ufed for the public fales made under the direction of the Ven du Mee- fter; thus called, by reafon that, before adjudging the lot or commodity to the laft bidder, they ufually ftrike a brafs bafm y to give notice of it. Savar, Dicl:. Comm. Supp. p. 53.
Bason, in water-works, a cavity dug in the ground, of a round, oval, fquarc, or other figure, lined or laid with ftone, flint, or flags, bound with cement or lead, and bordered with turf, marble, or the like, ferving to receive the water of a jet d'eau, or to fupply water for the occafions of the garden. Daviler. Archit. P. 2. p. 4.14. There are divers fpecies and denominations of bafms, viz.
Figured Bason, that whofe plan or circumference makes feveral turns and returns, either ftreight, circular, or the like. Such are moft of the bafins of fountains at Rome.
Bason with a batujirade, that whofe cavity is furrounded with a balluftrade of ftone, marble, brafs, or the like.
Bason with a trench, or baffir. a rigok, that whofe border being of marble, or other ftnne, has a trench cut in it, from whence? at certain diftances, fnrings out a thread of water, which lines the trench, and forms a kind of nape or gargle around the ba- luftrade. Such is that of the fountain of the rock of the Bell- videre at Rome. Daviler, ib. p. 415.
Bason en coqiulk, that fhaped like a fhell.
Bason of difcharge, Baffin ds decharge, that made in the loweft part of a garden, for the water of the feveral fountains, after it has ferved it purpofe, to empty itfelf into ; from thence to be conveyed by fome trench or canal into the next river.
Bason of a port denotes the place where the fhips ftand. Aubin v Diet. Marin, p. 75.
The word is alfo ufed for a fma!l private port contrived in a large one, for the refitting of veffels, more frequently called a dock.
Bafons, in gardening, are cither for ornament or ufe. When there is a jet d'eau in the middle, the bafon muft always be fo proportioned to the height it throws the water, as to be capable of receiving; it when blown about by winds, and not fufter it to be thrown on the walks.
The depth of bafons is ufually from two to three feet, this be- ing fufficient to fecurethe bottom of the bafons from froft, and to dip the watering pots for the garden in; but, i f they are intended to hold fifh, they muft be four or five feet deep. Deeper than this is dangerous, and unneceflary.
Bafons
