A L C
ALE
the Miifulmans believe it as an Article of their Faith, that the'Prophe', who they lay was an illiterate Man, had no hand in it ; but that it was given him by God, who, to that end, made ufe of the Miniftry of the Angel Gi- hriel ; that however it was communicated to him by little and little, a Verfe at a time, and in different Places, during
The Word is deriv'd from the Spanifh Alaba ; and that from the Arabick Elcanf, a Cabinet or fleeping Place ; or from Elcobat, a Tent.
ALCYON. See Halcyon.
ALDEBARAN, an Arabian Name, for a fixed Star of the 6rft Magnitude, in the Head of the Sign or Conftclk-
,L SVmW *M ££&*&. V™*& ^nfaurus, or the Bull , and hence popularly called the
that Diforder and Confufion vifible in the Work ; which ; in truth, is fo great, that all their Doctors have never been able to adjuft it. For Mahomet, or rather his Coptic, hav- ing put all thefe loofe Verfes promifcuoully in a Book to- gether, it was impoffible ever to retrieve the Order wherein they were deliver'd.
Thefe 23 Years which the Angel employ'd in conveying the Alcoran to Mahomet, are of wonderful Service to his Followers ; inafmuch as they furnilh them with an Aniwer to fuch as tax them with thofe glaring Contradiflions where- with the Book is full : thofe Contradiftions they pioufly fa- ther upon God himfelf; alledging, that in the Couric of io long time, he repeal'd and alter'd feveral Doflrines and Ire- ceprs, which the Prophet had before receiv'd ot him.
M. d'Herbelot thinks it probable, thar when the Herefies of the Neftorians, Eutycbians, &c. had been condemn'd by Oecumenical Councils; many Bifhops, Prietts, Monks, iSc. being driven into the Defarts of Arabia and Egypt, fur- nilb'd the Impollor with Paflages, and crude ill-conceiv'd Doctrines out of the Scriptures : And it was hence, that the Alcoran became fo full of the wild and erroneous Opinions of thofe Hereticks.
The Jews, alfo, who were very numerous in Arabia, contributed their Quota to the Alcoran ; nor is it without fome Reafon that they boaft, twelve of their chief Doctors to have been the Authors of this deteftable Work.
The Alcoran, it is to be obferv'd, while Mahomet lived, was only kept in loofe Sheets : His Succeffor, Abubeker.
Bull's Eye.
Its Longitude, Latitude, (yc. fie among the reft of the Conftellation Taurus.
ALDERMAN, an Affociatc to the Mayor or Civil Ma- giftrate of a City or Town, for the better Adminiltration thereof. See City, Town, S?f.
The Aldermen are an Order of Magiftrates, in our Cities and moll of the municipal or incorporate Towns ; who form a kind of Council, and regulate Things relating to the Po- licy of the Place. — They fometimes alfo take Cognizance of Civil and Criminal Matters ; but very rarely, and only in certain Cafes.
Their Number is not limited ; but in fome Places more, in fome lefs, from 6 to 16.
Out of thefe are annually elected the Mayors or chief Magiilrates of Places; who, at the Expiration of their May- oralry, return again into the Body of the Aldermen, whofe Delegates they were before. See Mayor.
The 16 Aldermen of London, prefide over the %6 Wards of the City. See Ward.
When any of 'em die, the Wardmote return two, out of which the Lord Mayor and Aldermen chufe one.
All the Aldermen that have been Lord Mayors, ajid the thtee eldeft Aldermen who have not yet arriv'd at rhat Dig- nity, are by Charter, Juftices of the Peace.
Formerly, there were alfo Aldermen of the Merchants, of Hofpitals, of Hundreds, iSc. See Senator.
Alderman, among our anticnt Saxon Anceflors, was one
i 1 ^ 1. ... . t-» .cv.ui:^. c — u n ..-.«»
firft colleflcd'-em into aVolume, and committed the keeping of the three Orders or Degrees of INobillty. See >°j»"™.
thereof to Haphfa, the Widow of Mahomet, in order to be Mthelmg was the firft, Alderman too iecond, and Thane
confuted as an Original. And rhere being a good deal of the lowed .See Atheling, and T hane.
Djverficv between the feveral Copies already difperled thro'- The Alderman was the fame as our Earl or Count ; which
out the Provinces ; Ottoman, Succeffor of Abuieker, procur'd Appellation, after King Atbelftanes Time, took place in
a great Number of Copies to be taken from that of Haphfa ; lieu of Alderman. See Earl, and Count.
»t the fame time fuppreffing all the others not conformable In the Time of King Edgar, Alderman was alfo ufed for
rhereto a 7 lul ge, or Juftice.— In this Senfe, Alwin Son of Ethel-
The' chief Differences, then, in the prefent Copies of ftane, is Ailed Atdermannus totius Angli* ; which Sptmait
this Book, confift in the Points ; which were not in ufe in the interprets, Jllfticiarius Anglic.
Time of Mahomet and his immediate Succeffors, but were added face, to afcertain the Reading ; after rhe Example of the Mafforctes, who put the like Points to the Hebrew Text of Scripture. See Point.
The Work is divided into Surates, or Chapters ; and rhe Surates fubdivided into little Verfes, which are all compofed in a broken inerrupted Sryle, refembling Profe rather than
Verfe. -The Divifion into Surates is' but of a late ftand-
ing : The ufual Number of 'em is 60.
"There are' feven principal Editions of the Alcoran ; two at Medina, one at Mecca, one at Confa, one at Sarfora, one in Syria, and the Common or Vulgate Edition. The firft: contains 6000 Verfes ; the others furpafftng this Number by aoo, or 236" Verfes : But the Number of Words and Let- ters is the fame in all, viz. 77639 Words, and 323015 Let- ters. See Massoretes.
The Number of Commentaries on the Alcoran, is fo large, that the bare Titles would make a huge Volume. — Sen Ofihair has wrote the Hiftory thereof, intitled, Tarikb 'Ben Ofihair. The principal among 'em are Reidhaori Thaalebi, Zamalcbfcbari, and Bacai.
which is the Bafis of the Mahometan
Thomas Ellenfis, in the Life of St. Ethelred, interprets Alderman by Prince, or Count ; Egelwinus qui cogmmina- ttis eft Alderman, quod intelligitur princcps five comes.— Matthew Paris, in lieu of Alderman, ufes the Word Jufti- ciarizts ; and Spelman obferves, that it was the Norman Kings, who, inllead of the Saxon Aide rman, introdue'd the Word Juftice.
The Word in its original, is compos'd of Alder, Senior or Elder, and Man.
ALE, a popular, or Beverage Drink, made from Malt. See Malt, and Drink.
For the Method of Brewing Ale, fee Brewing.
Ale is chiefly diftinguilh'd lirom Beer, another potable Li- quor made from the fame Ingredients, by the Quantity of Hops ufed therein ; which is greater in Beer, and rhercfore renders rhe Liquor bitterer, and fitter to keep. See Beer, Hops, i$c.
The Brewers alfo diflinguifh "Pale or Fine Ale, Brown Ale, &c. Their feveral (Properties, Effetls, &c. fie un- der the Article UiLh-r-Ziquor.
The Zytbum and Curmi mentioned by Tacitus, as the Bcvetage of the antient Germans, are fuppofed by Matthio-
Befide tbe Alcoran, ...,. t .. ,„ . — ~ „....„...
Faith they have alfo a Book containing their Traditions, lus to correlpond to our Ale and Beer.
which they call Soma. See Sonna, Tradition, Maho- Ale, Cerevifia, is alfo a Denomination
metanism, l$c. medicated Liquors, or Diet-Drinks, whereof Ale is the Ea-
The Mahometans have a pofitive Theology, built on the fis, or Vehicle. See Diet-Z>WkL
Alcoran and Tradition; as well as a Scholatiical one, built The medicated Wines, Waters, and Ales, make a^large
on Reafon. —They have likewife their Cafuifts, and a kind Article in our Difpenfatones. See Wine, Water, he. of Canon Law ; wherein they diftinguifh between what is
ven to divers
of divine, and what of pofitive Right.
They have their Beneficiaries too, Chaplains, Almoners, and Canons, who read a Chapter every Day our of the Al- coran in the Mofques ; and have Prebends for fo doing. — The Hatib of the Molque, is what we call the Parfon of rhe Parifh ; and the Scheics are rhe Preachers, who take their Text out of the Alcoran.
Among the Perfians, Alcoran likewife fignifies a kind of Tower, or Steeple ; very high and narrow ; furrounded without by two or three Galleries, one over another ; whence their Moravites or Priefts repeat their Prayers thrice a Day, with a very loud Voice ; making the Tour of the Gallery all the while, that they may be the better heard all around.
ALCOVE, in Building, a part of a Chamber, reparo- led by an F.ftrade, or Partition of Columns, and other correiponding Ornaments ; in which is placed a Bed of State, and fometimes Scats, to entertain Company.
Such are the Cerevifia Oxydcrica, for the Eyes ; Cercvi- fia Anti-Arthritica, againft the Gout ; Cerevifia Cefhalica, for the Head ; Cerevifia Epileptica, &c.
Gill Ale, is prepared by infufing the dry Leaves of He- dera Terreftris, i. e. Ground-Ivy, in Malt-Liquor ; which hereby becomes impregnated with the Virtues of the Sim- ple ; and is therefore reputed Abilerfive, and Vulnerary ; good in Diforders of the Breaft, and againft Obftruclions of the Vifcera.
2)r. Butler's 'Purging Ale, is prepared of Polypody, Sens, Sarfaparilla, Anifceds, Scurvygrafs, Agrimony, and Maiden- hair, pur up in a Bag, and hung in a VeiTel of Ale.
We alfo meet in fome Difpenfatories with Syrcp of Ale, made by boiling that Liquor to a Confiftence ; ufed againit Obftructions in the Kidneys, iSc.
A-LTL-Berry, is Ale boil'd with Bread and Mace 5 fweet- ncd, ftrain'd, and drank hot.
ALZ-Meajure. See Measure.
