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Thofc Altars. fet apart for the honour of the celeftial Gods, and Godis of the higher Clafs, were placed on fome pretty tall Pile of Building ; and for that reafon were called Altaria, from the Words Alta and Ara t a high elevated Altar. — Thofe appointed for the terreflrial Gods, were laid on the Surface of the Earth, and caliM Arte. — And on the contrary, they dug into the Earth, and open'd a Hole for thofe of the infernal Gods, which they called Scrobiculi. See God.
The Greeks alfo diflinguifh'd two forts of Altars ; that whereon they facrifie'd to the Gods, was called £«f%?f, and was a real Altar ; different from the other, whereon they facrifie'd to the Heroes, which wasfmallcr, and called &%*■- £?.. 'Pollux makes this Diftinction of Altars in his Ommaf- ticon : He adds, however, that fome Poets ufed the Word S(r^(t£j{, for the Altar whereon Sacrifice was offer'd to the Gods. — The Septuagint Verfion does fometimes alfo ufe the Word w%*g& % for a form of little low Altar, which may be expreffed in Latin by Craticula ; being a Hearth, rather than an Altar.
The feivs alfo gave the Name Altar to a kind of Tables, occasionally rais'd in the Country or Field, whereon to facri-
fice to God.- In fuch a Place, he built an Altar to the
Lord.
Altar, is fometimes alfo ufed among Chriftians, for a fquare Table, placed on the Eaftern fide of a Church, rais'd a little above the Floor, and fet apart for the Celebration of the Eucharift. See Eucharist.
Its Form is not borrow'd, either from that of the Hea- then Altars, or even from that of the Jews in the Tem- ple $ but in regard the Eucharift was inftituted by Jefus Chrift at Supper, and upon a Table, the modern Altar is made in form of a Table 5 whence it is more ulually, and even more fignihxantly denominated Communion 'fable. See Communion.
In effect, the Denomination Altar is founded on this Sup- position, that the Eucharift is a proper Sacrifice ; which, tho the (landing DccVine of the Church of Rome, is utterly de- nied by moft of the Reformed. See Mass.
In the primitive Church, the Altars were only of Wood ; as being frequently to be removed from place to place. — The Council of 'Paris, in 509, decreed, That no Altar ftiould be built but of Stone.
At firft there was but one Altar in each Church ^ but the Number foon increas'd ; and from the Writings of Gregory the Great, who lived in the Vlth Century, we learn, that there were fometimes 12 or 15.
The Altar is fometimes fuftained on a fingle Column, as in the fubrerraneous Chapels of St. Cecilia at Rome, &c. fometimes, by four Columns, as the Altar of St. Sebafiian of Crypto, Arenaria ; but the cuftomary Form, is, to be a Maffive of Stone-work, fuftaining the Altar-fable.
Thefe Altars bear a refemblance to Tombs : In effect, we read in Church-Hiftory, that the primitive Chriftians chief- Jy held their Meetings at the Tombs of the Martyrs, and celebrated the Myfteries of Religion thereon. For which Reafon, it is a (landing Rule to this Day in the Church of Rome, never to build an Altar, without inclofing the Relicks of fome Saints therein. See Relick, Saint, Church- Tard, &c.
Altar of Trothejis, is a Name given by the Greeks to a fmaller, preparatory kind of Altar, whereon they blefsthe Bread, before it be carried to the large Altar, where the folemn Liturgy is perform'd. See Prothesis,
F.Gcar maintains, thar the fable of <Prothefis was an- tiently in the Sacrifly, or Vellry 5 which he makes appear from fome Greek Copies, where Sacrifty is made ufe of in lieu of Prothefis.
Altar is alfo ufed, in Church Hiftory, for the Obla- tions, or contingent Incomes of a Church. See Oblation.
In antient Days they diftinguifh'd between the Church and the Altar. — -The Tithes, and other fertled Revenues, were called the Church, Hcclefia ; and the other incidental Incomes, the Altar. See Tithe, ejfe.
Altar, Ara, in Aftronomy, one of the Conftellations of the Southern Hemifphere 5 not vifible in our Climate. See Star, and Constellation.
ALTARAGE, a Word which includes not only the Otrer- inas made upon the Altar, but alfo the Profit that arifes to the Pricft on account of the Altar. See Altar.
ALTERATION, Alteratio, in Phyficks, the Aft of changing the Circumftancesand Manner of a thing $ its ge- neral Nature and Appearance remaining the fame. — Or, Alteration is an accidental, and partial Change in a Body 5 without proceeding fo far, as to make the Subject quite unknown, or to take a new Denomination thereupon.' — Or, it may be called, the Acquifition or Lofs of fuch Qualities as are not cffential to the Form of the Body. See Body, Qua- City, Essence, &c.
Thus, a piece of Iron, which before was cold, is faid to be altered , when it is made hot - 9 fincc it may flill be per-
ceiv'd to be Iron, is called by that Name, and has all the" Properties thereof.
By this, Alteration is diftinguifh'd from Generation, and Corruption ; thofe Terms expreffing an Acquifition or' Lofs of the effential Qualities of a thing. See Generation and Corruption.
The modern Philofophers, after the antient Chymifts and Corpufcularians, hold all Alteration to be effected by means of local Motion : According to them, it always confiils either in the Emimon, Acceffion, Union, Separation, or Tranfpoii- tion of the component Particles. See Particle, ££c.
Ariftotlc makes a peculiar kind of Motion, which he calls the Motion of Alteration. See Motion, &c.
ALTERANT, or Alterative, in Medicine, a Proper- ty, or Power in certain Remedies, whereby they induce an Alteration in the Body, and difpofe it for Health or Re- covery, by correcting fome Indifpofition $ without occafion- ing any fenfible Evacuation. See Medicine.
Under Alterants, therefore, come all Medicines which are not Evacuants. See Evacuant, and Evaluation.
'Tis a Point much queftion'd by fome, whether there really be any fuch thing as an Alterant in this Senfe 5 i. e, any thing which tends to cure a Diforder otherwife than by eliminating or expelling fome peccant Matter. See Dis- ease, Specific, &c.
Dr. §>uincy has made it probable, that Remedies ufual- ly reputed Alterants, acl in the fame manner on the remo- ter and more intimate Parts of the Habit, as Emeticks, Purgatives, i£c. do on the Stomach and Inteftines. See Purgative.
Alteratives, therefore, are better defined, fuch Medicines as have no immediate fenfible Operation, but gradually gain upon rhe Conftitudon, by changing the Humours from a State of Diftemperature to Health.
ALTERCATION, a Debate or Conteft between two Friends, or Acquaintance.
They never come to an open Quarrel 5 but there is con- tinually fome little Altercation or other.
The Word comes from ihe Latin Altercari ; which an- tiently fignify'd to convcrfe or hold Difcourfe together. See Dialogue.
ALTERN Safe, a Term in Trigonometry, contradif- tinguifh'd from true Safe, thus — In an oblique Triangle, the true Bafc is either the Sum of the Sides j in which Cafe, the Difference of the Sides is called the Altern Bafes or, the true Bafe is the Difference of the Sides ; in which Cafe, the Sum of the Sides is called the Altern Safe, See Base.
ALTERNATE, or Alternative, is underflood of (e- veral Things which fucceed, or are difpofed one after ano- ther, i, e. by turns.
In this Senfe, we fay, an Alternate or Alternative Office or Truft, which is difcharged by turns : So, two general Of- ficers, who command each his Day, are faid to have the Command alternately.
In Botany, the Leaves of a Plant are faid to be alter' nate, or placed alternatively, when there is a Correfpon- dence between the Sides of a Branch j the Leaves of the one, following thofe of the other.
Alternate Angles, in Geometry, are the internal An- gles made by a Line cutting two Parallels, and lying on the oppofite Sides of the cutting Line j the one below the firft Parallel, and the other above the fecond. See Angle.
Thus, x and u^ and & and y, (Tab. Geometry, Fig. 46".) are Alternate Angles.
There are alfo two external Angles, alternately oppofite to the internal ones. See Opposite. Alligation Alternate. See Alligation Alternate. Alternate Ratio, or 'Proportion, is where the Antece- dent of one Ratio is to its Confequent, as the Antecedent of another, to its Confequent ; the very fame Ratio, in this Cafe, holding alternately in refpecT: of the Antecedent* to each other, and the Confecmcnts to each other. See Ratio.
Thus, if A : B : : C: D ; then, alternately, A : C : ; B: D. See Proportion.
Alternate, in Heraldry, is ufed in refpe&of the Situa- tion of the Quarters. See Quarter.
Thus, in Quarterly, Ecartele, the firft and fourth Quar- ters are 'alternate; and are ufually of the fame Nature. The like holds of the fecond and third. See Quartering, Quarterly, &c.
ALTERNATION, a Term fometimes ufed for the divers Changes, or Alterations of Order, in any Number of Things propofed. See Change.
This is alfo called 'Permutation, 8cc. and is eafily found, by a continual Multiplication of all the Numbers, begin- ning at Unity: See Permutation.
Thus, if it be requir'd to know how many Changes or Alternations can be rung on fix Bells j multiply the Number* x, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6", continually one into another ; and the laft Product givesthe Number of Changes. See Combination.
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