ASH
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ASP
The phyfical Caufe in all thefe Phenomena, is the fame Power ot" Attraction. See Attraction.
Ascent, in Astronomy, &e. See Ascension.
Ascent in Logic, is a kind of Argumentation, wherein we rife from Particulars to Univerfals. See Universal, Argument, and Particular.
As, when we fay, This Man is an Animal, and that Man is an Animal, and the other Man, &c. therefore every Man is an Animal. — Or Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, are four; therefore the Number of Elements is four.— See Induc- tion.
ASCETIC, Asceta, Ascetes, an antient Name for fuch Perfons, as in the primitive Times devoted themfelves to the Exercifes ot Piety and Virtue in a retired Life 5 and particularly to Prayer and Mortification. See Solitary.
Afterwards, when the Monks came in fafhion, this Title was beftowed upon them ; efpecially fuch of them as lived in Solitude. Sec Monk, Hep.mit, Anchorite, S?c
The Word is derived from the Greek a/nwrgu> which is form'd from. dcryAa, exerceo, I exercife.
The Term Afcetic is alfo ufed as a Title of feveral Books of Spiritual Exercifes : As, the Afceticks, or devout Treatifes of St. Bafil, Archbifhop of Ctffarea in Cappadocia.
We alfo lay, the Afcetic Life, meaning the Exercife of Prayer, Meditation, and Mortification. — See Mystic.
ASECRETA, a Secretary. See Secretary.
ASCETERIUM, Assisterium, Archisterium, &c. are Words frequently ufed among our antient Writers, for a Monaflery. See Monastery.
ASCII, in Geography, are thofc Inhabitants of the Globe, which, at certain Times of the Year, have no Shadow. See Globe and Shadow.
Such are the Inhabitants of the Torrid Zone 5 by reafon the Sun is fometimes vertical to them. Sec Torrid and Zone.
To find on what Days the People of any Parallel are Afcii- See Globe.
The Word is form'd of the privative Particle a, and acta,, Umbra, Shadow.
ASCIT^, in Antiquity, a Se£t or Branch of Montanifts, who appear'd in the eleventh Century. See Montanist.
The Word is derived from the Greek iW©-, a Bag or Bottle. The Afcit£ were fo call'd, becaufe they introdue'd a kind of Bacchanals into their AfTemblies, who danced
round a Bag or Skin blow'd up ; faying, they were thofe new Bottles fill'd with new W ' makes mention, Matth. xix. 17.
up ; ia
Wine,
whereof Jefus Chrift
Thefe are fometimes alfo call'd Afcodrogites*~-~
ASCITES, in Medicine, a Species of Dropfy, affecting chiefly the Abdomen, or Lower Belly. See Abdomen.
The Afcites is the ordinary Water-Dropfy. See Dropsy.
The Word is borrowed from the Greek h)t©-> liter, Belbf.
ASCLEPIAD, Asclepiadjeus, a Greek or Latin Verfe of four Feet, containing a Spondee, a Coriambus, and two Dactyls. See Foot and Verse.
Such is the Verfe, Maecenas atavis Edite Rcgibus.
Or of four Feet, and a long Syllable - 7 the firir a Spondee, and the fecond a Dactyl, after which comes the long Sylla- ble, fucceeded by two Dactyls : as,
SuUimi feriam Jidera vertice.
ASCODROUTES, in Antiquity, a Sect of Hercticks, in the fecond Century, who rejected all Ufe of Sacraments, on this Principle, that incorporeal Things cannot be com- municated by Things vifible and corporeal. See Sacra- ment.
They made perfect Redemption confift in the Know- ledge of the Univerfe, T'heodorct, lib. 1. Htfret.
ASCOLIA, in Antiquity, a Feait which the Peafmrs of Attica celebrated in Honour of Bacchus. See Feast.
They facrificed a Goat to him, and of the Skin thereof made a Foot-ball, which they blew up, and anointed with fome unctuous Matter. The young People playing at this, and keeping themfelves always on one Foot, whilft the other was fufpended in Air, by their frequent Falls, gave occafion of Diversion to the Spectators. — Hence this Feafl took its Kame ; ctW©-, fignifying a Sag or Budget.
ASELLUS, in Medicine. See Millepedes.
ASHLAR, a Term among Builders 5 by which they mean common or free Stones, as they come out of the Quarry, of different Lengths and Thickneffes. See Stone and Quarry.
AwiiLERING, among Builders, Quartering to tack to, in Garrets, about % ~, or 5 Foot high, perpendicular to the Floor, up to the Undcrfide of the Rafters. See Building, Roof, Covering, &c.
ASH, in Building. See Timber.
ASH-wednesday, the firft Day of Lent ; fo called from a CuStom of the mtient Church, of Failing in Sack- cloth, with Afhes on their Heads, in Token of Humiliation. See Lent.
ASHES, Cineres. the terrene or earthy Part of Wood, and other combuthble Bodies, remaining after they are
burnt or confumed with Fire. See Earth, Burninc, Fire,
Afhes are properly the Earth, and fix'd Salts of the Fuel, which the Fire cannot raife, all the other Principles bein« gone ofFin the Smoak. See Smoak, Fuel, Fix'd Vola^ tile, Salt, $$g.
The Chymifts frequently call the Afhes of a Body its Calx. See Calx and Calcination.
Afhes, if well burnt, are ufually pure White, by reafon the Oil to which they owe their Blacknefs when in a Coal, is fuppofed quite evaporated. See Coal, Sulphur, ££?<;. White, Black, ^c.
The Afhes of Kali, Fern, or the like, are a principal Matter in the Composition of Glafs. See Kali, Glass &c.
The Afhes of all Vegetables are found to contain Iron, infomuch that M.Geoffroy makes it a chymical Problem, which he propofes to the Public, To find Afhes without any T articles of Iron therein. — Whether the Metal exiited in the Plants themfelves, or is produced in 'em by the Ope- ration of Calcination, is a Point very ingeniouily controvert- ed between MefT. Geoffrey and Lemery the younger, in the Memoirs of the Royal Academy. See the Subfiance of the fDiJpWte under the Article Metal.
Afhes, are of considerable Ufe in making Lixiviums, or Lyes, for the Purpofes of Medicine, Bleaching, Sugar-Works, &c. See Lixivium 5 fee alfo Bleaching, £S?c.
The Antients preferved the Afhes of their dead Ance- stors, with great Care and Piety, in Urns, for the Purpofe. See Funeral, Urn,£J?c
Afhes, of all Kinds, in Virtue of their Salt, make an excellent Manure for cold and wet Grounds. See Manure.
Hence that of Virgil,
Ne fudety
Ejfcctos Cinerem immundum jaclare per agras.
T>ot-AsnEs. See Yor- Afhes.
In the Thibfopbical TranfaElions , N Q 21. we have an Account of a Shower of Afhes in the Archipelago, which held feveral Hours, and extended to Places diftanr above 100 Leagues. See Shower and Rain.
ASIDE, in the Drama. — An Aflde, Seorfi-m, isfomething which an Actor fpeaks a-part,or, as it were, tohimfelf, for the Instruction of the Audience, by di/covering fome Sentiment which otherwife did not appear, and which is to be con- cealed from the reft of the Actors then prefent.
The feverer Criticks condemn all Afides ; and with fome Reafon 5 as they are a manifeft Breach of Probability. — Ac- cordingly, they are never to be ufed but at a Pinch, which a food Author will fcarce fuffer himfelf to be brought to. See robaeility, Tragedy, Comedy; fee alfo Soli loquy.
ASPALATH, Aspalathum, in Pharmacftthe Wood of a prickly Tree, heavy, oleaginous, fome what mar p and bit- ter to the Tafte, of a ftrong Smell and Purple Colour. See Wood-
Th&Afpalath is otherwife called Rhodium, or Rofeivood, and was antiently in much Repute, as an Aftringent or Dryer, but now difufed. See Rose.
In Virtue, Tafte, Smell, and Weight, it refembles the Lignum Aloes ; and in Phyfick they are frequently fubfti- tuted the one for the other. See Aloes.
There are four Kinds of 4fpalath — the firft, of the Co- lour of Box ; hard, folid, heavy, and of a Smell like Ro- fes, whence its Appellation Rope-wood. — The fecond, red, like Yew, and of a very agreeable Smell. — The third, hard, twifted, knotty : It has a rank Smell, like that of a Goat, and a difagreeable TaSte. — The fourth, has an afli-colour'd Bark, and its a Wood of a Purple Dye.
The Rofe-wood is what the Inhabitants of Martin ico call Cyprefs-wood. See Cypress.
It affords an Oil of an admirable Scent; reputed one of the beft of Perfumes, chiefly uied in Scenting Pomatums and Liniments. See Perfume.
ASPECT, Aspectus, in Perfpective, Gardening, f$c. See Prospect, Exposure, &c.
Aspect, in Aftronomy, is ufed for the Situation of the Stars, or Planets, in refpect of each other 5 or certain Con- figurations, and mutual Relations between the Planets, ari- sing from their Situations in the Zodiac. See Star, Pla- net,^.
Tho' fuch Configurations maybe varied, and combined a thoufand Ways, yet only a few of them are confidered. — Hence, Wolfins more accurately defines AfpeB the meeting of luminous Rays emitted from two Planets, to the Earth, either Situate in the fame Right Line, or including an An- gle which ic one or more Quota Parts of four Right An- gles, See Ray and Angle.
Hence it follows, that Conjunaionand Oppofition are the two Extremes of the AJpeifs ; Conjunction bemg^ the Be- ginning, and Oppofition the highefi: Term. See Conjunc- tion and Opposition."
O Befide
