CAT
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CAT
Women. Hefychius and Said/is fay, Gyges did the fame Thin". Galea obferves, that Women may be cajlrated without Danger of Life. 'Dalechamp'ms, on the fore- mention'd Paffage of Atben<eus, holds, that it is only to be undcrllood of fimple Pad-locking.
Caftration is alio us'd, tho figuratively, for the Retrenching any part of a Thing : Thus we fay, a cajlrated Book,
- e . an imperfefl Book, ££?c.
' CASU conjimili, a Writ of Entry, where a Tenant by Courtefy, or for Life, aliens in Fee or in Tail, or for ano. thcr's Life : It takes its Name hence, That Authority be- j n ^ given by Stat. Weft. i. to the Clerks in Chancery, to make new Forms, as often as any new Cafe fhould flartup, not under any of the old Forms ; they fram'd this Writ to the likenefs of the other call'd Cafu provifi ; which fee.
Casu IProviJb, a Writ of Entry, given by the Statute of Glcccftcr, in Cafe where a Tenant in Dower aliens in Fee, or for Term of Life ; or in Tail : and lies for him in Re- vcrfion againft the Alien.
CATABAPTIST, a Pcrfon averfe from Baptifin ; par- ticularly from that of Infants. See Baptism.
The Word is compounded of the Prepofition nctrct, which,
in Compofition, fignifies againft, contrary, thro, of, in ;
alio according to, towards, fir, with, &c. and g«r7«, Iwajh.
CATABIBAZON, in Aftronomy, the Moon's defcending
Node; call'd alfo 'Dragons Tail. See Dragon's Tail.
CATACAUST1C Curves, in the higher Geometry, the Species of Cauftic Curves form'd by Reflection ; fee Cau- stic Curve.
CATACHRESIS, in Grammar, a kind of Figure, making the firft Species of Metapbora. See Metafhora.
The Catacbrejis is, when for want of a Word proper to exprefs a Thought, we ufe, or rather abufe a Word that comes lomewbar near it ; as when we call a Perfon who has kiira his Mother, Matter, or Prince, 'Parricide ; which Word, in Propriety, is only applicable to him who has mur- thcr'd his Father. See Parricide. Thus, to ride on fforfeiack on a Switch, contains a Catacbrejis ; fo, a Silver Inkborn, &c. There are Catacbrejis allow'd in all Styles, and all Manners of Writing. The Word comes from the Greek it£-iw)CrJW"» Abut or, I abufe.
CATACLYSMUS, a Greek Name for a Deluge, or Inundation of Waters ; fee Deluge, and Inundation.
CATACOMBS, Grottos, or fubterraneous Places for the Burial of the Dead.
The Term is particularly us'd in Italy, for a vail Affem- blage of fubterraneous Sepulchres, three Leagues from Rome, in the Via Appia ; fuppos'd to be the Sepulchres of the Martyrs: Accordingly, they ate vifited out of Devotion, and Reliqucs thence taken, and difpers'd throughout the Catholick Countries ; aftet having been firft baptiz'd by the Pope, under the Name of fome Saint. See Relicks.
Thefe Catacombs, are faid by many to be Caves, or Cells, wherein the Primitive Chriitians hid, and affembled thetnfelves together ; and where they interr'd fuch among them as were martyr'd. Each Catacomb is three Foot brand, and eight or ten high ; running in form of an Al- ley, or Gallery, and communicating with each other : In many Places, they extend within a League of Rome. There isnoMafonry or Vaulting therein, but each fupportsit felf : The two Sidcs.which wemay look on as the VartiresfttV/a.tts, were the Places where the Dead were depofited ; which wete laid lengthwife, three or four Rows over one another, in the fame Catacomb, parallel to the Alley. They were commonly clos'd with large thick Tiles, and fometimes pieces of Marble, cemented in a manner inimitable by the Mo- derns. Sometimes, tho very rarely, the Name of the Deceafed is found on the Tile ; Frequenrly, a Palm is feen, painted, or engraven ; or rhe Cypher Xp, which is com- monly read pro Cbriflo. SecS.uNTS.
Some Authors will have the Catacombs to be the fame with the Pllticllli mention 'd by Feftui 'Pompeitis ; main- taining, that whereas it was the Pract ice of the antient Ro- nsl'lo bum their Dead, the Cuftom was, to avoid Ex- pence, to throw the Bodies of their Slaves to rot in Holes of the Ground : and that the Roman Chriitians, obferving, at length, the great Veneration paid to Rcliques, refolv'd 'o have a Stock of their own : Entering, therefore, the Ca- tacombs, they added what Cyphers and Infcriptions they Pleas'd, and then fhut them up again, to be open'd on a favourable Occafion. Thofe in rhe Secret, add they, dying, or removing, the Contrivance was forgor, till Chance open'd them at kill. But this Opinion has even lefs of probability than the former. Mr. Monro, in the 'Pbilojb- fbical Tranfablions, gives it as his Opinion, that the Cata- ttmbs were the Burial Places of the firft Romans, and dug i" confequence of thefe two Opinions ; that Shades hate the Light ; and that they love to hover about the Places where the Bodies arc laid.
Laying up the Bodies in Caves, is certainly the original way of difpofing of the Dead ; and appears to have been propagated by the 'Pbmucians, throughout the Countries
to which they fent Colonies : The interring as we now do, in the open Air, or in Temples, was firft introdue'd by the Chriitians. When an antient Hero dy'd, or was kiil'd in a Foreign Expedition, as his Body was liable to Corruption, and for that Reafon unfit to be tranfported intire, they fell on the Expedient of burning, in order to bring home the Allies, to oblige the Manes to follow ; that fo his Country might not be deftirute of the Benefit of his Tutelage. 'Twas thus Burning feems to have had its original ; and by degrees it became common to all who could bear the Ex- pences of it, and took place of the antient Burying : Thus Catacombs became difus'd among the Romans, after they had borrow'd the manner of Burning from the Greeks ; and now, none but Slaves were laid in the Ground. See Burial. Places thus prepar'd, might afford convenient Reforr- ments for the primitive Chriitians ; but could never be built by them. When the Empire became Christian, they were again difus'd ; till the reading of I know not what Author, who mentions them, occafion 'd 'em to be again look'd into. As to the fam'd Cypher Xp, 'tis obferv'd to have been in ufe among the Antients, long before Chrifti- anity arofe. The Abbot Sencini fays, it was compos'd of the two Greek Letters X P, under which fomething myflical was comprehended ; but no Author gives any account what that Myllety was.
Antiently, the Word Catacomb was only underftood of the Tomb of St. 'Peter and St. 'Paul ; and M. Chaftellan obferves, that among the more knowing of the People of Rome, the Word Catacomb is never apply'd ro the fubter- raneous Burying-Places abovemention'd, but only to a Cha- pel in St. Sebaftian, one of the feven {rational Churches ; where the antient Roman Calendars fay, the Body of Sr. 'Peter was depofited, under the Confulatc of Tufcus and Sajfus, in 1 58.
Some derive the Word Catacomb from the Places where Ships are laid up ; which the modern Latins and Greeks call Combes. Others fay, that Cata was us'd for ad, and Catacumbas for ad-tumbas : Accordingly, Dadin fays, they antiently wrote Catatumbas. Others fetch it from the Greek nfta, and xv^@-, Cavus, Recejfus.
CATACOUSTICS, call'd alfo Catapbonics, the Science of reflected Sounds ; or that Part of Acouftics which consi- ders rhe Properties of Hoboes. See Acoustics ; fee alfo Echo, and Sound.
CATADIOPTRIC. See Catoptric. CATADUPA, a Cataraa,or Water-fall ; fee Cataract. Hence the Antients gave the Term Cataduptff, to People inhabiting near Cataracts ; and thefe they fuppos'd to be deaf with the conllant Din. The Word comes from the Greek xaTddWeey, of the Prepofition katu, which in Com- pofition fignifies tendency, or inclintaion downwards; arid JWi», to make a Noife.
CATAFALCO, an Italian Term, literally fignifying Scaffold. It is chiefly us'd for a Decoration of Architecture, Sculpture, and Painting ; rais'd on a Timber Scaffold, to fhew a Coifin, or Tomb, in a Funeral Solemnity.
CATAGMATICS, Medicines proper ro folder, and unite broken Bones, by promoting the Formarion of a Callus ; fee Callus, and Bone.
The principal Catagmatics, are the Armenian Bole, Gum Tragacanrh, Ofteocolla, Cyprus Nuts, Frankincenfe, Aloes, and Acacia. The Word comes from the Greek xtntLfaa, Frabture.
CATALECT1C, a Term in Poetry. The Antients cal- led CataleBic Verfes, thofe which wanted cither Feet or Syllables ; in oppofition to Acatalebiics, which are com- pleat Verfes, warning nothing. The Word comes from the Greek xa-ra, and K^yu, define, I end.
CATALEPS1S, CATOCHE, or CATOCHIS, in Me- dicine, a kind of Apoplexy ; or a Difeafe, wherein the Patient is taken fpeechleis, fenfelefs, and fix'd in the fame Pofture wherein the Difeafe firft feiz'd him ; his Eyes open, without feeing, or underftanding. See Apoplexy.
This Difeafe is very rare, nor is its Caufe eafy to aflign. Soerbaave takes the immediate Caufe to be an Immobility of the common Senfory, in the Situation of the firft Accefsj whence an abfolute Reft of the Blood in the Brain, and a Ceflation of all the Functions of the Brain, as well as rhofe depending thereon ; the Mufcles alone temaining in their firft Tcnfion ; and Refpiration, and the Pulfe preferv'd, tho generally weak. It is ufually preceded by a long in- termitting Fever, a melancholic dry Temperature, a Sup- preffion of the Mcnfes, or Hemorrhoids, great Frights, and intenfc, continu'd Meditation on one Object. Upon Dif- fection, the Arteries and Veins of rhe Cerebrum are found very turgid, and the Blood clofe ramm'd in them : 'Tis fre- quently cur'd by copious Hemorrhages of the Nofe ; Ster- nutatories, Vomitives, and Veficatories, are likewife ap- ply'd to good purpole. It feldom paflcs into any other Difeafe ; fometimes indeed into an Epilepfy, Convulfions, Madnefs, or Atrophy; but it commonly ends in Death. The Word is Greek, wn*s4if, which fignifies the fame thing. X y CATA-
