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CONTRADICTOR in a Legal Senfe, a Perfon who CONTRARY Things, or CONTRARIES are p f,
""--- o;S/cy?/M ; which being of the fame Kind, or fame co,„,
has a Right or a Quality to contradiB, or gainfay : Thus, an Inventory of the Effefls of a Minor ought to be matte in pretence of his Guardian, or Truftee, who is the Legal .Cm- tradiBor : A Decree againft a Farmer has no fcfleCt _on the Landlord, the firll not being the legitimate Contr«4ictor. Contradictory Propofitions, are Oppofites one ot which imports a mere and naked denial of the other, iiee Opposite. „ . , ,
Of thefe, therefore, one mufl be pofitive, and the other negative; as, fitting, and not fitting ; white, and not white. ContradiBory Propfitions mutually defiroy each other. See Proposition.
To have two Proportions truly contradictory, they mult be oppofite both in Quantity and Quality, i, e. one muft be univerfal and the other particular, which makes the Oppo- fition of Quantity ; and the one Affirmative and the other Negative, which makes the Opposition in Quality. See Op- position. .
Thus, v.g. All ufe of Wine and Silver is evil ; tis falte t Some uCc of Wine and Silver is not evil ; 'tis true.
To this it is neceffary that the one deny, and the orhef affirm the fame thing, of the fame Subjeft, confider'd in the fame Circumftances ; unlefs the Queftion be about an effential Attribute ; in which Cafe, no regard is had to Cir- cumftances ; every thing having always its own Effence.
This the Logicians exprefs by Afjirmare g? negare idem, de codem, fecwidum idem.
There may likewife be ContradiBory Propofitions on a particular Subject, e. gr. an individual : Thefe are called Jingle ContradiBory Propofitions ; as, Peter is juft ; Peter is not juft, or is a Sinner. Now, to have thefe Propofitions contradiBory, Peter muft be confider'd at the fame Time ; without which they may be both true : fince there was a Time wherein Peter was juft, and another wherein he was a Sinner.
CONTRA-FISSURE, in Medicine, a Term apply'd to that Species of Fracture in the Skull, where the Side oppo- fite to that where the Blow was receiv'd, is crack'd. See Fissure.
The ufual Symptoms attending a Contra-fiffure, are a Delirium, fometimes a bleeding at the Note and Mouth, Stupidity, an involuntary paffing of the Urine and Excre- ments, Convulfions, &c.
If thefe happen, and after fearch made in the Part where the Injury was receiv'd, no Fracture or Deprefiion of the Skull be found, there is fufpicion of a Contra-fiffure ; efpe- cially if the Patient be apt to point to that Part.
It the Symptoms be by Intervals, and not to a great de- gree, or there be reafon to believe the Fiffure to have reach'd only thro' one of the Tables, 'tis fufficient to denude the Bone, and ufe a Rafpatoty ; then to fill the Rima, or Crack with proper Pouders, of Iris, Gum, Myrrh, Pouder of Diapente, %yc. and above all apply a Pledget dipp'd in Tincture of Euphorbium, or of equal Parts of Spirits of Wine, and Honey of Rofes.
If thefe fail, the Trepan muft be had recourfe to. See Trepanning.
CONTRA-HARMONICAL Proportion, that Relation of three Terms, wherein the Difference of the firll and fecond, is to the Difference of the fecond and third, as the third is to the firft. See Proportion.
Thus, e.g. 3, 5, and 6, are Numbers contra-harmonically proportional ; for 2 : 1 : : 6 : 3.
To find a Mean contraharmonically proportional to two given Quantities. The Rule is ; Divide the Sum of the two fquared Numbers by the Sum of the Roots ; the Quo- tient is a contraharmonically mean Proportional between the Roots. See FIarmonical Proportion.
CONTRA-INDICATION, is an Indication which for- bids that to be done which the main fcope of a Difeafe points out. See Indication.
Suppofe, e.g. in the Cure of a Difeafe a Vomit were
fili v
Nature, and fubfifting by turns in the fame Subject and 1
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' ■ arc a s
judg'd proper 5 if the Patient be fubject to a vomiting of the Garrifon. See Line.
remote from each other as poffible, and mutually expel each other. See Opposite.
Such are Whitenefs and Blackncfs, Cold and Heat, g r
Hence, properly fpeaking, only Qualities can be Contra rics. Contrariety only agrees to Qualities per fe ; t0 ,i ' things it agrees per accidens, or in ordine ad ^ualitatem See Quality.
Contrary, however, is often ufed in a more extenfive Sin. nification, viz. for any inconfiftence or difference between the Nature and Qualities of Things.
'Tis a popular Maxim in Philofophy, that fontraria j„ xl fe fqfita rnagis elueefcunl ; Contraries fet off one another.
In this Senfe, the Word Contrary is ufed in the Schools ■ as, An Argument a contrario ; e. g. If Bodies whofe Sur- faces are rugged don't refleft any Light, polifh'd Bodies muft, by the Rule of Contraries, reflect it.
This Method of proving Things i contrario, i s ffiucll ufed, and with good Succels, by F. Sourdaloue in his Ser- mons.
The Schools ufe the Word Contraries in a ftill more pre. cife Signification, as implying two pofitive Things, which, cannot fubfift together in the fame Subject, but dellroy ot expel each other ; as Heat and Cold, Drynefs and Moifturc.
Contrary, in Rhetorick. F. de Colonia lays down three Kinds of Contraries in Rhetorick, viz. Jdverfatives, <Pri. vatives, and ContradiBories.
Jdverfatives are thofe that differ much in the fame Thing, as Virtue and Vice, War and Peace : Thus Tully, Sijlult,'. tiam fugimus, fapientiam fequamur ; 55? bonitatem, fimdi- tiam. Thus <%uintilian, Malorum caufa helium eft, er j, emendatio fax. Thus Drances argues in Virgil, Nulla fi. Ins hello : ftacem te pofcitnus omnes.
Privatives are Habits, and their Privations. ScePm- vative.
ContradiBories are thofe, one whereof affirms, and the other denies the fame Thing, of the fame Subject. See Contradictory.
CONTRAST, in Painting and Sculpture, expreffes an Oppofition, or difference of Pofition, Attitude, ££?c. of two or more Figures ; contriv'd to make Variety in a Painting. See Design.
Thus, when in a Group of three Figures, one is ihcira before, another behind, and a third fidewife, there is laid to be a Contraft. See Group.
M. de Piles defines Contraft an Oppofition between the Lines which form the Objects j by means whereof they fet off one another.
A Contraft well manag'd, is one of the greateft Beauties of a Painting.
The Contraft is not only to be obferv'd in the Pofition of feveral Figures, but alfo in that of the feveral Members of the fame Figure : Thus, if the right Arm advance the fur- theft, the right Leg is to be hindmoft ; if the Eye be direc- ted one way, the right Arm to go the contrary way, i$c. Sec Figure.
The Contraft muft be purfued even into the Drapery. See Drapery.
To Contr ast, in Architecture, is to avoid the Repeti- tion of the fame Thing, in order to pleafe by Variety; as is done in the great Gallery of the Louvre, where the Pedi- ments are, alternately, arch'd and angular.
The Word comes from the Italian Contraftare, to oppofe, thwart ; and that, according to M. Huet, from the Latin Contraftatio.
CONTRAT-^r/w/, in Clock-work. See Wheel ; fee alfo Clock, and Watch.
CONTRAVALLATION, or the Line of CONTRA- VALLATION, in Fortification, is a Trench guarded with a Parapet ; ufually cut round about a Place by the Befiegers, to fecure themfelves on that fide, and to flop the Sallies ol
Blood, 'tis a fufficient Centra-Indication as to its Exhibition.
CONTRAMANDATIO Placiti, in our antient Law- Books, fignifies a refpiting, or giving the Defendant farther time to anfwer : or, an Imparlance, or countermanding of what was formerly order'd.
Contramandatum is a lawful Excufe, which the Defen- dant by his Attornev alledgeth for himfelf, to lhew that the Plaintiff has no caufe to complain ; Si dies placiti fit contra- mandatus. 11 Hen. 1.
CONTRAMURE, in Building, an Out-wall, built about the Wall of a City. See Wall, Rampart, &c.
CONTRAPOSITION, in Logicks. See Convfrsion.
CONTRARIETY, that which denominates two Things contrary to each other. See Contrary.
Contrariety confilts in this, that one of 'em imports a Ne- gation of the other, either mediately or immediately ; ft, thai Contrariety may be faid to be the Contraft or Oppofi- tion of two Things, one of which implies the abfence of the other. See Opposition.
It is without Muiket-fhot of the Town ; fo that the Army forming a Siege, lies between the Lines of Circumvallatim and Contravallation. See Circumvallation.
CONTRAVENTION, a Man's failure of performing or difcharging his Word, Obligation, Duty, or the Laws and Cuftoms of the Place.
The Penalties impofed in Cafes of Contravention, only pafs for Comminatory.
In a more limired Senfe, Contravention implies the Kon- execution of an Ordinance, or Edict.
Contravention is fuppos'd to be a degree below Prevari- cation ; and to be only the Effect of Negligence, or Igno- rance. See Prevarication.
CONTR A-YERVA, a Root brought from Peru ; o fteem'd an Alexiterial, and a fo vereign Antidote againft Poiton-
It is faid to take its Name from Tenia ; which in toe Spanijh fienifies white Hellebore, a Plant whofe Juice is a violent PoiTon, ufed by the Peruvians to poifon their Ar-
