in New Jersey. Geoloqical Survei/ of Nen- Jersey, Annual Report (Trenton, 1899) ; Wallace, Island Life (London. 1S80) ; Heilprin, The GeoyrapUwal and Geological Distribution of Animals (New York. 1887); Wallace, The Geographical Distri- bution of Animals, 2 volumes (London, 189G). A popular treatment of acclimatization of peoples is given in Ripley, Racial Geography of Europe (Boston. 1899), "in which book there are also excellent bibliographical references: also A. Ire- land, Tropical Colonization (New York, 1899) ; Peschel, The Races of Man and Their Geograph- ical Distribution (London, 1878).
AC'CO, or AC'CHO. See Acre.
ACCOLADE, ak'kolad' ( Fr. an embrace, kiss,
from Lat. ad. to + collum, neck) . A part of the
ceremonies of conferring knighthood in the Middle
Ages. The sovereign or other superior embraced
tlie aspirant around the neck (ad collum). The
term is sometimes applied to the later ceremony
of giving a slight blow on the shoulder with the
flat of the sword. In music, the accolade is the
couplet uniting several staves, as in part music
or pianoforte music.
AC'COLON. In Sir Thomas Malory's Morte
d' Arthur, a knight of Gaul, who obtained posses-
sion of King Artliur's sword Excalibur through
the treachery of Morgan le Fay. He died after
his fight with the king (Book IV.). which had
led to" the discovery of the trick and the recovery
of the sword.
ACCOLTI, ak-k61'te, Benedetto (1415-66);
called the Elder. An Italian jurist. He was
born at Arezzo. Italy, and died at Florence. At
first a professor of law at Florence, he afterw.ird
became chancellor of the Republic, and occupied
this position until his death. He was gifted
with a marvelous memory, and is said on one
occasion to have repeated word for word a Latin
discourse which the Hungarian ambassador had
addressed to the magistracy of Florence. His
historical attainments were considered inferior
to his knowledge of law. Aceolti's principal
publications are: De Bello a Christianis Contra
Barbaras Gesto pro Christi i<epulchro et Judjea
Recuperandis Libri Quatnor (Venice, 1572;
Florence, 1623, w.th a commentary by Scoto),
which furnished the material for Tasso's Jeru-
salem Delivered; and Pncstantia Virorum 8ui
.-Ei'i (first published at Parma in 1689 and fre-
quently reprinted). Consult Potthast. Biblio-
iheca 'Historica Medii .i:ri, Volume I. (Berlin,
1896).
ACCOLTI, Bernardo (14651536). An Ital-
ian poet, a son of Benedetto Accolti (q.v.). He.
was born at Arezzo. and is said to have enjoyed
so much popularity as a poet that the shops
were closed and uiultitudes Hocked to hear liim
recite his verses. But although styled by his
contemporaries "The Unique," such portions of
his works as have come down to us scarcely
justify so high an estimate of his ability. His
poems were first published at Florence in 1513
under the title: Virginia, commedia, eapitoli,
e strambotti di Messer Bernardo Accolti Aretino.
They were republished at Venice in 1519 and
havi- since been frequently reprinted.
ACCOM'MODA'TION (Lat. ad, to + cornmodus, lit, suitable). The power of altering the focus of the eye so that r:iys coming from an object nearer than twenty feet are brought together on the retina. This is brought about by changes in the convexity of the crystalline lens
(q.v.). The latter possesses a degree of elastic-
ity which tends to make it assume a spherical
form. The lens being suspended by a ligament
extending around its periphery, the ciliary mus-
cle is so attached that when it contracts it
causes a relaxation of the suspensory ligament.
This diminishes the tension upon the latter and
allows the lens to become more spherical, chiefly
on its anterior surface. At the same time the
pupil contracts, and the visual lines of the two
eyes converge. The range of accommodation, is
the distance between the "far point" or the far-
thest point of distinct vision and the "near
point," or nearest point at which the eye can
distinctly see objects. As a person's age in-
creases, the power of accommodation gradually
diminishes and the near point recedes. At ten
years it is 2.8 inches; at thirty it has reached
5.6 inches, and after forty-five it increases
rapidly, until at seventy it is 160 inches, and at
seventy-five, infinity. See Vision.
ACCOMMODATION (In Theology). Either
the practice of forcing Scripture texts to bear
other than their plain meaning, or the theory
that Jesus Christ in his teaching fell in with
certain errors of his time, e.g., belief in de-
moniacs, and thus accommodated himself to the
mental and moral conditions of the Jews.
ACCOMMODATION BILL OB NOTE. A
draft, bill of exchange or promissory note, one
or more of the parties to which has signed it
without receiving value therefor, and for the
purpose of lending his credit to some other part.
thereto. Such a bill is a valid, negotiable in-
strument, and the accommodation party, whether
known to be such or not, is liable thereon to a
holder for value. But. as between himself and
the party accommodated, he is only a surety, and
is, as such, exonerated by the giving of time to
the principal debtor without his assent. See
Princip.«. and Surett; Bill of Exchange:
Negotiable In.struments, and the authorities
therein referred to.
ACCOMPANIMENT. The additional instrumental part which, in music written for a solo voice or instrument, gives harmonic and rhythmic support to the solo part or melody: as" the pianoforte part in a song, the orchestral part in a concert, etc. An ad libitum accompaniment is one that is not a part of the structure of the composition, and may therefore be performed or omitted at pleasure. An obligajo accompaniment, on the contrary, forms an integral part of the music and is indispensable. The accompanist of the present day has an easy task compared with that of his predecessors in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and even later. In the scores of the old masters, especially those of Handel and Bach, the accompaniments were not written out in full. A single bass part was given, and the aecompanying harmonics were indicated by figures over the notes. This species of musical shorthand became known as figiu'cd or thorough bass, and also basso continuo. The accompanist at the organ or harpsichord translated these figures at sight into their equivalent harmonies, and with them. improvised, with runs, trills, and various ornaments, the sort of accompaniment that the music needed. The musicians of the time became very expert at this difficult accomplishment, both Handel and Bach being renowned for
