this means, and with such inhabitants, that The bes, Athens, and Rome, were first flocked. We even read of afylums at Lyons and Vienne, among the ancient Gauls; and there are fome cities in Germany, which still preserve the ancient right of afylum. Hence, on the medals of feverà ancient cities, particularly in Syria, we meet with the infcription AVTAO, to which is added,

JEPAI.

The emperors Honorius and Theodofius anting the little immunities to churches, the bihops and monks laid hold of a certain tract or territory, without which they fixed the bounds of the fecular jurifdiction; and fo well did they mmage their privileges, that convents in a little time became next akin to fortrelles; where the most notorius villains were in fafety, and braved the power of the magiftrate. Thefe privileges, at length, were extended, not only to the churchos and church-yards, but alfo to the bithops houfes; whence the criminal could not be remored, without a legal affurance of life, and an entire remiffion of the crime. The reafon of the extenfion was, that they might not be obliged to hre altogether in the churches, &c. where feveral of the occations of life could not be decently performed. But at last, these afyla were stripped of most of their immunities, because they ferved to make guilt more daring. In Britain, particuIriy, they were entirely abolished, as protecting criminals, although there are tillome privileged places of refuge, for debtors; fuch as the Abbey of HOLY-ROOD-HOUSE, near Edinburgh, and its precincts. See SANCTUARY.

(1.) * ASYLUM. n. f. [Lat. novλoy, from e, not, ard, to pillage. A place, out of which he that has filed to it, may not be taken; a fanctuav; a refuge; a place of retreat and fecurity.So facred was the church to fome, that it had the right of anafylum, or fanctuary. Ayliffe's Parerg. 13. ASYLUM, in geography. See ASSYLUM. ASYLES, the gad fly. See ASILUS. ASYMBOLIC [from a, negative, and so, a shot, fhot free. Bailey.

ASYMMETRAL, incommenfurable.

ASYMMETRY. n. f. [from «, without, and nie, fymmetry ] 1. Contrariety to fymmetry; difproportion.-The afymmetries of the brain, as well as the deformities of the legs or face, may be rectified in time. Grew. 2. This term is fometimes ufed in mathematicks, for what is more ufually called incommenfurability; when between two quantities there is no common measure. ASYMPHONY, [from a privative, and cuppera, harmony,] a diforder in Defcant.

(1.) ASYMPTOTE. n. /. [from priv. e, with, and, to fall; which never meet; incoincident.} Afymptotes are right lines, which approach nearer to fome curve; but which, though they and their curve were infinitely continued, would never meet; and may be conceived as tangents to their curves at an infinite distance. Chamb.- Afymptote lines, though they may approach still nearer together, till they are nearer than the leaft affignable citance, yet, being ftill produced infinitely, will Dever meet. Grea.

ASYMPTOTES. See CONIC SECTIONS. ASYMPTOTIC. See next article.

ASYMPTOTICAL. adj. [from afymptote.]

Curves are faid tɔ be afymptotical, when they continually approach, without a poflibility of meeting. ASYNDEFON. n. /. [zou, of a, priv. and wine, to bind together.] A figure in grammar, when a conjunction copulative is omitted in a fentence; as in veni, vidi, vici, & is left out. * AT. prop. {at, Saxon] 1. At before a place, notes the nearnefs of the place; as, a man is at the house before he is in it.-This cuftom conti. nued among many, to fay their prayers at fountais. Still feet. 2. At before a word fignify. ing time, notes the co-exiftence of the time with the event; the word time is fometimes included in the adjective; we commonly fay at a minute, at an hour, on a day, in a month.-We thought it at the very firft a fign of cold affection. Hooker. 3. At before a cafual word fignifies nearly the fame as with, noting that the event accompanies, or immediately fucceeds, the action of the caufe.At his touch,

Such fanctity hath Heav'n giv'n his hand, They prefently amend. Shakefp. Macbeth. 4. At before a fuperlative implies in the flate; as, at best, in the state of moit perfection, &c.-Confider any man as his perfonal powers, they are not great; for, at greateft, they must still be limited. South. 5. At before a perfon, is feldom ufed otherwife than ludicrously; as, he longed to be at him, that is, to attack him. 6. At before a fubftantive fometimes fignifies the particular condition or circumftances of the perfon; as, at peace, in a fiate of peace.—

Shakespeare.

10. At sometimes fignifies in confequence of.Impeachments at the profecution of the house of commons, have received their determinations in the house of lords. Hale. 11. At marks fometimes the effect proceeding from an act.—

Reft in this tomb, rais'd at thy husband's coft. Dryden. 12. At fometimes is nearly the fame as in, noting fituation; as, he was at the bottom, or top of the hill.-She hath been known to come at the head of thefe rafcais, and beat her lover. Swift. 13. At fometimes marks the occafion, like on.

Ot hers, with helpful care, Cry'd out aloud, Bewart, brave youth, beware? At this he turn'd, and, as the bull drew near, Shunn'd, and receiv'd him on bis pointed spear. Dryden.

14. At fometimes feems to fignify in the paver of, or, obedient to.-

But thou of all the kings, Jove's care below, Art leaft at my command, and moit my fue. Dryde 4 2

Santillana, and St Andero. It is divided into two unequal parts, called

di Roma, which has a good harbour, and a fortified town. Cicero loft his life in it, and prince Conradin, lait heir of the houfe of Hohenstaufen, was taken prifoner in 1268.

ASTURIA, an ancient kingdom of Spain, fabdued by Auguftus emperor of Rome. See the two next articles.

ASTURIANS, the brave inhabitants of Afuria, who, along with thofe of Cantabria, auferted their liberty long after the rest of Spain had fubmitted to the Roman yoke. So great was their detire of liberty, that, after being clofely fhut up by the Roman army, they endured the moft terrible calamities of famine, even to the devouring of one another, rather than fubinit to the cnemy. At length, however, the Afturians were for furrendering: but the Cantabrians oppofed this me". fure, maintaining that they ought ali to die fword in hand, like brave men. Upon this the two nations quarrelled, notwithstanding their defperate fitua ion; and a battle enfuing, 10,000 of the Af turians were driven to the entrenchments of the Romans, whom they begged, in the most moving manner, to receive them on any terms they pleafed. But Tiberius, the emperor's fon-in-law, refusing to admit them into the camp, fome of thefe unhappy people put an end to their lives, by falling on their own words; others, lighting great fires, threw themfelves into them, while fome poifoned themselves, by drinking the juice of a venomous hero. The campaign being put an end to by winter, the next year the Afturians fummoned all their strength and refolution against the Romans; but, notwithstanding their utmost efforts of valour and defpair, they were entirely defeated in a mot bloody battle, which latted two days, and, for that time, entirely fubdued. A few years afterwards they rebelled, in conjunction with the Cantabrians; but were foon reduced by the Romans, who mañacred most of the young men that were capable of bearing arms.. This did not prevent them from revolting anew, in a fhort time afterwards; but without fuccefs, being obliged to fubmit to the Roman power, till the fubvertion of that empire by the Goths. The modern Afturians value themfelves much on being defcended from the ancient Goths. Even the poor peafants, who are fain to feek work in other provinces, call themselves illuftrious Goths and Mountaineers, thinking it ignominious to marry, even with great and rich families of another race! This pride is flattered, by the refpe& paid them by the reft of the nation, and the privileges bestowed upon them by the government.

ASTURIAS, anciently the kingdom of Afturia, is now a principality of modern Spain. It is bounded by Bifcay on the E. Galficla on the W. Caftile and Old Leon on the S. and the fea on the N. Its great.ft length is about 120 mies, and r ́s breadth 14. On the . it is fparated from Caftile and Oid Leon by high mountains covered with woods. The province is tolerably fertile, and produces excellent wines and horfes, but is tranny inhabited. It has mines of goid, lapis laz, and vermilion. The hereditary prince of Spam is ftyled Prince of the Afturias The moft rem rkable places in this principality are Oviedo, Gyon,

1. ASTURIAS DE ONIEDO, which is largeft, and lies to the weft; and,

2. ASTURIAS DE SANTILLANA, which lies eaftward, and is mountainous and woody.

ASURIAS, in zoology, a name by which fome authors have called the gofhawk.,

ASTURIUS. See ASTERIUS.

ASTWICK, the name of 4 villages, viz. 1. in Bedfordshire, near Biglefwade: 2. in Bucks, near Newport: 3. in Hertfordshire, near Buntingford: and, 4. in Yorkihire, 5 miles NW. of Settle.

ASTTAGES, fon of Cyaxares, the laft king of the Medes. He dreamed, that from the womb of his daughter Mandane, married to Cambyfes king of Perfia, there fprong up a vine that spread itself over all Afia. She being with child, he refolved to kill the infint as food as born. Its name was Cyrus; but Harpagus being fent to destroy it preferved it; which Aftyages hearing of long after, he caufed Harpagus to cat his own fon. Harpagus, in revenge,, called in Cyrus, who dethroned his grandfather, and thereby ended the monarchy of the Medes. Thus the old tyrant loft his kingdom, by the very barbarous means he took to preferve it. See MEDIA and PERSIA.

ASTYANAX, the only fon of Hector and Andromache. After the taking of Troy, he was thrown from the top of a tower, by Ciyffles's orders.

ASTYNOMI, in Grecian antiquity, magiftrates in Athens, correfponding to the ædiles of the Romans; they were ten in number. See ÆDILE.

ASTYNOMUS, one of the fons of king Priam, flain by Achilles.

*ASUNDER. adv. [afundran, Sax.] Apart; feparately; not together.-Two indirect lines, the further that they are drawn out, the further they go ațunder. Spenfer on Ireland.

ASYCTOS. See ABSYNTHUS.

(1.) ASYLA, the plural of ASYLUM. See § 2. The afyla of altars and temples were very ancient; and likewife thofe of tombs, ftatues, andother monuments of confiderable perfonages.-Thus, the temple of Diana at Ephesus was a refuge for debtors; the tomb of Thefens for flaves. Among the Romans, a celebrated afylum was opened by Romulus between the mounts Palatine and Capitoline, in order to people Rome, for all forts of people indifcriminately, fugitive flaves, debtors, and criminals of every kind. It had a temple dedicated to the god ASYLAUS. The Jews had their afya; the most remarkable of which were, the fix cities of refuge, the temple, and the altar of burnt offerings; which protected thofe who had incurred the lath of the law, but not for any deliberate crime. But it was customary among the Heathens, to allow refuge and impunity, even to the vileft and molt flagrant of fenders; fome out of fuperftition, and others for the Lake of peopling their cities. They had an idea, that a criminal who fled to the temple or al tar, fubmitted his crime to the punishment of the geds; and, at it would be impiety in man to take vengeance out of their nanas. It was by

To ATCHIEVE. v. a. is derived from the Fr. arbever, i. e. to finish or make an end of; but fignities, in its ordinary acceptation, to perform great actions or exploits.

ATCHIEVEMENT, in heraldry, denotes the arms of a person or family, together with all the exterior ornaments of the fhield; as helmet, mantle, creft, fcrolls, and motto, together with fuch quarterings as may have been acquired by alliances, all marthalled in order.

ATCHISON. See ACHESON.

ATCHISON'S HAVEN. See ACHESON'S HAVEN. 21 MORISON'S HAVEN.

(1.) ATE, (from araw, to hurt,] the goddefs of mischief, in the mythology. She was daughter of Jupiter, and cast down from heaven at the birth of Hercules. For Juno having deceived Jupiter, in causing Euristheus to be born before Hercules, Jupiter exprefled his refentment on Ate, as the author of that mifchief: and threw her headlong from heaven to earth, fwearing the should never return thither again. (Hameri Il. xix. 125.) Her being the daughter of Jupiter, means, according to mythologifts, that no evil happens to us but by the permiffion of Providence; and her banishment to earth denotes the terrible effects of divine juftice among men.

(2) ATE. The preterite of eat. See To EAT.-Even our first parents ate themselves out of paradife: and Job's children junketted and feafted together often. South.

ATEGAR, from the Saxon aeton, to throw, and gar, a weapon,] a weapon among the Saxons, which feems to have been a hand-dart.

ATEGUA, or ATTEGUA, an ancient town of Spain, placed by fome in the road from Antiquara, now Antequera, to Hifpalis, or Seville; by others rear Alcala Real; which laft is the more probable fituation, because the flumen falfum, now the Salado, was in its neighbourhood. It is now called TEBALA VIEJA, or TEIVELA.

ATELIA, an exemption from taxes, or other burdens. Ars Aurgy is particularly ufed in fome ancient laws, for an exemption from of Eces granted the Egyptian clergy by Conftantius. ATELIA, an ancient town of Campania in Italy, between Capua and Neapolis. The ruins of this town are ftill to be feen about 11 miles from the modern AVERSA, which was built out of its materials.

ATELLANE FABULÆ, a fpecies of farce, ATELLANI LUDI, to paced from ( tella, called alfo Osci, from their inventor, in whofe territory Atella lay. They were generally interlarded with much ribaldry and buffoonery; and fometimes were exordia or interludes, prefented between the acts of other plays. The actors in these farces were not reckoned among the common players, nor deemed infamous; but retained the rights of their tribe, and might be lifted for foldiers, the privilege only of free men. ATEMPER. adj. moderate. Chauc. ATEMPO GIUSTO, in mufic, fignifies to fing or play in an equal, true, and juft time. ATENA, a town of Italy, in Naples, near the Negro, 12 miles NW. of Marfico, and 22 N. of Poliçafiro, Lon. 15. 58. E. Lat. 40. 36. N.

ÁTERGATIS, in mythology, a goddess of the Syrians and Parthians, fuppofed to be the mother of Semiramis, and called DERCETO by the Greeks. She was reprefented with the face and breasts of a woman, but the reft of her body resembled a fish. Voffius makes the name Phoenician, from AddirDag, the great fifh; and fays it fignifies without fib; whence he conjectures that the votaries of this deity abstained from fish.

ATERNUM, 1. a town of Lucania in Italy, now called ATERNI: 2. a town in the territory of the Piceni, now called PESCARA, a port town of Naples, fituated on the Adriatic. Lon. 15. 25. E. Lat. 52. 30. N.

ATESTE, a town in the territory of Venice in Italy, now called ESTE. Lon. 12. 6. E. Lat. 45. 25. N.

(1.) ATH, or тн, a ftrong town of the cidevant Auftrian Netherlands, in one of the new departments, lately annexed to the territory of the republic of France. It is feated on the Dender, 12 miles NW. of Mons. See ÆTH.

(2.) ATH, or ATHE, among our Anglo-Saxon ATHA, ancestors, fignifies an bath, efpecially that taken by way of purgation. In this fenfe we meet with breaking of ath, privilege of ath, atha or ordela.

ATHALARIC, the grandfon of Theodoric, and the ad king of the Oftrogoths in Italy, fucceeded A. D. 526, and reigned along with his mother Amalafuntha, about 8 years. They both died A. D. 534

ATHALIAH, [nbny, Heb. i. e. the time of the Lord] the daughter of Ahab, king of Ifrael, by Jezebel, and wife of Jehoram king of Judah. She was worfe, if poffible, than her worthlefs parents, for the not only followed their idolatrous example, but added murder and parricide to her other crimes. Hearing that Jehu had flain her son Ahaziah, along with the reft of Ahab's pofterity in Ifrael, the ufurped the royal power, and to fecure herfelf in it, contributed to complete the vengeance denounced against her father's house for the murder of Naboth, by extirpating all the blood-royal of Judah, not fparing even her own grand-children ;—all of whom the murdered, except the infant prince Joafh, who was rescued. from his grandmother's ambitious fary, by his aunt Jehofheba, and hid by her and her husband Jehoida, for 6 years in the temple, during the ufurpation of this monster. In the 7th year, Jehoiada, the high-prieft, engaging the leading men of the kingdom in his intereft, produced the young prince in a public affembly, in the court of the temple: caufed the people take an oath of fidelity to him; and engaged both them and their king to ferve the Lord. Arming the Levites and other friends with weapons depofited in the temple, he appointed one part of them to guard the royal perfon; the reft to fecure the gates of the facred courts; he next brought forth the young prince, crowned him, and proclaimed him king. Alarm. ed with the fhouts of the people, Athaliah ran to the temple, when fhocked with the fight of the king on his throne, fhe rent her clothes and cried, Treufon, treafon. By Jehoiada's orders, the gua rd carried her out and flew her,

the

originally a city of the Locri, but torn from the continent in the time of an earthquake, and dt ring an eruption of mount Etna; in the 4th year of the 93d Olympiad, in the reign of ArtaxerxesMnemon.

15. At fometimes notes the relation of a man to an action. To make pleasure the vehicle of health, is a doctor at it in good earneft. Collier of Friendhip. 16. At fometimes imports the manner of an action.-One warms you by degrees, the other fets you on fire all at once, and never intermits his heat. Dryden's Fables, 17. At, like the French chez, means fometimes application to, or dependence on. The worst authors might endeavour to pleafe us, and in that endeavour deferve fome thing at our hands. Pope. 18. At all. In any manner; in any degree.—

Nothing more true than what you once let fall, Moft women have no characters at all. Pope. * ATABAL. n. f. A kind of tabour used by the Moors.

Children fhall beat our atabals and drums, And all the noify trades of war no more Shall wake the peaceful morn. Oryd. Don Sebaft. ATABALIPA, or ATAHUALPA, the laft of the incas. On the death of his father, in 1529, he fucceeded to the throne of Quito, while his brother Huafcar obtained the kingdom of Peru. Not long after a difagreement took place, and hoftilities commenced betwixt them, in which Huafcar was defeated. The Spaniards taking advantage of these disturbances, with Pizarro as their leader, invaded Peru, where they were entertained with no little hofpitality by the king and the people; but instead of making any return for his kindnefs, they, with their ufual treachery, held him in captivity. The inca, as a ransom, offered to give the Spaniards a room full of gold, and when they had got the treafure in their poffeffion, they with the utmost baseness, burnt the unhappy monarch at the ftake, in 1533.

ATABULUS, in phyfiology, a provincial wind in Apulia, of a dry pinching quality, and very noxious in its effects. The ancient naturalifts fpeak of the Atabulus in terms of ho ar, on account of the ravages it made among the fruits of the earth, which it fcorched or withered up.

ATABYRIS, a very high mountain in the island of Rhodes, on which, according to Strabo and Diodorus Siculus, ftood a temple of Jupiter Atabyrius, whofe worthip a colony of Rhodians carried into Sicily, where they built a temple to him, at Agrigentum.

ATABYRIUS, an epithet of Jupiter.

('.) ATACAMA, a chain of mountains in S. America, which separate Peru from Quito, and where the cold is fo violent that paffengers are fometimes frozen to death.

(2.) ATACAMA, a defert of Peru.

(3.) ATACAMA, a harbour of Peru. Lon. 80. 20. W. Lat, o. 22. S.

ATACAPA, a town in Louifiana. ATAD, a Canaanite, rendered memorable by his threshing floor. See next article.

ATAD'S THRESHING FLOOR, a place beyond Jordan, where the funeral proceffion of the Ifraelites and Egyptians, who attended Jacob's burial, ftopt and astonished the Canaanites with the magnificence of the folemnity. It was afterwards named ABEL-MIZRAIM, or the mourning of the Egyptians, from this circumstance.

(1.) ATALANTA, an inland in the Euripus of Euboea, near the Locri Opuntii, faid to have been

(2.) ATALANTA, in fabulous hiâtory, the daughter of Schoneus, king of Scyras. Being refolved against marriage, and at the fame time very swift of foot, the, to get rid of her numerous fuitors, declared that the would marry none but the man who was willing to rifk his life for her, by friving to outrun her, and to forfeit it if he failed. This feveral attempted and fuffered accordingly. But Hippomenes, being furnished by Venus with three golden apples, dropt them at proper diftances during the race, and while the ftooped to gather them, gained both the race and the princefs. The fuccefstul lover, however, proving ungrateful to the goddess, they were both afterwards turned into lions.

(3.) ATALANTA, the daughter of Jafius and mother of Parthenopaus, by Meleagar. See Ms

LEAGER.

ATALANTIS, ATLANTICA, or ATLANTIS. See ATLANTIS,

ATALAUA, a town of Portuguese Eftremadura, feated on an eminence, with a strong fort, 5 miles S. of Tomer, and equally near the Tajo. Lon. 7. 6. W. Lat. 39. 25. N.

ATAMASCO LILY, a fpecies of AMARYLLIS. ATANTA, in botany, a name given by the people of Guinea to a kind of sumach, called, by Petiver, rhus Guineenfe trifoliatum fcabium, from its being trifoliate, and having rough and ferrated leaves. This fomewhat refembles the hoary trifoliate African fumach of Pluckenet; but it dif fers in this, that its leaves are edged with prickles, whereas thofe of Pluckenet's kind are only deeply finuated. The people of Guinea are very fond of it, for its medicinal virtues; they give it as a reftorative boiled in water.

* ATARAXIA. Įn. S. [argaia.] Exemption

ATARAXY. from vexation; tranquillity, -The fcepticks affected an indifferent equipon. derous neutrality, as the only means to their ataraxia, and freedom from paflionate disturbances, Glanville's Scepfis.

ATARGATIS FANUM, the temple of the goddefs ATERGATIS, in Bambyce, which was extremely rich. Craffus, in his march against the Parthians, spent several days in weighing the treafure.

ATARNEA, or an ancient town of Myfia, fiATARNYA, tuated between Adramyttium and Pitane, memorable for the marriage of Ariftotle with the fister of Hermias, the prince of it

ATAULFUS, the first king of the Goths in Spain, eftablished his government there, abou A. D. 404, and died, A. D. 416. See SPAIN.

ATAXY, [from & negative, and cafes, order,] the want of order. With phyficians, it fignifie irregularity of crifes and paroxyfms of fever s.

ATAYÁDA, a river of Spain, in Old Caftile which fall into the Ducro.

ATCHAM, a village, 3 m. SE. of Shrewsbur ATCHE, in commerce, the fmalleft filver coi current in Turk.y, worth one third of a penn sterling,