EŃCYCLOPÆDIA PERTHENSIS; OR UNIVERSAL DICTIONARY OF THE ARTS, SCIENCES, LITERATURE, &c. INTENDED TO SUPERSEDE THE USE OF OTHER BOOKS OF REFERENCE. ILLUSTRATED WITH THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY PLATES AND MAPS. SECOND EDITION, IN TWENTY-THREE VOLUMES. VOLUME III. EDINBURGH: PRINTED BY JOHN BROWN, ANCHOR CLOSE, FOR THE PROPRIETORS, AND SOLD BY ALL THE BOOKSELLERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 1816. ENCYCLOPÆDIA PERTHENSIS. AS T A ST ASTROPECTEN, in natural hiftory, a fpecies ftant clergyman, and bestowed particular pains of star fith, compofed of a central nucleus, furrowed like the fhell of the common fcallop, and parting into five principal rays, from each of which fue feveral tranfverfe procelles, covered with a hairy down. ASTROPODIA, the ftar-ftone. See ASTERIA, ASTROP-WELLS, a village in Northamptonhire, near Banbury, famous for its mineral water, which is recommended as excellent in female obtructions, the gravel, hypochondriac, and fimilar diforders. It is a brifk, fpirituous, pleafant tated chalybeate, and it is alfo gently purgative. It should be drank from three to five quarts in the forenoon. ASTROSCOPE, an aftronomical inftrument, compofed of two cones, on whofe furface the conftellations, with their ítars, are delineated, by means whereof the stars may easily be known. It was invented by William Schukhard, formerly profeffor of mathematics at Tubingen, who pub liked a treatise on it in 1698. ASTROSCOPIA, the art of examining the ftars by telescopes. Huygens improved this art confiderably, in his Aftrofcopia Compendiaria, where he thews how to manage the largest glaifes with out help of a tube. ASTROSCOPY. n. f. [açng, a star, and oxoxiw, to view] Obfervation of the ftars Dict. ASTROTHEMATA, in aftrology, the pofitions of the ftars in a theme of the heavens. *ASTRO-THEOLOGY. n. [from astrum, a ftar, and theologia, divinity.] Divinity founded on the obfervations of the celestial bodies.-That the diurnal and annual revolutions are the motions of the terraqueous globe, not of the fun, I thew in the preface of my Aftro-Theology. Derḥam. ASTROTHESIA, [from asna, and rip, to place, is ufed by fome for a conftellation. ASTROTHESY. See ARATUS, N° 1. ASTRUC, John, a celebrated physician, author of a Treatife on the Venereal Lifeafe, and other works, was born in 1684, at the little town of Savoy, in Languedoc. His father was a proteVOL. III. PART 1. upon his education; after which he went to the university of Montpelier, where he was created A. M. in 1700. He then began the ftudy of me dicine; and, in two years, obtained the degree of M. B. having written a differtation on the caufe of fermentation, which he defended in a very spirited manner. On the 25th of January 1703, he was created M. D. after which, he applied to the ftudy of medical authors, ancient and modern, with uncommon affiduity. In 1710, he published a treatise on muscular motion, from which he obtained great reputation. In 1717, he was ap pointed to teach medicine at Montpelier; which he did with uncommon pe: fpicuity and eloquence. His fame foon rofe to fuch a height, that the king aligned him an annual falary, and appointed him to fuperintend the mineral waters in Languedoc. But, as Montpelier did not afford fufficient fcope for his afpiring genius, he went to Paris, with a great ftock of MSS. which he intended to publish, after fubjecting them to the examination of the learned. Soon after, however, he left it, having, in 1729, accepted the office of first phyfician to the king of Poland. His ftay in Poland, however, was but of fhort duration, and he again returned to Paris. Upon the death of the celebrated Geoffroy, in 1731, he was appointed Regius Profeffor of Medicine at Paris. He taught the practice of phyfic with fo great applaute, as to draw from other universities a great concourfe of medical students, foreigners as well as natives of France. He was equally celebrated as a practitioner; and, even at an advan ced age, he perifted with unwearied affiduity in that intenfe ftudy which first raised his reputation. Hence he has been enabled to tranfmit to pofterity, many valuable monuments of his medical erudition. He died, univerfally regretted, on the 15th of May 1766, in the 82d year of his age. ASTRUM, or ASTRON, a conftellation, or af femblage of ftars: in which fenfe it was diftinguilued from after, which denotes a fingle star. ASTURA, a town of Italy, in the Campagna Santillana, and St Andero. It is divided into twʊ 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 Hohenftaufen, was taken prifover in 1268. ASTURIA, an ancient kingdom of Spain, fubdued by Auguftus emperor of Rome Sce the two next articles. ASTURIANS, the brave inhabitants of Afuria, who, along with thofe of Cantabria, airted their liberty long after the rest of Spain bad 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 fubmit to the enemy. At length, however, the Afturians were for fuirendering: but the Cantabrians oppofed this men. fure, maintaining that they ought ali to die fword in hand, like brave men. Upon this the two nations quarrelled, notwithstanding their defp rate fitua ion; and a battle enfuing, 10,000 of the Afturians 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 ton-in-law, re. fuling to admit them into the camp, fome of the 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 themfelves, by drinking the juice of a venomous hero. The campaign being put an end to by winter, the next year the Afturians fummond all their Arength and refolution against the Romans; but, not withstanding their utmost efforts of valour and defpair, they were entirely defeated in a mot bloody batile, which latted two davɛ, and, for that time, entirely fubdued. A few years afterwards they rebelled, in conjunction with the Cantabrians; but were foun reduced by the Romans, who maniacred mod of the young men that were capable of bearing arms. This did not prevent them from revolting anew, in a short time afterwards; but without fuccefs, being obliged to fubmit to the Roman power, till the fubvertion of that empire by the Coths. 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 themfelves ill frious Goths and Mountaineers, thinking it ignominious to marry, even with great and rich funilies of another race! This pride is flattered, by the refpe& paid them by the rest of the nation, and the privileges beftowed upon them by the government. ASTURIAS, anciently the kingdom of Afturia, is now a principality of modern Spain. It is bounded by Bitcay on the E. Galle « on the W. Caiti, and O. Leon on th. S. and the fea on the N. Its great. It ien,th is about 120 mies, and is breadth 24 On tue 8, it is I parited from Caftite and Oid Leon by high mountains covered with woods. The province is to crably fertile, and produces excellent wines and borfes, but is to my inhabited. It has mins of goid, tapis laz and vermilion. The nereditary prince of S; mis tyled Prince of the Afturi is The oft run raable 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 ASTURIAS, in zoology, a name by which fome author have called the gofhawk., ASTURIUS. See ASTERIUS. AST WICK, the name of 4 villages, viz. 1. in Bedfordshire, near Biglefwade: 2. in Bucks, near Newport: 3. in Hertfordfhire, near Buntingford: and, 4. in Yorkihire, 5 miles NW. of Settle. ASTYAGES, 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 fprung up a vine that spread itfelf over all Afia. She being with child, he refolved to kill the infint as foon as bora Its name was Cyrus; but Harpagus being fent to deftroy 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 proferve 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 cyfles's orders. ASTYNOMI, in Grecian antiquity, magiftrates in Athens, correfponding to the ediles of the Romans; they were ten in number. See FDILE. 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. Spenter 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, and other monuments of confiderable personages,—— Thus, the temple of Diana at Ephelus 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 faves, debtors, and criminais of every kind. It had a temple dedicated to the god ASYLUS. The Jews had their alyia; the moft remarkable of which were, the fix cities of retuge, the temple, and the altar of burnt offerings; which protected thofe who had incurred the lail of the law, but not for any deliberate crime. But it was cufomary among the Heathens, to allow refuge and impunity, even to the vileft and molt flagrant offinders; fome out of fuperitition, ...d otacts for the fist of peopling their cities. They had an idea, that a criminal who fled to the temple or altar, fubmitted his crime to the punishment of the gods; and, t it would be impiety in man to the vengeance out of their nonas. It was by |