A M B
A M B
que la Chambre d'Amfterdam a receu des Indcs Orientales pefant 182 Livres ; avec un petit Traite de fon Origine & de fa Vertu, Amfter. 1700. 4to. Philof. Tranf. N°. 263.
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AMBERING is ufed, by fome writers, to denote the giving a fcent or perfume of amber to any thing. This is otherwife called enambering. V. Hook, Phil. Collect. N°. 4. p. 105.
Dr. Hook mentions an extraordinary method of ambering in infinitum, i. e. with a fmall quantity of amber, and other requifitcs, enambering an hundred, or a thoufand pounds of fugar, or the like, fo as the fir ft matter ftili remains unde- cayed, to be ufed again. Hook, loc. cit.
AMBETTUWAY, in botany, a name given, by the natives of Guinea, to a kind of tree, whofe leaves they ufe in medi- cine, giving them boiled in wine, to create an appetite. The leaves are rough, and refcmble, both in fhape and fize, thofe of our common elm. Phil. Tranf. N°. 232.
AMBIDEXTER {Cycl)— For the natural caufe of this faculty, fome, asHffifer", attribute it to an extraordinary fupply of blood and fpirits from the heart and brain, which furnifh both hands with the necefTary ftrcngth and agility : _ others, as Nic, Mafia, to the erect fituation of the heart, which inclines neither to the right-hand nor left ; and others b to the right and left fubclavian arteries being of the fame height, and the fame diftance from the heart, by which the blood is propelled with equal force to both hands. — But thefe are only conjec- tures* or rather chimera's. The true caufe being doubtlefs to Be referred to education and habit, or rather to nature itfelf, which, if let alone, men as well as brutes would more than probably be all Ambidexters, there being no difference of right and left in the nature of things. The nurfes and good women are even forced to be at fome pains to enure the in- fants under their care to forgo the ufe of their left-hand c . How far it may be our advantage to be deprived of half our natural dexterity, may be doubted. 'Tis certain, there are infinite occafions in life, when it would be better to have the equal ufe of both hands. Surgeons and oculifts are of neceflity obliged to be Ambidexters ; bleeding, &c. in the left-arm, or left-ankle d , and operations on the left-eyes % cannot be well performed but with the left-hand. Divers inftances occur in hiftory, where the left-hand has been cultivated preferably to the right. But by the laws of the antient Scythians, people were enjoined to exercife both hands alike, without partiality either for the right or left ; and Plato f enjoins Ambidexterity to be obferved and encouraged in his republic. — [ a Hercul. Med. I. 7. c. 6. b Burggr, Lex, Med. T. 1. in voc. c V. Ferrar. de Infant. Cura, P. I. Aph. 45. d Horn. Mi- crotec. fee. 2. p. 151. e Mem. de Trev. an. 1706. p. 326. 1 De Legib. I. 3.]
In the Grecian armies, their more diftinguifhed foldiers, their pikemen and halbardeers, as thofe who formed the fir ft fine of their battalions, were to be able to fight indifferently with left-hand or fight. We find it mentioned in fcripture 5, that, on an extraordinary occafion, the Angle tribe of Gad produced 700 brave men, who fought with the left-hand as well as the right. And the Roman hiftorians a flu re us, that they had gladiators who were trained up to the fame exercife. An ingenious French writer h is furprized, that among all the modern refinements in the art of war, none have thought of reftoring the antient practice of forming Ambidexters, which it is certain might be of confiderable fervice in the way of ftratagem. — [ E Judg. c. xx. v. 16. h Marin, ap Hift. Acad. Infer. T. 2. p. 98.
AMBIEGNA, in antiquity, an appellation given to a victim, which was furrounded, or attended af the time of offering it, with other leffer ones.
In this fenfe, the word is alfo written Ambcgui. Wc read of Ambiegnce oves ufed in facrificing to Juno, which were meep, having brought forth twins, and offered up with their two lambs faftencd on either fide. Varro, de Ling, Lat. 1. 6. c. 3. Pitifc, Lex. Ant. T. 1. p. 79. See alfo Struv. Aritiq. Rom. c. 10.
AMBIGU denotes a kind of mixed entertainment, wherein both flefh and fruit are fcrved together; fo that it feems doubtful whether to denominate it a mere collation, or a meal. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 1. p. 323.
AMBIGUOUS {Cycl.)— An anonymous writer has publifhed a dictionary of ambiguous words. Lexicon Phihfopbicuin de Ambiguiiate Vocabuhrutn, Francof. 1597- 4 t0 -
AMBIT {Cycl.) — Ifaac Voffius has a particular inquiry concerning the Ambit, or circumference of antient Rome. That of the city he makes to be 6o| miles, or milk pajfus, and that of the eity and fuburbs together 72 miles; exceeding antient Babylon, whofe Ambit was only 60 miles. VoJ}\ de Antiq. Urbis Romse Magnit. c, 5. ap. Var. Obferv. p. 22.
Ambit, Ambitus, was particularly ufed, in antiquity, to denote a fpace of ground to be left vacant betwixt one building and another. By the laws of the twelve tables, houfes were not to be built contiguous, but an Ambit, or fpace of %\ feet, was to be left about each, for fear of fire. V. Fejl. de Verb. Signif. p. 11. Danet. Did. Ant. in voc. The" Ambitus of a tomb or monument, denoted a certain number of feet, in length and breadth, around the fame,
within which the fanclity affigned to it was limited. The whole ground wherein a tomb was erected, was not to be fecreted from the common ufes ; for this reafon, it was fre- quent to inferibe the Ambit on it, that it might be known how far its fanctity extended : thus, in fronts pedes tot, in agrum pedes tot. Kirch- Man. de Funer. 1. 3. c. 20.
AMBITUS, {Cycl.) among the Romans, differed from Ambi- tion, as the former lies in the act, the latter in the mind. Ambitus was of two kinds, one lawful, and even laudable, the other infamous.
The firft, called alfo Ambitus popularise was when a perfon offered his fervice to the republic frankly, leaving it to every body to judge of his pretenlions as they found reafonable. This kind was not prohibited by any law, but always approved and practifed by the beft and greateft men. The means and inftruments here made ufe of were various, I. Amid, or friends, under divers relations, including cognati, affines, necejjarii, familiares, vieini, tributes, clientes, muni- dpes^ fodales, colleges. 2- Nomenklatura, or the calling and faluting every perfon by his name ; to which purpofe, the candidates were attended with an officer, under the denomi- nation of interpres, or nomenclator. 3. Blanditia, or obliging perfons by ferving them, or their friends, patrons, or the like, with their vote and intereft on other occafions. 4. Prenfa- tio, the making every perfon by the hand, offering him his fervice, friendfhip, &c, 5. Affiduitas. 6. The toga Can- dida, worn loofe. 7. Benignitas, the diftributing largefles, congiaria, &c.
The fecond kind was that wherein force, cajoling,' money, or other extraordinary influence, was made ufe of. — This was held infamous, and feverely punifhed, as a fource of cor- ruption, and other mifchiefs.
Several laws were made againft it, as the Lex Ac'dia, Cal- purnia, Aufid'ia, Bcehia, /Emilia, Cornelia, Fulvia, Fabia y 'Julia Augujii, Julia Cafar'ts, Licinia, Maria, Postelia, Pompe'ta, Tullia 'Fetus. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T. 1. p. 80. In the year of Rome 321, the ufe of the toga Candida was prohibited. In the year 398, the candidates were forbid ta go to the markets and meetings in the neighbouring towns. In 571, fevere penalties were laid on the givers of largefl'es. In 594, this was made punifhable by banilhment. In 697, heavy fines were impofed. BaxU GlofT. p. 89. feq. By the Lex Tullia, made in the confullhip of Cicero, the candidates were forbidden to beftow any combats of gladiators on the people, to make any public feafts, or to caufe them- felves to be followed by a crowd of clients, for two years be- fore they put in for any place.
A fenator, who was guilty of a breach of this law, was pu- nifhed with ten years banimment ; others were fined and rendered incapable of any dignity for ever. Danet, Diet . Ant. in voc.
Ambitus was not only practifed at Rome and in the forum, but in the meetings and afiemblies of other towns in Italy, where numbers of citizens were ufually found, on account of trade and bufinefs.
The practice ccafed in the city from the time of the emperors, by reafon ports were not then to be had by courting the people, but by favour from the prince.
Perfons who had caufes depending practifed the fame, going about among the judges to implore their favour and mercy. VoJJ'. Etym. p. 22.
They who practifed this were called Ambit'toft. Hence we alfo meet with Ambitiofa decreta, and Ambitiofa Jaffa, ufed for fuch fentences and decrees as were thus procured from the judges, Contrary to reafon and equity, either gratuitoufly, or for money. Vid. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T. 1. p. 79. in voc. Ambire,
AMBIX, in antient writers, denotes a vefTel of glafs, or fhcll. Du Cange, Golf. Lat. in voc.
Hence the origin of the word aleinbic, which we fometinies alfo find denoted by the word Ambix.
AMBLE {Cycl.) — -This word is formed of ambulare, ufed in writers of the middle age, in the fame fenfe. Ambling is alfo called, in thofe writers, ambulatura, and am- hula ; by the Italians ambiadwa. Vid. Aquin. Lex. Milit. in vcc. Ambulare.
AMBO {Cycl.) — The Ambo is alfo called, by Sozomen, Bq** yrafw, the readers bema, or defk ; by Cyprian, pidpitiun, and tribunal ecclcfia; ; by St. Auguftin, exedra, and apfis. Card. Bona will alfo have the Ambo to have been called arai altar ; but Bingham overthrows this notion. V. Bing. Orig. Ecclef. T. 1. 1. 8. c. 5. §. 4. p- 294. The modern reading defks and pulpits have been generally fubffituted to the antient Ambus, though, in fome churches'., remains of the Ambos are frill fecn. In that of St. John du Lateran at Rome, there are two moveable Ambos. M- Thiers inveighs againft the difufe of the antient Ambo, — Thofe by whom this innovation has been effected, he calls, by a new word, Ambomclajlcs. Rifhel. Diet. T. 1. p. 75. It was in the Ambo that publication was made of feafts, faffs, proceffions, &c. Here were read the acts of the martyrs, the the fancla fanftis, the diptychs, or commemoration of the dead ; the letters of peace and communion, which one church fent to another. Here new converts made their public pro-
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