ASS
ture for the colics to which that people are fo fubject. Phil • Tranf. N 3 . 232. ASS1DENT Sign, figtutm ajftdens, in medicine, a fymptom which ufually attends a difeafe, but not always. Cajl. Lex. Med. in voc.
Thus a dry rough tongue, tbirft, and watching, are Affident figns in an ardent fever.
In this fenfe Affident s differ from Pathognomonics, which are infeparable from the difeafe ; e. gr. in the pleurify, a pungent pain in the fide ; in an acute fever, difficulty of breathing, Wc. collectively taken, are pathognomic figns ; but that the pain extends to the hypochondrium or clavicle ; or, that the patient lies with more eafe on one fide than on the other, are Affident figns. ASSIDUUS, or Adsiduus, among the Romans, denoted a rich or wealthy perfon.
The word in this fenfe is formed from as affis ; q. d. a monied man.
Hence we meet with Affiduous fureties, Afftdui fidejuffores, an- fwering to what the French now call city fureties or fecurities, cautions Bourgeoife. Calv, Lex. Jur. p. 95. When Servius Tullius divided the Roman people into five claffes, according as they were affeffed, or taxed to the pub- lic ; the richer fort who contributed affes, were denominated JJfidui ; and as thefe were the chief people of bufinefs, who attended all the public concerns ; thofe who are diligent to attendances came to be denominated Afftdui. R&vard. ad Leg. XII. Tab. c. 9. Calv. loc. cit. Assidui was alio ufed for volunteers, or thofe who ferved in the army at their own expencs. Feji. de Verb. Signif. in voc. Aquin. Lex. Milit. p. gi. a. ASSIGNABLE Magnitude, in geometry, is ufed for any finite
magnitude. And Assignable Ratio, for the ratio of any finite quantities. Mac-
Laurin's Fluxions, Art. 325. ASSIMILATION, AffimUatie, in rhetoric, a figure denoting fimilitude. Thus Cicero de Offic. £>uodJi ea, qua acceperis utenda, majors menfnra,fi modo poj/is, jubet reddere Hifiodus ; quidnam beneficio frovocati facere debemus ? An non itnitari a'gros fertiles, qui multo plus afferunt, quam acccferunt ? Scaliger difiinguifhes Affimilation into feveral (pedes. V. . Voff. Rhet. I. 5. p. 381.
ASS1RATUM, in antiquity, a bloody draught, wherewith treaties were ratified. Fejl, de Verb. Signif. in voc. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T. 1. p. 192.
It was made of wine, and blood, called by the antient Ro- mans Affir. ASSIS, in phyfiology, either denotes opium, or a powder made of hemp feed, which being formed into boles about the bignefs of chefnurs, is fwallowed by the Egyptians, who are hereby intoxicated, and become ecftatic and full of the raoft agreeable vifions. Alpin. de Medic. Egypt. 1. 4. c. 2. p. 121. Brun. Lex. Med, in voc.
This is alfo called by the Turks Afferac. ASSISII, in ecclefialtical writers, denote perfons beneficed in a cathedral church, not in a rank below that of canons. The AJJifii probably anfwered to our minor canons. Schmid. Lex. Ecclef. p. 77. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. T. 1. p. 363. They are fuppofed to have been thus called, either becaufe an Affifia, orpenfion was afligned them ; or, according to the glofs, from affiduus, becaufe they ought to be conftant in at- tending the (ervice of the church. ASSISUS, in antient law writers, denotes a thing de- mifed, or farmed out for fuch an affile, or certain rent in money, or provifions. Hence terra AJJifa was commonly oppofed to terra dominica ; this laft being held in demefne, or occupied by the lord, whereas the former was let out to tenants. Hence alfo redditus Afftfus denote the fet or [land- ing rent. Kennet, GlofT. Paroch. Antiq. in voc. ASSITHMENT, or Assythment, in the law of Scotland, is a compenfation given for a man flain. Vid. Skin, de Verb. Signif. p. 24.
Jffitbmeni is the fame with what, in the Englifh law, is called Man-Bote. See the article Bote. ASSIUS Lapis, Acro-ios^S©., in phyfiology. SeeLApis Affius, ASSIZES, in Scotland. See Justiciary. ASSRUMINA, in botany, the name given by the people of Guinea, to the fhrub whofe leaves they ufe as a cure for the long worms, which are found in their flefh in thofe parts of the "world ; they only bruife the leaves, and apply a large lump of the mafs to the part where the worm is, and they are eafed at once without the pain and hazard of drawing it out. Phil. Tranf. N°. 232. ASSURRITANI, or Assurrani, a branch of donatifts, in the middle of the fourth century. The Affurrhani main- tained, the fon inferior to the father ; they rebaptized their converts from the catholics, and averted that the church is not compofed of good and bad, but of the good alone. Prateol. Elench. Heref. p. 69. ASSYRIAN Letters, Litter a Affyrics, a denomination given by feveral Rabbins, and Talmud ifts to the characters of the pre- fent Hebrew alphabet, as fuppofing them to have been bor- rowed from the AJfyrians dining the Jewifli captivity in Ba- bylon, Montfauc. Oil ^oo;r. Gr«ec. 1. 2. c. 1. p. 120.
AST
ASSYTHMENT. See Assithment.
AS TAK.1LLOS, a denomination given by Paraccllus to a ma- lignant gangrenous ulcer in the legs, occalioned by a mercu- rial fait in the blood. This is alio called by him, araneus, and ulcus araneum, the fpider's ulcer. Paracelf. 1. de Ulcer. c. 18. Bran. Lex. Med- in voc.
ASTALIN, in antient writers, the fame with ajlanda.
ASTANDA, in antiquity, a royal courier or meffenger, the fame with angarus. Calv. Lex. Jur. p. 95. a. King Darius of Perfia is faid by Plutarch, in his book on the fortune of Alexander, to have formerly been an Ajlanda, Calv. loc. cit. See Angari.
ASTARIL7E, AstharitjE, or AsthArothitje, aname given by fome to the Jews, who fell into the worfhip of AJla- roth, or AJlharoth, the goddefsof the Sydonians, fuppofed the fame with Aft arte, or the moon. V. Prateol. Elench. p. 69. Calm. Diet. Bibl. T. 1. p. 218.
Prateolus treats of the Ajlharitce as a particular feet ; but that author is fond of multiplying religious feels : After the fame manner he makes a feet of Molochita, or worfhippers of Moloch ; of Rempbanita?, or votaries of Remphan ; and of Tbopbctita, who facrificed in the valley of Tophet, &c.
ASTEISM, Ar£icf*© j , in rhetoric, a genteel irony, or handfome way of deriding another. V. Squint, 1. 8. c. 6. Fab, Thef, p. 274. Such, e. gr. is that of Virgil.
$hti B avium non odit, amet tua Carmina Mtsvi, &c,
Diomed places the characteriftic of this figure, or fpecies of irony, in that it is not grofs and ruftic, but ingenious and polite.
ASTER, in botany. See Star-^/t.
Aster, in mineralogy, a denomination given to a fpecies of Samian earth. Mercat. Metalloth. Arm. 1. c'7. p. 15. See the article Samian.
Aster Atiicus, a medicinal plant called alfo mguinalis, and in Englifh Golden Star-wort. All. Difpenf. p. %x. Its feeds are efteemed deobftruent, and the flowers cardiac : The leaves alfo have the credit of being vulnerary, but no part of the plant is much in ufe.
Aster Tlmlaffius, A^p SwAac^©-, the Jltlla- marina, or ftar- fifli. See Stella Marina.
Aster is alfo a denomination, in the antient pharmacy, given to a kind of medicine, invented by Andromachus, againft de- fluxions, and divers other pains. Gal. de Compof. Medic. 1. 7. c. 5. Brun. Lex. Med. in voc.
ASTERIA, in zoology, a name by which fome authors have called the Accipiter Pahanbarius or Gofhawk. Ray's Or- nithology, p. 51. See the article Palumbarius Accipiter.
Asteria is alfo the name of a gem, ufually called the cat's eye, or Occulus Caii. It is a very Angular and very beautiful ftone, and fomewhat approaches to the nature of the opal, in having a bright encluded colour, which feems to be lodged deep in the body of the ftone, and fhifts about, as it is moved, in various directions ; but it differs from the opal in all other particulars, but, above all, in its want of the great variety of colours feen in that gem, and in its fuperior hardnefs. It is ufually found between the fize of a pea, and the breadth of a fixpence, and is almoft always of a femicircular form, broad and flat at the bottom, and rounded and convex at the top ; it is naturally fmooth and polifh'd, and is ufually wore with its natural polifh. It has only two colours, a pale brown and a white, the brown feeming the ground, and the white playing about in it, as the fire colour in the opal. It is confiderably hard, and will take a fine polifh, but is ufually worn with its native fhape and fmoothnefs. It is found in the Eaft and Weft Indies, and in Europe. The ifland of Borneo affords fome very fine ones, but they are ufually fmall ; they are very common in the fands of rivers in New Spain ; and in Bohemia they are not unfrequently found immerfed in the fame maffes of Jafper with the opal. Hill's Hift. of Foflils, p. 601.
Asteria, is alfo the name of afigur'd ftone. See SrAR-Stone.
ASTERISCUS, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : The flower is of the radiated kind ; its difk is compofed of feveral flofcules, and its outer edge of femi-flofcules. Thefe are all placed on the embryo feeds, and are inclofed in a cup of a ftellated form, the parts of which ftand out beyond the flower. The embryos finally become flat and marginated feeds.
The fpecies of AJierifcus, enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe :
1. The annual AJierifcus, with ridged leaves to the flower.
2. The annual Afterijk, with ridged leaves to the flower, and with flowers of a fulphur colour. 3. The tall annual AJierifcus, with ridged leaves to the flower, and with fmall flowers, 4. The low AJierifcus, with ridged leaves to the flower, and with very fmall flowers. 5. The annual fpread- ing fea Afterijk. 6. The annual fpreading frefh-water AJle- rijk. 7 . The perennial fpreading fea Afterijk. Tourn. Inft.
p. 497. ASTEROPHYTON, in natural hiftory, a name given by Linkius, and fome other authors, to a kind of ftar-fifh, which is compofed of a great number of cylindric rays, each branching out into feveral others, fo as to reprefent the
branched
