E?I
[ 328 ]
EPI
The Epifiyle is the firft, or loweft Member of the En- tablature. See Entablature.
The Word is derived from the Greek, #*, fi#er t upon,
and zvhos, Column-
EPITAPH, a Monumental Infcription, in Honour, or Memory, of a Defun£t ; or an Infcription engraven, or cut, on a Tomb, to mark the Time of a Pcrfon's Deceafe, his Name, Family, and ufually fomc Eloge of his Vermes, or good Qualities. See Monument, Tomb, &c.
The Style of Epitaphs, efpeciall, thofe compofed in Lath?, is Angular. See Lapidary Style.
At Sparta, Epitaphs were only allowed to People who died in Battel. Boxhomius has made a Collection of Epitaphs-, n°t ver y ample, but exceedingly welt chofen. Fa. Labbe, has likewife given a Collection of the like Kind, in French 3 entitled, Trejor des Epitaphcs. Cambden has done fomcthing in the fame Way in our Englifh Epitaphs. An Epitaph is faid to be yet wanting to the Duke of Marlborough's Monument 3 tho' a Premium of 500 Pounds was offer'd by his Dowager, to him that fliould compote one worthy of the Hero deceas'd.
In Epitaphs, the dead Perfon is fometimes introduced, by Way of Frofopopojia, fpeaking to the Living ; of which we have a fine Inltance, worthy the Augufan Age, wherein the dead Wife thus befpeaks her furviving Husband.
Fmnatura peri : fed tu felicior, Annas Vive tuos, Con'yux optime, vive meqs.
The Word comes from &», upon, and to'*©", Sepulcher. See Sepulcher.
The French have a Proverb, AFnteur comme une Epi- taph : He lies like an Epitaph 3 in Allufion to the Elo«cs ordinarily contained therein, which are not always over juft.
Epitaph, is alfo applied to certain Elogcs, either in Profe or Verfe, compofed without any Intent to be en- graven on Tombs.
In the Collection of Epigrams, we have Abundance of fuch Epitaphs ; fome of them ludricrous and fatyrical. See Epigram.
For a Specimen, we fhall here add a very beautiful Epitaph, compofed by Mr. Cowley, on himfelf, to be put on a little Country Houfe, whither he retreated from the Court and Town, to fpend his lafl Days.
Hie, O Viator, fib Fare parvzilo, Couleius hie ejl Conditus, hie jacet IJefuuclus humani laboris Sorte, fnpervacuaq; Vita ; Ffon indecora pauper ie nitens y Et iwn inert} nobilis otio, Vanoq, dileclis popello, IJivitus, animofus hofiis. 'Pojfis ut ilium dicere mortuum,
En terra jam nunc quantula fufficit ? Exempta fit cuns, Viator, 'Terra fit ilia levis, precare. Hie fparge flores, fparge breves Rofas 5 jtfam vita gaudet Mortua floribtis 3 Herbifq; odoratis corona
Vatis adhuc cinerein Calenrem.
EPITASIS, in the antient Poetry, the fecond Part, or Divifion of a Dramatic Poem ; wherein, the Plot, or Action, propofed, and entcr'd upon, in the firft. Part, or <Prota(is, was carried on, hcighten'd, warm'd, and work'd up, till it arrived at its State, or Height, call'd the Cataflafis. See Protasis, and CatastAsis.
This Divifion is laid afide in the Modern Drama ; in Lieu whereof, our Plays are divided into ABs. See Act.
The Epitafis might, ordinarily, take up about our fe- cond or third Act. See Tragedy.
The Word is pure Greek, ftn-pifftfy of eamfr®, Fitendo, 1 heighten.
Epitasis, in Medicine, is fometimes ufed for the In- creafc, or Growth, and heightening of a Difeafe 3 or a Paroxyfm of a Difeafe, particularly a Fever. See State.
EPITHALAMTUM, in Poetry, a Nuptial Song 5 or a Compofition, ufually in Verfe, on Occafion of a Marriage fcetween two Perfons of Eminence.
The Topicks it chiefly infills on, are the Praifes of Matrimony, and of the Married Couple; with the Pomp and Order of the Marriage Solemnity. It concludes, with praying to the Gods for their Profperity, their happy Offspring, &c. Catullus exceeded all Antiquity, in his Epithalammms ; and the Cavalier Marino, all the Moderns.
The Word is form'd of bin and 3***^©-, Srilh; Chamber.
EPITHEME, Epitmema, in Pharmacy, a Kind of Fomentation, or Remedy, of a liquid, fpiriruous Kind - applied externally upon the Regions of the Heari, or Liver ■ to ftrcngthen and comfort the fame, or to correct fume Intempeiaturc. Sec Fomentation.
There are two Kinds of Epithems ; the one Liquid, and the other Solid : The Liquid Ejnthem is a Fomenta- tion of a more fpirituous Nature than the reft 3 the Solid, is a Mixture of Conserves, Treacle, Confections, and Cordial Powders, generally fpread on a Piece of Scarlet, or Leather.
The Word is form'd of the Greek, &m } uj>on, and 775«("», pouo, I put.
EPITHET, a Noun Adjective, cxprefling fomc Quality of a Subftantive to which it is:'joyn'd. Seq. Adjective.
As, a fruitful Vine, ajiately Pile, an Echoing Vault, &c.
Epithets, are Engines of mighty U e and Convenicncy among the Poets and Orators; who fupply in Epithets^ whar they want in Things. Card. 'Perron even blames Homer on the Head of Epithets ; obferving, that he frequently hooks in Epithets, without any Senfe, or Significancy at all, to help out his Meafurcs 3 and that he equips every Hero with an Epithet, nor according to the Exigence of the Cafe, but the Meafure of the Verfe.
The Word is form'd of urn, upon, and 5ntn< } pofitio, putting.
Epithet, is alfo ufed for a Sar-name, or fecond Ap- pellation. See Sur-name.
Epithets, were antiently befiow'd very frankly, either on Account of any Defeats of the Body, or Mind : The Kings themfelves, were not exempted from them. Hence, thofe Epithets fo frequent in Hhtory ; as Henry Long- jhanks, Edward Iron-fides, Richard Crook-back, John Lack-land, Sec.
Nor have the French ufed their Kings any better ; Witnefs their Charles the fimple, Louis the lazy, faneant, Ludovicus nihil faciens 3 Pepin the port 5 Louis the Stammerer, le Segue.
EPITHYME, a Medicinal Plant, of a very extraordi- nary Nature and Figure. Its Seed is very imall, from which arife long Threads like Hairs, which foon perifh, as well as the Root, unlefs they meet with fome neigh- bouring Plant, both to fuifain and feed them.
The E ithyme grows indifferently on all Kinds of Herbs 5 and, of Confcquencc, the Kinds thereof are infinite : To which Writers u hally attribute the particular Virtues of the Plants they grow on.
The molt known of thefe Plants, and thofe moft ufed in Medicii e, are fuch as grow on Thyme; which are the proper Epithymes 3 and thofe on Flax. There are two Kinds in the Shops ; the one from Venice, the other from Candia : They have both an Aromatic Tail, but that of Venice the iirungeft.
Their Ufe is to ftrengih n the Pats, and prevent Ob- fflructiens of the Yi'cera, iSc.
EPITOME, an Abridgment, or Reduction, of the prin- cipal Matters of a larger Book, into a little Compafs.
See ABRIDGMENT.
The Epitome of Bar&nfots 9 s Annals is done by Sponde ; Zernier has made an Epitome of the Phiiofophy of Gaffendtis.
'Tis a popular Objection againft the Epitomizing of Authors, that it frequently occafions the Lofs of the Originals. Thus the Lofs of the Hiftorian Irogm Pompeius, is at- tributed to his Epitomizcr ffuJUn 5 and the Lofs of a great Part of Livy to Ltt. Florus.
The Word is Greek, st/'^-w, form'd of \weHp#w 7 refecare, to retrench, abridge, or cut off.
EPITRITUS, a Foot of the antient Latin Verfe, con- filling of four Syllables. See Foot.
Grammarians reckon four Species of Epi'trites : The ftrft compounded of an Jam-bus and Spond"e, as S&Stsntes. The fecond of a Trochee and spondee, as Concitaci. The third of a Spondee and an Ja-uibus, as Cotnumchm. And the fourth of a spondee and 'irochee, as TncZnthre.
EPITROPE, in Rhetoric, a Figure of Speech, by the Latins call'd Conceffio ; whereby the Orator grants ibme- thing which he might deny ; that, by this Shew of Im- partiality, he may the more eafily be granted what he requires, in his Turn. See Figure.
This Figure is frequently invidious : Let them extol his Probity; I acquie'ee and am ready to be filcnt : But when they propofe him for a Pattern of Wit, my Spleen is fais'd, ££c.
EP1TROPUS, a Kind of Judge, or rather Arbitrator, which the Greek Chriflians, under the Dominion of the Ft'rks, elect, in the feveral Cities, to terminate the Diffe- rences that arife among them; and avoid carrying them before the Turkip Magi fixates.
There are feveral Efitropi in each City : Monf. Spon, in his Travels, obfervvs, that at rfrheas there iire Eight, ta&en out of the feveral Pai-jflics, and call'd Vecchiardi,
