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findyx, which is a mineral fubftance ; the lame with what is otherwife called Jkndaracba. It is certain the poet takes it for a plant, as was long ago obferved by Pliny : Animad- •verfo Virgilmm exifimajfe herbam id ejfe. Hift. Nat. /. 35. c. 6. This inference is chiefly drawn from the word pafcentes, which can mean nothing elfe, but that the lambs browiing on the fandyx, fhould receive the dye in their fleeces from the aliment. Dr. B — here gives us a correction which fets all to rights : for pafcer.tes he reads Hafcentes. On which footing the tenor of the paflkge is this: from that time there will be no need of dying wool with beautiful colours ; but the ibeep mail have "their fleeces ^/y^t/ naturally, and fpontaneouf- ly; fome with the murex, or purple colour; others with the hteitt, or yellow ; others with jh/idjx, Or red. Thofe that were already in being, and had white fleeces, fliall change them in pratis, in the meadows ; but all the lambs ihall be dyed beautifully nafcenies, at their birth. V. Mem. of Liter. T. 2. art. 2. p. 7, Ml-
GYMNASIUM*, a place fitted for performing exer- cifes of the body. See Gymnasticks.
- The word is Greek, yvpwtmov, formed of yvp.v<&, naked ;
by reafon they anciently put off their clothes, to practife
with the more freedom. Among the ancients, gymnafum, was a public edifice deftined for exercife, and where people were taught, and regularly difciplined therein, under proper matters. It" we may credit Solon in Lucian's Anacbarfis, and Cicero de Oral. lib. 2. the Greeks were the firft who had gymnafia ; and among the Greeks, the Lacedemonians : after them the Athenians ; from whom the Romans borrowed them. There were three principal gymnafw.ms at Athens; the aca- demy, where Plato taught ; the lyceum, noted for Ariftotle's lectures ; and the cynofarges, allotted for the populace. See Academy, and Lyceum.
Vitruvius defcribes the ftructure and form of the ancient gymnafiums, lib. 5. c. II.- — They were called gymnafia, be- caufe the champions performed naked; and palaflra, from wrejttingi which was one of the molt ufual ex ere ifes* there : the Romans fometimes alfo called them thermes, becaufe the baths and bagnio's made a principal part thereof. See Pa- lustra, Bath, &c.
It appears that they did not perform their exercifes quite na- ked fo early as the time of Homer, but always in draw- ers ; which they did not lay afide before the thirty fecond olympiad. One Orfippus is faid to have been the firft that introduced the practice ; for having been worfted by means of his drawers undoing, and entangling him, he threw them quite afide ; and the reft afterwards imitated him. The gymnafia conftfted of fevcral members or apartments. M. Burette, after Vitruvius, recites no lefs than twelve, viz. 1°. The exterior portico's where the philofophers, rhetorici- ans, mathematicians, phyficians, and other virtuofi, read public lectures, difputcd, and rchearfed their performances. 2°. The epbebeum, where the youth affembled very early to learn their exercifes in private, without any fpectators. y. The coryecum, apodyterion, or gymnaflerion, a kind of ward- robe where they ftript, either to bathe or exercife. 4 . The eltsothefium, alipterion, or uncluarium, appointed for the unc- tions which either preceded or followed the ufe of the bath, wreftling, pancratia, &c. 5 . The emi/hrium, or coniflra, in which they covered themfelves with fand or duft to dry up the oil, or fweat. 6". The palaflra properly fo called, where they practifed wreftling, the pugilate, pancra- tia, and divers other exercifes. 7 . The fphetriflerium, or tennis court, refcrved for exercifes wherein they ufed balls. 8°. Large unpaved alleys, which comprehended the fpace between the portico's, and the walls wherewith the edifice was furrounded. 9 . The xyfli, which were portico's for the wrefllers in winter or bad weather. 10°. Other xyfli' s, or open alleys, allotted for dimmer and fine weather ; fome of which were quite open, and others planted with trees. II". The baths, confifting of feveral different apartments. See Bath. 12°. The fladium, a large fpace, of a femi- circular form, covered with fand, and furrounded with feats for the fpectators. See Stadium. For the adminiftration of the gymnafia, there were divers officers; the principal were, i°. The gymnafiarcha, who was the director and fuperintendant of the whole. 2°. The xyjlarcba, who prefided in the xyftus or ftadium. 3 . The gymnafia, or matter of the exercifes, who underftood their different effects, and could accommodate them to the different complexions of the athletae. 4 . The padotriba, whofe bufinefs was mechanically to teach the exercifes, without underftanding their theory or ufe. Under thefe four officers were a number of fubalterns, whofe names diftinguifhed their different functions.
For die kinds of exercifes practifed in the gymnafia, they may be reduced to two chiles, as they depend either on the action of the body alone, or as they require external agents, or inftruments. The former are chiefly of two kinds; or- cheflice, and palaflrice. The orchcjlice comprehended, i\ Dancing, 2°. CabiJlUe,
or the art of tumbling. 3". Spbteriflice, or tennis, including all the exercifes with pitae, or balls.
The paltzjlrice comprifed all exercifes under the denominati- on palaflra ; as, wreftling, boxing, pancratia, hoplomachia, running, leaping, throwing the difcus, the exercife of the jave- lin, and that of the hoop, denominated by the Greeks Tp55C©S which conlifted m rolling an iron hoop, five or fix foot in diameter, befet with iron rings, the noife of which apprifing the people to give way, afforded them alfo an amufemerit. Both ftrength and fkill were requifite in directing this hoop, which was to be driven with an iron rod. To thefe mutt alfo he added, the exercifes belonging to the medicinal gymnafticks : as, i°. Walking. 2". Pocferati6n > or fhouting. 3". Holding one's breath.
The bodily exercifes which depend on external agents, may be reduced to mounting the horfe, riding in a chaife, litter, or other wheeled vehicle, rocking in beds, or cradles, and fometimes fwinging : to which may be added, the art of fzuimming. — Hoffman enumerates no lefs than fifty five forts of gymnaftic exercifes. GYMNASTICKS, Gym nastice, or the Gymnastic art, denotes the art of performing exercifes of the body, whether for defence, health, or diversion. See Gymnasium* The gymnajlic art is divided into three fpecies, or branches ; military, medicinal, and athletic, or fportive. Several modern writers have treated of this art, as Mercuria- lis, de arte Gymnaflica; Faber, in Agoniflic. Joubert de Gymnafiis -, Cagnatus de Sank, tuend. Voffius de Shiatuor Ar- tib. Popular. Meurfius de Orchefha; Fuller in Medicincc Gymnaflica ; and M. Burette in feveral differ rations on the ancient Dancing, Sphcrifiics, Athletics, Wreflling, Pugillate r Difcus, Sec.
M. Burette has given the hiftory of gymnaflics in the Me- moirs of the Royal Academy of Infcriptims. — According to him, this art is coeval with the world. In reality, we can hardly fuppofe mankind to have ever been without exercifes of the body ; which the defence of their perfons, the prefer- vation of health, and even recreation, and mirth, would neceffarily lead them fo. See Exercise. On the firft eftablifhment 'of fociety, men, being apprized of the neceffity of military exercifes for repelling the infulta of their neighbours, inftituted games, and propofed prizes,, to animate their youth to combats of divers kinds. See Game. And, as running, leaping, ftrength and dexterity of arm; in throwing the javelin, driving a ball, or a quoit, together with wreftling, &c. were exercifes fuited to the manner of fighting in thofe days ; fo the youth vied to excel in them in the prefence of the aged, who fat their judges, 2nd difpenfed prizes to the conquerors : till what was origi- nally only amufement, became at length a matter of fuch importance, as to intereft famous cities, and entire nations in its practice.
Hence an emulation and eagernefs to excel, in hopes one day of being proclaimed and crowned conquerors in the pub- lic games, which was the higheft honour a mortal could ar- rive at. Nay, they went fo far as to imagine, that even gods and demi-gods were not infenfible of what men were fo captivated withal ; and in confequence hereof, to intro- duce the greateft part of thefe exercifes into their religious ceremonies, the worfhip of their gods, and the funeral ho- nours done the manes of the dead. See Funeral, &c. Though it be hard to determine the precife epocha of the gymnajlic art, yet it appears from feveral pafi'ages in Homer, and particularly the 23d book of the Iliad, where he de* fcribes the games celebrated at the funeral of Patroclus, that it was not unknown at the time of the Trojan war. — From, that defcription, which is the earlieft monument now extant of the Grecian gymnaflics, it appears that they had chariot races, boxing, wreftling, foot races, gladiators, throwing; the difcus, drawing the bow, and hurling the javelin ; and it fhould feem from the particular account Homer gives of thefe exercifes, that even then the gymnaflk art wanted little of perfection : fo that when Galen fays, there was no gym- naftic art in Homer's days, and that it begun to appear no earlier than Plato, he is to be underftood of the medicinal gymnaflics only. This laft, indeed, had its rife later; be- caufe, while men continued fober and laborious, they had no occafion for it. But when luxury and idlenefs had re- duced them to the fad neceffity of applying to phyficians; thefe who had found that nothing contributed fo much to the prefervation and re-eftablifhnient of health, as exer- cifes proportioned to the different complexions, ages, and fexes, did not fail to remit them to the practice of gymnaflics. According to Plato, one Hcrodicus, prior a little to Hippo- crates, was the firft who introduced this art into phvfic; and his fucceflbrs, convinced by experience of its ufefulnefs, ap- plied themfelves in earneft to improve it. Hippocrates, in his book of Regimen, has given inftances of it, where he treats of exercife in general, and of the parti- cular effects of walking, with regard to health ; alfo of the different forts of races, either on foot or horfeback, leaping, wreftlinsr., the exercile of the fufpended ball called corycus* chironomy, unctions, frictions, rolling in the land, csV. See Friction, ciY.
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