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Mttalis Jflsu'Sf, &c. The Primitive Chrlftians, finding it thus eftabli/hed, ufed it in the fame manner ; and hence we meet in the antient Martyrologifts with Natalis Calycis t for the Feaft of the Supper, or Maunday-Thurfday. Natalis Cathedra, for the Pontificate of St. Peter : The Natality or Natalitium of fuch a Church, for the Feaft of the Dedica- tion.
The Word Genethlion is ufcd by the Greeks in the fame fenfe as Natalis, or Natalitium, among the Latins.
The Ludi Natalitii, Natal Games, were Games intro- duced on the Anniverfaries of the Birth-Days of their great Men.
The Natal Ring, Annulus Natalities, was a Ring only wore on the Birth- Day.
NATES, in Anatomy, a Term expreffing thofe two flefhy Parts of the Body, popularly called the Hips, otBut- locks.
NATES Cerebri, are two Circular Protuberances of the Brain, fituate on the back-fide of the Medulla Oblongata near the Cerebellum. See Brain.
NATION, a Colleaive Term, ufed for a considerable People, inhabiting a certain Extent of Ground, enclofed within certain Limits, and under the fame Government,
Each Nation has its particular Character : 'Tis prover- bially faid, Light as a Frenchman, Waggi/h and Silly as an Italian, Grave as a Spaniard, Wicked and Unlucky as an Englijkman, Fierce as a Scotchman, Drunken as a German, Idle as an Irifoman, Deceitful as a Greek, &c.
Nation is alfo ufed in fome Univerfities, for a certain Diftinclion of the Scholars, or Profeffors of Colleges : Thus the Faculty of Paris confiils of four Nations 5 •viz-, that of France, that of Normandy, that of Picardy, and that of Ger- many ; which are again, excepting that of Normandy, diilin- gui/hed into Tribes j each Tribe has its Deacon.
The German Nation comprehends all foreign Nations, Englijh, Italian, &c. When the Procureur of the French Nation fpeaks in publick, his Stile is, Honoranda Galhrum Natio. He of Ficardy fays, Fidelijjtma Picardorum Natio. He of Normandy, Veneranda Normannorttm Natio. He of the Nation of Germany, Conjlantiijima GermanoTum Natio.
National Synod. See Synod.
NATIVE, is applied to a Pcrfon confider'd as born in A certain Place 5 or deriving his Origin therefrom.
The more accurate Writers dillinguiih between a Native of a Place, and being born therein. Born fignifies no more than the having been there produced, or brought into the World, whether that were the proper Country, or Habita- tion of the Parents, or whether they were there only by accident, as Strangers, l§c. Whereas Native refers to the proper Manfion, or Relidence of the Parents and the Fa- mily 5 and where the Pcrfon has his Education. And hence a Perfon may be a Native of one Place, and born at another. Thus Jefus Guilt is cali'd a Nazarite, and Gait lean, as a Native ; tho' he were born at Bethlehem in \}uda.
NATIVE, Nativus, in our antientLaw-Books, fignified a Perfon who was born a Slave ; by which he differ'd from one who had fold himfelf, or became a Slave by his own Deed.— — Servos enim alios Bonnos dicimus alios Nativos, alios Vi llanos. Bondifunt qui paBionis Vinculo fe adjirinxerunt, De Nativis, infra. Villani Junt qui Glefae afcripti Villam colunt Dominicam, nee exire licet fine Domini hicentia. Spelm.
Nativje 'Tenentes, in our old Law- Books, are Tenants who hold Native Land; i.e. Land fubjecr to the Services of Natives. Spelman.
Nativi deStlfite, were Villains or Bond-men by Birth or Family. — — There were alfo Nativi Conventional, who were Villains by Contract or Covenant. Servi enim alii na- tura, alii faSli, alii smptione, alii redemption e, alii fua vel al~ terius datione. LL. Hen. I. cap. 76. In Corn-wall it was a Cuf- tom, that if a Freeman married Naxivam, and brought her ad Liberum Tenementum & Liberum Thorum, and had two Daughters, one of them was free, and the other a Villain. BraBon Lib. 4.
NATIVITY, Natal-Day, or the Day of one's Birth.
The Term is chiefly ufed in fpeaking of Saints, ££?e. The Nativity of St. John Baptljr, &c. When we fay abfo- lutely the Nativity, it is underftood of that of Jefus Chrift, or the Feaft of Cbriftmau See FeAst.
'Tis commonly held, that Pope Telefphorus was the firfl who decreed the Feaft of the Nativity to be held on the 25th of December. John, Archbifhop of Nice, in an Epiftle upon the Nativity of Jcius Chrift, relates, that at the in- stance of St. Cyril of jerufalem, Pope Julius procured a drift Inquiry to be made into the Day of our Saviour's Nati- vity ; which being found to he on the 25th of December^ they began thenceforth to celebrate the Feaft on that Day. SccChristmas.
In antient Law- Books, Nativity, Nativhas, fignifies Bon- dage, or Servitude.
Nativity, in Aflrology, the fame with Horofcope. Sec Horoscope.
Cajiing the Nativity, or by Calculation feeing to inow how long the Queen fhould live, &c. was mude Felony An.z'i, Eliz. c.z. **
NATRON, or Anatron, in Natural Hiftory, a kind of black, greyifli Salt, taken out of a Lake of ftagnant Water, in the Territory of Terrana in Egypt. See Salt
'Tis much of the nature of Nitre, whence it is called Egyptian Nitre, and is even fuppofed to be the proper Ni- tre of the Antients. See Nitre.
'Tis a popular Error, that all Bones or Stones thrown into this Lake, are by degrees converted into Natron, h makes a great Ebullition, when mixed with Acids 5 whence it is ranked as of the Alkali Kind.
'Tis ufed in the Whitening of Linnen 5 but burns them
if not corrected by a Mixture of A/hes. See Whitening!
The Natron^ of Egypt, as defcribed by Pliny, Uatthiolus
and Jgricola, is an Alkali Salt perforated in manner of a*
Sponge, and of a Lixivial Tafte.
Its Principles, Dr. Leigh takes to be chiefly two 5 viz. 9, Sea-Salt, and an Urinous Salt. The firft, he takes it for granted, it,receivesfrotu the Earth 5 the fecond, from the Air.
Dr.Htmtmgton, who was on the fpot, fays the Natron is thought to rife from the bottom of the Lake ; where by the Heat of the Sun, it is condensed, and hardened 'into the Form we fee it in : But his Opinion is, that 'tis rather feparated by the Sun from the Water.
M. de la Chambre adds, that three or four Days before the Nile begins to overflow, there falls a certain Dew, of a fer- mentative Vertue, infomuch as to leaven a Pafte expofed to if, and that at the fame time the Natron rifes.
Hippocrates, Galen, Natthiolus, Dioj'corides, S?e. mention it as of ufe in Phyfic 5 and M. deClos is even of opinion, that all the Mineral Waters of france are impregnated with this kind of Nitre; and that 'tis hence they derive their Medi- cinal Vertues.
It is of lingular Efficacy in fertilizing of Ground ; which Dr. Leigh accounts fjv, by fuppnfing its volatile Particles heated by fome fubterraneous Fire^ or by the Warmth of the Sun 5 and thus readily made to afcend up the minute Tubes of Plants, and carry with them the Juices of the Earth.
Pliny derives the Invention of Glafs from fome of this Natron accidentally melted down into the Sand, where it run into Streams of Glafs, See Glass.
This Nitre is difiingui/hed from Salt Petre, by its fer- menting with Acids, which Salt Peter will not do ; by its volatile Spirit, its lixivial Smell, by the clammy infold Subflancc it yields, &c. It agrees with Salt Petre, in thar by dropping Spirit of Sulphur upon ir, it fixoots into pyra- midal Cryftals. Dr. Leigh thinks it comes nearer a Sal Ar- moniac than Salt Petre. See Salt Petre.
Dr. Lifter conjectures, that moft of the Salt Water of the Lakes of Egypt, having pafs'd thro' the Bodies of thofe vaft Animals wherewith they are ftocked, as Crocodiles, Hip- popotami, &c. muft of confluence be rendred Urinous, or Salino-Utinous ; which is a Compofition of Sal Armo- niac. See Sal Armoniac.
NATTA.or Nata, or Nasa, or Nafta, in Medicine a Tumor ariling in feveral Parts of the Body.
Blancard defines it, a large, fofr, reddifh, painful Tumor, arifing ufually on the Back, fometimes on the Shoulders : Its Root is very fmall, yet it grows fo prodigioufly, that it fometimes equals a Melon, or Gourd.
Natt.e, or, as fome call them, Nates, oftcneft appear on the Neck, much after the manner of Talpa. See Tal- pa.
They are of the Oedematous Kind, and are to be extir- pated by Incifion, and their Return prevented by red, pre- cipitate, Vitriol, or burnt Allom ftrew'd on the Place.
Banhol'me mentions a Lady, who cured herfelf of a Nat- ta, by biting it off.
NATURAL, fometbing concerning Nature, belonging to .Nature, arifing from a Principle of Nature, or conform- able to the ordinary Courfe and Order of Nature. See Na- ture.
When a Stone falls downwards, we vulgarly fay it docs it by a Natural Motion 5 but if it be thrown upwards, its Motion is faid to be violent. So Water fufpended in a fucking Pump, is faid to be out of its Natural Place : Cures wrought by Medicines, are Natural Operations ; but the mi- raculous ones wrought by Chrift, Supernatural. See Sup er- naturAl, Jjfc.
Natural Children, are thofe born out of lawful Wed- lock. See Bastard.
Natural Horizon, is the fenfible or phyfical Horizon, See Horizon.
Natural Law. See haw of Nature.
Natural P>ay,~) „ C Day. Natural Tear, 5 e ZYear.
Na-