NOT
(63S)
NOT
In this fenfe } Note Stands contra-diftinguifhed to Text. See Text.
The Notes make the principal Differences in the Edi- tions of Claffic, &C. Authors. We have Virgil, Horace, Te- rence, &c. wi;h Rttxus's tfo:es, the Daufhin's Notes, Del- eter's Notes, hentley's Notes, Harems Notes ; with Notis ^ a ~ riorum, ££c. See Variorum.
Note is alfo a minute, or fhort Writing, containing fome Article of Bufinefs. In this fenfe we fay, zFrom'iffory Note, a Note under hand, a Bank Note, &c. See Promissory, Bank, ££c.
To Note a Bill, is when a Public Notary goes to be a "Witnefs, or take notice that a Merchant will not accept or pay it. See Bill.
Note of a Fine, isa Brief of a Fine made by the Chiro- grapher, before it be ingroffed. See Fine and Chiro-
GRAPHER.
Note is alfo ufed for a Character, or Abbreviature, fer- ving to denote, or exprefs Something in a little compafs. See Character, Symbol, Abbreviature, and No- tation.
The antient Notaries wrote all in Notes, or Short-band ; whence they were fometimes denominated Carfares^ Quia notis Curfum -verba expediebant. See Notary.
Notes in Mufic, are Characters which mark the Tones, i. e. the Elevations, and Fallings of the Voice ; and the Jwik- nefs, or flownefs of its Motions. See Sound.
In the general, under Notes are comprehended all the Signs, or Characters ufed in Mufic, for the making Harmony of Sounds. See Character.
But, in Propriety, the Word only implies the Marks which denote the degree of Gravity, or Acutenefs, to be given each Sound. See Gravity.
The Greeksufcd the common Letters of their Alphabet for mufical Notes ; and in regard more JVofe* were needed than they had Letters, the deleft was fupply'd by the dif- ferent Situation of the Letters, viz. by placing of them upright, inverted, $£c. and by cutting off, or doubling fome Strokes.
Thus the fame Letter Pi, exprefs'd different Notes in all the following forms, IT, U, C, Zi Fi '"I. For every feveral Mode they had 1S Signs.
Now, Alipius gives us Signs for 15 different Modes, ^ which with the differences of the Genera, and the distinction be- tween Voice and Instrument, Mr. Malcolm obferves, makes in all i6%oNotes. Nor that they had fo many diftinct Cha ratters 5 but the fame Character has different Significations, on different Occafions. Thus * in the Diatonic Genus is JLycanos Hypaton of the Lydian Mode ; and h'ypate me/071 of the Phrygian.
The Latins, in the time of Boethhs, had eafed them- felves of fo needlefs a Burthen ; and only ufed the firft 15 Lettersof their Alphabet for Norej. Thcfe,Pope Gregory considering that the Octave was the fame in effect with the firft, and that the order was the fame in the upper and lower Octave of the Gamut, reduced to feven ; which were to be repeated in a different Character.
Atlength, in the nth Century, a Benediftine, one Guido Cretin, in lieu of the Letters, fubftkuted the fix Syllables ut, re, mi, fa, fol, la ; placing them on different Lines, and marking them with Points. Laftly, it was thought proper to add Notes likewife in the Spaces. See Ga- mut.
Of the feven mufical Nttes, ut, re, mi, fa, fol, la, fi, the firSt fix are afcribed to Aretine, who is laid to have in- vented them at Fompofa in the Dutchy of Perrara. The Se- venth, viz. Ji, was added, according to fome, by Zander Futten j according to others, by LeTvhire. It ferves very good purpofes, in avoiding the difficulty of the Divisions re- maining in Gitido's Scale.
Indeed Vofftts won't allow Gtitdo the Honour of inventing any of them 5 but Shews that the Egyptians had ufed them long before him ; in which he is confirmed by theTefUmony of Halicarnajjetis : However, common Fame afcribes to him not only the Notes, but alfo the Lines, Letters, or Clefs, Flats, and Sharps.
The Notes ut, re, mi, &c. he 3s faid to have taken from a Hymn in the Vefpers of S. 3. Baptift, Ut queant laxis re~ jonare ftbris, &c. See Music.
Hitherto the Notes only ferved to exprefs the Degrees of Tune; they were all of equal value as to time; till about the Year 1350, John de Meurs, a Dottorof Paris, gave different Figures to the different Points, to exprefs the Quantity of" Time each was to be dwelt upon.
There are three things to be confider'd in thefe Notes. 1. The Quantity, i.e. the Size and figure of the head, a. The Quality, i.e. the Colour of the head, whether it be white or black, full or open. 3. The Properties, as the Italians exprefs themfelves, -viz. whether the Note is ac- companied with a Virgula, or Comma, or not. It mull likewife be confider'd whether the Notes be feparate and diftinct, or bound together.
The feveral mufical Notes, are, the Large, which con- tains 3 Meafures, tho Merfenmts makes it 12.. (fee its Figure iinderCiiARACTER ;) the long, containing 4 Meafures ; the Breve, containing z j the Semibreve, containing 1 ; the Mimm -| j the Crochet | ; the Quaver * ; the Semiquaver -^ j and the Demifemiqttaver T V
Ufually we only diitinguifh fix principal Notes, repre- fented by as many different Characters, viz. the Semibreve, equal to two Minims ; the Minim, equal to two Crochets 5 the Crochet, equal to two Quavers ; the Quaver, equal to two DemiquLivers 5 and the Semiquaver^ equal to two Demi- femiquavers. See each under its proper Article, Semi- breve, Mini m, Crochet, &c.
The Mathematicians compute, that one may make 720 Changes, or Varieties with fix Notes, without ever repeating the fame twice ; and that of the Now of each Octave, one may make 40320 different Tunes, or Songs. See Chanoe,
CoMBINATIOn, £J?C.
NOTHING, Nihil, Nihilum, or Nou Ens, fee Nihil.
The Schoolmen diftinguifh between Nothing taken ftrillly, which is what is impoffible, or implies a Contra- diction ; and Nothing taken more generally : which is both poifible, and impoffible while in a State or pofTibility. See Possible.
Again, they diitinguifh Nothing into Negative, which is the abfence of Reality in any Subject ; and Privative, which is the abfence of Reality in a Subject capable thereof, or wherein it ought to be found.
NOTFiUS, a Latin Term, properly Signifying Baftard s or a Per fon of Spurious Birth. See Bastard.
Hence it is apuly'd figuratively by Phyficians, £$c. to fuch Difeafes as tho, in refpect of a Similitude of Symptoms, kSc. they have the fame Denomination as fome others ; yet are of different Origin, Seat, or the like, from the lame. See Empyema. &c,
Notiius, is Sometimes alio ufed for the back part of the Cheft.
NOTHiE Cofia, in Anatomy, the five loweft Ribs on each fide ; call'd Ballard, or Spurious Ribs, in regard they don't join with the Brcait- Bone as the other Ribs do, nor are they, as the others are, bony, but cartilaginous. See Ribs.
NOTION, in Logic, an Idea, or Reprefentation of any thing, in the Mind. See Idea.
M. Leibnitz is very accurate in the Distinction of Notions, m the ABa Erudit. Leiff Anno KS84.
A clear Notion, he defines to be fuch a one as Suffices us to recollect the Object ; v.gr. that a given Figure is reckon'd in the number of Triangles.
Anohfcure Notion, is that whichdoth not fuffice to re- collect the Object ; fuch, v. gr. is that of a Plant, which upon feeing, you are in doubt whether or no it be the fame you had feen elfewhere, and which is call'd by this or that Name.
DiftinB Notion is that wherein you are able to affign the very Marks, or Characters by which you recollect the thing ; v.gr. That a Circle is a Figure terminated with a curve Line returning into itfelf, the feveral Points whereof are equally distant from one and the fame intermediate Point.
A confufed Notion is that wherein you are not able to aSSlgn the Marks or Characters whereby you recollect the Object ; tho it be refolvable into them. Such, v. gr. is the Notion of red Colour.
An adequate Notion, that wherein you have diftinct No- tions of the Marks or Characters whereof it is compofed 5 fuch, v.gr. is the Notion ofaCircle above inftanced, where you have diftinct Notions of the Curve returning into itfelf, of the intermediate Point, and of the equal Distance and Termination.
An inadequate Notion, that wherein you have only a confufed Notion of Characters that enter a diftinct one.
Some confufed Notion* are admitted into Mathematics ; viz. fuch whofe refolution is of no great Confequence to any Demonstrations.
Thus, Euclid does not refolve the Notion of Equalities, tho it enter the Notion of an equilateral Triangle, a Rhom- bus, £=?<:. inafmuch as the Propofitions for whofe Demonstra- tion it Should be ufed, are eafily granted without fuch a detail; as, v.gr. that things equal to the fame third, are equal to one another, 2?tf. But no Notions are admitted into the Number of Mathematical Definitions, except diftinct ones, and thofe too as adequate as poffible, or as occafion requires. See Definition.
The Schoolmen distinguish Notions into formal, and ob- jeBive ; and each of thefe they fubdivide into firft, and fe- cond.
A fir ft formal Notion, is the Knowledge we have of any thing according to what it is, or has in itfelf ; as the Know: ledge of Fire, ftmtems Fire 5 of a light Body, fttatenus light, &c.
