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Emperor Valextitiian, by an Edift, permitted all the Sub- jects of the Empire to marry feveral Wives; nor does it ap- pear from the Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of thofe Times that the Bifhops made any Oppofition to this Introduction of Poly- gamy.
In effeft, there are fome even among the Chriftian Ca- fuifts who don't look on Polygamy as in itfelf criminal.— Ja- rieu obferves, that the Prohibition of Polygamy is a pofitive Law, from which a Man may be exempted by foveraign Neceffity.— Bailltt adds, that the Example of the Patriarchs is the moft preffing Argument in favour of Polygamy.
At London we had fome Years ago an artful Treatife puh- lifh'din behalf of a Plurality of Wives, under the Title ofiV lygamia. Triumphatrix ; the Author whereof affumes the Name of Theophilus Aletheus ; but his true Name was Lyfirus a Native of Saxony.— It has been anfwered by feveral.
Polygamy is alfo ufed in the Canon Law, for a Plu- rality of Wives, tho' only had fucceffively, or one at a Time. See Wife.
In the Romijh Church this ftill difqualifies a Man for the Epifcopate. See Bigamy.
The Word is form'd from the Greek wwl, multum, and ttfai, Vxor, Wife.
POLYCHRESTON, Polychrest, in Pharma- cy, a Medicine that ferves for many Ufes, or cures many Difeafes. See Panacea.
The Word is compounded of the Greek trohO, multum, much, and ajurtj, utilis, ufeful.
S.il-P olychrest is a compound Salt, made of equal Parts of Salt-Petre and Sulphur, laid on a Crucible firft heat- ed red hot for the Purpofe. See Salt. POLYEDRON. See Polyhedron. POLYGLOT T, or Polyglott e, among Divines and Criticks, a Bible printed in feveral Languages. See Bible. Itis thuscall'd from the Greek »»M? > and yhailti. Tongue. The firft Polygtott-Bible is that of Cardinal Ximenes, print- ed in 1515, at Alcala de Henares; and commonly call'd the Bible of Complutum, or Complutenfian Bible.
It contains the Hebrew Text, the Chaldee Paraphrafe on the Pentateuch, the Greek Veriion of the LXX. and the ancient Latin Edition. See Pentateuch, Para- phrase, &c.
In this Polyglott there is no other Latin Verfion from the /frfa-erobefide this laft, but there is added another literal one from the Greek Septuagint.— — The Greek Text of the New Teftament is here printed without Accents, to bring it near- er to the Original of the Apoftles, or at leaft to the moft ancient Copies, wherein there are no Accents found. See Accent.
At the End is added an Apparatus of Grammars, Dictio- naries, andlndices or Tables. The chiefAuthor, Ximenes
de Cineros, Cardinal and Archbilhop of Toledo, in his Dedi- cation to Pope Leo X. obferves, that it was neceffiry to give the Holy Scriptmes in their Originals ; there being noTran- ilation, how perfeft lbever, that can render them per- feftly.
The fecond Polyglott is that of Philip II. printed by Plan- tin at Antwerp, in 1572. and the Care of the Edition im- poied on Arias Aiontanus.
In this, befides every thing in the Bible of Complutum, are added the Chaldee Paraphrafes on the reft of the Old Teftament befide the Pentateuch, with a Latin Translation of thofe Paraphrafes. In this Polyglott is likewife a very literal Latin Verfion of the Hebrew Text, for the Ufe of thofe who have a mind to learn the Hebrew Language.
As to the New Teftament, befide the Greek and Latin of the Bible of Alcala, in this Edition is added an antient Syriac Verfion, both in Syriac and Hebrew Characters, with Points, to facilitate the reading thereof to thofe accuitomed to read Hebrew.— To the Syriac is likewife added a Latin one, com- pofed by Guy le Fevre, who had the Care of the Syriac Ver- fion of the New Teftament.
Laftly,in the Polyglott of Antwerp is added a more copious Apparatus of Grammars, Dictionaries, &c. than in that of Complutum ; with feveral little Treaties judgM neceflary for clearing up the more difficult Paffiges in the Text.
The third Polyglott is that of M. Jay, printed at Paris in 1645. which has this Advantage over that of Philip II. that it has the Syriac and Arabic Verlions of the Old Teftament with Latin Interpretations. -In the Pentateuch it has like- wife the Hebrew and Samaritan Text; and the Samaritan Verfiou in Samaritan Characters.
As to the New Teftament, befide every thing in the Poly- glott of Antwerp-? here is added an Arabic Tranflation, with a Latin Interpretation.— But here wants the Apparatus, and the Grammars and Dictionaries, which are in both the for- mer Polyglots, which renders this great Work very imper- fect.
The fourth Polyglott is that of London, printed in 165:7, .call'd Walton's Polyglott, from the Author of the Edition JOr. Brian Walton afterwards Bifhop of WmcheHsr.
Thisismdeed lefs magnificent than that of M.Jay, wltfs regard both to the Size of the Paper, and the Beauty of the Uiarafters ; but is in all other refpetfts preferable ; being both much more ample and more commodious.
In this, the Vulgate is printed according to the revifed and corrected Edition of Clement VIII. which is not done in that of Parts, where the Vulgate is printed as it ftands in that oi Antwerp before the Correction. See Vulgate.
It likewife contains an interlineary Latin Verfion of the Hebrew Text; whereas the Paris Edition has no other La- tin Verfion from the Hebrew befide the common Vulgate : again, the Greek Septuagint printed in this Polyglott is not the fame with that printed in the Bible of Complutum, which was retained in the Editions of Antwerp and Paris ; but the Greek Text of the Edition of Rome: to which are added the various Readings of another very antient Greek Copy call'd the Alexandrian, becaufe brought from Alexandria. See Septuagint.
The Latin Verfion of theiTreei of the Seventy is thatpnb- hfh'd by Flaminius Nobilius, by Authority of Pope Sixtus V. Add, that in this Polyglott are found fome Parts of the Bible in Ethiopian and Perfian, nothing whereof appears in any of the reft,
Laftly, this Edition has the Advantage of Preliminary Difcourfes call'd Prolegomena, on the Text both of the Ori- ginals, and Verlions; with a Volume of various Readings of all the different Editions.
To the Number of Polyglott s may likewife be added the two Pentateuch's printed by the Jews of Conflantinople, in four Languages ; but all in Hebrew Characters.
In one of thefe Pentateuch's, printed in 1551, is found the Hebrew Text in large Charafters; on one fide whereof is the Chaldee Paraphrafe of Onkelos in moderate Characters-, and on the other fide a Paraphrafe in the Perfian, compofed by a Jew, one Jacob de Tous, fo call'd from the City where
he lived Belide thefe three Columns, the Arabic Para-
phrale of Saadias Gain is printed in (ma II Characters a-top of the Pages; and at bottom is added the Commentary of Rafei.
The other Polyglott is printed at Conflantinople in 1547,
in three Columns like the former. The Hebrew Text of
the Law is in the middle, a Tranflarion into the Vulgar Greek on one fide, and a Spanijb Tranflation on the other. Thefe Verfions are both in Hebrew Characters, with Points to determine the Pronunciation. A-top of the Page is added the Caaldee Paraphrafe of Onkelos, and at the bottom the Commentaries of Rafei.
To thefe may be added as a feventh Polyglott, the Pfalter publilhed by Aug. Juflinian, a Dominican^ and Bifhop of Nebio, at Genoa 1516; containing the Hebrew, Greek, A- rabic, and Chaldee, with Latin Interpretations and Gloffes. See Psalter.
There are various other Editions of the Bible either in whole or in part, which might be rang'd under the Article of Polyglotts; tho' they are not fo denominated— fuch are the Hexapla, and Oclapla, of Origin. See Hexapla and Octa-
PLA.
And the Bible of Platter printed at Hambourg, in He- brew, Chaldee, Greek, Latin, German, Saxon, Italian, French, Sclavonic, Danijb, &c. See Bible.
POLYGON, in Geometry, a multilateral Figure; or a Figure whole Permeter confifts of more than four Sides and Angles. See Figure, Perimeter, &e.
If the Sides and Angles be equal, the Figure is call'd a Re, gular Polygon. See Regular.
The Word is form'd from the Greek muS and yin, Knee
Angle. '
_ Polygons are diftinguifb'd according to the Number of their
Sides. Thofe of fives Sides are call'd Pentagons ; thofe of
Cm, Hexagons; thofe of (even, Heptagons; thole of eight, OUti- gons, &c. The particular Properties, &c. of each where- of, fee under its proper Article, Pentagon, Hexagon, ej-c.
General
tl Properties of Polygons.
Euclid demonftrates thefe which follow. i° That every
Polygon may be divided into as many Triangles as it hath Sides. See Triangle.
This is done by affaulting a Point as F, (Tab. Geometry, Fig. 20.) any where within the Polygon, and thence draw- ing Lines to every Angle F<j, F b, (c, F d, &c.
2° The Angles of any Polygon taken together, make twice as many right ones, abating four, as the Figure hath Sides. See Angle.
Thus, if the Polygon have five Sides ; the double of that is 10 ; whence lubtracting 4 there remains 6 right ones.
3° Every Polygon circumfcribed about a Circle is equal to a reftangled Triangle, one of whofe Legs is the Radius of the Circle, and the other the Perimeter or Sum of all the Sides of the Polygon.
Hence, every Regular Polygon is equal to a Rectangle Tri- angle, one of whole Legs is the Perimeter of the Polygon, 10 G and
