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SiRlUS, in Allronomy, the Dog-Star ; a very bright Star of the firft Magnitude in the Mouth of the Conftellation Ceiiis Majcr, ox Ax Great Dog. See Canis. The Arabs. call it Jfil.'ere, Ej'checre, Sard 5 the Greeks, Sirhts; and the Zauns, Cams candens. Its Longitude, according to Mr. Flam* pad, is 9° 49' 1", its Latitude 39" 32' 8" o~taf/&.
SISTRUMor CISTRUM, an ancient mufical Iuftrument, ufcd by the Priefts of Ifis and Ofiris. Spoil defcribes it as of an oval Form, in manner of a Racket, with three Sticks traveling it breadth-wife, which playing freely, by the Agitation or Beating of the Inftrument, made a kind of Sound, which to the Ancients feem'd melodious. Mr. Mal- colm takes the Siftrum to have been no better than a kind of a Rattle. Jer. Bofius has an exprefs Treatife on the Siftrum, intitled, Ijtacits de Siftro. Oifelms oblerves, that the Siftrum is found reprefented on feveral Medals ; and alio on 'f'alift- mans. Ofiris on feme Medals, is painted with a Dog's Head and a Siflrtim in his Hand.
SITE or SCITE, the Situation of a Houfe, ££?r. and fome- times the Gfound-Plot, or the Spot of Earth it ftands on.
Site, in Logic, one of the Predicaments, declaring a Subjecf to be lb and fo placed. See Place.
SITOPHYLAX, in Antiquity, an Athenian Magiflrate, who had the Intendance of the Corn, and was to take Care that no Body bought more than was neceflary for the Pro- ■vilion of his Family, By the Attic Laws, particular Per- ions were prohibited buying more than fifty Meafures of Wheat a Man ; of thofe Meafures, we mean, called oop^i : And the Sitophylax was to look to the Obftrvation of this Law. 'Twas a Capital Crime to prevaricate in it. There were Fifteen of thele Sitophylcx's, Ten for the City, and Five for the 'Pireuni. The Word is form'd from the Greek, 2i7©- Corn, and <tvha%, Keeper.
SITUS, in Geometry and Algebra, the Situation of Lines, Suffaces, k$c. Wolftlts gives us lbme Things in Geometry, which ate not deduced from the common Analyiis ; particu- larly things depending on the Situs of Lines and Figures. In effect, M. Leibnitz has invented a particular Kind of Ana- lyiis, call'd Analyfis Situs, and built a peculiar kind of Calculus thereon, calPd Calculus Situs.
SIXAIN, SIXTH, SEXAGENA, in War, an Order of Battle wherein Six Batallions having been ranged in a Line, the Second and Fifth are made to advance, to form the Van-guard ; the Firft and Sixth to retire, to form rne Rear- guard ; the Third and the Fourth remaining on the Spot, to form the Corps, or Body of the Battle. The Word is French, where it iignifies the fame thing.
SIX Clerks, Officers in Chancery of great Account, next in Decree below the Twelve Mailers ; whole Bufinel's is to enroll Commiffions, Pardons, Patents, Warrants, &c. which pal's the Great Seal. They were anciently Clerici, and forfeited their Places if they married : They are alio At- tornies for Parties in Suits depending in the Court of Chancery. Under them were formerly 60 Clerks, who, with the Under- Clcrks, did the Bufinefs of the Office ; which Number was afterwards increafed to 90. At preient the Number is indefinite ; an Order having been made, for the reducing them to their ancient Number of 60; by not filling up the Vacancies that may happen by Death, l£c. till they ate fallen to that Standard.
SIXTH, in Mufic, one of the Simple Original Concords, or Harmonical Intervals. See Concord. The Sixth is of two Kinds ; greater and lejjer ; and hence is efteemd one of the Impetfect Concords ; though each of them arile from a Divifionof theOflave. See Octave. The greater Stxth is the Concord refulting from a Mixture of the Sounds ot two Strinas, that are to each other" as 3 to 5. The leffer Sixth reiults from two Strings, which are to each other as 5 to 8. See Scale. The leffer Sixth is compofed Diato- nically of Six Degrees, whence its Name ; and of Five Intervals, Three whereof are Tones, and Two Semi-tones ; Chromatically of Eight Semi-tones ; Five whereof ate greater, and Three lels. It has its Form or Origin from the Ratio, Super-tri-partiens quint as, as of 8 to j. The greater is compoled Diatonically like the lefs, of Six Dcgtees and Five Intervals ; among which are Four Tones, and a Semi- tone: And Chromatically of Nine Semi-tones; Five whereof are greater, andFour lefs; of Confluence it has a lels Semi- tone more than the fotmer. It has its Origin from the Ratio Super-bi-partiens tertius, as of y to 3. Anciently the Sixth had only one Reply, which was the j ;th ; but in the modern Syftem, it has feveral, as the 20th, 27th, ££c. all marked in- differently in the thorough Bale, by the Figure 6. And even the Sixth itfelf, both greater and leffer, when ufed naturally, is not exprefled any otherwife than by a Simple Sixth. But when 'tis greater or lefs accidentally, to the 6 is added fome other Mark, as may be feen in M. Sroffet.
Befides the two kinds of Sixth's here defcribed, which are both good Concords ; there ate two others that ate vitious and dlffonanr. The firft is the 'SefeiJive Sixth, compoled of two Tones and three Semi-tones, or of Seven Semi tones, five whereof ate greater, and two lefs. The fecond i3 the
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Redundant Sixth, compofed of Four Tones, a greater Semi- tone, and a leis. Whence fbme call it <Penta?onon, as com- prehending Four Tones. Thele two being both diffonant, ihould never be ufed in Melody, and very rarely in Ham;ony. As to the two Conlonant Sixth's, they were anciently to be ufed very fpanngly ; but at prefent we make them as often as wepleate, as we do with Thirds ; the Sixths being in reality, no other^ than inverted Thirds j but Care is uiually taken, that the firft Sixth that occurrs be lefs, and the laft greater ; and that from the greater, we rife to the Octave, and from the lefs, fall to the Fifth.
SIZE, an Inftrument ufed to find the Weight of fine round Pearls withal. See Pearl. It confifts of five thin Pieces or Leaves, about two Inches long, and half an Inch. broad ; faftned together at one End by a Rivet. In each of thefe, are feveral round Holes drili'd, of different Diameters. Thofe in the firft Leaf ferve for weighing Pearls from i a. Grain to Seven Grains. Thofe of the Second, for Pearls from Eight Grains or rwo Caracas, to five Caracas, l$c. and thofe of the Fifth, for Pearls from 6 j to 8 y.
SKELETON, in Anatomy, an Aftlmblage or Arrange- ment of all the Bones cf a dead Animal, dlfpoted in their natural Situation, and kept in that Difpofition by means of Wiars, &c. Skeletons ferve to good Purpofe, in learning the? Oileology. See Osteology.
Forth.eleveralBonesa.S&tVt?^ confifts of 5 See Bone. The Word is form'd from the Greek <nd\A<y, I dry. SKIFF or SQJJIFF, a Shaloop, or the lefs of two Ship- boars. See Boat.
SKIN, in Anatomy, a large thick Membrane, fpread over the whole Body, ierving as ihe external Organ of Feeling, and as a Cover and Ornament of the Parts underneath. The Skin confifts of Three Parts 5 the external one, called the Cuticle, JSpidermii, or SkarfSkin. See Cuticle. The middle-moll is called the Corpus Reficitlare, becaule pierced through with a great Number of Holes, like a Net or Sieve. See Keticulare Corpus. The innermoit, called the Cutis, is a Fibrous Subftance, wove out of the Extremities ot Arteries, Veins, Nerves, Tendons, &c. Whence arife abundance of little Eminences, call'd 'PapiUg'Tyranti dales. See Cutes and Papilla.
It is likewife ier with an Infinity of Glands, called Millhry Glands^ each whereof has its excretory Duel, palling along with the Pyramidal l -PapiUc£ y through the Holes of the Corpus Keticnare^ and terminating at the Cuticle. The cpapiilie are lield by the Moderns to be the Organ of Feeling, and the Excretory Veffels ferve to carry off the Matter ot Perfpiration, which is leparated from the Blood in the MHliary Glands. See Milliary Glands, Per- sriRATioN and Feeling.
Nutrition, M. c Ptrrault obferves, is fometimes taken in throughout the whole Body of Animal?, at the Pores of the Skin. The iiibtile Subftances of nutririous Matters applied externally to thofe Bodies, are found to penetrate them, to mix with the Blood and Juices, and are there affimilated. On this Account, he adds, it is, that Butchers Dogs,Turnlpit- Dogs, &c. are generally very Fat, and even Butchers, Cooks, ££?c. themfelves. M. 'Sedan takes it, that Plants receive a great Part of their Food by the external Bark, not all by the Root. See Root.
Skin, in Commerce, is particularly ufed for this Mem- brane ilripped off the Animal, to be prepared by the Tan- ner, Skinner, Currier, Parchment-Maker, ^fc. and con- verted into Leather, &c. See Leather.
The Ufe of Ski?iS is very ancient 5 the firft Garment in the World being made thereof The %)an€S&ii<\ other Nor- thern Nations, have a leng Time drefs'd in Ski??!.
Morocco's are made of the Skins of a kind of Goats. See Morocco.
Parchment is ufually made of Sheeps Skins 5 fometimes of Goat Skins. See Parchment.
Velom is a kind of Parchment made of the Skin of an abortive Calf, or at leaft of a fucking Calf. See Velom.
The True Chamois or Shammy, is made of the Skm of an Animal of the fame Name; though frequently counter- feited with Goats and Sheeps Skins. See Chamois.
Shagreen is prepared at Conjiantinople, of the hind Pare of the Skin of a Horfe, Mule or Afs of the Country, pre- pared and tanned, and when fbft and manaaeable, ftretch'd on a Frame, and expofed to the Sun. This done, they Iprinkle Muffard-Seed on the Skin j raking Care to rub it feveral Times over with the Hand. Bv means hereo L , and the Heat of the Sun, the Grain of the Leather is rais'd up„ and there hardned. See Chagrin.
For the feveral Preparations ot Skins-j See Tanning, Currying, Chamoising, &c,
SKINKER, a Cup-bearer, or Butler. See Butler. SKIRMISH, in War, aCombar, in Prefence of two Armies, between Perfons who advance from the Body for that Pur- pofe, and introduce, or invite to a general, regular Fight. The Word feems form'd from the French ^Efcarmouche, which {ig- nites the lame thing, aqd which 2ficod derives from the Greek,
