the part of Cadwallader. This latter character was a satirical delineation of a friend of Foote's, whose influence was sufficient to have the piece suppressed.
AU'THORIZED VER'SION of the English Bible. See Bible,
AUTO- (Gk. airbs, a i/fos, self ), a combining
form, as the first part of many English words,
meaning self, one's self, by one's self, one's own;
as, e.g. autobiography, one's Inography, written
by one's self; autograph, writing in one's own
hand.
AUTOCHTHONES, a-tok'thfi-nez (Gk. nom.
plur. avT6xSoves, autochthones, sprung from the
earth itself, from ain-Ss, autos, self + x^iiv,
chthon, earth). A Greek name for the original
inlialiitants — not immigrants — of a land, who,
according to various local legends, sprang from
the earth, rocks, or trees. The Athenians seem
to have been especially proud of this name, as
indicating that they had always been in posses-
sion of their land, though the statement that the
ancient nobles wore a golden cicada in their hair,
to show their origin from the soil, seems to be
due to a grammarian's misunderstanding of the
T^TTiyes, (tettiges), which are probably golden
spirals used to secure the hair. Some writers
also spoke of the Arcadians and the early inhab-
itants of Italy as autochthones. Earth-born
yriyep-^s, igegenes). though not properly autoch-
thones, were the (^eek giants, sons of Earth,
who fought against the gods, and the Sparti of
'J'hebes, who sprang from the dragon's teeth
sown by Cadmus. The name autochthones is
now frequently applied to the original inhab-
itants of a country, like 'aborigines.' Consult
Prellcr. Ausgcicahlte Aufsiitze (Berlin, 1864).
AUTOCHTHONOUS, a-tok'tho-nus (for deri-
vation, see Autochthones). A term employed in
the sciences of botany, zoology, and paleontology
to indicate such plants, animals, or fossils as are
indigenous to the places in which they are
found. In botany and zoiilog;^, the term is op-
posed to 'naturalized.' In paleontology, such
fossils as are of the remains of animals that
have lived in the immediate vicinity of the de-
posits in which they aftcrH-ardsbeeameentombed,
are said to be autochtlionous to those deposits.
On the other hand, such fossils as have been
entombed in an earlier deposit (a) having been
autochthonous to it, and through erosion and
transportation have become separated from (a)
and been reentombed in a second deposit (b),
are then said to be heterochthonous to the latter
deposit (b).
AU'TOCRAT OF THE BREAK'FAST-TA'BLE, The. A serial contrilnition to the Athinlie Monthly, by Oliver Wendell Holmes, in 1857-58. It is the narrative of alleged conversations at the breakfast-table of a Boston boarding-house Dr. Holmes is himself the autocrat and the chief talker, others being allowed to talk simply tor the sake of variety. Subsequently
published in book form (1S5H), the work has long been a popular favorite. Its flashes of wit, its excellent philosophy, and its graces of style, give its author deserved rank with the most delightful essayists of our literature.
AUTO DA FE, ou'tft dii fa (Portug. nuto,
act, from Lat. actus + da, of the -- fe, faith,
from Lat. fides, Sp. auto de fe). The name
given to the procession or ceremony which used
to take place in Spain and Portugal at the execution of those condemned to death by the Inquisition. It was generally held on a Sunday, between Whitsunday and Advent, very often on All Saints' Day. At dawn the dismal tolling of the great bell of the cathedral gave the signal to begin the drama of the. day, for as such it was looked upon by the people, who thronged to it in troops, believing that they did a good work in merely looking on. Men of the highest rank reckoned it prudent to give their countenance to the holy tribunal at these processions, and even grandees of Castile did not disdain to make themselves familiars of the Inquisition. The procession was led by the Dominicans, carrying the flag of their order and that of the Inquisition ; next followed the penitents, on whom only penance had been laid; liehind them, and separated by a great cross, which was borne before, came those condemned to death — barefoot, clad in the sanbenito (a 5-ellow shirt inscribed with a list of the victim's crimes and painted over with pictures of damnation), and wearing a pointed cap on the head ; then effigies of the fugitives, and lastly the bones of dead culprits, in black coffins, painted with flames and hellish symbols. The train Mas closed by the army of priests and monks. The procession went
through the principal streets to the church, where, after a sermon on the true faith, the sentence was announced. In the meantime, the accused stood before a crucifix, with extinguished torches in their hands. After the sentence had been read to them an officer of the Inquisition gave each one of the condemned a blow on the breast with his hand, as a sign that they were
given over by that tribunal to the secular power; on which a secidar officer took them in charge, had them fettered, and taken to prison. A few hours afterwards they were brought to the place of execution. If they made profession of the Catholic faith at the last moment, they were so far favored as to be first strangled; otherwise they were burned alive, and with them the effigies of the fugitives and the bones of the dead culprits. Asa rule, the King, with his whole
court, had to exalt by his presence the solemnity
of the awful transaction. The celebration of the
auto da fe began as early as 1257, though the
death penalty was first imposed in 1481. Between 1481 and 1808 more than 340.000 persons suffered punishment at the auto da fe. Of these 32,000 were burned. Heresy was not the only crime thus punished, as is generally supposed, but all grave sins coming under ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The most elaborate auto da fc took phice at Madrid, under Charles II., in 1680. America also has had its autos da fe. ilexico
celebrating one as late as I8I5 — the latest re-
corded. See Inquisition.
AUTOGRAMY (Gk. auris, autos, self -f ydfios. yainos, wedding, marriage). Self-pollination, i.e. a transfer of the pollen of a flower to its own pistil. It is the opposite of allogamy (q.v.). See also Pollination.
AU'TOGRAPH (Gk. aurd^, autos. self + ypi<pa.v, iinipheiii. to write). Tliat which is written in one's own hand. It commonly refers to the signature. A holograph is a writing or inscription entirely in the hand of one person. It is not necessarily in written letters or in-
