jn Roschor's Ausfiihrlichcs Lexil-on dcr gricch- ischen und riimischcn Mi/tholoyic (Leipzig, 1884 sqq.); Ziiiinierii, Kciliiischriftcn und das alte Testament (3il cd., Horlin, 1002), vol. ii., pp. 420-442; J.astrow, Uvliijion vf Bahijlonia and Assyria (Boston. 1808: revised in the German trans., Giessen, 100203) ; Peters, yippur (New York. 1897).
I'SIAC TABLE. The name formerly given to
a hronze phite, 4 feet 8 inches long and 3 feet
wide, on which are dcjiictcd tliree rows of Egj"p-
tian deities inlaid in niello and silver. It seems
to have been foimd in Italy, and was sold by a
soldier of the Constable de Bourbon to a lock-
smith, who sold it in 'yl' to Cardinal B<-mbo.
It excited nnuh curiosity, and gave rise to con-
siderable discussion l)cfore Egi>tologists had
learned to decipher liieriiglyphics. It is now
preserved in Turin, but is almost forgotten, being
considered as at best au imitation dating from
the RiPiiian |x'riod.
ISIDORE OF CHARAX, ka'raks (Lat. Isi-
darus Chamecniis) . A geographer of the first cen-
tury A.D., born at Charax, on the Tigris, the aithor
of Travels in Parthia. often quoted by Athenaois,
and of an extant work on a similar subject, en-
titled lr(if)/iu liapftiKoi, which has survived. It
is better known under its Latin title, Mansioncs
Pnrlhica-, and is published, with a Latin trans-
lation, in tlie series of Scriplores Oeographici
(ViwW. 1830).
ISIDORE OF SEVILLE, >fvll' (?-036).
Arclibishoj) of Seville, and one of the most dis-
tinguished ecclesiastics of the seventh century.
He was born about 560 (or 570), probably at or
near Cartagena, where his father, .Severianus,
had been prefect. Two of his l)rothers, I'ulgen-
tius and I^-andcr. were, like himself, bisliops,
the first of Cartagena, the second of Seville;
Isidore succeeded the latter in 600. The episcopate
of Isidore is rendereil notable by the two half-
ecclesiastieal, half-civil councils of Seville in 019
and of Toleilo in (i33, which were held under his
presidency, and the canons of which may almost
be said to have formed the basis of the consti-
tutional law of the Spanish kingdoms, both for
Church and for State, down to tlie great consti-
tutional changes of the fifteenth ccnturj-. The de-
crees of councils and other Church laws anterior
to his time, called by his name, are not from
his hand. He died at Seville. April 4, 03fl.
Isidore was the most learned man of his time,
and his works are in the most various depart-
ments of knowledge — theological, aseetical. lit-
urgical, scriptural, historical, philosophical, and
even philological. The most complete edition is
that of Arevaio (7 vols., Rome. 1707-1803), re-
printed with addition of the canons and liturgy
in Migne, I'atrologia Latina. Ixxxi.-lxxxvi. We
are indebted to Isidore for many fragments of
Greek and Latin authors, among the number
several of whom hardly any other remains have
been preserved. In 1722 Benedict XIV. made him
one of the doctors of the Church. His Sentences
from Augustine and Gregory the Great suggested
Peter Lombard's Sentences, and his Etiimnlogies,
in twenty books (edited by Otto. T^eipzig. 1833),
was the great mediipval eneyclopirdia.
ISIDORIAN DECRETALS. See PsErno-
IsinORi.vN Decret.vi.s.
IS'IDOTIITS (Lat.. from Gk. 'U^Scopot^. Saint
(c.370e.44O). A monk, often called Pehisiota or
of Pclusium, from the monastery of which ho was
abbot. He was born probably at -Mcxandria, and
tradition makes him a pupil of Chrysostoni: but
this is not certain. He is best known by his let-
ters, of which about two thousand remain. They
contain a mass of exegesis, often valuable in itself
and always of importance for the construction
of the early history of interpretation. They are
edited in iligne. Patrolugia Graca, vol. Ixxviii.
(18(!0). Consult: GlUck. Isidori Summa Doc-
trina .V oral is (1848), and Xiemeyer. Pe Isidori
Pelusiota Vita, Scriptis et Durlrina (182.5).
ISINAY, eV-nii'^ or ISINAYA, e's^-nii'yi.
A Malay people in ueva Vizcaya Province,
Luzon. See PiiiurpiXE Islands.
ISINGLASS, I'zin-glas (from JID. hui/sen-
bias, Dutcli Iniislilnd. Ger. IJaiisrnblase. isin-
glass, sturgeon-liladder, from MDutch hui/scn,
Dutch /iKiccH, OllG. huss, (ier. Hansen, sturgeon
+ MDutch hlas, Dutch blad. OHG. blusa, Ger.
lilaseu, bladder, dialectic Eng. blaze, pimple;
associated by popular etymologj' with Eng,
glass). The dried swimming-bladders of differ-
ent fishes. The amount of gelatin in it is from
8G to 03 per cent., and even more. It is pre-
pared by tearing the air-bladder from the back
of the fish, from which it is IfMi.sencd by striking
several blows with a woixlen club, then washing
in cold water, removing the black outer skin
with a knife, again washing, and spreading on a
board to dry in the open air. with the white shiny
skin turned outward. To prevent shriveling or
shrinking, the bladders nuist be fastened to the
drj'ing-board. The best quality of isinglass comes
from sounds that are dried in the sun. After
drying, the sound is again moistened with wann
water, and the interior shiiw skin is removed by
hammering or rubbing. Finally, it is rolled be-
tween two polished iron rollers. If it is desired
to extract the gelatin, the isinglass, while still
in ,a moist condition, is bleached in a solution
of sulphuric acid, in which it swells up to a
colorless jelly; the latter, after having been dis-
solved in warm water, is cooled, and the jelly then
formed, when dry, is a clear and colorless gela-
tin. The chief places of manufacture are Rus-
sia. Canada. Brazil, the West Indies, the East
Indies, and Jfanila. The Russian varieties, which
are supposed to be the best on the market, are
made chiefly from the sturgeon ; but elsewhere
the bladders of cod. hake, and other tish are also
used. Isinglass should be of a bright or light
yellow color, thin and transparent, and without
any odor or taste. The latter naturally indi-
cates the presence of impurities. When dissolved
in boiling water there should remain but a veiy
small insoluble residue, and the jelly which is
formed shouhl be clear and colorless. Isinglass
may be used for the same purposes as gelatin
(q.v.). It is employed chiefly for clarifying beer
and wine, for culinary purposes (in jellies and
soups), for making cement, etc. The adhesive
(|u:ility (if court -plaster is due to isinglass,
I'SIS (Gk. ^Io-(j, Egyptian, 'Ise-t, a name of
obscure etymology). An Egj-ptian goddess, the
daughter of Seb (Earth) and Nut (Heaven),
and the sister and wife of Osiris (q.v.). After
the treacherous nuirder of her husband by his
brother Set (q.v.), Isis fled to the swamps of
the Delta, accompanied by seven scorpions. On
one occasion the mistress of a house in which she
sought shelter, fearing the scorpions, turned the
