ACCIPITER, any Bird of Prey in ge"neral, as an Hawk, &c. Ovid informs us, that an Hawk was a Bird of ill Omen, because it was very carnivorous, Odimus accipitrem quia femper vivit in armis. But the fame Bird was a good Omen in Marriage, according to Pliny, because it never eats the Hearts of other Birds, which gives us to understand, that no Differences, in a married ftate, between Husband and Wife ought to go fo far as the Heart; and Care was alfo taken, in the Sacrifices for Marriages, that the Gall of the Animals which were flain, fhould be taken out. ACCIUS, a Latin Poet, who wrote Tragedies in a very harfh ftyle, according to Cicero. He was of an illuftrious Family, being defcended of two Confuls, Macrinus and Soranus. Decius Brutus held him in great efteem, took great pleasure in adorning the Temples with this Poets Verfes, and erected a Statue to him in the Temple of the Mufes. Suet. c. 4. Augeat tmperium noftri ducis, augeat annos. Many other Forms to this purpofe may be seen in Briffonius de Formulis. The Senate in like manner made Acclamations to the Emperours, either at their acceffion to the Throne, or in Acknowledgment of fome Favours they had received from them, which they very often inferted into their publick Regifters, or caufed to be engraven on Plates of Brafs, or Tables of Marble. They frequently deified their Emperours, and chofe their Magiftrates by fudden Acclamations, of which I fhall relate fome Examples. Aurelius Victor informs us, that Divine Honours were decreed to the Emperour Pertinax, after his Death, and that the whole Senate rais'd great Acclamations in his favour: Acclamatum eft, Pertinace imperante, Securi viximus, neminem timuimus, Patri pio, Patri Senatus, Patri bonorum omnium; We liv'd in perfect Security under Pertinax, cry'd the Senate, we fear'd no People, Pertinax was to us a Father full of Tenderness, the Father of the Senate, the Father of all good ACCIUS Nevias, one of the most cele- Men. Trebellius Pollio relates the Acclamations brated Augurs, who liv'd in the time of Tar- which were made at the Election of Valerianus quinius Prifcus: He oppofed the Design which to the Office of Cenfor: Acclamatum eft, Valethat King had of adding new Centuries of the rianus in tota vita fua fuit Cenfor, prudens Senator, Roman People, to thofe which were already modeftus Senator, amicus bonorum, inimicus tyran eftablished by Romulus, representing to him, norum, hoftis criminum, hoftis vitiorum. Hunc that he ought first to confult the Will of the Cenforem omnes, hunc imitari volumus. Primus Gods by the Flight of Birds. Tarquin, in rail- genere, nobilis fanguine, emendatus vitâ, doctrinâ lery, bid him confult them, to know whether clarus, moribus fingularis, exemplum antiquitatis ; his prefent Design was feafible or no: Accius Thefe Acclamations were made, Valerianus was did it, and brought him back word that it was. a juft Cenfor during his whole Life, a prudent I would know, replied the King, whether you and a modest Senator, a Friend to good Men, can cut that Stone with this Razor which was an Enemy to Tyrants, an Enemy to Crimes whetted upon it: The Augur immediately and Vices. We have all chofen him to be our took the Stone and cut it in two with the Ra- Cenfor, he is illuftrious for his Nobility, rezor. This wonderful Action gained great Cre- gular in his Life and Conversation, commendConverfation,_commenddit and Authority to the Augurs in the follow-able for his Inftructions, and an Example of ing Times; and the King caufed a Statue to Antiquity. The fame thing happened at the be erected to Accius in the place of their Affem- Election of Tacitus to the Empire; for after the blies, having his Head cover'd, and holding in firft, who gave fentence for him, proclaim'd his Hand the Stone which he had cut, to per- him Emperour, the whole Senate cry'd with a petuate to Pofterity the Memory of this A-loud Shout, Omnes, Omnes: And this good old &tion. ACCLAMATIO, Acclamation, a loud Expreffion of Joy, the Applaufe given to Perfons and Things, a practice ufed upon feveral Occafions. The Romans never failed to ufe thefe Acclamations, which included their Prayers and Wishes for the Welfare of their Emperours, when they bestowed upon them any Largeffes for fome Victory obtain'd over the Enemies of the Empire. These Acclamations were often expreffed by one word, feliciter; or by many, Di tibi dent quicquid, Princeps Trajane mereris, Man endeavouring to excufe himself upon the account of his great Age, which render'd him unfit to bear the Weight of the Empire, they fhouted again and cry'd, Caput imperare, non pe des; Animum tuum, non corpus eligimus, Tacite Augufte; Dii te fervent; It belongs to the Head to rule and not to the Feet; we chufe your Mind and not your Body, O Tacitus Auguftus, the Gods preferve you long. In the Armies the Roman Souldiers did often chufe the Empe rours and their Generals by fudden Acclamations, without waiting either for the Order of the Senate or the Confent of the People; as happen'd at the Election of the Emperour Probus for the Colonels having exhorted the C Souldiers Souldiers to chufe for Emperour a Man of Probity, probum; all on a fudden they made a great Noife with confus'd Voices, which proclaimed Probus to be Emperour, Probe Imperaor, Dii te fervent. Thefe Acclamations were alfo us'd at Shows in the Theatres when they pleafed the People's Humour, as it happen'd at the new Comedy of Pacuvius, Qui clamores Jæpè totâ cavea exauditi funt in M. Pacuvii nova fabula; The like Acclamations were often heard over all the Pit, when the new Play of Pacuvius was acted. As the Romans were accuftom'd to make thefe Acclamations to teftifie their Joy and fignifie their Satisfaction, fo they were alfo fometimes as'd in Imprecations, to exprefs their Indignation, as they did after the Death of the Empefour Commodus; Let this Enemy of his Country, cry'd they, be defpoil'd of all Honour, let this Parricide, this Gladiator be cut in pieces in the place where Gladiators are laid up, when flain or wounded: Hofti patria honores detrahantur, parricida, gladiator in fpoliario lanietur, &c. ACCO, the Name of a foolish and ridiculous Woman, who pleas'd her felf with fpeaking to her own Image in a Looking-glafs, and made a fhew of refufing that which the moft paffionatly defired; from whence dxxiZoua is used for Pretending to refufe, for Dif fimulation and Disguise. In eating they lay along on their fides, having - Aurea compofuit fponda, mediamque locavit. He who was at the head held the fecond place, and the third was at the lower end, or in the laft place. They went into a Bath before they plac'd themselves at Table, and chang'd their Cloths, putting on a Garment which they called Veftis cœnatoria, and putting off their Shoes that they might not dirty the Beds. They bound about their Heads Fillets of Wool, to prevent the Diftempers of the Head, which the Fumes of Meat and Wine might caufe; for which reason they used afterwards Garlands of Flowers. Their Women did not eat lying after this manner, fuch a Pofture being efteem'd indecent and immodeft in them, except at a Debauch, where they appear'd without any Shame or Modefty; yet in an antient Marble which is at Rome, we find the figure of a Wo man lying at a Table upon a Bed as her Husband does; and Virgil also feems to atteft this, when he reprefents Dido lying at Table at a Feaft which he made upon the Arrival of Eneas, unless he means that he was already fmitten with Love with her new Gueft. ACCUSARE, (in the Law) to Accuse, to draw up or lay an Accufation, or Process. The antient Lawyers put a difference between these three words Poftulare, Deferre and Accufare: for firft leave was defired to lay an Action against one, and this was called Poftulare and Poftulatio; after this he against whom the Action was laid was brought before the Judg, which was call'd Deferre and nominis Delatio; and laftly the Accufation was drawn up, accufabatur. ACCUMBERE, to lie upon Couches for eating, to fit down, to feat your felf at Table, as the Greeks did, and in imitation of them the Romans. For at the beginning the Romans did eat fitting at a Table as we do, before the Grecian Luxury and Softnefs had corrupted them, as may appear from this Verfe, Perpetuis foliti patres confiftere menfis. But afterwards they were wont to eat after the The Accufer was obliged by the Law to fign fashion of the Greeks. For this end, in a lofty his Accufation, at the head of which he plac'd Hall a Table was fix'd, of a round or oval Fi- the Name of the Conful, which fignified the gure, which the richer fort made of fome pre- Year, when the Romans reckon'd Years by their cious Wood, adorn'd with Plates of Gold and Confuls; he fet down alfo the Day, the Hour, Silver, or rather inlaid with fome pieces re- and the Judg before whom he intended to profembling Mother of Pearl: this Table was fecute his Accufation. We learn from Tacitus fupported with Feet of Ivory, or fome other that the Accufers had two days given them to matter, which reprefented the figures of divers make their Complaint in, and the Accused Animals round about it were plac'd two or three days to make his Defence; and that fix threeCouches, from whence it was call'd Biclini- days were allow'd between them both to preum and Triclinium: thefe Conveniencies for lean-pare themselves. From the very moment that ing at Table were cover'd with richer or meaner Stuffs, according to the Quality of the Perfons, and adorn'd with Quilts and Pillows that they might lye more foft and easily upon them. They did commonly place no more than three upon a Couch, and to lay a greater number upon it, was accounted a fign of fordid Avarice, as Horace tells us, Sæpè tribus lectis, videas cœnare quaternos. any Perfon was accused of a Capital Crime that deferved Death he was ftript of all his Marks of Honour, and appear'd in a careless Habit: he was obliged to give Sureties that he would appear in Court when there was occafion, which if he did not, he was laid up in Prifon to fecure his Perfon. The Libel being drawn, the Accufed was fummoned to appear at three Market-days, in trinundinum; and he always came Success, the their own Negligence was the on ACETABULUM, a small antient Measure, which contained about the fourth part of an Hemine, being about two ounces and an half of either liquid or dry things, as Pliny explains it towards the end of his twelfth book. This Measure held a Cup and an half, and an→ fwers to our Quartern; but is now more in ufe among Druggifts and Apothecaries than Victu→ allers, both for Liquids and Solids. was made in the form of a Pyramid, and had feveral Drawers, wherein were put different forts of Spices, as Pepper, Nutmegs, &c. came attended with his Neighbours and Friends who were concerned for him, and threw them-ly Caufe of it. felves at the feet of the Magiftrates and People to beg favour for him in cafe he were found guilty. If the Accufed refus'd to appear, he was fummoned with the Sound of a Trumpet before his House or Castle, and after the time allow'd was expir'd, he was condemn'd for Contumacy. The Accufer had two hours wherein to speak against the Accufed, and three hours were granted to the Accufed to make his Defence, which was measured by an Hour-glafs It was alfo a kind of Spice-Box, which conof Water, called Clepfydra, of which I fhall give tained all forts of Spices, whereof the Antients an account in its proper place; which made a ufed to make their Sauces, to feafon their ViGreek Orator fay to the Judg, when he had actuals together with Vinegar and Verjuice: It mind to fignifie to him the Goodness of his Caufe, That he would bestow part of his Water on his Adverfary, i. e. of his Time, which the Lex Pompeia, made by Pompey in his third Confulfhip, allowed him for his Defence. If the Accufed was found guilty, Sentence was pronounced against him in thefe words, Videtur feciffe, i. e. he is attainted and convicted of having committed the Crime; If, on the contrary, he was found not guilty, he was then declared innocent in these terms, Videtur non feciffe, i. e. he is cleared from all Sufpicion of Guilt. All thefe Circumftances which were obferved in Accufations, are related by Cicero and Tacitus. But if it appeared by the Event, that the Accufer was a Calumniator, i. e. that he had falfly accused the other Party; or that he was a Prevaricator, i. e. that he had betray'd his Caufe, to make way for the Criminal to escape and obles for the fair Deianira, whom her Father OEnus tain Abfolution; or at least, that he had defifted from and given over Profecution without the Leave of the Magiftrate or the Prince, and without a lawful Caufe, then he was fen tenced by the Magiftrate to fuffer the fame Pu nishment which the guilty Perfon deferv'd. ACERRA, a little Pot which held the Incense and Perfumes for Sacrifices, fuch as are now made in the form of a fmall Boat, and are ufed in the Church of Rome at this day. An Incenfe-Box for burning Perfumes upon the Altars of the Gods, and before the dead Bodies. The Rich, fays Horace, offer'd Boxes full of the fineft Perfumes to their falfe Deities, Et plena fupplex veneratur Acerrâ. And the Poor, according to Lucian, were excufed for making a Bow, and throwing fome grains of Incenfe into the Fire that burnt upon the Altars. ACESSEUS, the Name of a certain Seaman who was very careless, and always at tributed the bad Success of his Voyages to the Moon; from whence comes the Latin Proverb, Acceffei Luna, to fignifie a lazy and negligent fort of People, who always throw off the Blame from themfelves, in cafe of any bad ACHELOUS, a River whofe Springhead rifes on Mount Pindus in Theffaly, and from thence croffes over Acarnania, which it feparates from Etolia, and then dividing it felf into two Streams, it runs into the Gulph of Corinth. This River was called Thoas, accor ding to Stephanus, and afterwards Achelous, from one Achelous who came from Theffaly to inhabit in these parts, with Alcmeon the Son of Amphiaraus, who kill'd his Mother Eryphile: (he is commonly called Afpri, and according to others Catochi.) He was, according to the Poets, the Son of the Ocean and the Earth, or of Thetis, as Servius would have it, who makes him the Father of the Syrens. He wrestled with Hercu King of Calydon would not beffow in marriage upon any Man but him who was victorious in this kind of Exercife: Achelons, finding himself too weak, was put to his shifts, and changed himself fometimes into a Serpent, and fometimes into a Bull; but this avail'd him nothing, for Hercules overcame him and pluck'd off one of his Horns, which the Naiades took up, and having fill'd it with Fruits and Flowers they call'd it Cornucopia, the Horn of Plenty. He therefore being confounded with this Defeat, for fhame hid his Head, that had loft a Horn, under the Waters of the River Theas, which ever fince bear his Name. Strabo, lib. 10. interprets this Fable allegorically, and fays, That Achelous is faid to be changed into a Serpent, upon the account of the Course of that River, which is winding like a Serpent; and into a Bull, because the Noife which the Waters make refembles the Bellowing of a Bull. And because this River deftroy'd all the Country round about by its frequent Inundations, Hercules confin'd it within its Channel by cutting a Stream from it, which is the Horn that he pluck'd off, and that became the Horn of Plenty, by reafon of C 2 the the Fertility of that Earth which was enrich'd for a long time after by the fat flime it left behind. Virgil takes the Waters of the River Achelous for Water in general, in this Verse in the firft Book of his Georgicks, Poculaque inventis Acheloia mifcuit uvis. Which gives fufficient ground to fuppofe, that Scaliger did not without reafon affirm, That the Latin word Aqua came from a word like it in the antient Greek Language, from which the River Achelous took its name, viz. Aqua and adv, lavare. Maximus Tyrius the Philofopher mentions alfo a Contest between this River and Hercules, who pluck'd off from it one Horn, whereof the Nymphs made the Horn of Plenty, having fill'd it with Fruits and Flowers. Servius explaining this Verse of Virgil, Acherufiam paludem deportata in cryptis illic fitis Corniger Hefperidum fluvius regnator aquarum. fays, That the Floods were painted with Horns because of their winding Course, which twines ACHILLES the Son of Peleus and Theabout the Land like a Serpent. Thus the Ri- tis: he was a very magnanimous Grecian Prince, ver Achelous was reprefented with Horns as well whom his Mother dipt in the Waters of Styx. as the Po, whereof Virgil speaks. Diodorus Siculas while he was very young, and by this means gives an account how this River falling down made him invulnerable in all parts of his Body at firft from Mount Pindus, ran over the Rocks but his Heel, by which she held him when the and made a great Devastation in the Country, dipt him. She caufed him to be educated by whereupon Hercules opened a more large and Chiron the Centaur, a Man very skilful in the united Channel, and fo well water'd one Field Noble Arts, as in Medicine, Musick and Drawwith it that it became very fruitful. This is ing the Bow, who inftructed him in these Scithe Meaning of the Fable, and what Ovid has ences and Exercises with great Care, and fed exprefs'd in defcribing the Horn of Plenty, him only with Honey and the Marrow of LyDum tenet, infregit: truncâque à fronte revellit. ons and Boars, to make him the more ftout and Naiades hoc pomis & odoro flore repletum formidable. Themis, whom his Mother confulSacrarunt, divefque meo bona copia cornu eft. ted about the Destiny of young Achilles, having Metamorph. lib. 9. foretold that he fhould be kill'd in the War ACHERON or ACHERUNS, accor- which the Greeks were to undertake against the ding to Plautus, a River of Hell, which Homer Trojans, to revenge the Rape of Helen by Paris places in the Country of the Cimmerians, think- the Son of King Priam, the addrefs'd her felf ing that Country to be Hell; being a day's to Neptune, conjuring him to fink the Boat that Journey from Circe, which is a Mountain in carried that Princefs; but this being deny'd, the Country of the Latins. Circe fpeaking to because the Decree of Destiny was inviolable, Ulyffes when he embark'd in the Country of the the refolv'd to fend him, under the Difguife Cimmerians,Navem quidem illic fiftito in Oceano pro- of a Girl, into the Ifle of Scyre, to the Court of fundorum vorticum. Ipfe autem in Plutonis eas do- King Lycomedes, that he might there be educamum obfcuram, ubi in Acherontem fluunt, & Cocy-ted with his Daughters, and by this means be sus qui Stygia aque eft emanatia. Servius explaining these words of Virgil, Tenebrofa palus Acheronte refufo, feems to confirm what Homer fays, and to place thefe dark Cavities and Rivers of Hell in the Country of Italy. All Geographers place the River Acheron in Epirus, which joins to Arcadia. Diodorus Siculus fhews, that the Hell of the Greeks was nothing but an Imitation of the Funerals of the Egyptians: For thus he difcourfes about them, Pratum verò & habitationem DefunForum confictam, effe locum juxta paludem Acherufam: Plerafque enim & maximas Ægyptiorum funerationes iftic peragi, dum cadavera per amnem ftoln away from the Greeks, and hindred from going to that Fatal War. While he fojourn'd there he became very intimate with the young Deidama, the King's Daughter, infomuch that fhe became big with child, and was brought to bed of a Son, who was call'd Pyrrhus, from the disguised Name of Achilles who was called Pyrrha by reason of his Hair, which was of a fhining red colour. Nevertheless he was difcover'd by Ulyffes and Diomedes, who landed on the Ifle of Scyro in the habit of Merchants, and having expofed the Merchandize they had brought with them to Sale at the King's Court, which were nothing but Trinkets for Women with fome Arms; Achilles, tho under his Dif guife, never concern'd himself about the Trinkets, but prefently feized upon the Arms, and thereby discover'd himself, and follow'd Ulyffes to the War of Troy. Thetis his Mother feeing this fatal Neceffity, obtain'd of Vulcan a Suit of Armour for him, fo excellently temper'd that it was impenetrable. He fignalized himself at the Siege of Troy by many brave Exploits; but out of indignation against Agamemnon for robbing him of his Mistress Brifeis, he retir'd from the Grecian Camp, and laid down his Arms, which he would never take up again till the Death of his Friend Patroclus, who was kill'd by Hector, which did fo fenfibly touch him, that he return'd to the Camp, and reveng'd the death of his Friend upon Hector, by killing him and dragging his dead Body about the Walls of Troy; but he, falling in love with Polixine the Daughter of Priam, and having demanded her for his Wife, was treacheroufly flain by Paris with an Arrow fhot at his Heel, which was the only place of his Body wherein he was mortal. Divine Honours were decreed to him after his Death to be performed upon his Tomb, and in obedience to the Oracle of Dodona, the Thef falians offer'd there every year a Sacrifice of two Bulls, one white and the other black, which they brought from their own Country, whither alfo they took care to bring Wood from Mount Pelion, and Water from the River Specchius, together with Garlands made of Flowers, which were called immortal because they never faded. Philoftratus on the Picture of Achilles, and Quintus Calaber in lib. 3 of his Paralipomena, do not agree to all the Circumftances in the History of Achilles here related. The common Opinion is, That he was educated in the Ifland of Scyro with the Daughters of King Lycomedes, which is the Sentiment of Hyginus. But Philoftratus thinks that he was fent by his Father against the Ifland of Scyro, to revenge the Death of Thefeus, whom Lycomedes had cruelly put to death. Paufanias in his Attica is of the fame Opinion, for he tells us, That Scyro was taken by Achilles, as well as the King Lycomedes. Quintus Calaber maintains that Apollo kill'd Achilles with an Arrow; Apollo, fays he, being angry at the infolent Anfwer which Achilles gave him, drew a Bow and fhot him in the Heel with an Arrow, of which Wound he died And Hyginus tells us, that Apollo, to give him this Wound, affumed the fhape of Paris. whom they call'd Beelzebuth, i. e. the God of Flies. Pliny relates, that Hercules had been very much annoy'd by thefe Infects at Olympia, but after he had facrific'd to Jupiter, under the Name of 'Ausa, or, the Fly-chafing God, they flew all away over the River Alphaus, and never annoy'd him more, nor any of those who facrific'd to him in the Temples built for him after he was plac'd among the number of the Gods: For Solinus tells us, that no Flies nor Dogs could ever enter into a Chappel built to Hercules at Rome by Octavius Herennius. ACIDALIA, an Epithet given to Venus, the Goddess of Love, because she was the cause of great Uneafinefs and Vexation to those who were in Love. Some think that fhe was also fo call'd from a Fountain of that Name, where in the Three Graces, which always attended her, us'd to bath themselves. ACILIA, the Name of a very illuftrious. Roman Family, from which was defcended the generous Conful Acilius Glabrio, to whom the People of Rome erected a Statue cover'd with Leaves of Gold, for having defeated the Army of Antiochus in the narrow paffage of Tempe, and made a great flaughter of the Afiaticks. This Conful erected a Statue on horfeback of pure Gold, which he plac'd in the Temple of Piety, and confecrated to the Memory of his Father, whofe Effigies it was. This was the first Statue of that precious Metal that was ever feen at Rome, from the time of its firft foundation. ACINACES, a kind of Cutlafs or Scimetre us'd among the Perfians. ACNUA, a fort of Meafure for Land, among the antient Measurers call'd otherwife Altus quadratus, which was a Square, whereof each fide was 26 foot long, which contain'd, as Authors tell us, the moiety of a Jugerum, or, of the Acre of the Latines. Voffius fays, that it is plainly read Acnus in the Manufcripts, yet he would have it read Acna, to give credit to his own Etymology, which derives it from the word area or aneva, which is a Measure of twelve feet, as he himfelf tells us; he adds afterwards, that axeva fignifi'd alfo a Measure of 26 feet, but this he does not prove. ACONITUM, Wolvesbane, an Herb very venomous, whereof there are many kinds; 'tis faid that its Name comes from Acona, a City of Bithynia, round about which it grows in great abundance. The Poets feign, that this Herb fprung up from the Froth which the Dog Cerberus caft forth when Hercules drag'd him by. force out of Hell; for which reafon,great quantities of it are found near to Heraclea of Pontus, where is the Cavern by which Hercules defcendthither. 'Tis said, that all its Venom is in its Root; for there is no hurt in its Leaves or Fruit. The Symptoms of this Poyfon are thefe, ACHOR, otherwife call'd Myagris or Myodes, the God of Flies, to whom the Greeks and Cyrenians facrific'd, to drive away the Flies which annoy'd them, and infected their Country. S. Gregory Nazianzen in his first Invective againíted Julian, calls him Accaron, because the Accaro nites, a People of Judea, made an Idol of him, Is |