box, for determining the degree upon the brafs edge. PQRS is the index bar, with its two ftiles and catgut threads; which being taken off from the top of the box, is placed in two pieces, T and V, notched properly to receive it. W is a place cut out in the wood, ferving as an handle. (5.) AZIMUTH DIAL. See ý 1.

(6.) AZIMUTH, MAGNETICAL, an arch of the horizon intercepted between the azimuth, or vertical circle, pafling through the centre of any heavenly body, and the magnetical meridian. This is found by obferving the object with an azimuth compafs.

AZLEEL, the name of an angel, mentioned in the book afcribed to Enoch.

(1.) AZMER, a province of India, belonging to the Great Mogul. Its chief trade is in faltpetre. (2.) AZMER, a town of the Eaft Indies in the dominions of the Great Mogul, capital of the province, (No 1.) with a very strong caftle. It is pretty large, and is fometimes vifited by the Mogul himfelf. It is about 62 leagues diftant from Agra.

(1.) AZO, a town of Afia, in the E. Indies, feated on the frontiers of Azem, on the river Laquia. Lon. 88. 30. E. Lat. 25. 0. N.

2.) Azo, I. and Earls of Efte, in Italy, in (3.) Azo, II. the roth century. They claimed their defcent from the AccII, a patrician family of ancient Rome. Their pofterity fettling afterwards in Germany, gave rife to the illuftrious houfe of Brunswick; from which that of Hanover and the prefent royal family of Great Britain are lineally defcended.

AZOF. See ASOPH.

AZOGA SHIPS, are thofe Spanish ships commonly called the QUICKSILVER SHIPS, from their carrying quickfilver to the Spanish Weft Indies, to extract the filver out of the mines of Mexico and Peru. Thefe fhips are prohibited to carry any goods except for the king of Spain.

AZOLO. See ACELUM.

AZONI, [from a privative, and own, country,] in mythology, a term anciently applied to fuch of the gods as were not the private divinities of any particular country, but were acknowledged in very country, and worshipped by every nation. They were fuperior to the gods called ZONEI; who were fuppofed to inhabit particular parts of the world, and never to ftir out of the diftrict or zone that was affigned them. Such in Egypt were Serapis, Ofiris, and Bacchus; and in Greece, the Sun, Mars, the Moon, and Pluto. They were called by the Romans DII COMMUNES.

AZOOPHAGUS, [from a, v, animal, and Çay, to eat,] in natural hiftory, a term ufed by authors to exprefs fuch infects or animals as feed on herbs, never eating the flesh of any living crea

ture.

AZORES, or WESTERN ISLES, nine iflands in the Atlantic Ocean, belonging to Portugal. Their names are St Maria, St Michael, Tercera, St George, Graciofa, Fayal, Pico, Flores and Corvo. They were first difcovered, in 1439, by John Vanderberg, a merchant of Bruges, who was driven here by frefs of weather. On his arival at Lisbon, le boafted of his discovery, on

which the Portuguese fet fail and took poffeffion of them, which they have retained ever fince.They have all a clear sky and falubrious air; are extremely fertile, in corn, wine, and various fruits; and breed great numbers of cattle. It is faid they are quite free of venomous animals; but they are fubject to earthquakes, and it is fuppofed they owe their origin to fome fuch dreadful convulfion. They are feen at a great distance, one of them having a very high mountain, called the Pico, or peak of the Azores. They are fituated 900 miles W. of Portugal, and as many E. of Newfoundland. between 25°. and 32°. Lon. W. and between 37°. and 40°. Lat. N.

AZORIUM, in old law Latin, AZURE.

(1.) AZOTH, in ancient chemistry, the firft matter of metals, or the mercury of a metal; more particularly that which Alchemists call the mercury of philofophers, which they pretended to draw from all forts of metallic bodies.

(2.) Azoтн is also a name given to the philofopher's ftone. When the Arabs began to study chemistry, their metaphorical and hieroglyphical manner of writing feems to have given rife to a practice, of calling the means made ufe of for bring. ing metals to perfection, by the name of medicines, and imperfect metals by the name of fick men, and gold by that of a found and lively perfon. Hence it was fuppofed, that these were to be understood literally, efpecially upon finding the impurities of the bafer metals called by the name of leprofies; and hence rofe the opinion, that the imperfect metals might be turned into gold, and the bodies of fuch men into found ones, by the fame preparation.

(3.) AZOTH, or ASHDOD, one of the 5 cities AZOTUS, of the Philiftines, and a celebrated fea-port on the Mediterranean, fituated about 14 or 15 miles S. of Ekron, between that and Afcalon. It was in this city, that the idol Dagon fell down before the ark; and fo ftrong a place was it, if we may believe Herodotus, that it fuftained a fiege of 29 years, by Pfammiticus king of Egypt. It was, however, taken by the Maccabees in a much shorter time; who burnt both city and temple, and with them about 8000 men. The town is now called by the Arabs Hafaneyun. It is but thinly inhabited, though the fituation is very pleafant: with regard to the houses, thofe that were built in the time of Chrif tianity, and which are now inhabited by Mahometans, ftill preserve fome claim to admiration; but the modern buildings, though generally of ftone, have nothing in them which can attract the notice of a traveller. The ftreets are pretty broad, the inhabitants mostly Mahometans, with a few Chriftians of the Greek communion, who have a church under the jurifdiction of the archbishop of Gaza. The town is about a mile and a half in circumference; and has in it a mofque, a public bath, a market-place, and two inns. The number of the inhabitants is between 2 and 3000.The moit remarkable things in this place are an old ftructure with fine marble pillars, which the inhabitants fay was the houfe that Sampfon pulled down; and to the SE. just out of the town, the water in which the Ethiopian eunuch was bap

arms of any perfon below the rank of a baron.In the efcutcheon of a nobleman, it is called fap phire; and in that of a sovereign prince, Jupiter. In engraving, this colour is expreffed by lines or ftrokes drawn horizontally. M. Upton and his followers rank this colour before Gules. This colour may fignify justice, Perseverance, and Vigilance; but according to G. Leigh, it is compounded with

tized by the apoftle Philip. There are several ancient buildings, with capitals and pillars ftanding. AZPEYLIA, a town of Spain, feated on the Guetaria, between Villa Real and Ceftona. AZPLICUETA, Martin, furnamed Navarre, was born at Verafoa, near Pampeluna, in Spain, in 1494. He was professor of law in several univerfities, and died at Rome in 1586. His works were printed at Lyons, in 6 vols fol. 1597. AZPOYTIA, or ASPOYTIA, a town of Spain, in the province of Biscay. Lon. 2. 32. W. 43, 14. N.

Lat.

AZUA, a small town on the S. fide of the island of St Domingo, feated on a deep bay. AZUBAH, the daughter of Shilli and mother of king Jehoshaphat.

AZUL, RIO, or the BLUE RIVER, a river of North America, in California.

AZUM, a port of Abyffinia on the Red Sea. AZURAL, adj. of an azure colour. Shakesp. (1.) * AZURÉ. adj. [azur, Fr. azurra, Span. lazur, Arab. from lazuli, a blue ftone.] Blue; faint blue.

Like pomels round of marble clear, Where azur'd veins well mixt appear. Sidney. -The blue of the firft order, though very faint and little, may be the colour of fome fubftance; and the azure colour of the skies feems to be this order. Newton.

Thus replies
Minerva, graceful with her azure eyes.
The fea,

Pope.

Far through his azure turbulent domain, Your empire owns. Thomfon. (2.) AZURE, among painters, which at prefent Signifies a fine blue colour refembling that of the ky, was formerly appropriated to Lapis Lazuli, 2nd to the blue prepared from it. But fince a lue has been extracted from cobalt, custom has applied to it the name of azure, although it differs confiderably from the former, and is incapable of being used for the fame purposes, and particularly for painting in oil. The former at preat is called lapis lazuli; or only lapis; and the bue prepared from it for painting in oil, is called tramarine. The name azure is generally applied to the blue glafs made from the earth of cobalt and vitrifiable matters. This glafs which is called malt when in mafies, is called azure only when it is reduced to a fine powder. Several diftinguished, according to its degrees of beauty, by the names of fine azure, powdered azure, and azure of four fires. In general, the more intenfe the colour, and the finer the powder, the more beautiful and dear it is. Azure 5 employed to colour ftarch; hence it has alfo been called arch-blue. It is ufed for painting with colours, and for a blue enamel.

kinds of azure are

(3) AZURE, in heraldry, the blue colour in the

(4.) AZURE STONE, the Lapis Lazuli. See § 2. AZYGOS, in anatomy, a vein rifing within the thorax, on the right fide, having no fellow on the left; whence it is called aguyos, or vena fine pari. See ANATOMY, Index.

AZYMA, or ) [from a negative, and vun, ferAZYMES, ment,] The feaft of unleavened bread, among the Jews.

AZYMITES, in church history, Christians who adminifter the eucharift with unleavened bread. This appellation is given to the Latin Church by the Greek, because the members of the former ufe fermented bread in the celebration of the eucharist. They alfo call the Arminians and Maronites by the fame name, and for the fame reafon.

AZYMOUS, adj. fomething unfermented, or made without leaven; as unleavened bread. Sea bifcuit is of this kind; and therefore according to Galen, lefs wholesome than bread that has been fermented.

AZYMUS, a term much ufed in the difpute betwixt thofe of the Greek, and Roman Church; the latter of whom contend, that the bread in the mafs ought to be azymus, unleavened, in imitation of the pafchal bread of the Jews, and of our Saviour, who inftituted the facrament on the day of the paffover; and the former ftrenuoully maintaining the contrary, from tradition and the conftant ufage of the church. In the council of Florence it was decreed, that the point lay at the difcretion of the church; and that either leavened

or unleavened bread might be ufed. The weftern church has preferred the latter.

AZZALUM, in the ancient phyfiology, a fpecies of iron, reputed the moft excellent of all, fuppofed to have been brought from India, whence it was called Indicum, but, in reality, according to fome, brought from China.

AZZO, Portius, an Italian lawyer, was a native of Bologna, where he was chofen profeffor of jurifprudence, in 1190. He wrote a work held in great eftimation, entitled, A Summary of the Code and the Infiitutes. He died about 1220.

* (1.) B2

(1.) * B,

The 2d letter of the English alphabet,

is pronounced as in most other European languages, by preffing the whole length of the lips together, and forcing them open with a ftrong breath. It has a near aflinity with the other labial letters, and is confounded by the Germans with P, and by the Gafcons with V; from which an epigrammatift remarks, that bibere and vivere are in Gafcony the fame. The Spaniards, in moft words, ufe B or indifferently.

Or like a lamb, whofe dam away is fet, He trebles baas for help, but none can get. Stan (1.) BAAL, (by, Lord, Syr. The fame as BEL, or BELUS; an idol of the Chaldeans, and Pho nicians, or Canaanites. The former worshipped Mars under this name, according to Jofephus: who, fpeaking of Thurus the fucceffor of Ninus, fay, "To this Mars, the Affyrians erected the firft ftatue, and worshipped him as a God, calling him Baal." It is probable from what is re"corded, II. Kings xxiii. 5, 11. that the Phoenici ans worshipped the fun under the name of Baal. The temples confecrated to this god, are called in Scripture Chamanin, which fignifies places inclofed with walls, in which was kept a perpetual fire. Maundrel, in his journey from Aleppo to Jerufalem, observed fome traces of these inclofures in Syria. In most of them there were no ftatues; in a few there were fome, but of no uniform figure. As the word baal, in the Punic language, fignifies lord or mofter, it doubtless meant the fupreme Deity, the Lord and Mafter of the univerfe. It is often joined with the name of fome talife god, as BAAL-BERITH, BAAL-PEOR, BAAL-ZEPHON, &c. This deity paffed from the Phoenicians to the Carthaginians, who were a colony of Phoenicians; as appears from the Carthaginian names, Hannibal, Afdrubal, &c. according to the cuttom of the eaft, where kings and great men added to their own names thofe of the r gods. This falfe deity is frequently mentioned in Scripture in the plural number, BAALIM: which may fignify, either that the naine, Baal, was given to feveral different gods; or that there were many ftatues, bearing different appellations, confecrated to this idol. Arnobius tells us, that Baal was of an uncertain fex; and that his votaries, when they called upon him, invoked him thus: Hear us, whether thou art a god or a goddess! Some learned men think, that the Baal of the Phoenicians is the Saturn of the Greeks; which is probable enough from the conformity there is between the human facrifices offered to Saturn, and thofe which the Scripture tells us were offered to Baal. Others are of opinion, that Baal was the Phoenician or Tyrian Hercules, a god of great antiquity in Phoenicia.

(2.) B is ufed, 1. as a letter; 2. as a numeral; and, 3. as an abbreviation. I. As a LETTER it is the second of most alphabets, except the Abyf. finian, and the ancient Irish; where it is the firft, and A the 17th. B is the first confonant, and first mute, and in its pronunciation is supposed to resemble the bleating of a sheep; upon which account Pierius tells us, in his hieroglyphics, that the Egyptians reprefented the found of this letter by the figure of that animal. B is alfo one of thofe letters which the eastern grammarians call labial, because the principal organs employed in its pronunciation are the lips. It is often ufed for P by the Armenians and other orientals, as in Betrus for Petrus, aplens for abfens, &c.; and by the Romans for V, as in amabit for amavit, berna for verna, &c. Hence that pun of Aurelian on the emperor Bɔnofus, Non ut vivat natus eft, fed ut bibat. Plutarch obferves, that the Macedonians changed into B, and pronounced Bilippos, Berenice, &c. for Philippos, Phere nice, &c.: and thofe of Delphos ufed B inftead of II, as Balin for adv, Bingov for izgov, &c.The Latins said suppono, oppono, for fubpono, obpono; and pronounced optinut, though they wrote obtinuit, as Quintilian has obferved.-They alfo ufed B for F or PH: thus, in an ancient infcription mentioned by Gruter, Obrendario, is ufed for Ofrendario -The modern Greeks call the Beta, Vita. II. As a NUMERAL, В was used by the Greeks and Hebrews to denote 2; but among the Romans for 300; with a dafh over it (thus ) for 3000; and with a kind of accent under it for 200. III. As an ABBREVIATION, B. A. ftands for bachelor of arts; B. LL. for bachelor of laws; and B. D. for bachelor of divinity. B. F. in the preface to the decrees, or fenatus confulta of the old Romans, fignified bonum fuðum. In mufic, B ftands for the tone above A; as B), or þB, dɔes for B flat, or the femitone major above A. B alfo ftands for bafs; and B. C. for buffo continuo, or thorough bafs. B in chemistry denotes mercury.

(1.) BA, a town of the kingdom of Benin, in Africa, fituated near the river Popo. Lon. 3. 45. E. Lat. 8. 20. N.

(2.) BA, a river of Scotland in Argyllshire. *BAA. 7. /. [See the verb. The cry of a sheep. -Therefore thou art a fheep —— Such another proof would make me cry bna. Shakespeare. To Baa. v. n. [b..lɔ, Latin.] To cry like a fleep.-

(2.) BAAL. See BAALATH-BEER.

BAALAH, I. a city transferred from the tribe of Judah to the Simeonites: 2. the original name of Kirjath-jearim, in Judah.

BAALATH, a city in the tribe of Dan. BAALATH-BEER, or BAAL, a city of the Si meonites, on the SW. border..

BAAL-BECK, or the VALLEY OF BAAL, a fer tile country of Afia, between Lebanon and Anti libanus, about 30 miles from Damafcus; wher there was formerly a magnificent temple of th fun, the ruins of which are ftill vifible. Som geographers make it a part, and others the whol of Calofyria; but all agree, that it was one of th moft pieafant fpots on the earth. The ruins o the temple are sftiil admired by travellers.

BAAL