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the Roman, and other Churches of Italy, before the Time of that Father. In effect, till the Time of Cbarlemaign, each Church had its feveral Office : And when in after-Days the Pope took on him to impofe the Roman Office on all the other Churches of the Weft 5 that of Milan ihelter'd it fclf from the Imposition, under the Name and Authority of St. Amhrqfe 5 from which Time, the Phrafe Ambrofian Rite has obtain'd, in contradiftin&ion to the Roman Rite. The pubiick Library of Milan, is alfo called the Ambro- fian Library. See Library.
AMBRY, or Armory, the Place where the Arms, Plate, Veffels, and every thing belonging to Houfe-keeping were kept.
Hence, probably the Ambry at Wcftminfter, was fo called, becaufe formerly fet apart for that ufe 5 or rather, from Aumonery, a Houfe adjoining to an Abbey, in which the Charities were laid up, and distributed to the Poor. See Alms.
AMBULATION, or miking. See Exercise. Ambulation, in Phyfick, is ufed by fome for the fpread- ing of a Gangrene, or Mortification. See Gangrene, &c. AMBULATORY, a Term antienrly applied to fuch Courts, &c. as were not fixed to any certain Place $ but held fometimes in one Place, and fometimes in another.— In opposition to Sedentary Courts. See Court, and Se- dentary.
The Court of Parliament was antienrly Ambulatory ; fo were the Courts of King's Bench, &c. See Parliament, KiKG's-Bencb, &C.
The Word is form'd of the La^tin ambulare, to walk. "We fometimes alfo fay, in a Moral Senfe, a Man's Will is Ambulatory, to the Time of his Death 5 meaning, that he has it always in his Power to revoke it.
AMBURBIA, or Ameurbale Sacrum, in Antiquity, a Religious Feaft, or Ceremony, practifed among the Romans, wherein they made Proceffions around their City.
The Word is compofed of amb'to, I go round 5 or of amb, or ambit, an antient PrepoSition, Signifying around, and urbs, City.
Hence, alfo, we have Amburbiales ViBimte, the Viftims carried along in the Proceflion $ and afterwards facrifie'd.
Scaliger, in his Notes on Feftus, maintains the Amburbia to be the fame with Ambarvalia. See Ambarvalia.
AMBUSCADE, Ambush, Ambushment, a Body of Men, who lie hid in a Wood, &c. to rufh out upon, or in- clofe an Enemy unawares. — Or, the Place wherein fuch a Corps hide themfelves.
AMBUSTIO, in Medicine, a Burm See Burn, and Burning.
AMEL, or Enamel. See Enamel. *'
AMEN, a Church Term, ufed as the Conclusion of all folemn Prayers, &c. and Signifying, fo be it, or fiat.
The Hebrews had four kinds of Amen. — That juftmen- tion'd they called Amen paft 5 which was accorapany'd with the greateft Attention, and Devotion : In this Senfe, the "Word has pafs'd into almoft all Languages, without any Al- teration.
Some Authors are of Opinion, that the Word Amen is formed of the initial Letters of thefe Words, Adonai Me- lech Neeman, Dominus Rex Fidclis ; an ufual Expreffion among the Jews, when they would give Weight or Sanc- tion to any thing they faid. In effeft, 'tis known, that to . exprefs the Words p^} *j^q '311X Adonai Meelecb Nee- man, in the ordinary way of Abbreviatures $ the Rabbins only take the initial Letters, which joined together, are really the Letters of the Word \DH Amen. See Abbre- viature.
On the other hand, there are fome of their Cabbalifts, who, according to their ufual manner of finding hidden Meanings in Words, which they call Not ar icon ; out of the Letters of the Word Amen, form the whole Phrafe, Adonai Melecb Neemen. See Notaricon.
Yet, 'tis certain alfo, that the Word Amen was in the Hebrew Tongue, before ever there were any fuch things as Cabbala or Cabbalifts in theWorld : as appears from 'Deu- teronomy, Chap. XXVII. ver. 15. See Cabbala, $$c.
The Primitive of the Word Amen, is the Verb aman, which, in the paffive Voice, Signifies to be true, faithful, conflant, &G.- — Hence came the Noun Jg}^ Amen, which Signifies, Truth.
And, laftly, of this Noun Amen they made a kind of affirmative Adverb, which, when placed at the End of any Phrafe or Proposition, Signifies, So be it, Be it true, I ac- qaiefce in it, &c.
Thus, in the Paffage above cited from Deuteronomy, Mofes ordered the Levites to cry aloud to the People, Cur- fed is be that makes any graven or molten Image, ckc. and all the People Shall fay, Amen j i. e. Tcs, May be be cur- fed, Wc dejire, we agree to it. — But at the beginning of a Phrafe, as in feveral PaSTigcs of the New Teftament, it Sig- nifies '■Truly, Verily.— When it is redoubled, or repeated
twice together, as is always done by St. John, it has the* Effefl of a Superlative, agreeably to the Genius of the Hebrew Tongue, and her two Daughter^ the Cbaldee and Synack.—ln this Senie we are to underftand Amen, Amen, dico vobis. The Evangelifts ufually preferve the Hebrew Word Amen., in their Greek u^nv ; tho St. Luke fometimes renders it by «M0»*, truly, or vcu t certainly.
AMEND, or Amende, in the French Cuftoms, a MulEt or pecuniary Punifhment, impofed by a Sentence of the Judge 5 for any Crime, falfe Profecution, or groundlefs Ap- peal. See Mulct, Punishment, Appeal, £S?c.
Amende Honorable, is an afflictive Pain, importing, or carrying with it a Note of Infamy. — As, when the Delin- quent is condemned to go naked to the Shirt, a Torch in his Hand, and a Rope about his Neck, into a Church or Auditory $ and beg pardon of God, the King, or the Court, for fome ill deed.
The Phrafe Amende honorable, is more peculiarly ufed where a Perfon is condemn'd to come into Court, or into the Prefence of fome Perfon injured j and make an open Re- cantation, £5?c.
AMENDABLE, or Amainable, is applied in ourLaw- Books to a Woman, that is fuppofed to be governable by her Husband. See Woman, Wife, £■?£.
AMENDMENT, in Law, the CorreAion of an Error committed in a Procefs, and efpied before Judgment. See Error.
If the Error be committed in giving Judgment, viz. a wrong Judgment be given, there, they cannot amend it 5
but the Party aggriev'd muft bring his Writ of Error.
However, where the Fault appears to be in the Clerk who writ the Record, it may be amended.
AMERCEMENT, or Amerciament, in Law, a Pe- nalty affeffed by the Peers or Equals of the Party amerced, for an Offence done ; or a pecuniary Punifhment impofed upon Offenders, at the Mercy of the Court 5 and therefore in our Law frequently called Mifericordia. See Punish- ment, and Misericordia.
There is this ftated Difference between Fines, and Amercements 5 that Fines are PuniShments certain, and de- termined by fome Statute 5 but Amercements are arbitrary Impositions, proportion 'd to the Fault, at the Difcretion of the Court.
Manwood, in his For eft Law, makes another Difference; as if an Amerciament were a more eafy and merciful Pe- nalty, and a Fine a more Sharp and grievous one.
In the New Terms of the Law, Amerciament is faid to be properly a Penalty aSTeffed by the Peers or Equals of the Party amerced for an Offence done ; for which he puts himfelf upon the Mercy of the Lord.— -The fame Author mentions an Amerciament Royal $ and defines it, a pecu- niary Punifhment laid upon a Sheriff, Coroner, or fuch-like Officer of the King, by Juftices, for fome Offence or Abufe in his Office.
AMETHYST, in Natural Hiftory, a Precious Stone, of a violet Colour, bordering on Purple. See Precious Stone. There are three forts :— The Oriental, which is the hard- eft, the fcarceft, and moft valuable, is of a dove Colour 5 the German, which is of a violet Colour 5 and that o?Car- tbagena, which has the Colour of a Panfy.
There are fome Orientals alfo of a purple Colour, and o- thers white, and like the Diamond. — There are beautiful ones found in the Tyreneans, and in the Mountains of Au- vergne.
The Ametbyft is not extremely hard ; but may be cut with a leaden Wheel, fmear'd with Emery moiften'd in Wa- ter. — It is polifh 'd on a pewter Wheel with Tripoli. — It is eafily engraven on, either in Creux or Relievo.
cpiutarcb fays, the Amethyji takes its Name from its Co- lour ; which, according to him, refembies that of Wine mix'd with Water ; and not from its preventing Drunken- nefs : which, however, was a common Opinion, and gave occafion to its being hung about theNecks of great Drinkers. — Thofe who afcribe this Virtue to the Ametbyft, derive its Name from the Privative a, and ^n9ufrx<y, to inebriate. See Gem.
Amethyst, in Heraldry, Signifies the purple Colour, in the Coat of a Nobleman ; which in Gentlemens Efcutcheons below that degree, is called 'Purpure ; and in thofe of fovereign Princes, Mercury. See Purple, and Purpure.
AMIANTHUS Lapis, in Natural Hiftory, the fame with Asbeftos. See Asbestos.
AMICTUS, in our antient Writers, the uppermoft of the Six Garments worn by Priefts.
It was tied round the Neck, Ne inde ad linguam tranfeat mendacium j and covered the Breaft and Heart, Nevani- tates cogitet. — Amitlus, Alba, Cingulum, Stola, Manipulus, S? <Planeta.
AMIABLE Numbers, denote Numbers which are mum- ally equal to the whole Sum of one another's Aliquot Parts. —Such are the Numbers 484 and aao. See Number.
X AMIT-
