ELE
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ELI
and tyatfamtlS, "viz. that the Greeks learn'd their Gods, and their Religion from the Egyptians.
Theodoret, L. I. gracanicar. Affefiiom writes that it was Orpheus, not Eri&heus, who made this Eflabhihment j and who inftituted Tor Ceres, what the Egyptians prafti- fed for 7/fr : Which Sentiment is confirmed by the Scho- lia** on the Mceftis of Euripedes.
Elettfis, the City where theft Myftcries were celebrated, was fo jealous of the Glory thereof, that when reduced to the laft Extremities by the Athenians, it would not fur- render but on this Condition, that the Eleufinia fhould net be taken from them 5 tho' rhefe were no Religious Ceremonies peculiar to the Town, but were held common to all Greece.
The Matter of thefe Myftenes, as related by AmoblM and Lc-.ftanthiS) was an Imitation, or Representation, of what the Fables teach of Ceres. They lafted feveral Days 5 daring which, the People run about with burning Torches in their Hands ; facrificed Abundance of Victims, not only to Ceres, but alfo to Jupiter ; made Libations, from two Veffels, one of them to the Eavt, and the other to the Weft ; march'd in Pomp and Procefiion to Eleufis, making Paufes from Time to Time, wherein they fung Hymns, and facrificed Victims : And this they perform'd, not only in going to Eleufis, but in returning back to Athens.
For the reft, they were obliged to keep it as an invio- lable Secret 5 and the Law condemn'd to Death any one who mould dare to divulge their Myfteries. Tertullian in his Book againft the Valent'mians, relates that the Figure fhewn in the Eleufinia, and which was fo ex- prcfiy prohibited to be made public, was that of a Man's privy Parts : -Theodoret, Arnobius, and Clemens Alexan- drinns, likewife make mention of it 5 but fay it was the Figure of a Woman's Privities.
The Day after the Feaft, the Senate affembled at Eleufis, apparently to examine whether every Thing had been managed according to Order.
There were two Kinds of Eleufinia, the great and the lefs : Thofe we have been hitherto fpeaking of were the greater.
The lejfer were inftituted in Favour of Hercules .- For that Hero deiiring to be initiated into the former; and the Athenians not being able to gratify him therein, by Reafon the Law prohibited any Stranger being admitted 5 being loth however to give him an abfolutc Denial, they inftituted new Eleufinia whereat he aflifted.
The greater were held in the Month Soedronicon, which anfwcr'd to our Augufi j and the leffer in the Month An- theferion, which happened in our January.
People were only brought to partake of thefe Ceremonies by Degrees : At firft, they were to be purified 5 then admitted to the little Eleufinia .- And at laft initiated in the greater. Thofe who were yet only at the letter, were called Myfies 5 and thofe admitted to the greater, Epopt-es, or Ephori, i. e. Infpectors. They were ufually to undergo a Probation of five Years, e're they pafs'd from the lefter tp the greater. Sometimes, indeed, they were contented with a fingle Year 5 immediately after which, they were admitted to the moil fecret religious Parts of the Ceremony. Meiirfvus has an exprefs Treatife on the Eleufinia, where molt of thefe Points are proved.
Some Writers call the City, where the Eleufinia were celebrated, Elevfina, not Eleufis: Harpocratiou confirms this Orthography, in deriving its Name from Eleufinus, a Son of Mercury : To which Sentiment, <Paufautas like- wife adheres in his At ticks. Others, who write it *E- tKvony Advent, fuppofe it thus called, by Reafon Ceres, after running over the World in Search of her Daughter, ftop'd here, and put an End to her Purfuit. Diodorus Siculus, L. V. will have the Name Eleufis to have been given this City, as a Monument to Pofterity, that Corn, and the Art of cultivating it, were brought from Abroad into Attica.
ELEUTHERIUS, in Antiquity, a Greek Word, fignify- ing Liberator, 'Deliverer , given by the Greeks, as a Surname, or Epithet to Jupiter, on Occalion of his having gain'd them the Victory over Mardonius, General of the tPerfians, and killed 300 Thoufand Men of his Army, and by that Means deliver'd them from the Danger they were under of being brought under the tPerfian Yoke.
There were alfb Fealls folemnized, on this Occalion, in Honour of Jupiter Eleutherim, and call'd Eleutheria. They were held every five Years, with Courfes of armed Chariots, Gta
The Scholiafi on Wmdar, Olymp. Od. 7. fays, they were celebrated at \Platea, the Place where the Victory was obtain'd.i
The Word is form'd from £*sift}sf©-, free.
ELICIT, or EL1C1TE, in Ethicks, is applied to an Act: of the Will, immediately produced by, and of the Will, and received within the fame.
Such is Willing, Killing, Loving, Hating, ££c. Such Acts are denominated Elicit, by Reafon being before in the Power of the Will, they are now brought forth into Act. But thefe Acts are fo far intrinfk, that fome Authors confider them as the Will it felf ; and deny they mould be diftinguifhed from it any more than that Light is to be diftinguifhed from the Sun.
ELIGIBILITY, in the Romifh Canon Law. A Bull of Eligibility, is a Bull granted by the Pope, to certain Perfons, to qualify them to be chofen, or inverted with an Office, or Dignity, whereof they were before incapable, by Reafon of Want of Age, Birth, or the like.
In feveral Churches in Germany, a Perfon who is not of the Chapter, cannot be elected Biftiop, without a Bull of Eligibility.
The Word is form'd of the Latin, eligere, to chufe 5 whence the Word Eligibilitas, &c.
ELISION, in Grammar, the cutting off, or fuppreffing a Letter, at the End of a Word.
Elifions are but little known in Engl/Jfr : In Latin, French, &c. they are frequent 5 and coniift moftly in Sup- preflions of the e final.
In Writing, it is mark'd by an Apoftrophe ; as egon 1 quem qu<eram, for egone. Emm* ego te ? for Emine. Venifiiri for Veniftine, &c. Cetf Ejperance, for Cette 5 /' homme, for le homme.
In the Pronunciation we make frequent Elifions, but don't mark them in Writing ; thus we write r if que if, but pronounce riff it. So the French pronounce wt a/ne, but write une amc. In Effect, they never mark any Elifions but at the End of the Monofyllables je ne le te ce que and la. They never elide the 0, nor 11, nor 2, but in the Conjunction fii before il ; nor a but in la.
In Poetry, the Syllabic where there is a Vowel Elided* is never reckon'd : And great Care is taken to avoid the Concourfe of Syllables, where there is no Elifion ; this making what they call a Hiatus, or Chafm.
ELIXATION, in Pharmacy, Z$c. the fcething or boil* ing of any Medicine in a proper Liquor, gently and for a conflderable Time ; amounting to what, in the dreffing of Meats, we prorerly call Stewing.
The Liquor ordinarily ufed in EUxations, is Spring or River Water : Tho* on fome Occafions they uie Milk, Whey, Beer or the like.
The ordinary Purpofe of Elixation, is to extract the Virtue out of the Medicine, and impart it to the Liquor. Tho' it is fometimes alfo ufed to free the Parts of Animals,. Plants, &c. of their Crudities, as well as to foften, and make them tender ; . to take away from Foods, or Medi- caments, any enforceable Tafte, or other ill Quality ; to feparate the earthy or groffer Parts, and for other In- tentions. See Extraction.
The Word is form'd from the Latin, lixare to boil, or boil in Water. SJecocJion is a Sort of Elixation. See Decoction.
ELIXIR, in Medicine, a compound Extract, Tincture, or ElTence, drawn from a Mixture of feveral Ingredients, by infufing them in a proper Muiftruum. See Extract.
Or it is a ftrong, fpirituous Liquor, or Juice, to betaken inwardly 5 containing the pureft, and moil efficacious Parts of feveral mix'd Bodies, communicated to it by Infufion and Maceration.
Dr. guincy defines it" a ftrong Infufion in fome Men- ftruum, whereby the Ingredients themfelves are almoffc diffolved, and a Juice thus acquired of a thicker Con- fiftence than an ordinary Tincture. See Tincture, In- fusion, &g.
Soerhaave takes an Elixir to be a compound Magi- ftery, i. e. a. compound of various Bodies, changed after the fame Manner as a fingle Body is in a Magiftery- See Magistery.
Spirits drawn from Vegetables, i. e. the ftrong, or fpi- rituous Waters of Vegetables, are ufually the Bafe of Elixirs and the Menftruum, or Diffolvent, whereby the Effence of the other Ingredients is drawn or feparated. Spirit of Wine is the belt and molt commodious Menftruum of all.
The Charletans abufe the Term Elixir, and apply it. to Abundance of fimple Extracts, or Tinctures j only to put them off at the higher Price. Some Authors, for Elixir, ufe the Word ghiint'ifjence. See Quintessence.
Menage derives the Word from the Arabic, Elixir j properly fignifying VraBion, by Reafon Elixirs have the Force of breaking Difeafes : Others, more naturally derive it from Alecfiro, an Artificial Extraction of fome Eflence. Others from the Greek skcuov } Oil, and <n/f«, / draw, a. d. an Extract of the Oil, which is the efTential Part of Mixts. Others from the Greek Verb, d\s^, to help, afjift, by Reafon of the great Succours we receive from Elixirs. Laftly, others from ih-Wj to draw.
Elixir
