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ACCURSED, fomething that lies under a Curfe, or under a Sentence of Excommunication. See Anathema, Excommunication, &c.
ACCUSATION, Accusatio, in the Civil Law, the in- tenting a criminal Action againft any one, either in one's own Name, or that of the Publick. See Action, and Criminal.
By the Roman Law, there was no publick Accufer, for publick Crimes 5 every private Perfon, whether interested in the Ctime or not, might accufe, and profecute the Ac- cused to Punilhment or Abfolution.
But the Accufation of private Crimes was never received, excepting from the Mouths of thofe who were immediately intcrefled in them. — None but the Husband could accttfe his Wife of Adultery. See Adultery.
Indeed, it was not properly an Accufation except in pub- lick Crimes j in private ones it was call'd limply Aclion, or interning an Action, intendere Actionem, or litem. See Action.
Cato, the molt innocent Perfon of his Age, had been ac- cufed 42 times 5 and abfolved 42 times. See Absolution.
When the Accufed accufes the Accufer, it is called Re- crimination 5 which is not admitted till the Accufed has been firtt purg'd. See Recrimination.
By the cruel Laws of the Inquifition, the Accufed is for- ced to accufe himielf of the Crime objected to him. See Inquisition.
It has formerly been the Cuflom in fome Patts of Europe, where the Accufation was very heavy, either to decide it by Combat, or at leaft to make the Accufed purge him- felf by Oath ; which, however, was not admitted, except- ing a certain Number of his Neighbours and Acquaintance fwote together with him. See Duel, Combat, Oath, Purgation, &c.
ACCUSATIVE, in Gtammar, the fourth Cafe of Nouns that are declined. See Case, and Noun.
Its Ule may be conceived from this, That all Verbs which exprefs Actions that pafs from the Agent, as, to beat, to break, &c. muft have Subjects to receive thofe Actions : for, if I beat, I muft beat fomething ; fo that a Verb evidently requires after it a Noun, or Name, to be the Subject or Object of the Action exprefs'd. See Verb.
Hence, in all Languages which have Cafes, the Nouns have a Termination which they call Accufative 5 as, a'mo Ileum, I love God 5 Ctsfar vicit Pompeium, Ctefar over- came Pompey.
In Englify, we have nothing to diftinguiiTi this Cafe ftom the Nominative, but as we ordinarily place Words in their natural Order, it is eafily difcover'd, the Nominative con- itantly preceding, and the Accufative following the Verb. — ■ Thus, when we fay, the Prince loves the Princeis, and the Princefs loves the Prince : The Prince is the Nominative in the firft, and the Accufative in the laft 5 and the Prin- cefs the Accufativc in the firft, and the Nominative in the fecond. See Nominative.
ACEPHALUS, 01 Acephalous, fomething without a Head. See Head.
The Word is compofed of the Ptivative <*, and xspaAij, Ca- put, Head.
Pliny reprefents the Blemmyes as a Headlefs or Acepha- lous Nation. See Blemmyes.- Acephalous Worms are
frequent. See Worm, and Vermes.
Acephalus is more frequently applied, in a figurative Senfe, to thole deftitute of a Leader, or Chief.
Thus, the Name Acephali is fometimes applied to fuch Priefts or Biffiops, as are exempted ftom the Difcipline and Jurisdiction of their ordinary Bifliop or Patriarch. See Ex- emption, Privilege, Peculiar.
Anaflafius the Library-Keeper, calls this Exemption from the Jurisdiction of a Patriarch, Autocephalia. See Pa- triarch.
We find a great Number of Canons of Councils, Capitu- lars of Princes, S?c. againft Acephalous Clerks, &c.
In our antient Law-Books, the Term is alfo ufed for thofe poor People who had no proper Lord j as holding nothing in Fee, either of King, Bifhop, Baron, or other Feudal Lord. L. Hen. I.
In Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, Acephali frequently occurs as the Denomination of divers Sects: Particularly, — i Q , Of thofe who in the Affair of the Council of Efbefus, tefufed to follow either St. Cyril, or John of Autioch. — 2 , Of certain Here- ticks of the Vth Century, who at firft follow'd 'Peter Mongus ; but afterwards abandon'd him, upon his fubferibing to the Council of Chalcedon ; they themfelves flicking to the Er- rors of Eutyches. — 3 , Of the Adhetents of Severn* of An- tioch; and of all in general who refufed to admit the Ceuncil of Chalcedon.
Some will have the Word properly to denote Hefitator ; and fuppofe it applied on this Occafion, by reafon they flood neuter, or dubious, hefitating about coming into the Coun- cil : But the former Opinion is the mote ptobable ; Acepha- lous being never ufed in the latter Senfe.
In fome Writers, the Acephalous Hereticks ara called Acepahtes, Accphalita.
ACERB Acerbus, a compound Tafte, confining of four, with the Addition of a degree of Roughnefs. See Taste. a
Such is the Tafte of all Fruits before they are ripe See Fruit, Maturity, &c.
The Phyficians ufually make Acerb an intermediate Sa- vour between Acid, Aufterc, and Bitter. See Acid, $$c.
All Mattets which come under this Denomination are Aftringent. See Astringent.
ACERRA, in Antiquity, a kind of Altar, erected near' the Gate of a Perlon defunct, among the Romans ; whereon his Friends and Familiars daily offer 'd Incenfe, till the time of his Burial. See Altar, Funeral, SJe.
ACETABULUM, in Antiquity, a little Vafe or Cup f ufed at Table ; to ferve up things proper for Sauce, or Sea- fcning : much after the manner of our Salts, and Vinegat- Cruets. See Vase, and Vessel.
Hence, Agricola, in his Tteatife of Roman Meafures^ L. I. takes the Name to have been form'd from Acetunii Vinegar ; as luppofing it principally deflin'd to ferve Vine- gar on.
Acetabulum is alfo ufed for a Roman Meafure, in ufe chiefly in Medicine, for liquid Matters. See Measure.
The Acetabulum contain'd a Cyathus and a half, as is proved by Agricola, from two Verfes of Fannius ; who fpeaking of the Cyathus, fays, it weighs ten Drachms; and the Oxubaphus or Acetabulum, 15.
Sis quinque hunc faciunt Drachma, Ji appendere tentes, Oxybaphus fiet fi quinque addautur ad Mas.
Billet, in his Treatife of Weights and Meafures prefix'd to his Tranflation of 'Pliny, makes the Acetabulum of Oil weigh two Ounces and two Scruples ; rhe Acetabulum of "Wine, two Ounces, two Drachms, a Grain, and a third of a Gtain ; and the Acetabulum of Honey, three Ounces, three Drachms, a Scruple, and two Siliqua:. See Cyathus,
COTYLE, ££C.
Acetabulum, is alfo ufed in Anatomy, for a deep Cavi- ty, in certain Bones, appointed for rhe Reception of the latge Heads of other Bones, in order ro rheir Articulation. See Bone, and Articulation.
Thus, the Cavity of the Ifchium, or Huckle-Bone, which receives the Head of the Thigh-Bone, is called Acetabu- lum, Cotyla, or Cotyloides. See Ischium, Femur, Coty-
LE, £?f.
The Acetabulvm is lined and tipp'd round with a Carti- lage, whofe circular Margin is called Supercilium.—ln its bottom lies a large mucilaginous Gland. See Mucilagi- nous, &c.
Acetabulum is alfo ufed by Anatomiflsin the fame Senfe with Cotyledon. See Cotyledones.
ACETARIA, a Salade. See Salade.
The Word is form'd of Acetum, Vinegar ; in regard that Fluid is commonly ufed for the Seafoning thereof.
ACETOUS, fomething relating to Acetum, or Vinegar. See Acetum, and Vinegar.
Thus, we fay, an Acetous Tafte ; Acetous Qualities, S$c. Wine, and all vinous Liquors, are render 'd Acetous by exci- ting their Salts, and tempering or abating their Sulphurs. See Wine, and Vinous.
The Chymifts mention divers Aceta, or Acetous Liquors; as, Acetum Alcalizatum ; made of diflill'd Vinegar, with the Addition of fome Alkaline, or Volatile Salt. See Al- kali. -Acetum Philofophorum, a four kind of Liquor ;
made by diffolving a little Butter of Antimony in a gteac deal of Water. Boyle.
Acetum, in Medicine, tic. the fame with Vinegar ; the Properties, Ufes, and Preparation whereof, fee under the Article Vinegar.
The Word is pure Latin $ form'd of Aceo, I am fliarp. See Acid.
There are feveral Medicines in the Shops, whereof this Liquor is the Balls ; as, Acetum Diflillatum, diftill'd Vine- gar ; chiefly ufed in other Preparations for Diflblution, and Precipitation. See Distillation, Dissolution, Preci- pitation, £5?i*.
Spiritus Aceti, Spirit of Vinegar ; made by drenching Copper Filings or Spittle Duft with diftill'd Vinegar, then evaporating it till the Fumes of the Vinegar cannot be fmelt ; the Saturation and Evaporarion to be again repeated^ till the Metal be fatiated ; which being then diftill'd, the
Spitit comes over. Its Qualities and' Ufes are much the
fame with thofe of the former, only more powerful.
Acetum Rofarum, Vinegar of Rofes ; made of Rofe-buds infufed in Vinegar 40 or 50 Days ; the Roles then prefs'd out, and the Vinegar preferv'd. — It is chiefly ufed by way of Embrocation on the Head and Temples, in the Head-ach.
After the fame manner is made Acetum Sambucinum, Vinegar of Elders ; Acetum Anthofamm, Vinegar of Rofe- maries, S$c,
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