AGE
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AGE
AGAPETjE, in Ecclcfiaftical Hiftory, Well-beloved 5 a Name given to certain Virgins, who in the antient Church affociated themfelves with Ecclefiafticks, out of a Motive of Piety and Charity.
In the primitive Days, there were Women inftituted Dea- coneffes 5 who devoting themfelves to the Service of the Church, took up their abode with the Miniftcrs, and affift- ed them in their Functions. See Deacon.
In the Fervour of the primitive Piety, there was nothing fcandalous in thefe Societies : But they afterwards degene- rated into Libertinifm j infomuch, that St. Jcrom afks, with Indignation, wide Agapetarum pefiis in ecclefias intrant ?
This gave occafion to Councils to fupprefs them. St. A-
thanajius mentions a Prieft named Leontius, who, to remove all occafion of Sufpicion, offer'd to mutilate himfclf, to pre- ferve his Companion.
A&ARIC, or Fungus Agarici, in Pharmacy, a kind of fungous Excrefcence growing on the Trunks, and large Branches of feveral Trees ; but chiefly on the Larch-Tree, and certain Oaks. See Fungus.
Tiiofcorides derives its Name from a Province of Sarmatia, called Agaria ; whence it was firft brought.— Several Au- thors, and among the reft, Galen, take it for a Root ; but the common Opinion is for its being of the Mufhroom kind. — It is brought from the Levant.
It is white, light, tender, brittle, of a bitter Tafle, pun- gent, and a little Styptic.' — This is what the Antients call'd the Female Agaric : As for the Male, it is ufually yellowim and woody ; and is generally excluded out of Phyiick, be- ing only uied in Dying.
Agaric was a Medicine in mighty ufe among the Antients; not only fot the purging of Phlegm, but in all Diflempers proceeding from grofs Humours and Obftruclions 5 as the Epi- lepfy, Madnefs, Afthma, &c. — Yet they complain'd, that it weaken'd the Bowels, and purg'd too violently.
They had divers Correctors for it - chiefly of the Aro- matic kind : But Dr. £>uincy fays, the beft way is to banifh it for good, as the prelent Practice has almoft done: for that it rather makes People fick, than purges them ; be- ing, very naufeous, and but little cathartic. See Purgative.
By a chymical Solution, it paffes almoft wholly into Oil : It yields no volatile Salt 5 but abounds with a fore of fcaly Earth, and an acid Phlegm.
"We read of Pillule de Agarico, and Troches of Agaric ; but they are difufed.
Some Authors alfo mention a Mineral Agaric ; which is a whitifh Stone, found in the Clefts of Rocks in Germany ; called alfo Lac Lunce, and by fome Naturalifts, Lithomagra, and Stemmagra. See Lac Lunee.
AGAT, Achates, in Natural Hiftory, a precious Stone, partly tranfparent, and partly opake. See Precious Stone t and Gem.
The firft Agats were faid to have been found in Sicily, along the Banks of the River Achates ; whence, fome will have it, the Name is deriv'd.
There are various Kinds of Agats 5 which, according to their different Colours, degrees of Tranfparency, &c. have different Names. — The principal may be redue'd to thefe four, -viz. the Onyx, the Chalcedony, the 'Black, and the German Agats. See Onyx, and Chalcedony.
The Agat has ordinarily a reddifh Teint; but is finely va- riegated with Spots and Stains 5 many of which feem very naturally to reprefent Woods, Rivers, Trees, Animals, Fruits, Flowers, &c. — 1)e Soot mentions one, or the Size of a Nail, wherein a Bifliop, with his Mitre, was very well re- prcfented : Turning it a little, a Man and Woman's Head were feen in its Place.
The Sardines, and Sardonyx Agats, are very valuable ; the latter is of a fanguine Colour, and is divided into Zones, which feem to have been painted by Art. — Pliny, Strabo, and Cicero fay, that Polycrates's Ring was a Sardonyx. See Sardonyx.
Authors alfo fpeak of Roman Agats, Egyptian Agats, Onyx-fardovyx Agats, &c. — The Antients mention a red Agat, fpotted with Points of Gold, found in Candia ; and called Sacred, as being a Prefervativc againft the Poifon of Vipers, Scorpions, and Spiders.' — 'Pliny has a whole Chapter of the Virtues of Agats.
Agat has always been eftcem'd for Seals ; as being a Stone that no Wax will Hick to, SceSEAL, Engraving, ££c.
The Gold Wire-drawers burnifh. their Gold with an Agat ; whence the Instrument made ufe of on that occafion, is cal- led Agat. See GoxM-Wire.
Mr. Boyle takes Agats to have been form'd of feparate Beds, or Strata of fine Clay or Earth, brought by a petrify- ing Liquor to coagulate into a Stone. See Gem.- The
fame Author obferves, that the Fire will purge away the Co- lours of Agat. He alfo mentions an Agat with a moveable Spot or Cloud in it.
AGE, the natural Duration of any thing; and particu- larly of the Life of Man. See Duration, and Life.
The ordinary Age of Mankind has been occafionally va- ried, in fuch manner as to afford a fine Inflance of the Wif- dom of Providence. See the Article Longjevity.
Age is alfo ufed in Chronology, for a Century ; or a Syf- tem or Period of an hundred years ; called alfo Secalum. See Seculum, and Century.
An Age differs from a Generation. See Generation.
Age is alfo underftood of a certain State or Portion of the ordinary Life of Man 5 which is divided into four diffe- rent Ages, viz. Infancy, Youth, Manhood, and Old Age.
Infancy, or Childhood, Puerhia, extends as for as the fourteenth Year. See Infancy, and Children.
Youth, Adolefcence, or the Age of Puberty, commences at 14, and ends at about 25. See Youth, Adolescence, Puberty, &c.
Manhood, or the Virile Age, terminates at 50. See Vi-
R I LE.
Old Age, Sene&m, fucceeds, which is the laft: tho fome divide this into two; reckoning it decrepit Age after 75. Sec Old Age.
. Age, in Horfemanfhip, makes a considerable Point of Knowledge $ the Horfe being an Animal that remarkably Jtiews the Progrefs of his Years, by correfpondent Altera- tions in his Body. See Horse.
We have Characteriflicks from his Teeth, Hoofs, Coat, Tail and Eyes. See Teeth, Hoof, \S>c.
The firft Year he has his Foal's 'Teeth, which are only Grinders and Gatherers : The fecond, the four foremoit change, and appear browner and bigger than the reft : The third, he changes the Teeth next to thefe ; leaving no ap- parent Foal's Teeth, but two on each fide above, and two below : The fourth Year, the Teeth next to thefe are chang- ed, and no Foal's Teeth are left, but one on each fide above and below. At five Years, his foremoit Teeth are all changed ; and the Tufhes on each fide are cOmpleat : thofe which come in the Places of the laft Foal's Teeth, be- ing hollow^ and having a little black Speck in the midtt $ which is called the Mark in a Horfi's Mouth, and continues
till eight Years of Age. See Mark.. At fix Years, he
puts up new Tufhes ; near which appears a little Circle of young Flelh, at the bottom of the Tufli : the Tuflies
withal, being white, fmall, fhort, and fliarp. At feven
Years, the Teeth are all at their growth, and the Mark in the Mouth appears very plain. — At eight, all his Teeth are full, fmooth, and plain, and the Mark fcarce difcernable ; the Tuflies looking yellowifti. — At nine, the foremoft Teeth ihew longer, yellower, and fouler than before; and the Tuflies become bluntifh. — 'Ac ten, no Holes are felt on the infide of the upper Tufhes ; which till then are very fenfi- ble : Add, that the Temples begin to be crooked, and hol- low. — At eleven Years, his Teeth are very long, yellow, black, and foul ; but he will cut even, and his Teeth ftand directly oppofite to one another. — At twelve, the upper Teeth hang over the nether. — At thirteen, the Tufhes are worn clofc to his Chaps, if he have been much ridden ; 0- therwife they will be black, foul, and long.
2 , As to the Hoof. If it be fmooth, moift, hollow,
and well-founding, 'tis a Sign of Youth : On the contrary, if rugged, and as it were feamed, one Seam over another, and withal dry, foul, and rufty, 'tis a Mark of Old Age.
5 , For the Tail. Taking him by the Stern thereof,
clofe at the fetting on to the Buttock, and griping it between the Finger and Thumb ; if a Joint be felt to flick out more than the reft, the bignefs of a Nut, the Horfe is under ten : but if the Joints be all plain, he may be fifteen.
4 , The Eyes being round, full, and flaring $ the Pits that arc over 'em filled, fmooth, and even with his Tem- ples ; and no Wrinkles to be feen, either under or above : is a Mark of Youth.
5 , The Skin being pluck'd up in any Part betwixt the Fin- ger and Thumb, and let go again ; if it return fuddenly to its Place, and remain without Wrinkles, he may be argued to be young.
<J°, A dark-colour'd Horfe, growing grifly above the Eye- brows, or under the Main j or a whitifti Horfe growing mcanelled, either white or black, all over ; may be infalli- bly concluded extremely aged.
Laftly, a Horfe being young, the Bars of his Mouth are foft and fhallow 5 otherwife they are deep, and feel hard and rough.
Age, in Hunting. — Deer, and other Beafts of Game, have different Denominations, according to their Age j which fee under the Article Hunting.
The firft Head, called in fallow Deer, Broches, and in red Deer, Pricks, does not come till the fecond Year of their Age : The next Year, they bear four or fix fmall Branches ; the fourth Year, eight or ten ; the fifth, ten or twelve ; the fixth, fourteen or lixteen ; the feventh Year, they bear their Heads beam'd, branch'd, and fum'd, as mm:h as ever they will be.
The
