GRA
C 17O
GRA
Their Names are, Jglaia, 'Thalia, and Euphrcfyne 5 and they are fuppofed to be the Daughters of Jupiter. VoJJius dc Idolol. L.XIIL c.XV.
Some will have the Graces to have been four, and make them the fame with the Hor<e y Hours, or rather with the four Seafonsof the Year. See Hours, &e, ■ A Marble in the King of Prujjlas Cabinet reprefents the three Graces in the uiual manner, with a fourth, feated, and cover'd with a iarge Veil, with the Words underneath, AD SORORES IIII. Yet MonC 2hger will aotaMow the Graces to have been four : The Company there prefent, he under- stands to be the three Graces^ and Femes, who was their Si- ller, as being Daughter of Jupiter and c Dione.
They were always fuppofed to have hold of each other's Hands, and never parted. They were painted naked, to fhew that the Qraces borrow nothing from Art, and that they have no other Beauties but what are natural.
Yet, in the iirft Ages, they were not reprefented naked, as appears from Paufanias L. VI. and L. IX. who defcribes their Temple, and Statues. They were of Wood, all but their Head, Feet, and Hands, which were white Marble. Their Robe, or Gown was gilt : One of them held in her Hand a Rofe, another a Dye, and the other a Sprig of Myrtle.
The Poets feign the Graces to have been very fmall of Stature; to intimate that the Things which charm, and delight us, are frequently little Matters; as, aGefture, a Laugh, a carelefsAir, or the like.
GRACILIS, in Anatomy, a Mufcle of the Leg, thus called from its flender Shape. See Leg.
It ariles partly tendinous, and partly rleihy, from the Os Pubis internally, between the firft and fecond Heads of the Triceps • and in its Defcent in the Infide of the Thigh, grows narrow, and becomes tendinous a little below the Sar- torius, and is thus inferred into the Tibia. It aftifteth in bringing the Thigh and Leg inwards.
GRADATION, the Aci of attending. Step by Step, to any Pitch, or Eminence: From the Latin GfadttS, Degree Step. — ■ See Degree.
Gradation, in Rhetoric, is when a Series of Proofs is brought, riling by degrees, and emproving each on the other. See Climax.
Gradation, in Logic, is an Argumentation confuting of four, or mure Proportions, fodifpofed, as that the Attribute v '■he firfl: is the Subject of the fecond ; and the Attribute of the fecond, the Subject of the third; and fo on, till the laft Attribute come to be predicated of the Subject of the firftPropc.'uion.
As, in "Porphyries Tree: Man is an Animal; an Animal is a living Thing 5 a living Thing is a Body ; a Body is a Subftance : Therefore Man is a Subftance.
An Argument of this kind is liable to a world of Fallacies; both from the Ambiguity of Words, and Things: E. gr.
- Peter is a Man ; Man is an Animal ; Animal is a Genus;
Genus is an Univerfal ; therefore Peter is an Univerfal.
Gradation, in Chymiftry, is a kind of Procefs belong- ing to Metals. — It coniifts in raifing, or exalting them to a higher Degree of Purity, and Goodnefs, fo as both to in- cteafe their Weight, Colour, Confiftence, &c. See Metal, Transmutation, &c.
Gradation, in Architecture, fignifies an artful Difpofi- tion of feveral Parts, as it were, by Steps, or Degrees, after the manner of an Amphitheater; fo that thofe placed before, do no DifTervice, but rather Service to thofe behind.
The Painters alfo ufe the Word Gradation for an infenfi- ble Change of Colour, by the Diminution of the Teints,and Shades. See Degradation,
GRADUAL, Graduale, was antiently a Church-book, containing divers Prayers,rehearfed,or fung after the Epiftle.
In fome of our antient Writers 'tis read Grade, Gra- duate^ &C.
After reading the Epiftle, the Chantor attended the Am- bo with his Gradual^ and rehears'd the Prayers, £5?c. there- in ■ being anfwer'd by the Choir : Whence the Name Gradual, on account of the Steps, or Degrees of the Ambo. See Ameo.
In thtRomlfh Church, the Name Gradual isftill retain'd to a Verfe which they fing after the Epiftle, and which antiently rehears 'd on the Steps of the Altar : Tho' Ugotio gives another Account, and fays it took its Denomination Gradual., becaute fung in a gradual Afcent from Note to Note. Magri fpeaks differently ftill,and will have it to have took this Name, becaufe fung while the Deacon went up the Steps to the Pulpit, to fing the Gofpel.
Graduals, Graduales, is alfo applied to the fifteen Pfalms fung, among the Hebrews, on the fifteen Steps of the Temple. — Others are of Opinion they were thus denomi- nated, becaufe the Singers rais'd their Voice by degrees, from the firft to the laft.
Cardinal Bona, in his Treatife of Divine Pfalmody, fays, The fifteen gradual Pfalms are intended to reprefent to the Mind, that we only arrive at the Perfection of Goodnefs or Holinefs, by degrees : He £oea on to lay down, the fifteen
Degrees of Virtue, correfponding to the r5 Pfalms; five of them are for Beginners ; five for Proficients; and the reft for the Perfect.
GRADUATE, a Perfon who has the Degrees in any Fa- culty. See Degr ee, &c.
A Graduate in Phyfic, in Divinity, &c. Sec Faculty, Doctor, &c.
In France, one Third of the Benefices of the Kingdom are affected to Graduates, viz. all that become vacant in the Months of January) and July ; April, and October.
This Privilege of Graduates is no older than the fifteenth Century: It being obferv'd that Men of Learning Were much neglected by the Collators, and Patrons of Churches, Com- plaint therefore was made to the Council of So/if, where this Decree was made; which was afterwards confirm 'd by the Pragmatic Sanction, and again by the Concordat. See Pragmatic, &c.
GRADUATION, is ufed in Mathematicks, for the Aft of Graduating) or dividing any thing into Degrees. See Degree.
Graduation of this Quadrant, Theodolite, or the like, is very juft, and clean. See Quadrant, Theodolite, &c. GRAFT, in Agriculture and Gardening, a little Shoot, Cyon, Bud, or Eye of a Tree, inferred into another Tree, to make it yield Fruit of the fame Nature, and Kind as thofe of the Tree whence the Graft is taken. See Bud, Cyok, Eye, &c.
Or, Graft, is a little Portion of aTree,inclofcd in a Cleft, or Incifion made in another, in order to correct, qualify, or improve the Tafte of its Fruit ; or even to make it bear a different Sort of Fruit. See Engrafting ; fee alfo Fruit, Tree, Stock, &c.
The Word is form'd of the French Grejfe, which fignifies the fame thing; and Greffe y in thisSenle, is fuppos'd to have been derived from the Refemblance the Shoot bore to the Point of a Penknife, which wl;s antiently called G, ijjc, Dll Cange goes further, and derives the antient Greffe from Gra- phiolum ; Menage, from Grapfhmm, a ZatrnWoxA, fignify- ing a litrle Style, or Iron Bodkin, one End whereof was pointed, and ferved to write withal on Waxen Tablets ; and the other flat, ferving to efface, or rub out what was wrote. GRAFTING, or Graffinc, or Ingrafting, in Agri- culture, and Gardening. See Engrafting. Grafting Wax. See Wax, ckc.
GRAIN, a minute Body, or Parcel of a Body pulveriVd. In this Senfe we fay, a Grain of Sand; a Grain of Salt; a Grain of Gunpowder, &c. See Pulverization, &c.
Grain is alfo ufed for the Fruits, or Seeds of divers Plants ; as, a Grain, or Com of Pepper, of EUeria, tfc. See Berry, Seed, Kernel, &c.
The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a Grain of Mu- ftard Seed.
Grain is more generally ufed for any Fruit, or Seed growing in a Spica, or Ear. See Spica.
In this Senfe. Grain comprehends all forts of Corn $ as Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, £?c. See Corn.
Grain is alfo a fmall Weight, us'd in eft im a ting diver* Subftanccs. See Weight.
The Gram is the fmalleft of all the Weights known in England.- — It is taken from the Weight of a Gram of Wheat, gather'd out of the Middle of the Ear, and well dried. 24, Grams make a Penny-weight, and 20 Penny-weight an Ounce. See Pen NY-Weigbt, and Ounce.
The Grain is a Troy Weight, and ufed in the weighing of Gold, Silver, Jewels, Bread, and Liquors. See Trot • Weight.
Among the Antients, the Grain was the fourth Part of the Siliqua.) or twelfth of the Oholus y and the yz d of the Drachma. It comprehended a Lens and an half. See Si- liqua, Obolus, &c.
Fernelms L. IV. c. 6. Method. Medend. affirms it as a thing known and certain, that the Grain is of the fame Weight, every where ; but he is miftaken. Mr. Greaves in his Treatife of the 'Roman Foot has fhe'wn, that iy$2)ttteb Grains) which SneUius had found to be the Weight of a Philip of Gold, only amount to 134I Englijh Grains. Add, that Monf. Perrault has computed the French Grain to be lefs than the Englijh ; and yet bigger than the "Dutch : To. the Englifl?, it is as 158 to 1344 ; and to that of Holland y as 158 to 179.
The Grain ufed by the Apothecaries, is the fame with that of the Goldfmiths; tho' they make a Difference in ths Weights rais'd therefrom. Thus, 20 Grains, with them, make a Scruple, 3 ; 3 Scruples, a Drachm, 3; 8 Drachms, an Ounce, 5, Sec. See Drachm, Scruple, &c.
The Carat tiled in weighing Diamonds and precious Stones, is alfo divided into four Grains. See Carat.
Grain is alfo ufed for the Figure, or Reprefentation of Grains on Stones, Stuffs, Leathers, &c. Thus we fay, Mo- rocco has a bolder Grain than Shagreen. See Morocco, and Shagreen.
In fome Marble, the Gram is very fine; in others coarfer. See Marble, Stone, &c. Steel
