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the different Degrees of Mortality, or rather Vitality, in all Ages ; by which means he finds the Odds there is, that any Ferfon of any Age doth not die in a Year's Time, Or before he attains fuch an Age.— 3 . To fhcw of what Num- ber of Years it is an even Lay that fuch a Perfon (hall die i and finds, for inftance, that it is an even Lay, that a Man of thirty Years of Age lives between twenty feven and twen- ty eight Years.— 4 . To regulate the Price of Infurance up- on Lives. 5 . And the Valuation of Annuities upon Lives. 6°. How to value two or three Lives after the fame Man- ner. See Annuity.
From the whole, he makes two very good Obferva- tions. I. How unjuftly we ufe to complain of the Shortnefs of our Lives ; for that it appears, that one half of thofe that are born, do not live above feventeen Years.
2. That the Growth and Increafe of Mankind is not fo much {tinted by any thing in the Nature of the Species, as it is from the curious Difficulty mod People make of venturing on the State of Marriage : And therefore that Celibacy ought to be every way difcouraged by all wife Governments; and thofe who have numerous Families of Children to be countenanced and encouraged by good Laws ; fuch as the Jus trium liberorum, &c. among the Romans.
Farther Particulars relating to the Number of Births, and Burials, the Proportion of Males and Females, die. See under the Article Marriage, Birth, Male, &c.
POLITICKS, Politics, the firft Part of Oeconomy or Ethicks, confifting in the governing and regulating of States, for the Maintenance of the Publick Safety, Order, Tranquility, and good Morals. See Ethicks, Philosophy, Government, &c.
My Lord Bacon divides Politicks into three Parts ; with regard to the three grand Ends thereof, or the three Offices incumbent on thofe who have the Admir.iftration ', *«. the Prefervation of the State, the Happinefs and Flourishing of the State, and the Enlargement of its Bounds, r>c.
The two firft Parts he obferves are well handled by feve- ral Authors; but about the third there is a deep Silence. — He ranks this therefore in the Number of the Defiderata, and gives us a Specimen of an Effay to fupply it.
We have feveral Syftems of Politicks by Arijlotle, Ma- chiavel, Lipfius,&c. In which laft we have nothing but Par- ticles, and Conjunctions of the Author's own ; the Body of the Book being all Quotations.
The Word is form'd from the Greek van, Civitas.
POLITY, or Policy. See Policy.
POLIUM, a medicinal Plant, which makes an Ingre- dient in the Treacle of Andromachus. See Treacle.
It grows in mountainous Places, and is thence denomina- ted Montttnum.— The Tops of its Flowers are efteem'd Ce- phalick, proper to promote Urine and the Menfes, and to prevent Corruption.
It has its Name from the Greek viuh, White ; in regard the Heads of the Polium of the Ancients, according to Di- ofcoridcs, and the Leaves according to Pliny, were white.
POL L, a Term ufed in ancient Writings for the Head. See Head.
The Word is doubtlefs form'd from Pole ; this Part being as it were the Pole of the Microcofm. See Pole.
Hence, to poll, is to enter down the Names of Perfons, who give their Votes or Voices at an Election. See Vote, Voice, Suffrage, Election, &c.
POLLARD, among Hunters, a Stag or Male Deer, which has call its Head. See Head, Hunting, &c.
Pollard, or Pollenger, in Agriculture, an old Treewhich has been often lopp'd. See Tree.
POLL-Money, or Capitation, a Tax impofed by Authority of Parliament, on the Perfon or Head ; either on all indif- ferently, or according to fome known Mark of Diftinction, as Quality, GiUing, &c. See Tax and Capitation.
Thus, by the Statute 18 Car. II. every Subject in the Kingdom was affefs'd by the Head or Poll, according to his Degree; every Duke 100/. Marquis 80/. Baronet 30/. Knight 20/. Efquire 10/. &c, and every fingle private Per- fon \2d.
This was no new Tax; as appears by former Arts of Parliament, particularly that Anno 1380, where, Qui libet tarn conjugates quam folutus, utriufq; fexus, pro Capite juo fol- vere cogebatur. Walfingh,
Camden, in his Remains, of Coins, fays there was ancient- ly a perfonal Tribute, call'd Captitatio, Po/Z-Silver, impofed on the Poll, or Perfon of every one ; on Women from the Age of 12 Years, and on Men from 14.
POLLUTION, Pollutio, the Aft of profaning a Temple or Holy Place. See Profanation.
The Romanifts hold a Church to be polluted by the Ef- fufion of Blood, or of Seed therein ; and require its being confecrated a-new.
The Jews were held polluted by the touching of a dead Body, or of the Menfes of Women ; and were to be puri- fied in From. See the Laws hereof in Leviticus.
The Indians are fo fsperftitious on the Head of Pollution,
that they break all the Veflels which thofe of another Re- ligion have drunk out of, or even touch'd; and drain all til Water out of a Pond a Stranger has bath'd in.
Pollution, or Sc//-Pollution, is alfo ufed for the a. bufing or defiling of one's own Body, by Means of lafcivtt ous Friftions and TitilUtions, rais'd by Art, to produce an Emiffion. See Emission.
We read in Scripture, that Err and Onan were feverely punifh'd for having polluted themfelves by fpilling their Seed on the Ground ; whence the Crime has been denominated by fome Emperics, Onania. See Onania.
Of Pollutions fome are Voluntary, others Involuntary, an j Nocturnal.
Noclurnal-VOLLMTiott is an involuntary Emiffion of Seed from a too great Turgefcency of the Seminal VefTels ' from the Seed's being too Hiarp and irritating, or fro'm 1 Weaknefs of the Parts. See Seed.
The Romifh Church puts up Prayers in the Clofe of the Evening Office, to be preferved from Nocturnal Pollu- tions.
POLLUX, in Aftronomy, the Hind Twin; or Hind Part of the Conftellation Gemini. See Gemini.
Pollux is alfo a Star of the 2d Magnitude in the Con- ftellation Gemini, or the Twins. See Gemini.
Its Place is in the Head of the Hind- Twin, named Pollux ■ Its Longitude 18 56' 09". Its Latitude 6° 39' 27" n]
Pollux is alfo ufed in Meteorology. See Castor.
POLTROON, or Poltron, a Coward, or Daftard- wanting Courage to perform any thing great, or noble. See Coward.
The Word we borrow from the French, who, according to Salmaflus, derive it a Pollice truncate; becaufe anciently thofe who would avoid going to the Wars, cut off their Thumbs. See Thumbs.
But Menage, with more Probability, derives it from the Italian, Poltrmie, and pottro, a Bed; becaufe timerous, pa- unanimous People take Pleafure in lying a Bed.— He adds, that the Italian, Poltro, is again derived from the German, Polficr, a Pillow or Cufhion.
Others derive the Word from the Italian, Poltro, Colt ; becaufe of that Creature's Readinefs to run away.
P o l t R o n, in Faulconry, is a Name given to a Bird of Prey, when the Nails and Talons of his Hind-Toes are cut off, wherein his chief Force and Armour lay ; in order to intimidate him, and prevent his flying at great Game. See Hawk and Hawking.
POLY ACOUSTICS S, Inftruments contrived to mul- tiply Sounds; as multiplying Glaffes, or Polylcopes do Ima- ges of Objects. See Phonicks, Sound, &c.
The Word is compounded of the Greek viKv, much, and
- kb0, audio, I hear. See Acousticks.
POLYANTHEA, a famous Collection of Common- Places, in Alphabetical Order; of great Service to Orators, Preachers, &c. of the lower Clafs. See Common-Place,
Its firft Author was Dominic Nanni de Mirabella.
The Word is form'd from the Greek, <rexu\ much, and ttcf)©-, Flower. — And is of much the fame Siguiticancy with Anthology, Florilege, &c. See Anthology.
Polyanthus, or Polyanthium^ is alfo ufed to de- note a Plant, which bears or produces feveral or many Flowers. See Plant and Flower.
The Word is compounded of »<Au, multus, much, and <cV9©-, Flos, Flower.
The Word is more particularly ufed for a Species of the Hyacinth.
P O L Y G A M Y, a Plurality of Wives, or of Husbands, held by the fame Man or Woman, at the fame time. See Wife and Husband.
Polygamy is prohibited among Chriftians, but was allow'd by divine Appointment among the Jews ; as it ftiU is among the Mahometans.
Maj. Grant obferves, that the Males and Females brought into the World are nearly on a Balance; only abating for a little Excefs on the Side of the Males, to make up for the extraordinary Expence thereof in War, and at Sea: whence it follows, that Nature only intends one Wife, or one Husband for the fame Perfon ; fince, if they have more, fome others muft go without any at all — Hence he con- cludes, that the Chriftian Law, which prohibits, is more agreeable to the Law of Nature than the Mahometan, and we may add, than the Jewilb Law, which tolerates, Poly- gamy. See Marriage.
Yet Selden has proved, in his Vxor Ebraica, that Plura- lity of Wives was allow'd of, not only among the Hebrews, but almoft among all other Nations, and in all Ages.— — 'Tis true, the ancient Romans were more fevere in their Morals ; and never practis'd it, tho' 'twas not forbid among them: s\nd Mark Anthony is mentioned as the firft who took the Liberty of two Wives. See Concubine. _ ,
From that Time it became pretty frequent in the Empire* till the Reigns of Theodofius, Honorius, and Arcadius, who
firft prohibited it by exprefs Law in 303. After this the
r Emperor
