LAR
of Pyrites. This when fufficiently charged with Spots of Green, is fold for the Armenian Stone. The Lapis is of fome Ufe in Medicine ; they prepare it by calcining and warning it fevcral rimes ■? which done, it makes an Ingre- dient in the famous Confection of Alkermes. Sometimes, in fpight of all its Lotions, it continues to be a Purgative, by reafon of the Vitriolic Matter it contains.
LAPIS MEDICAMENTOSA, the medicinal Stone, a Composition of green and white Vitriol, Alum, Anatron of Sandiver, common Salt, and Salt of Tartar, melted over the Fire, and ftirr'd till they thicken 5 then mix'd with Powder of Venice, Cerufs, and Armenian Bole, ftir- ring the whole till it grows hard. This is faid to fallen the Teeth, prefcrve the Gums, heal and dry up Ulcers and Wounds, and is ufed in Injections, and inCompofi- tions for fore Eyes.
LAPSE, a Slip or Omiflinn of a Patron to prefent a Clerk to a Benefice within fix Months of its being void ; in which Cafe the Benefice is faid to be in Lapfe, or lap- fed.
LAQUEARIUS, the Name of a Kind of Athleta among the Antients : In one Hand he held a kind of Snare, wherewith to embarafs and intangle his Anta- gonift, and in the other a Poniard to flab him. The Word comes from the Latin Laqueus.
LAQUEUS in Chirurgcry is a Banc! fo tied, that if it be attracted, or preffed with Weight, it fhuts up clofe. Its Ufe is to extend broken or disjointed Bones, to keep them in their Places, when they are fet, and to bind the Parts clofe together.
LAK-BOARD is the Left-hand Side of a Ship when you ftand with your Face to the Head.
LARCENY, in Law, is a Thefr of perfonal Goods or Chattels in the Owner's abfence. In refpect of the Thing flolen, it is either great or fmall j great Larceny is when the Things flolen, tho' feverally, exceed the Value of 12 d. Petty Larceny is when the Goods flolen exceed not that Value. The flealing of a Horfe or a Cow, was for- merly reckoned petty Larceny. The Civilians define Lar- ceny, a fraudulent Subtraction of another Man's Property, with defign to appropriate it without the Owner's Leave. When it is done by Force, it is called a Robbery. By the Roman Law, the Penalty of fimple and fecret Larceny, was the returning it twofold? and of manifeft Larceny fourfold; Manifeft Larceny was where the Criminal was taken in the Fact 5 fimple, where he was not. The La- cedemonians never punifhed Larceny, provided the Perfon were not caught in the Fact ; but on the contrary, it was applauded as a Mark of Dexterity and Addrefs ; The Cir- cajjians are faid to honour it at this day 5 infomuch that at their publick Feafts their Youth are not fuffered to drink, if they have not performed fomething remarkable in that Way. Solinus tells us, that in Sardinia there was a Foun- tain that had the Virtue of difcovering a Perfon that had committed Larceny. The Word comes from the French Larcin, and that from the Latin Latrocinium.
LARENTINALIA, the Name of aFeaftamong the Romans. Some take this for a F'eaft of the Lares, but 'tis no wife probable, that the 2id Day of December being confecrated to them under the Name of Compitales, the 23d fhouldalfo be devoted to them under a new Name. Manutius, Goltzitts, Rofmus, and others take Larentinalia to be the fame with Laurentinalia, which fee.
LARES, among the Antients, were a kind of Domeflic Genii, or Divinities, worfhip'd in Houfes, and efteem'd the Guardians and Protectors of Families '■> fuppofed to refide in the Chimney-Corner. Thttarcb diflinguiifies be- tween Good and Evil Lares, as he had before done be- tween Good and Evil Genii. There were fome public, others private. Apuleius tells us the Domeflic Lares were no more than the Souls of departed Perfons, who had lived well, and difcharged the Duties of their Station ; whereas thofe who had done otherwife, were Vagabonds, wandering about and frightening Peo- ple, and call'd Larv<e and Lemuru. The firft were alfo call'd Penates, and were worfhip'd under the figures of little Marmoufets, or Images of Wax, Silver, or Earthen Ware. The Pantheons, or Images reprefenting feveral Gods at once, were alfo call'd Lares. Harpocrates had one of thefe. Varro and Macrobius fay the Lares were the Children of Mania. Ovid makes them the Children of ■'Mercury and the Naid Lara, whom LaRantius and Aufo- nitts call Larimda. The Temple of the Lares was in the eighth Region of Rome. T. Tatius King of the Sab'tns was the firft who built a Temple to the Lares. The Chimney and Fire-place in the Houfe were particularly confecrated to 'em. The Lares were alfo genial Gods, and were fup- pofed to take care of Children from their birth. 'Tis for this reafon, that when Macrobhu tells us the Egyptians had four Gods who prefided over the Births of Children, viz. the Genius, Fortune, Love and Neceffity, call'd Fnejiites ; fome interpret him as if he had faid the Egyptians had
(431 ) LAR
Lares: but there was a world of difference between the Lares of the Romans and the Prtjlites of the E^ptiajis.
The public Lares were alfo call'd Compitales, from Compitum a Crofs-Way, and Viales from Via a Way or public Road ; as being placed at the Meetings of Roads and in the High-ways, and efteem'd the Patrons and Protectors of Travellers. Their private Lares took care of particular Houfes and Families ; Thefe they alfo call'd Pwjlites from pr<ejlo,
Quod free (i ant oculis omnia tutafuis. Ovid. Faft.
They gave the name Vrbani, i. e. Lares of Cities, to thofe who had Cities under their Care ; and HoJtilii t to thofe who were to keep their Enemies off. There were alfo Lares of the Country, called Rurales, as appears by feve- ral Antique Infcriptions.
The Antients differ extremely about the Origin of the Lares : Apuleius affures us they were the Poflerity of the Lemures. Nigridms, according to Amobius, made 'em fome- times the Guardians and Protectors of Houfes, and fome- times the fame with the Curetes of Samothracia, which the Greeks call Idean VaByles, and whereof we have mad© mention under the words Curetes and Daftyle. Nor was Varro more confiftent in his Opinion of thefe Gods 5 fometimes making them the Manes of Heroes, and fome- times Gods of the Air-
Tertullian tells us, the Cuftom of worshipping the Lares arofe from this, that they antiently interred their Dead in their Houfes, whence the credulous People took occafion to imagine their Souls continued there alio, and proceed- ed to pay 'em divine Honours. To this it may be added, tbat the Cuftom being afterwards introduced of burying in the Highways, hence they might take occafion to regard 'em as Gods of the Highways. The Victim offered to the Lares in the public Sacrifices, was a Hog : In private they offered 'em Wine, Incenfe, a Crown of Wool, and a little of what was left at the Table. They crown'd them with Flowers, particularly the Violet, Myrtle, and Rofemary. Their Symbol was a Dog, which was ufually reprefented by their fide, on account of its Fidelity and the Service it does to Man, in watching his Houfe. They were alfo reprefented as clothed in a Dog's Skin. See Penates. Oil the Lares, fee alfo Amobius, LaHant'tus, Augujiin de Chit* Natalis Comes, Lambin on Plant. Attlttl. and on Hvr. CafattbQ& on Sueton. &c.
LARGE, a Sea-Term. See Veering.
LARMIER, in Architecture,aflat fquare maflive Mem- ber of the Cornice, between the Cymatmm and Ovalo 5 fo called from its Ufe, which is to difperfe the Water, and to caufeit to fall at a diftance from the Wall drop by drop, or as it were by Tears, Larme mFrencb fignifying a Tear. The Larmier is alfo call'd Corona : See Entablature and Corona. _ LARYNGOTOMIA, a Chirurgical Operation, oranln- cifion in thcTrachea or Wind-pipe between two of its AnnaU or Rings, in order to give paffage for the Breath, when there is danger of Suffocation, from an Inflammation of the Larynx, &c. Dr. Mufgrave obferves, that in all Me- dicine there is not one Method that works fo great a Change, for the better, in fo fhort a time. However, it is feldom practifed, in regard that Gap which appears on the cutting a Throat, (the divided Parts being then drawn towards their more fixed Ends) together with the great Efflux of Blood when the Jugulars and Carotid Arteries are alfo wounded, create in moft Men a Dread of the Operation, and make many believe all Wounds of the Trachea mortal. The fame Author makes no fcruple how- ever to fay it ought to be practifed in Quinzies, and other Dangers of Suffocation from Caufes of a like nature with 'em j from an extraordinary Cure which he himfelf had wrought in this way. The word is derived from the Greek A#ft/J"£ and -riixv^feco. This is the fame with Bron- chotomy. See Broncbotomy.
LARYNX, in Anatomy, is the upper Part, or Head of the Trachea, lying below the Root of the Tongue,, and before the Pharynx. It is one of the Organs of Re- fpiration, and the principal Inftrument of Voice. Its Bo- dy is almoft wholly cartilaginous, and it is to be con- stantly open to give room for the Air to pafs and repafs. Its Figure is circular, tho' it jets out a little before, and is a little flatted behind, left it fliould incommode the Oefophagus whereon it is placed. The Larynx is of dif- ferent Diameters, according to the different Ages ; in young People 'tis narrow, whence their Voice comes to be acute ; in thofe more advanced in Years, 'tis more ample, which occafions their Voice to be ftronger and deeper. In Men 'tis bigger than in Women, for which reafon Mens Voice is more grave than that of Women* It appears the lefs in Women, in regard the Glands, fi- tuate at the bottom of the Larynx, are bigger in Wo- men than in Men. The Larynx moves at the time of Deglutition ; when the Oefophagus is lowered for the
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