forming the ſpiritual functions; but in the 12th century there were abeſſes in Spain who gave benedictions, and confeſſed people of both ſexes.
ABBEVILLE, a large city of Piccardy in France, lying 90 miles north of Paris, in 50. 7. N. lat. and 2. 0. E. long.
ABBEY, a religious houſe, governed by an abbot, where perſons retire from the world, to ſpend their time in ſolitude and devotion. By the invention of maſſes for the living and the dead, diſpenſations, jubilees, indulgences, &c. the abbeys procured ſuch large privileges, exemptions, and donations, that, when these houſes were totally abolished in England by Henry VIII. to the number of 190, an yearly revenue of L. 2,853,000 reverted to the crown.
ABBEY-BOYLE, a town in the county of Roſcommon in Ireland.
ABBOT, the ſuperior of an abbey or convent of monks. In the firſt ages of Chriſtianity, the abbots were plain diſintereſted men, and lived contented with the government of their monaſteries, which were generally erected in the moſt ſolitary parts: but being called from their deſerts to oppoſe the hereſies in the church, they ſoon began to entertain ſentiments of ambition, and endeavoured to ſhake off their dependency on the biſhops. Hence arose the distinctions of mitred abbots, croſiered abbots, œcunienical abbots, cardinal abbots, &c. The principal diſtinction which ſubſiſts at preſent among abbots, is that of regular and commendatory; the former of which take the vow, and wear the habit of the order; the latter are ſeculars, though they are obliged to take orders at the proper age. Before the Reformation in England, there were abbots elective and repreſentative; ſome mitred, and others not. The mitred abbots were inveſted with epiſcopal authority within their own limits, independent of the biſhop; but the others were ſubject to the dioceſan in all ſpiritual government. The mitred abbots were Lords of parliament, of which number Sir Edward Coke reckons 27, who ſat in parliament, beſides two Lords Priors.
ABBREVIATE of adjudications, in Scots law, an abſtract or abridgment of a decreet of adjudication, which is recorded in a regiſter kept for that purpoſe. See Scots Law, title Adjudications.
ABBREVIATION, or Abbreviature, implies the ſubſtitution of a ſyllable, letter, or character, for a whole word.
ABBREVIATOR, a perſon who abridges any large book into a narrower compaſs.
ABBREVIATORS, a college of 72 persons in the chancery of Rome, who draw up the pope's brieves, and reduce petitions into proper form.
ABEREVOIR, a term in maſonry, expreſſive of certain indentures made in the joints or beds of ſtones, which being filled with the cement or mortar, bind them firmer together.
ABBROACHMENT. See Abroachment.
ABBUTTALS, ſignify the buttings or boundings of land towards any point. Limits were anciently diſtinguiſhed by artificial hillocks, which were called botentines, and hence butting. In a deſcription of the ſite of land, the ſides on the breadth are more properly adjacentes, and thoſe terminating the length are abbutantes; which, in old ſurveys, were ſometimes expressed by capitare, to head; whence abbuttals are now called head lands.
ABCASSES, a people or country in Aſia, ſituate between Circaſſia, the Black-ſea, and Mingrelia.
ABCDARIA, in botany, a ſynonime of the verbeſina acmella. See Verbesina.
ABCDARY, or Abcdarian, an epithet applied to compoſitions, whoſe parts are diſpoſed in an alphabetical order.
ABDALS, or servants of God, in the Eaſtern countries; furious enthuſiaſts, who frequently run about in the ſtreets, deſtroying all who differ from them in religious opinions.
ABDELAVI, in botany, a name uſed by Arabian writers for a ſpecies of cucumis. See Cucumis.
ABDEST, a term uſed for the legal purifications by water, practiſed among the Mahometans and Perſians before they begin their religious ceremonies.
ABDICARIAN propoſition, in logic, the ſame with a negative one. See Logic, and Propoſition.
ABDICATION, the action of renouncing or giving up an office.
ABDOMEN, in anatomy, is that part of the trunk of the body which lies between the thorax and the bottom of the pelvis. See Anatomy, part VI.
ABDUCTION, a form of reaſoning among logicians, which conſiſts in drawing concluſions from certain and undeniable propoſitions. See Logic.
Abduction, in ſurgery, a ſpecies of fracture wherein the broken parts of the bone recede from each other. See Surgery, Of fractures.
ABDUCTOR, in anatomy, the name of ſeveral muſcles which ſerve to open or draw back the parts to which they are fixed. See Anatomy, Part VI.
ABEL-TREE, or Abele-tree, an obſolete name for a ſpecies of the poplar. See Populus.
ABELIANS, Abeloites, or Abelonians, a ſect of heretics that ſprung up near Hippo in Africa during the reign of Arcadius. They had one diſtinguiſhing and extraordinary tenet, which was to marry, but never to conſummate.
ABELMOSCH, or Abelmusch, in botany, the trivial name of a ſpecies of the hibiſcus. See Hibiscus.
ABENSBURG, or Abensperg, a ſmall town in Bavaria, on the river Abanæ, near the Danube.
ABERBROTHOCK, one of the royal boroughs of Scotland, ſituated in the county of Angus, about 40 miles north of Edinburgh. Its weſt long, is 2. 20. and N. lat. 56. 30. There was formerly one of the richeſt monaſteries in Scotland in this town. It was founded by King William of Scotland about the year 1170, in honour of Thomas Becket Archbiſhop of Canterbury, with whom he is ſaid to have been intimately acquainted. This monastery received conſiderable donations from Gilcriſt Earl of Angus, and Gilbred his ſon. It was poſſeſſed by the monks of St. Bennet. The inhabitants of Aberbrothock, for the
