better success. Instead, therefore, of prosecuting this inexplicable subject, which would swell this article beyond all proportion, we must beg leave to refer those who are desirous of further in

formation to the following authors, where they will find enough to gratify their curiosity, if not to inform their judgment: Herodotus, lib. ii. Diodorus Siculus, lib. 1. Plut. Isis & Osiris ; Jamblichus de Myst. Egypt. Horapollo Hie roglyph. Egypt. Macrob. Sat. cap. 23. among the ancients: and among the moderns, Kircher's Edip. Voss. de Origin. et Prog. Idol. Mr. Bryant's Analysis of Anc. Mythol. Mons. Gebelin, Monde prim.; and above all, to the learned Jablonski's Panth. Ægyptiorum.

The elements of Phoenician mythology have been preserved by Eusebius, Præp. Evang. sub init. In the large extract which that learned father hath copied from Philo Biblius's translation of Sanchoniatho's history of Phoenicia, we are furnished with several articles of mythology. Some of these throw considerable light on several passages of the sacred history; and all of them are strictly connected with the mythology of the Greeks and Romans. There we have preserved a brief but entertaining detail of the fabulous adventures of Uranus, Cronus, Dagon, Thyoth or Mercury, probably the same with the Egyptian hero of that name. Here we find Muth or Pluto, Ephcestus or Vulcan, Esculapius, Nereus, Poscedon or Neptune, &c. Astarte, or Venus Urania, makes a conspicuous figure in the cata

logue of Phoenician worthies; Pallas or Minerva is planted on the territory of Attica; in a word,

all the branches of the family of the Titans, who in after ages figured in the rubric of the Greeks, are brought upon the stage, and their exploits and adventures briefly detailed.

By comparing this fragment with the mythology of the Atlantide and that of the Cretans preserved by Diodorus the Sicilian, lib. v. we think there is good reason to conclude, that the family of the Titans, the several brauches of which seem to have been both the authors and objects of a great part of the Grecian idolatry, originally emi

grated from Phoenicia.

As for the mythology of the Greeks and Ro

mans, the illustrations of it which are given under various separate articles in this work are such as will, we conceive, render any more detailed account in this place entirely unnecessary.

MYTILUS. Mussel. In zoology, a genus of the class vermes, order testacea. Animal allied to an ascidia; shell bivalve, rough, generally affixed by a byssus or beard of silky filaments; hinge mostly without teeth, with generally a subulate, excavated, longitudinal line. Sixty four species, scattered through the seas of the globe; eleven common to the coasts of our own country. They may be thus subdivided.

A. Parasitical affixed as though by claws. Three species; of which the following is an example.

1. M. Crista galli. Shell plaited, spinous; both lips rough: offering four or five varieties. Inhabits the Indian ocean and Red sea, affixed to gorgonia; colour of the shell purpleviolet, pale cinnamon or bay; rough, with raised dots; within, honey-colour; nearly equivalve, closed with five, eight, or ten oblique or straight acute plaits; hollow at the hinge, triangular.

B. Flat, or compressed into a flattened form, and slightly eared. Two species: of which the following is an example.

:

2. M. margaritiferus. Pearl mussel. Shell flattened, nearly orbicular, with a transverse base imbricate, with toothed tunics. Inhabits American and Indian seas; about eight inches long, and something broader: the inside is beautifully polished, and produces the true mother-of-pearl, and frequently most valuable pearls; the outside sometimes sea-green, or chesnut or bloom-colour with white rays, or whitish with green rays; when the outer coat is removed, it has the same perlaceous lustre as the inside the younger shells have ears as long as the shells, and resemble scallops. C. Ventricose or convex: including all the rest. The following are examples: 3. M. edulis. Edible mussel. smoothish, violet, the valves slightly recurved on the obtuse side, and somewhat angular on the acute side: beaks pointed: shape nearly triangular; covered with a brownish skin; the colour below sometimes instead of violet, yel lowish, or striped with pale rays. Inhabits the British coasts, European and Indian seas: generally from two to three inches long; but is much larger within the tropics, and smaller more northerly; found in large beds, and generally adhering to other bodies by means of a but is often extremely noxious to many conlong silky beard: the fish affords a rich food,

stitutions.

very

Shell

4. M. anatinus. Duck mussel. Shell oval, a little compressed, very brittle, and semitransparent, with a membranaceous margin; beaks decuticated. Inhabits the fresh waters of Great Britain, and of other parts of Europe: about five inches long and two and a quarter broad; the colour of the shell greenish with few blackish wrinkles; within glossy white, fine striæ parallel with the aperture and a blue or yellowish, and sometimes shining with iridescent colours. Ducks and crows are extremely fond of this and M. cygneus, (a broader species found in rivers and ponds): and the crows, when the shell is too hard for their bills, fly with it to a great height, drop the shell on a rock, and pick out the meat after the shell is broken by the fall.

According to the observation of M. Mery, of the Paris academy, confirmed by observations of other naturalists, the mussel, in all its species, is androgynous : and that from a peculiar generative organization, each individual is of itself capable of propagating its species, and annually does so without any intercourse with any other individual; a mode of increase very different from what occurs in snails, earth-worms, and other androgynous or hermaphroditic animals. The mussel lays it eggs in the spring: these are minute, and are placed by the parent in due order in a very close arrangement, on the outside of theshell, where by means of a gluey matter they adhere very fast, and continually increase in size and strength, till becoming perfect mussels they fall off and shift for themselves, leaving the holes where they were placed,

behind them: two or three thousand such holes are sometimes found on a single shell, which seems to prove an enormous fertility in this animal.

The mussel is infested by several enemies in its own element: one of the most cruel is a shell-fish of the irochus kind. This animal attaches itself to the shell of the mussel, pierces it with a round hole, and introduces a peculiar tube five or six inches long, which it turns in a spiral direction, and with which it sucks the substance of the mussel.

MYTTOTON, a coarse kind of food, used by the labouring people among the Greeks, and sometimes among the Romans. It was

made of garlic, onions, eggs, cheese, oil, and vinegar, and reckoned very wholesome.

MYUS (anc. geog.), one of the twelve towns of Ionia; seated on the Meander, at the distance of 30 stadia from the sea. In Strabo's time it was incorporated with the Milesians, on account of the paucity of its inhabitants, from its being formerly overwhelmed with water; for which reason the lonians consigned its suffrage and religious ceremonies to the people of Miletus. Artaxerxes allotted this town to Themistocles, in order to furnish his table with meat: Magnesia was to support him in bread, and Lamsacus in wine. The town now lies in ruins.

N.

N, A liquid consonant, or semivowel, and

the thirteenth letter of the Greek, Latin,

English, &c. alphabets.

The N is a nasal consonant: its sound is that of a d, passed through the nose: so that when the nose is stopped by a cold, or the like, it is usual to pronounce d for n. M. l'Abbe de Dangeau observes, that in the French the n is frequently a mere nasal vowel, without any thing of the sound of a consonant in it. He calls it the Sclavonic vowel. The Hebrews call their N, Nun, which signifies child, as being supposed the offspring of M; partly on account of the resemblance of sound, and partly on that of the figure. Thus from the m, by omitting the last column, is formed n: and thus from the capital N, by omitting the first column, is formed the Greek minuscule. Hence, for Biennius, &c. the Latins frequently use Bimus, &c. and the same people convert the Greek ▾ at the end of a word into an m; as, papμaxov, pharmacum, &c. See M.

N before p, b, and m, the Latins change into in, and frequently into 1 and r, as in ludo, illudo; in rigo, irrigo, &c. in which they agree with the Hebrews, who, in lieu of Nun, frequently double the following consonant; and the Greeks do the same, as when for Manlius, they write Maxios, &c.

The Greeks, also, before x, y, x, y, changed the into y: in which they were followed by the ancient Romans, who for Angulus wrote Aggulus; for anceps, agceps, &c. The Latins retrench the n from Greek nouns ending in ; as, leo; Saxu, draco. On the contrary, the Greeks add it to the Latin ones ending in: as Kazwy, Newv, for Cato, Nero.

In English, N has an invariable sound: as no, name, &c. After m it is sometimes almost lost, as condemn, &c.

N, among the ancients, was a numeral letter, signifying 900; according to the verse in Ba ronius,

N quoque nongentos numero designat habendos.

And when a line was struck over it N, nine thousand.

Among the ancient lawyers, N. L. stood for non liquet, i. e. the cause is not clear enough to pass sentence upon.

N. P. was used among the Romans for nolarius publicus; N. C. for Nero Cæsar, or Nero Claudius. N. B. is used for nota bene. In marine language, N stands for north.

N. or N°. in commerce, &c. is used as an abbrevation of numero, number. Thus also, in medicine, caryophyllorum, N°. vi. signifies six cloves. N on the French coins, denotes those struck at Montpelier. VOL, VIII.

NAB

NAAM, or NAM, NAMIUM, in law, the taking or distraining another man's moveable goods. This is either lawful, or unlawful and prohibited.

NAAM (Lawful), is a reasonable distress, proportionable to the value of the thing distrained for; and anciently called either vif, or mort, as it was made of quick, or dead chattel.

Lawful naam is so either by the common law, as when a man takes another's beasts doing damage in his ground; or by a man's particular fact, as on account of some contract, &c.

NAAM (Unlawful), vetitum namium. See NAMIUM.

NAAS, a borough of Ireland, in the county of Kildare, at which the assizes are held alternately with Athy. It was formerly the resi dence of the kings of Leinster. It is 17 miles S.W. of Dublin, and 26 N.W. of Leinster. Lon. 6. 42 W. Lat. 53. 13. N.

To NAB. v. a. (nappa, Swed.) To catch unexpectedly.

NABAL, a town of the kingdom of Tunis, celebrated for its potteries. Near it are several remains of antiquity. It is seated near the sea, 32 miles S.S.E. of Tunis. Lon. 10. 19 E. Lat. 53. 13 N.

NABIS, a celebrated tyrant of Lacedæmon, who, in all acts of cruelty and oppression, surpassed a Phalaris or a Dionysius. When he had exercised every art in plundering the citizens of Sparta, he made a statue, which was like his wife, and whenever any one refused to deliver up his riches, the tyrant led him to the statue, which immediately, by means of springs, seized him in its arms, and torniented him in the most excruciating manner with bearded points hid under the clothes. Nabis made an alliance with the Romans, defeated Philopomen in a naval engagement; he was, however, himself defeated, in his turn, and treacherously murdered as he attempted to save

his life by flight, B. C. 192, after an usurpation

of 14 years.

NABLOUS, a town of Turkey in Asia, and capital of a country which was the ancient kingdom of Samaria. It is the residence of a schick, who farms the tribute to the pacha of Damascus. The soil of the country is fertile, and produces a great deal of corn, cotton, clives, and some silk. The inhabitants are such zealous Mahometans, that they will not suffer any Christians to remain among them. Nablous is 24 miles N. of Jerusalem, and 90 S.S.W. of Damascus. Lon. 35. 24 E. Lat, 32. 20 N.

NABLUM, in Hebrew, nebel, an instrument of music among the Hebrews. The Y

Seventy, and the Vulgate, translate it sometimes by nablum, and at other times by psalterion, er lyra, or even cithara.

The nablum was a stringed instrument, very near the form of a ▲, which was played upon by both hands, and with a kind of bow. See Calmet's Dissertation concerning the Instruments of Music of the ancient Hebrews, prefixed to the second volume of his commentary upon the Psalms.

NABO, or NEBO, in mythology, a deity of the Babylonians, who possessed the next rank to Bel. It is mentioned by Isaiah, ch. xlviii. Vossius apprehends that Nabo was the moon, and Bel the sun; but Grotius supposes that Nabo was some celebrated prophet of the country, which opinion is confirmed by the etymology of the name, signifying, according to Jerome, one that presides over prophesy.

NABOB, properly NAVAB, the plural of naib, a deputy: as used in Bengal it is the same as nazim.

NABONASSAR, first king of the Chaldæans or Babylonians; memorable for the Jewish æra which bears his name, which is generally fixed in 3257, beginning on Wednesday February 26th in the 3967th of the Julian period, 747 years before Christ. The Babylonians revolting from the Medes, who had overthrown the Assyrian monarchy, did, under Nabonassar, found a dominion, which was much increased under Nebuchadnezzar. It is probable that this Nabonassar is that Baladan in the second book of Kings xx. 12. father of Merodach, who sent ambassadors to Hezekiah. See 2 Chron. xxxii.

NACRE, in ichthyology. See PINNA. NACRE. A term applied to that beautiful white enamel which forms the greater part of the substance of the oyfer-shell, particularly the pearl oyster, and which is commonly known by the name of mother-of-pearl. For its properties and chemica composition, see CON

CHOLOGY.

NÆVI MATERNI. (nævus, Hebrew.) Metroceles. Mother's marks. These marks are upon the skin of children at birth, and are various in their nature, of ten depending upon the longing or aversion of the mother; hence they resemble mulberries, grapes, bacon, &c. Their seat is mostly in the rete mucosum or cellular membrane.

CN. NÆVIUS. The most remarkable of this name is an augur in the reign of Tarquin, who, in order to convince the king and the Romans of his power as an augur, cut a flint with a razor, and turned the ridicule of the populace into admiration. Tarquin rewarded his merit by erecting him a statue in the comitium, which was still in being in the age of Augustus. The razor and flint were buried near it under an altar, and it was usual among the Romans to make witnesses, in civil causes, swear near it. This event is treated as fabulous and improbable by Cicero.

NEVIUS (Cneius), a Latin poet, who served originally in the army, but quitted that profession, and devoted himself to letters. He wrote several comedies, one of which was so displeasing to Metellus, the consul, on account of its satirical strokes, that he got him banished to Utica, where he died 203 B.C. Some fragments of his are extant.

NEVUS. See NÆVI.

NAG. s. (nagge, Dutch.) A small horse; or familiarly any horse used for riding.

NAGOLD, a town of Suabia, in the duchy of Wirtemburg, with a strong castle, situate on a river of the same name, 10 miles W. of Tubingen. Lon. 8. 37 E. Lat. 48. 30 N.

NAGORE, a town of Hindustan Proper, in the country of Agimere, 40 miles N. W. of Agimere. Lon. 74. 10 E. Lat. 27. 8 N.

NAGPOUR, a city of the Deccan of Hindustan, capital of that part of Berar which is subject to a chief of the Eastern Mahrattas. It is extensive and populous, but meanly built; and, excepting a small citadel, is open and defenceless. It is 560 miles W. by S. of Calcutta. Lon. 79. 46 E. Lat. 21. 8 N.

NAGYBANJA, a town of Hungary, which is a metal town, and one of the royal free towns. The gold and silver mine-works are of great produce, and the money coined here is distinguished by the mark NB. It is 30 miles N.E. Zatmar. Lon. 22. 54 E. Lat. 48. 10 N.

NAHE, a river of the palatinate of the Rhine, which flows by Birkenfeld, Oberstein, Kreuzenach, and Bingen, and falls into the Rhine.

NAHUM, or the Prophecy of Nahum, a canonical book of the old Testament.

Nahum, the seventh of the 12 lesser prophets, was a native of Elkoshai, a little village of Galilee. The subject of his prophecy is the destruction of Ninevah, which he describes in the most lively and pathetic manner; his style is bold and figurative, and cannot be exceeded by the most perfect masters of oratory, This prophecy was verified at the siege of that city by Astyages, in the year of the world 3378, 62′ years before Christ.

NAIADES, certain inferior deities who presided over rivers, springs, wells, and fountains. They generally inhabited the country, and resorted to the woods or meadows near the stream over which they presided, whence the name (a, to flow). Egle was the fairest of the Naiades, according to Virgil.

NAJAS. In botany, a genus of the class dioecia, order monandria. Male: calyx cylindrical, cloven; corol four-cleft, filamentless. Female: calyxless; corolless; pistil one; capsule ovate, one-celled. One species, common to the sea coasts of Europe; stem with triangular spines; leaves narrow, with spinous teeth on each side; flowers axillary, solitary.

NAIL. s. (uce31, Saxon; nagel, German.) 1. The horny substance at the ends of the fingers and toes (Dryden). 2. The talons of birds; the claws of beasts. 3. A spike of metal by which things are fastened tog ther (Watts). 4. A stud; a boss (Swift). 5. A measure of length; two inches and a quarter. 6. On the nail. Readily; immediately; without delay (Swift).

To NAIL. v. a. 1. To fasten with nails (Milton). 2. To stud with nails (Dryden). Of these see more, as below.

NAILS. Ungues. In anatomy, horny laminæ, situated on the extremities of the fingers and toes.

NAILS of the bridle hand, in the manage. The different position or situation of the nails of the bridle or left hand of a horseman enables the horse with facility to change hands, and form his departure and stop; since the motion of the bridle follows such a position of the nails. To give a horse head, turn the nails downwards. To turn the horse to the right, turn them upwards, moving the hand to the right. To change to the left, turn the nails down, and bear to the left. To stop the horse, lift up or raise the hand.

NAILS (Horse.) See SHOEING. NAILS, in building, &c. small spikes of iron, brass, &c. which being driven into wood, serve to bind several pieces together, or to fasten something upon them. The several sorts of nails are very numerous: as 1. Back and bottom nails; which are made with flat shanks to hold fast, and not open the wood. 2. Clamp nails, for fastening the clamps in buildings, &c. 3. Clasp-nails, whose heads clasping and sticking into the wood, render the work smooth, so as to admit a plane over it. 4. Clench-nails, used by boat and barge builders, and proper for any boarded buildings that are to be taken down, because they will drive without splitting the wood, and draw without breaking; of these there are many sorts. 5. Clout-nails, used for nailing on clouts to axle-trees. 6. Deck-nails, for fastening of decks in ships, doubling of shipping, and floors laid with planks. 7. Dognails, for fastening hinges on doors, &c. 8. Flat-points, much used in shipping, and are proper where there is occasion to draw and hold fast, and no conveniency of clenching. 9. Jobent-nails, for nailing thin plates of iron to wood, as small hinges on cupboard-doors, &c.

10. Lead-nails, for nailing lead, leather, and canvass, to hard wood. 11. Port-nails, for nailing hinges to the ports of ships. 12. Poundnails, which are four-square, and are much used in Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk, and scarcely any where else, except for pailing. 13. Ribbing-nails, principally used in shipbuilding, for fastening the ribs of ships in their places. 14. Rose-nails, which are drawn foursquare in the shank, and commonly in a round tool, as all common two-penny nails are; in some countries all the larger sort of nails are made of this shape. 15. Rother-nails, which have a full head, and are chiefly used in fastening rother-irons to ships. 16. Round-head nails, for fastening on hinges, or for any other use where a neat head is required; these are of several sorts. 17. Scupper nails, which have a broad head, and are used for fastening leather and canvass to wood. 18. Sharp-nails; these have sharp points and flat shanks, and are much used, especially in the West-Indies, for nailing soft wood. 19. Sheathing-nails, for fastening sheathing-boards to ships. 20. Square-nails, which are used for hard wood, and nailing up wall-fruit. 21. Tacks, the smallest of which serve to fasten paper to wood; the middling for wool-cards, &c. and the larger for upholsterers and pumps. Nails are said to be toughened when too brittle, by heating them in a fire-shovel, and putting some tallow or grease among them.

NAILER, is used sometimes to denote one who nails, at others a nail-maker.

NAILING of cannon, more commonly called spiking. When circumstances make it necessary to abandon cannon, or when the enemy's artillery are seized, and it is not however possible to take them away, it is proper to nail them up, in order to render them useless; which is done by driving a large nail or iron spike into the vent of a piece of artillery, to render it unserviceable. There are various contrivances to force the nail out, as also sundry machines, invented for that purpose, but they have never been found of general use; so that the best method is to drill a new vent. One Gasper Vimercalus was the first who invented the nailing of cannon. He was a native of Bremen, and made use of his invention first in nailing up the artillery of Sigismund Malatesta.

NAIRN, a borough of Scotland, the countytown of Nairnshire, with a small harbour. It is seated at the mouth of the Nairn, on the Murray Frith, 15 miles N.E. of Inverness, and 120 N. of Edinburgh. Lon. 3. 6 W. Lat. 57. 38 N.

NAIRNSHIRE, a county of Scotland, 15 miles long and 10 broad; bounded on the N. by the Murray Frith, and inclosed on every other side by the counties of Inverness and Murray. It is divided into four parishes, and sends one member to parliament alternately with Cromarty. The number of inhabitants in 1801 was 8257. The S. part is mountainous, but toward the N. it is level, and the soil abundantly fertile.