ABBIIEVIATORI ABliL. 



arose from abbreviations of Latin terms, as they were 

 taken by the ignorant for the words themselves* The 

 following list contains many of the abbreviations in 

 common use alphabetically arranged. A. B., or 

 li. A., bachelor of arts : Abp., archbishop : A. C., 

 ante Christum. A. D., anno Domini, A. M.,ante 

 meridiem, forenoon ; also, anno mundi, in the year of 

 the world ; and artium magister, master of arts ; 

 B. C., before Christ : B. D., bachelor of divinity ; 

 B. M., bachelor of medicine : Bp., bishop: B. V., 

 blessed Virgin : C. or Chap., chapter : C. or cent., a 

 hundred : C.B., companion of the Bath : C.C., Caius 

 college: Cwt, hundred weight : D. D., doctor of 

 divinity : D. F., defender of the faith : D. G., Dei 

 gratia: D.T., doctor of theology: Dwt. pennyweight: 



E. G., exempli gratia: Ex., example: Exr., executor: 



F. A. S., fellow of the antiquarian society : F. L. S., 

 fellow of the Linraean society : F. R. S., and A. S., 

 fellow and associate of the royal society : F. S. A., 

 fellow of the society of arts : GaL gallon : G. C. B., 

 knight grand cross of the Bath : G. R., Gulieimus 

 rex, king William : Hhd., hogshead : H. M. S., his 

 majesty's ship : Ib. or Ibid, ibidem, in the same place: 

 Id. idem, the same : I. e. id est, that is : + I. H. S., 

 Jesus hominum Salvator : I. H. S., in hac cruce 

 salus : Incog., incognito, unknown: Inst., instant or 

 of this month : J . D. D., juris utriusque doctor : K. 

 B., knight of the Bath : K. C. B., knight com- 

 mander of the Bath : L. or libra, pound : L. D., 

 lady day: Ldp., lordship: Lea., leagues: Lieut., 

 lieutenant : LL. D., legum doctor, doctor of laws : 

 JL. S., locus sigilli, the place of the seal : M. C., 

 member of the congress : M. D., doctor of medi- 

 cine : Messrs, messieurs, gentlemen : M. P., mem- 

 ber of parliament : MS., manuscript : MSS., man- 

 uscripts : N. B., nota bene, take notice : Nem. con, 

 or Nem. diss., nemine contradicente, or nemine dis- 

 sentiente, unanimously : N. S. , new style : Obt., 

 obedient: O. S., old style: Oxon., Oxford: Oz., 

 ounces : Per cent., per centum, by the hundred : 

 P. M. , post meridiem : P. S., postscript : Q., ques- 

 tion : Q. E. D., quod erat demonstrandum : Q.E.F., 

 quod erat faciendum: Q. S., quantum sufficit: 

 Q. V., quid vide: Rev., reverend: R. N., royal 

 navy : Rt. Hon., right honourable : Rt. WpfuL 

 right worshipful : S., south : S. or St. saint : Sec. 

 secretary : Sc. scilicet : St., street : Ult., ultimo, 

 last: U. S., United states: V. vide, see : Viz., vide- 

 licet : Xmas., Christmas : Xn., Christian : Xper. 

 Christopher : Y m , them : Y, then : Y r , your anc 

 year : Y", this : Y% the : Y', that. 



ABBREVIATORI, officers in the court of Rome, ap- 

 pointed to assist the vice chancellor in drawing uj 

 the pope's briefs, and reducing petitions, wnen 

 granted by the pope, into proper form, to be con 

 verted into bulls. The 12 first have the dress ant 

 rank of prelates ; 22 others belong to the lowe 

 clergy ; the rest are laymen. The salary of an A 

 of tiie first rank in the last century was 2000 scucli 

 (between 400 and 500.) 



ABB'S, vSt, Head, a promontory of Berwickshire 

 situated on the north sea, at the extreme entrance U 

 the Frith of Forth from the southward. 



ABBT, Thomas, a philosophical writer, was bon 

 Nov. 25, 1738, at Ulm in Suabia, and early mani 

 tested distinguished talents, and taste for the sciei 

 ces. In 175C, he entered the university of Halle 

 where he applied himself to metaphysics and ma 

 thematics, quitting theology, to which he Imd at fir* 

 devoted himself. In 1760, lie was invited to joi 

 the university of Frankfort, on the Oder, as profes 

 sor extraordinary. Here he wrote, amidst the tn 

 mult of war, his treatise on Death for one's Country 

 In the following year, after lie had accepted an ap 

 I ointment as professor of mathematics, at Rintcln 



e lived six months at Berlin, where he became inti- 



nate with both the Eulers, Mendelsohn, and Nicolai; 



nd took an active part in the Letter on literature, 



Lileraturbriefen.) He died in 1766, in the prime 



f life, at the residence of one of the minor German 



rinces, his intimate friend and protector. A.'s 



ritings exhibit acuteness, imagination, and spirit, 



and abound with practical philosophy, particularly 



is treatise on " Merit." He certainly would have 



ranked among the most distinguished writers, if he 



lad lived tillnis mind was fully matured. Young 



s he was, he deserves to be numbered among the 



vriters who, in the time of Lessing, laboured with 



jnited zeal to raise and refine German literature. 



ABDALS, a sect of fanatics in the East Indies, of 

 i dangerous character, as they count it meritorious 

 ,o destroy those of a different religion. In the 

 leight of their enthusiasm, they sometimes rush in- 

 jo the streets, and stab all that they meet. 



ABDEBA, a city on the Thracian coast, which is 

 said to have been founded by Hercules. Though it 

 joasted of being the native place of Democrtius and 

 Protagoras, yet it was regarded among the ancients 

 as notorious for stupidity. 



ABDICATION, properly speaking, is only a voluntary 

 resignation of a dignity, particularly the supreme. 

 Of royal abdications, the more famous are those ot 

 ,he emperors Diocletian and Maximian, in 305 ; of 

 the emperor Charles V., in 1556; of queen Chris- 

 ina of Sweden, in 1654. They have been the most 

 Sequent in Spain. Charles I. in 1556; Philip V., 

 n 1724 j Charles IV., in 1808 : next in Savoy and 

 Sardinia; Amadeus I., in 1440; Victor Amadeus 

 II. , in 1730 : but only a few individuals have remain- 

 ed faithful to their resolutions ; e. g. Diocletian, 

 Charles V., and Victor Emanuel, king of Sardinia, 

 who abdicated in favour of his brother Felix, in 

 1821. (See Piedmont, revolution of.) Victor Amadeus, 

 of Sardinia, attempting to resume the government by 

 Force, was imprisoned oy his son, Charles Emanuel 

 III. Involuntary resignations also are called abdica- 

 tions ; e. g. Napoleon's abdication at Fontainbleau. 

 The right of a prince to resign the crown cannot be 

 disputed; but the resignation, as some say, can 

 aftect only his personal right to the crown, and can- 

 not prejudice his descendants ; still less force upon 

 the state another constitution, or another family- 

 The abdication of Charles IV. of Spain, according 

 to them, could only take effect in favour of the le- 

 gitimate successor, but could not entitle a foreign 

 sovereign to establish a new dynasty. The abdi- 

 cated prince is sometimes allowed exterior marks of 

 homage, the title of majesty, &c. * but sovereign 

 powers he can no longer exercise. Out of his own 

 country, he enjoys not the honours of a monarch, nor, 

 in general, jurisdiction over his suite. If he, in 

 whose favour the abdication was made, dies, or de- 

 clines the offered dignity, the right of the abdicated 

 prince is revested. Thus Philip V. of Spain resum- 

 ed the throne upon the death of his son Louis, whicl 1 

 took place half a year after he had resigned in his 

 favour. But queen Christina of Sweden made a 

 similar attempt in vain. Voluntary abdications, as 

 they are called, are often involuntary, and the effects 

 of court intrigue. 



ABDOLLATIPH, a celebrated Arabian philo.sopher 

 and physician of the -12th century. He was born at 

 Bagdad in 116], and died in 1223. Of numerous 

 treatises which he wrote, only one has come down to 

 us, viz. A Compend of the History of Egypt, the 

 MS. of which was brought to England by Dr 

 Pococke, and an edition of it published in Arabic 

 and Latin, in the year 1800. 



ABDOMEN, in anatomical language, the belly. 



ABEL, the second sou of Adam, a twin brother >t 



