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ANTIQUITY ANTISYPHILITIC. 



The word antiauity, old ti'rnr, in op- 

 position to nfto, is in itself indeterminate, hut is, in 

 S-neral, applied to tlie time which elapsed between 

 e creation of the world and the irruption of the 

 biirbarians into the Roman empire, which, in connec- 

 tion with the wide spread of Christianity, makes a 

 great epoch in tlie history of the human race. In a 

 narrower sense, it is applied to the two principal 

 nations of former times, Greece and Rome, or to the 

 early age of any nation. The name antiquities is 

 given to tlie remains of ancient art. The phrase is 

 used in a wider sense, to signify all which belongs to 

 a knowledge of the politics, manners, religion, litera- 

 ture, and arts of the nations of antiquity, or of the 

 modern nations, until the existing order of things 

 commenced. We have no single work giving such 

 a general picture of nations and states, but only 

 separate treatises on the antiquities of the Hebrews, 

 Greeks, Romans, Etrurians, Gauls, Germans, Britons, 

 &c. The want of a knowledge of antiquities was 

 first felt in the 15th century, when the zeal for clas- 

 sical learning began to revive. In the earlier works 

 on this subject, one finds extensive learning, but no 

 fixed plan, no critical division of the time and sub- 

 jects. In the 18th century, the rich collections of 

 materials, which had formerly been made, were cri- 

 tically examined and systematically distributed. The 

 BiUiographia Antiquaria of Fabricius (Hamburg, 

 1713 1716) contains valuable information, especially 

 the new edition by Schaffshausen (1740), to which it 

 is desirable that some additions should be made. 

 Among the principal works treating of Grecian and 

 Roman antiquities are, Thesaurus Antiquitatum Gree- 

 cnriim, by Gronovius (Leyden, 1697 1703, 13 

 vols.) ; Thesaurus Antiquitatum Romanarum, by 

 Graevius (Utrecht, 1694 99, 12 vols.) ; Novus The- 

 saurus Antiqu. Roman, by Sallengre (Hague, 1716 

 19, 3 vols.) ; and Poleni Utrmsque The*, nova 

 Sitoplem. (Venice, 1737, 5 vols. fol.) Burmann has 

 left a Catalogus Librontm qui in Thes. Rom., Greec., 

 ftalico et Sicitlo contincntur (Leyden, 1725). The 

 information collected by these antiquaries has been 

 revised and arranged by later scholars. A very use- 

 ful work on Roman antiquities is Sam. Pitisci Lexicon 

 Antiquit. Roman. (Leyden, 1713; Venice, 1719, 3 

 vols. ; Hague, 1737, 3 vols.), an edition of which 

 appeared at Berlin, 1793. The assistance which 

 these works afforded to the scholar, desirous of ob- 

 taining a just idea of Grecian and Roman literature 

 and history, stimulated the students of the oriental 

 languages to similar labours. Their attention was 

 directed to Hebrew antiquities, on account of the 

 connexion between Hebrew literature and customs 

 and the evidences of Christianity. On the subject of 

 Hebrew antiquities, Iken, Faber, Warnekros,Beller- 

 mann, Jahn, and others, have given us books as 

 useful as they are interesting. On the antiquities of 

 the other nations of the East, the Asiatic Researches, 

 tnd the labours of Goguet, furnish valuable informa- 

 tion. Sir William Jones, Anquetil du Perron, A. W. 

 von Schlegel, and others, have thrown light on the 

 antiquities of India; Zoega, Denon, and others, on 

 those of Egypt ; von Hammer, Rhode, Gorres, on 

 those of Persia. Many collections exist, which treat 

 of the antiquities of the modern nations of Europe. 

 The Italians have very rich ones by Muratori, Do- 

 nati, Maffei, and others ; the French, those ofMont- 

 faugon, Millin ; and the English, the Archeeologia 

 Briiannica. They are founa also among the Ger- 

 mans and other northern nations. Since the begin- 

 ning of the 18th century, the arts have been made a 

 separate branch of antiquarian research. 



ASTISABBATARIANS ; a modern religious sect, who 

 deny the necessity of observing the Sabbath. Their 

 chief argument is, that the Sabbath was a Jewish 



institution ; am) that, in the New Testament, no 

 commandment for keeping it is to be found. The 

 Quakers do not object to the observance of the Sab- 

 bath, yet they attach importance nritlirr to this nor 

 to any form or ceremony, ami believe tlmt there is 

 no difference, in a religious point of view, between 

 Sabbath and any other day. 



ANTISEPTICS ; remedies against putrefaction. Tlie 

 ancients thought it possible, by certain preparations, 

 to resist a general tendency to putrefaction, which 

 they supposed to exist in tlie system. The moderns 

 have only attempted to prevent tlie affection of the 

 sound by the mortified parts, by means ol' external 

 applications, which favourtheir separation. \V- are. 

 indebted to chemistry for most of these remedies 

 which generally operate by absorbing the liquids 

 and gases of the gangrenous parts. Among aiitisep- 

 tical substances, charcoal-powder has hitherto been 

 one of the most esteemed, but the chloride of lime 

 lias been recently discovered to be much more HK- 

 cacious in arresting the progress of putrefaction. 

 Placed in contact with the affected parts, it destroys 

 the offensive odour which they exhale, and prevents 

 the extension of the corruption. The practitioner 

 must adapt the treatment to particular circumstances : 

 to inflammation he opposes bleeding, emollients, &c. ; 

 to weakness, nourishing food, tonics, &c. ; at the 

 same time with the local application of the antiseptic. 



ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY. See Abolition of Slavery. 



ANTISPASMODIC (Greek, ar/, against, ff-rmr/tti , the 

 cramp) ; that which has the power of relieving the 

 cramp. Antispasmodics are more accurately defined, 

 medicines proper for the cure of spasms and convul- 

 sions. Opium, balsam of Peru, and the essential oils 

 of many vegetables, are the most useful of this class 

 of medicines. 



ANTISTHENES ; founder of the sect of the Cynics ; 

 born at Athens, hi the 89th Olympiad, 424421 

 years B. C. He enjoyed the instructions of the 

 sophist Gorgias, and followed the profession of a rhe- 

 torician ; but, after he had heard Socrates, he re- 

 nounced the vain ornaments of eloquence, in order to 

 devote himself entirely to philosophy. From the 

 doctrines of Socrates he acquired that zeal for virtue, 

 and tliat unexampled hatred to vice, by which the 

 school that he founded is distinguished. He made 

 virtue to consist in voluntary abstinence, and inde- 

 pendence of exterior circumstances ; and he despised 

 wealth, honours, sensual pleasure, and even know- 

 ledge. He aimed to reduce body and mind to the 

 fewest possible wants ; nor did he hesitate to appear 

 publicly as a beggar, with a wallet on his back, 

 and a staff in his hand. Plato perceived the true 

 design of this strange behaviour. " I see thy vanity," 

 said he to him, " through the holes of thy coat." 

 The eccentricity of his behaviour induced many to 

 imitate him. His most distinguished scholar was 

 Diogenes, (q. v.) The latter is celebrated for the 

 firmness and vivacity of his mind, and the originality 

 of his remarks ; but the conduct of A. was more dig- 

 nified. He was unalterably a virtuous citizen. He 

 first attacked the accusers of Socrates, procured the 

 banishment of one of them, and the death of another. 

 This, however, Barthelemy doubts. His conversa- 

 tion was agreeable, and is praised in the Symposium 

 of Xenophon. After the death of Socrates, he took 

 up his abode in the Cynosarges, a school of Athens ; 

 from which circumstance some suppose the school 

 derived its name. The opinions of A. are well known. 

 His numerous works are all lost ; for the letters pub- 

 lished under his name are considered spurious. The 

 time of his death is unknown. 



ANTISYPHILITIC ; a term applied to remedies used 

 in cases of syphilis. They are almost numberless ; 

 and there exists, perhaps, not one substance in the 



