CAR 



CAR 



of wool, flax, hemp, and the like : there 

 are different kinds of them, as hand-cards, 

 stock-cards, &c. 



CARDS, among gamesters, little pieces 

 of fine thin pasteboard, of an oblong 

 figure, of several sizes, but most com- 

 mon in England three inches and an 

 half long, and two and half broad, on 

 which are painted several points and fi- 

 gures. The moulds and blocks for mak- 

 ing cards are exactly like those that were 

 used for the first books ; they lay a sheet 

 of wet or moist paper on the block, which 

 is first slightly done over with a sort of 

 ink made of lampblack, diluted in wa- 

 ter, and mixed with some starch, to give 

 it a body. They afterwards rub it off 

 with a round list. The court-cards are 

 coloured by means of several patterns, 

 styled stane-files. These consist of pa- 

 pers cut through with a pen-knife, and in 

 the apertures they, apply severally the 

 various colours, as red, black, &c. These 

 patterns are painted with oil-colours, that 

 the brushes may not wear them out ; and 

 when the pattern is laid on the paste- 

 board, they slightly pass over it a brush 

 full of colour, which, leaving it within 

 the openings, forms the face or figure of 

 the card. 



CARDAMINE, in botany, a genus of 

 the Tetradynamia Siliquosa class and or- 

 der. Natural order of Siliquosa or Cru- 

 ciform flowers. Essential character : si- 

 lique opening elastically the valves revo- 

 lute ; stigma entire ; calyx rather gaping. 

 There are eighteen species; of which C. 

 bellidifolia has a simple root, white, and 

 very long; stem filiform, striated, flexile, 

 an inch long. Flowers white, some- 

 times purplish, wfth claws the length of 

 the calyx; siliques half an inch in length. 

 This plant has no smell. It flowers in 

 July and August. 



CARDAMOM, in the materia medica, 

 is distinguished into three kinds, exclu- 

 sive of the ammonium, which is evi- 

 dently of the cardamom kind. They are 

 called by the names of the great carda- 

 mom, or grain of paradise ; the long or 

 middle cardamom ; and the lesser com- 

 mon cardamom of the shops. 



CARDAN (HIEIIOXTMUS,) in biogra- 

 phy, was born at Pavia, Sept. 24, 1501. 

 At four years old he was carried to Milan, 

 his father being an advocate and physi- 

 cian in that city : at the age of twenty he 

 went to study in the university of the 

 same city, and two years afterward he 

 gave lectures on Euclid. In 1524 he 

 went to Padua ; the same year he was ad- 

 mitted to the degree of Master of Arts, 



and the year following to that of Doctor 

 of Physic. In :539 he was admitted a 

 member of the College oi Physsc.-ansat 

 Milan: in 1543 he read public lectures 

 on medicine there, and the same at Pavia 

 the year following ; but he discontinued 

 them, because he could not get payment 

 of his salary, and returned to Milan" 



In 1552, he went iruo Scotland, having 

 been sent for by the Archbishop ot St. 

 Andrews, to cure him of a grievous dis- 

 order, after trying the physicians oi the 

 King or France and of the Emperor of 

 Germany without benefit. He began .ore- 

 cover from the day that Cardan prescrib- 

 ed tor him. Our author took his leave of 

 him at the end of about six weeks, leav- 

 ing him prescriptions, which in t\\ o years 

 wrought a complete cure. Upon this, vi- 

 sit Cardan passed through London, and 

 calculated King Edward's nativity, being 

 famous for his knowledge in astrology. 

 Returning to Milan atter four months ab- 

 sence, he remained there till the begin- 

 ning of October, 1552, and then went to 

 Pavia, from whence lie was invited to Bo- 

 logna in 1562. He taught in this iast city 

 till the year 1570, at which time he was 

 thrown into prison, but some months af- 

 ter he was sent home to his own house. 

 He quitted Bologna in 1571, and v, ent to 

 Rome, where he lived for some time with- 

 out any public employment. He sVas 

 however admitted a member of the Col- 

 lege of Physicians, and received a pen- 

 sion from the Pope, till the time of his 

 death, which happened at Rome on the 

 21st of September, 1575. 



No man of his time seems to have made 

 greater progress in philosophy, medicine, 

 and other branches of natural science, 

 than Cardan : in algebra he was a great 

 adept, and made many improvements in 

 the analytic art. His dexterity in solving 

 cubic questions has given him a lasting 

 name. It is affirmed by Scaliger, that 

 Cardan having, by his pretended skill in 

 astrology, predicted the time of his death, 

 abstained from all food, in order that he 

 might verity the truth of his prophecy. 



CARDINAL, in a general sense, an ap- 

 pellation given to things on account of 

 their pre-eminence : thus we say, cardi- 

 nal winds, cardinal virtues, &c. 



The cardinal virtues are these four, 

 justice, prudence, temperance, and forti- 

 tude, upon which all the rest hinge. 



CARDINAL points, in cosmography, are 

 the four intersections of the horizon with 

 the meridian, and the prime vertical 

 circle. Of these two, viz. the intersec- 

 tion of the horizon and meridian, are 



