QUA 



three : * O n ty three polygons, or regu- 

 lar plane figures, can fill up the space 

 about a point ; viz. the equilateral trian- 

 gle, the square, and the hexagon. 2. 

 The sum of the three angles of every tri- 

 angle is equal to two right angles. 3. In 

 any right-angled triangle the square on 

 the longest side is equal to both the 

 squares on the two shorter sides. For 

 the discovery of this last theorem, some 

 authors say, he offered to the gods a he- 

 catomb, or a sacrifice of a hundred oxen. 

 Plutarch, however, says it was only one 

 ox ; and even that is questioned by Ci- 

 cero, as inconsistent with his doctrine, 

 which forbade bloody sacrifices. The 

 more accurate, therefore, say, he sa- 

 crificed an ox made of flour, or of clay, 

 and Plutarch even doubts whether such 

 sacrifice, whatever it was, was made for 

 the said theorem, or for that concerning 

 the parabola, which it was said Pythagoras 

 also found out. 



In astronomy his inventions were many 

 and great. It is reported, that he disco- 

 vered, or maintained, the true system of 

 the world, which places the sun in the 

 centre, and makes all the planets revolve 

 about him : from him it is to this day call- 

 ed the old, or Pythagorean system ; and 



is the same as that lately revived by go* 

 pernicus. He first discovered that Luci- 

 fer and Hesperus were but one and the 

 same, being the planet Venus, though 

 formerly thought to be two different stars, 

 The invention of the obliquity of the zo- 

 diac, is likewise ascribed to him. He first 

 gave to the world the name Kosmos, from 

 the order and beauty of all things com- 

 prehended in it ; asserting, that it was 

 made according to musical proportion : 

 for as he held that the sun, by him and his 

 followers termed the fiery globe of unity, 

 was seated in the midst of the universe, 

 and the earth and planets moving around 

 him, so he held, that the seven planets had 

 an harmonious motion, and their distances 

 from the sun corresponded to the musi- 

 cal intervals or divisions of the mono- 

 chord. 



Pythagoras and his followers held the 

 transmigration of souls, making them suc- 

 cessively occupy one body after another ; 

 on which account they abstained from 

 flesh, and lived chiefly on vegetables. 



PYTHAGOREANS, a sect of ancient 

 philosophers, so denominated from their 

 being the followers of Pythagoras of Sa> 

 mos. See PYTHA.GORAS. 



QOrq, the sixteenth letter, and twelfth 

 ) consonant, of our alphabet, but is 

 not to be found either in the Greek, old 

 Latin, or Saxon alphabets ; and, indeed, 

 some would entirely exclude it, pretend- 

 ing that k ought to be used wherever this 

 occurs. However, as it is formed in the 

 voice in a different manner, it is undoubt- 

 edly a distinct letter ; for, in expressing 

 this sound the cheeks are contracted, and 

 the lips, particularly the under one, are 

 put into a cannular form, for the passage 

 of the breath. 



The q is never sounded alone, but in 

 conjunction with u, as in quality, question, 

 quite, quote, 8tc. and never ends any Eng- 

 lish word. 



As a numeral, Q stands_for 500; and 

 with a dasli over it, thus, Q, for 500,000. 



Used as an abbreviature, q. signifies 

 quantity, or quantum : thus, among phy. 



sicians, q. pi. is quantum placet, i. e. as 

 much as you please of a thing ; and q. s. 

 quantum suflicit, i. e. as much as is ne- 

 cessary. Q. E. D. among mathematicians, 

 is quod erat demonstradum, i. e. which 

 was to be demonstrated -, and Q. E. P. 

 quod erat faciendum, i.e. which was to be 

 done. Q. D. among grammarians, is qua- 

 si dictum, i. e. as if it were said. 



QUACK, a medical impostor, who " for 

 the good of the public," and " by the 

 blessing of God," undertakes, with his 

 powders, potions, or balsam, to cure "all 

 disorders." Thus, ignorance and blas- 

 phemy unite in picking the pockets and 

 ruining the constitution of thousands o 

 credulous people in this and other coun- 

 tries. The pretension to infallibility in 

 any one medicine, as a cure for any one 

 disorder, is next to absurd; much more 

 ridiculous is it then to suppose, that any 



