A B S 



WOOD, AcHri-LEA, Anthemis, Parthhsium, Senecio, 

 am) TASAcfTUM. 



Absinthium is alfo a name given to other plants, by dif- 

 ferent authors ; as to dwarf plarm'ica, with leaves divided 

 after tl.r manner of wormwood ; alfo to the Alpine chamomile, 

 with f«iutliern-.\ ood leaves. 



ABSIS. See Apsis. 



ABSOLUTE, in a general fenfe, fomething that (lands 

 free or independent. 



Absolute, in Mda'ih\'ficsy denotes a being whofe whole 

 effenec does not confili in a mere habitude or relation to 

 another. 



In which fenfe (i^/u/f ftands oppofed to relative or re- 

 JpiH'i-ve. 



Absolutf is more particularly underftood of a thing 

 which does not proceed from any caufe, or does not fubfiil by 

 viitue of any other being, confidered as its caufe. 



In «iiich fenfe, God alone is ahfolule. 



Alfolute, in this fenfe, is fynonymous with independent, and 

 (lands oppofed to dependent. 



Absolute alfo denotes a thing's being free from condi- 

 tions or limitations. 



In this fenfe, the word is fynonymous with unconditional. 

 We fay, an abfolutt decree, ahfolute promife, ahjolute obe- 

 dience. 



AnsoLVTE. governmeni, that wherein the prince is left fole- 

 ly to his own will, being not limited to the obfenance of any 

 laws, except thofc of his own difcretion. 



When the Danes made their king a^/«/(?, in 1660, they 

 declared him abfolved from his coronation oath. 



Absolute nu/Hfor, m yll^ebra., is the known quantity or 

 number which poffeiTes one entire fide, or part of an ectua- 

 TiON ; and it is that which Vieta calls homogcneum compa- 

 ra'innis. 



Thiu, in the equation a a -\-\6 »=:■"!,(>, the abfolute num- 

 ler is 36 ; which is equal to a multiplied by itfelf, and added 

 to 16 times a. 



A nsOLVTt. equation, va. yljlronomy, is the fum of the optic 

 and excentric equations. 



Tlie apparent inequality of a planet's motion, arifing from 

 its not being equally diftant from the earth at all times, is 

 called its optic equation ; and this would fuhiift if the planet's 

 real motion were imiform. The excentric inequality is 

 caufed by the planet's motion not being uniform. For the 

 iiluftration of this, conceive the fun to move, or appear to 

 move, in the circumference of a circle, in whofe centre the- 

 earth is placed. It is manifeft, that if the fun move uni- 

 formly in this circle, then he mull appear to move unifonn- 

 ly to a fpeftator at the earth ; and, in this cafe, there 

 v.ould be no optic or excenti-ic equation. But fuppofe tlie 

 earth to be placed out of the centre of the circle ; and then, 

 thougli the fun's motion fhould be really unifomi, it would 

 not fo appear, when feen from the earth ; and in this cafe, 

 tbere wouldbe an optic equation, but not an excentric one. 

 Imagine farther, the fun's orbit to be, not circular, but 

 elliptical, and the earth to be in its focus, it is evident that 

 the fun cannot appear to have an unifonn motion in fuch 

 ellipfe ; and therefore, his motion will be fubjeCt to two equa- 

 tions, vi/. tlie optic and the excentric EQUATION. See Op- 

 tical Inequality. 



Absolute Gravity, motion, place, /pace, time. See the 

 refpedlive fuLftantives. 



Absolute yllhitive., in Grammar. See Ablative. 



ABSOLUTELY, in a general fenfe, ftands oppofed to 

 rrlajfuely. It is alfo ufed for mdimitedly and vncondilionally. In 

 which fenfe, the fchookien oppofe it to fccundiim quid. 



A B S 



Moreover, it is ufed by Di-vinet, in oppofition to decla- 

 ralively. 



The church of Rome holds, that a prieft can forgive fins 



ahfuhitely ; the proteilants fay, only decluratiiiely, and mi- 

 nilleriaUy. 



Absolutely, in Geometry, is taken for entirely, or com- 

 pletely. Tiius we fay fuch a thing is abfolutely round ; in 

 contradlftlnclion from that wliich is only partly fo ; as a 

 fpheroid, cycloid, &c. 



Absolutely, in Grammar; we fay, a word is taken ^i- 

 folutely, ab/oliite fumptiis, when it has no regimen, or go- 

 vernment. Thus, in the phrafe. We (hould pray with- 

 out cealing. The woy&pray is taken ahfolutely, as it governs 

 nothing. 



ABSOLUTION, Absolutio, in the Civil Laiv, &c. 

 a definitive fentence, w'hereby a perfon accufed of any crime, 

 is acquitted, and declared innocent. 



Among the Romans, the ordinary method of pronouncing 

 judgment was this : after the caufe had been pleaded on 

 both fides, the prxco ufed the word dixerunt, q. d. they 

 have faid what they had to fay ; then three ballots were 

 diftributed to each judge, marked as mentioned under the 

 article A ; and as the majority fell of either mark, the ac- 

 cufed was abfolved or condemned, &c. If he were abfolved, 

 the prstor difmifled him with videtiir nor, ficlffi; ox jure vide- 

 turfecijfe. 



Absolution, in the Canon Latv, is a juridical aft, 

 whereby a priefl, as a judge, remits the fins of fuch as, up- 

 on confeffion, appear to have the conditions requifite for this 

 purpofe. 



The Romanifts hold abfolution a part of the facrament of 

 penance : tlie council of Trent, fetf. xiv. cap. iii. and that 

 of Florence, in the decrees ad Armenos, declare the form 

 of the cfience of the facrament to lie in the words of abfolution, 

 I abfolve thee of thy fins. 



The form of abfolution ufed by Tetzel, in Germany, is 

 prefei-ved in Seckend. Comment, lib. i. p. 14. and a tranf- 

 latlon of it is given by Robertfon in his Hift. of Ch. V. 

 V. ii. p. 117. It extended to all ecclefiaftical cenfures, and 

 to all fins, however enormous ; it remitted all punilhment in 

 purgatoiy, and reftored thofe who were fuppofed to have 

 the benefit of it to the holy facraments of the church, to the 

 unity of the faithful, and to the innocence and purity which 

 they pofleffed at baptifm ; fo that when they died, the gates 

 of punifhmcnt fiiould be fiiut and thofe of the pai-adife of de- 

 light opened ; and if they did not die immediately, this 

 grace remained in full force when they were at the point of 

 death. 



The_/orOT«/3 of abfolution, in the Romifii church, is abfo- 

 lute : in the Greek church, it is deprecatory ; and in the 

 churches of the reformed, declarative. 



In the church of Rome there are divers other political ab- 

 folutions ; as, 



Absolutio afievis, which is neceffaiy where a perfon 

 has been witnefs to the execution of fentence of death on a 

 criminal, or has any other way difqualified himfelf for the 

 holding of a benefice. 



Absolutio ad cautelam, is that granted to a p;r- 

 fon who has lodged an appeal againfl a fentence of ex- 

 communication, by which the force of the cenfure is fuf- 

 pended. 



It being a maxim, in the papal jurifprudence, that the 

 fentence ftands good, notwlthilanding any appeal ; this 

 fort of abfolution is fometimes granted until the iifue of his 

 appeal be known : by means hereof, fome articles, at leaft, 

 of his excommunication, are taken off ; infomuch that per- 

 I Ions 



