ACQ 



tTicir rites or morals, to the law of Mofes ; and difapprov- 

 inj^ of ih-jlr condtict, lie avowed hh fentimeuLs, a;id incurred 

 the refcntmtnt of the chiefs of the fyiiago^ue. Dy them 

 ho was excommunicated and forbidden to hold any inter- 

 CJurfe even with his own brothers. In thefe circumilances 

 he wrote a book in his own jullilication ; in which he endea- 

 vours to (hew that the rites and traditions of the Pharilees 

 are contrary to the writings of Mofes : and he was foon led 

 to adopt the opinion of the .Saddueecs, from a perfuafion 

 that the fanClions of the Jewidi law related n^erely to the 

 prcfent life. Aeolla was rtputcd an atlieill, ar,d became an 

 objcd of general odium and perfecution. With the concur- 

 rence of tiie (nagillrates of Amllerdam he w;is thjown into 

 prifon ; aii the copies of his work were feizcd, and he was 

 fined 3CO jTuilJers. His fcepticifm increafed, and hf pro- 

 ceeded to think that the Mofaic law was a political invention. 

 With thefe ideas he bafely detenr.ined to facrilice his confci- 

 cnce to his interelt, and returned to the Jewilh churcli after 

 having been ly years excommunicaled, recanted what he had 

 written, and fubfcribcd what was enjoined. Accuiedby his 

 nephew of not confomiing to the laws of Mofes in his private 

 condud, he foon found that the pnfjllanimoas deferlion of 

 principle was of little avail ; he was fummoncd before thcgraiid 

 council of the fynagogue, and again expelled from their com- 

 munion. After living in wretchedncfs forfeven years, he de- 

 clared liis purpofe of fubmitting to the fentence of the fy- 

 nagogue ; and contrai-)' to the expetlations which he had 

 been encouraged to entertain, he undenvent a very fevere 

 penance. After making a public recantation, and a very 

 humiliating acknowledgment of liis offence, he was llripped 

 to the waiil and received 39 lafnes with a whip. He was 

 then abfolved from the excommunication, and laying him- 

 felf down at the door of the fynagogue, all who came out 

 ■ivalked over him. This account is extrafted from his trea- 

 tife, intitled, " Exemplar humans vita:," publiilied and 

 refuted by Limborch, in his " Arnica CoUatio cum erudito 

 Judjeo de veritate rcligionis chriilianae." This treatife he 

 is fuppofed to have eompofed a few days before his death. 

 Having failed in his attempt to kill his principal enemy, he 

 put an end to his own life with a piitol in 1647, accordnig to 

 fome, but as others fay in 1640. Such was tlie teiTnination 

 of a life difgraced, not by the change of fentiments, in 

 eonfequence of inquiry and conviftion, but by a want of inte- 

 grity, and by a mean and dailardly avowal, for purpofes of 

 cafe and intereil, of principles which he did not beheve. 

 Gen. Diet. 



- ACOSTAN, in Geography, a movmtainous ifland in the 

 North Sea, between Aiia and America, obfer\'ed by Cap- 

 tain Cook. 



ACOTYLEDONES, in Botany, denote feeds without 

 l<jbss, and of courfe when they vegetate, they produce no 

 feminal leaves. 



ACOUEZ, in Geography, the name of an Indian nation 

 in Canada. 



ACOUS, the principal, though fraall, town in the vaUey 

 of Afpe and country of Beam in France. Near this place 

 are fevetal cold fprings, particularly thofe of Efcot. N. 

 lat. 43° 5'JIE. long, o'' 50'. 



ACOUSMATICI, from axuai, to hear, an appellation 

 given to fuch anwng the difciples of Pythagoras, as were 

 kill under the probation of five years. They are alfo called 

 by Latin writers acoufticl. The acoiifniatici Hood oppofed to 

 the mathemalic'i, who were initiated into the fecrcts of 

 Icience ; and the acoufmatk phliofophy to the mathematic. 

 Thcfc diftinclions correfponded to the exoteric and eso- 

 teric. To perfons of this clafs, it was fufHcient to appeal to 

 ihc authority of Pythagoras, " Ai/ii, i?«, ipfe dixit," which 



I 



A C Q^ 



decided every difpute. Some have denied the appellation of 

 Pythagoreans to be due to the acoulinntlci ; becaufe many 

 ol thefe had their learning, not immediately from Pytha- 

 goras, but from tilppafus, who, according to fume, was of 

 Crotona, but according to others, of Metapontium. 



ACOUSTIC, formed trom ».r.-tx, to hear, denotes in 

 general any thing that relates to the ear, the lenfe of hear- 

 ing, or llie dociiine or founds. 



Acoustic Dad, in Jhiolomy, is applied to the external 

 pafTage of the ear ; called alio meatus aud'itorhis. 



Acoustic InJJrumcnts, or Auricular tubes, are fuch as are 

 adapted to fupply the defect of htaring. See alfo Deaf- 

 ness and Trumpet. 



ACOUSTIC Ner-ves. Sec Auditory Kervet, and 

 Nkkves. 



ACOUSTIC Vejfih, \\\ the anc'unt theatres, were a kind 

 of vefiels made of brals, fiiaped, as fome have faid, like a 

 bell, which being of all tones within the pitch of the voice, 

 or even of inftruments, rendered the founds more audible, 

 fo that the aclors could be heard through all parts of the 

 theatres, which were even 400 feet in diameter. Vitruvius. 

 The acouitic vafes, mentioned by Vitruvius as harmonically 

 tuned, and placed in different parts of the antient theatres, 

 have been tried in the Opera-houfe at Turin, and other 

 parts of Italy ; but without the effetl; expedted from them 

 of augmenting the tone of the human voice, or of the in- 

 ftruments to which they were tuned. 



ACOUSTICS, or Acoustic Medicines, are remedies 

 againll; the impcrfeftlons and diforders of the ear, or of 

 the fenfe of hearing. Such general terms as acouftics, 

 fays Dr. CuUen (Miit. Med. vol. i. p. 163.) ferve to mif- 

 lead rather than inltrucl, and fhould, therefore, never be 

 employed. 



Acoustics is that branch- of general fcience which il- 

 luftrates the origin, propagation and perception of found. 

 Some writers have divided acoullics into ^Mt-o//^/Vj, which 

 explains the properties of thofe founds that proceed direct- 

 ly from the fonorous body to the ear, and catacoiiftics, which 

 treats of rcflefted founds. Sound originates in the percuf- 

 fion and vibration ot the parts of an elaiUc fubllance ; and 

 it is tranfmitted by means of the clafticity of the air, or of 

 fome other more fubtile medium of a iimilar kind. How 

 it is produced and propagated, and with what velocity it 

 moves, are fubjefts of dilcuffion which will be particularly 

 inveftigated and explained in their proper place, under the 

 article Sound. The reverberation of founds will be illuf- 

 trated under the articles Echo, Trumpet and Whisper- 

 ing places. For the manner by which they imprefs the or- 

 gans of hearing ; See Ear and Hearing. See alfo 

 Chord, Phonics, String, Vibration, and Voice. 

 Acouji'ics is properly the theoretical part of Music : it is 

 that which gives, or ought to give, reafons for the pleafure 

 which we receive from harmony and melody, which deter- 

 mines the relation of harmonical intervals, and which_ 

 difcovers the affections or properties of vibrating chords, 

 &c. Rouffeau. For an account of the amuiing contri- 

 vances, connected with this branch of fcience, fee Bolus's 

 Harp, Armonica, Commiimcati've Busts, Automatous 

 Harpsichord, Solar Sonata, Converfi-ve Statue, and 

 /'cn/o/a/ Symphony. See alfo Hooper's Recreations, vol. ii. 

 p. 202, &c. 



ACQS, in Geography, a fmaU town at the foot of tlic 

 Pyrenees, in the department of Arriege, and late province 

 ot Foix in France, and fo called from its hot waters. N. 

 lat. 43*^. 42'. E. long. 1°. 3'. 



AcQj, or Dax, Aqute TarbelUca and Aqu£ Aiigvjla:, is 

 alfo th;; name of a city of Fraace, in the vifcouuty of the 



fame 



