ACT 



ACSTED, a town in the Dutehy of Bremen, in Ger- 

 many, 24 r'.iles N. of Breincii. 



ACtSU is the name of a fmall town of Afiatic Tiirkiy, in 

 Natolia, 5 leagues well of Ifiiick. 



ACT, Actus, in genera', denotes an effeftive exercife, 

 or apphcation of fomt power or f icnlty. In this fenfe afl 

 ftands oppoied to power, polentri, which is orly the capa- 

 city of ii^lirr, but not the ex';rtion of t lat capacity. 



Though the word aft, properly and primarily, he only 

 applicable where the power nii^rht exift without being 

 drawn forth into aft ; yet the fchoolmen extend it farther; 

 defming it by the prefen i. of any power or perfcftion, even 

 though it could not be ablent. In which fenfe, God him- 

 feif is faid to be p moil pure ad ; becaufe his perfe'ttions 

 ar' always and neceffarily prefent. And thus, form is called 

 an till : inafmuch as the prefence hereof completes the 

 puwer and perf^ftion of matter. — Even exillcnce is termed 

 an «i7 ; beca'de, when this is given to a being, nothing far- 

 ther is wanted. The Greeks lometimes call nd evIe^.;;^;!?., a 

 term denoting an aftu^il poflciriou of perfection, by the La- 

 tins uiually ivndered [■.i-j.cfihiil'ia. 



y/f'/ and power are dillinguilhed by w -iters on Ontology 

 thrs.: wivs ; viz. as aftual being is difiinguifhcd from a 

 power to be ; aftuai doing or aftion, from a po.-er to do ; 

 or aSl'.vil fuffcnng or pafllon, from a power to fufftr. See 

 Watts's Ontology in \Vuiks, vol. v. p. 64.7. 



Metaphyficians give various divifions of e& ; viz. into in- 

 Jimte, as the ad of ercatini^ ; ^wAjhiitc, as the ad of moving. 

 — Tranjunt, or thole exerciled in other beii.gs, as heating ; 

 and imh:ancnt, which remain in their own iubjeft, as think- 

 ir.g. See Action. 



Act, in Lo^k, is particul.irly underftood of an op'^ration 

 of the human mind. Thus to dilcern, examine, and judge, 

 arc aCt!.« f the imderflandlng ; to affirm and chufe, are afts 

 of the will. There are voluntary and fpontaneous afts ; the 

 fonner are p-oduced by the operation of the foul, the latter 

 ■without its privity or participation. 



Akt, in a legal fenfe, is an uiflrument, or other matter 

 in writing ; of ufe to declare, or juftify the truth of a 

 thing. In which fenfe. records, decrees, fentences, reports, 

 certificates, &c. are called ads, authentic ads, iolemn ads, 

 &c. See Deed. 



Act, in the Un'merftties, a thefis maintained in public by 

 a candidate for a degree ; or, to drew the capacity and pro- 

 ficiency of a ihidtnt in the university. 



The cindidatcs for a degree of batchtlor and mafter of 

 arts are to hold philoiophy afts ; thole for bachelor of di- 

 vinity are to keep divinity acts, &c. 



At Oxford, the time when the mailers ordoftors complete 

 their degrees is alfo called the ad\ which is held with great 

 folemnity : at Cambridge they call it the commencement. — 

 Ad is alfo a collegiate appellation for the perfon who pro- 

 pofesqueftions that are the fubjedls of difputation in the ex- 

 crcifes of the univerfity fchools. The perfons with whom 

 he contends in thefe que'^ions are called opponents : and 

 the difcuffion is prcpofed under the direction of the mo- 

 derator at Cambridge. The difiinguifhcd men of the year 

 appear eight times in this manner in the fchools ; twice 

 as ads, and fix times as oppone.its. One ad and three 

 opponencies are kept before the fummer ; and one ad and 

 three opponencies in the tenn following the fummer vaca- 

 tion. 



Act of faith. Auto da fe, in the Romilli church, is 

 a folemn day held by the inquisition, tor the punifh- 

 ment of heretics, and the abfolution of the innocent ac- 

 cufed. 



They ufually contrive the auto to fall on fome great fef- 

 I 



ACT 



tival ! that the execution may pafs with the more awe and 

 rega-d : at le.ul it is alw lys on a Su:.day. 



T'le auto da ft- may be culkd the lail aift of the inquilito- 

 rial tragedy ; it is a kind of g -.ol- Jeliveiy. appointed as oft 

 as a competent nun.ber of pnfoncrs in the inquifi'ion are 

 convieled of herefy ; either by their own v oiuncary or 

 extorted coufeflion ; or on the evidence of certain witiieffes. 

 Tlu- p-ocels is thus : in tlie morning, they are b'-ought i: to 

 a great hall, where they have d rtiin li.il its put on, which 

 they are to wear in the proeelTion. The procelfion is kd 

 up by Dominican friars, after which come the penitents, 

 fome with fan benitoes, and iome without, according to the 

 nature of their crimes ; being all in black coats without 

 (leeves, and baiv-footcd, with a wax candle in tiuir hands. 

 Thefe are followed by the penitents who have narrowly 

 efcaped being burnt, who over their black coats liavc flames 

 painted, with their points turned downwards, fur^o rcvdto. 

 Next come the negative, and relapfed, who are to be bunit, 

 having flames on tlicir habits pointing upwards ; after thelo 

 come fuch as piofefs doftrines contraiy to the faith of 

 Rome, who befides flames pointing upwanis, have their 

 pifture painted on their hreafls, with dogs, ferpents and 

 devils, all open-mouthed about it. Each prifoner is at- 

 tended with a familiar of the inquifition, and thofe to be 

 burn: have alio a Jefuit on each hand who are continually 

 preaching to them to abjure. After the prifoncrs, comes 

 a troop of familiars on liorfe-back, and after them the in- 

 quifitors, and other ofliccrs of the court, on mules ; laft of 

 all, the inquifitor general on a while horfe, led by two men 

 with black iiats and green hat-bands. 



A featlold is erected in the Terreiro de Paco, big enough 

 for two or three thouland people ; at one end of which arc 

 the priloners, at the other tlit inqullUors. After a fermoil 

 made up of encomiums of the iiiquifition, and invectives 

 againil heretics, a priell afcends a delk near the middle of 

 tilt i^eafFold, and having taken the abjuration of the peni- 

 tents, recites the final fcntei^ce of thofe who arc to be put to 

 death ; and delivers them to the fecular arm, earnetlly be- 

 feeching at the fame time the fccular power not to touch 

 their blood, or put their lives in danger. 



The prifoners being thus in the hands of the civil magif- 

 trate, are prefently loaded wnth ctiains, and carri(;d firll to 

 the fecular gaol, and from thence in an hour or two 

 brought before the civil judge, who, after alking in wh.it 

 religion they intend to die, pronounces ientence ; on fuch 

 as declare they die in the commu.'iou of the church of 

 Rome, that they fhall be firfl llrangled, and then burnt to 

 allies ; on fuch as die in any other faith, that they be burnt 

 alive. 



Both are immediately carried to the place of execution, 

 which iland ■ on the Ribera at Lifl)on, where there are a.i many 

 flakes *et up as there are prifoners to be burnt, with a quant. ty 

 of diy fui^e about them. The flakes of the profL-ffed, that 

 is, fuch as pel fill in their herefy, are about four yards high, 

 having a Imall ixiard towards the top for the prifo.ier to be 

 feated on. The negative and relapfed, being firll llrangled 

 and burni, the profeifed inount their flakes by a ladder ; and 

 tlie Jefuits, after feveral repeated exhortations to be n-con- 

 ciled to the chuixh, part with them, telling them they leave 

 them to the devil, who is Handing at their elbow to receive 

 their fouls, and cany tliem with him into the flames of hell. 

 On this a great fhout is raifed, and the cry is, let the dogs 

 beards he made, wnieh is done by tiiruiliiig flaming furze, 

 fall;'ned to long poles, agalnll their faces, till their faces- 

 are burnt to a coa'l, which is accompanied with the loudefl 

 acclamations of joy. At lall, fire is let fo the furze at the 

 bottom of the ilake, over which the profeiTcd a:e chained 



fo 



