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^THYSSELS, a people of Lybla near Marmarica. 



iETIANS, Aetiani, ill C,'}iirc/j H'iflnry, a I'ctt or 

 branch of Arians, lb called from their leader Aetius, in 

 tlie fourth centuiy. 



The Acluvis were of the flridt^r kir.d of Arians, who 

 held that -the Son and Holy Gholl are in every relp,;ft 

 dilTimilar to the Father. Whence alfo they are called 

 Anomcet and Ucleroufiam j fometimesy>«r(! Arums. 



The profefiion of this doClrine was contrary to an 

 eUablifhed law of the emperor Conflantius, who had 

 decreed, " that no man (hould fay, that the Son of 

 God was of the fame fuhllanee with God, or of a dif- 

 ferent fub;lance, but that he was in all things like 

 to him that begat him."- By fuch nice diftiniSlions were 

 the confciences of mankind directed and guarded ; and th.e 

 freedom of religious inquiry reitriAed ; and the (llghtcft 

 deviation from the prefcvibcJ rule expofcd them to exile and 

 other limllar penalties. 



yETINIUM, in Atui.nt Gco<rrapky, a town, placed by 

 Ptolemy, in Macedonia, and which, he fays, belonged to the 

 Elliotes, but as they inhabited Theffaly, its fituation is 

 not well afeertaintd. 



ETIOLOGICAL, fomething that afligns the caufe 

 of an effeft, or appearance. 



AETIOLOGY, in lileJidne, a rationale, or dlfeourfe of 

 the caufe of a difeafe, or it is that part of Pathology, 

 which is employed in exploring the caufes of difeafes. The 

 word is compoimded of kitw, caufe, and Aoy©-, d'lj'courfc. 

 In this fenl'e, we fay, the ,eUology of the fmall pox, of the 

 hyHrophobln, of the gout, the dropfy, &c. 



iExioLOGY is ufed for a figuie in 7?/if/5r;V, whereby, in 

 relating an event, we aflign alfo the caufe of it. In which 

 fenfe, ttt'iolugy differs from color, as the former afllgns the 

 true caufe, the latter only a feigned or fpecious one. 



The fceptics were profefied opponents of all a:liology, or 

 argumentation from caufes. 



jETION, in Biography, an eminent painter, whofe pic- 

 ture of Roxana and Alexander was exhibited at the 

 Olympic games. It reprefents a magnificent chamber, in 

 which Roxana is feated on a bed, with a modeft and con- 

 fufed afpefl, whilil Alexander is Handing before her. Se- 

 veral Cupids are fluttei ing about her ; fome of whom hold 

 tip the curtain, others undrefs the lady, and others again 

 prefent Alexander to his miftrefs, at whofe feet he lays his 

 crown, being accompanied by Epheftion with a torch in his 

 liand, and leaning upoa a youth who reprefents Hymen. 

 Other Cupids appear in different attitudes and fituations. 

 This pifture gained TEtion fuch a degree of reputation, 

 that the prefident of the games gave him his daughter in 

 maniage. jEtion is mentioned with diftinguiOied refpeft 

 by Cicero, De claris orat. ap. op. tom. i. p. 395. ed. OUvet. 



ETITES, or cagle-Jlone, in Natural H'ljlory, a flinty or 

 erullated ftone, hollow within, and containing a nucleus, 

 which, on fhaking, rattles within. It was formerly in re- 

 pute for feveral extraordinary magical, as well as tnedtcal 

 powers ; fuch as preventing abortion, difcovering thieves, 

 and other lidiculous properties. 



The word is formed from a.'.T®^, eagle ; and by the Italians 

 this flonc is called p'letra d'aquila: the popidar tradition 

 being, that it is found in the eagle's neft, whither it is fup- 

 pofed to be carried while the female fits, to prevent her 

 eggs from bei'ig rotten. Matthiolus fays, that birds of 

 prey could never hatch their young without it, and that they 

 go in fearch of it as far as the Ealt Indies. Baufch has 

 written a Latin treatife on the fubjeft. 



The lapis irtitis is found in feveral parts : near Trevoux 

 in France, one can fcarcc dig a few feet, without finding 



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conridetable llrata or beds, of the coarfe or femiginou» 

 kind. — 'i'hey are originally foft, and of the colour of yel- 

 low ochre. 



But the fmefl: and mofl. valued of all the caglc-fl.ones, 

 are accidental Hates of one or other of cur common ped- 

 lii.ts. Thefe are fo far, from being a peculiar fpecics of 

 foffil, though ufually accounted fucli, that they are not 

 deterniinatel^ of any one fpceies of pebble. That, how- 

 ever, which moll ufually furnilhes them is the brown-cen- 

 tered pebble, with whitilli, bluilh, and brown crulls. The 

 plain liiitory of tills remarkable foflil is this: the central 

 nucleus of many fpecies of pebbles, peculiarly of this, ia 

 coaiier than the reil of the ftone, that is, it is made up of 

 more earth and lefs ciyftal : the natural confequence of 

 which mull be, that being of a more loofe and rare tex- 

 ture, it is in drying more apt to (lirink than fuch mafles as 

 are compofed of a iiarder and purer matter. The central 

 nucleus in this fpecies is alfo furrounded with a whitifh cruft, 

 of a more loofe texture, and more fubject to flirink in di-y- 

 iiig than even the nucleus itfelf j and being compofed of 

 more earth and lefs cryllal, is alfo more friable and foft. 

 Tlie outer circles of this ftone are of a much harder fub- 

 ftuncc. Whenever the earthy matter in the nucleus, and 

 firft cruft of this pebble, a little exceeds its juft proportion, 

 the confequence will be, that the ftone will become an 

 lEtites : for the nucleus (hrinking and contraiting itfelf to a 

 fmall fize on the evaporation of its fluid matter, muft fc- 

 parate itfelf from its lirft cruft, and that alfo (lirinking, muft 

 be drawn backward toward the other crufts ; whence the 

 cavity will become larger between that and the nucleus, and 

 confequently, the nucleus will rattle in it when the ilone is. 

 fliaken. The pebble in this ftate having been afterwards 

 rolled about by waters, the nucleus has by rolling brokea 

 to pieces all the inner cruft, and is ufually found in the 

 hofiovv of the ftone, buried in a large quantity of a whitidi 

 powder. Thefe eagle-ftones are not uncoir.mon in our 

 gravel-pits, but being by their Uollownefs rendered lefs ftrong 

 than the folid pebbles, we frequently find them broken. 

 Hill. The Etites is claffed by Chaptal (Chem. v. ii. p. 

 340) among the bog ores, or argillaceous ores of iron : and 

 Kirwan (Elem. Miner, vol. ii. p. 178) dcfcribes it under 

 the fourth variety of the firft family of thefe ores ; as, ex- 

 ternally, yellowifli brown, internally lighter, with a ker- 

 nel, whofe colour is moftly ochre yellow. The form is 

 generally that of a rounded knob, or approaching more or 

 lefs to the kidney form, feldom quadrangular ; the furface 

 is generally fouled with earth. The lultre of the external 

 rind refembles that of filk or is fomcwhat lefs gloify, and 

 metallic. The kernel, which is fometimes loole, has no 

 luilre at all. The frafture of the former is even, or fine 

 fphntery ; that of the interior fine earthy.. Externally it 

 prefents one or more curved lamellar concentric concretions,, 

 the kernel none. Its hardnefs is between that which is 

 one degree fuperior to that of clialk or yielding to the 

 nail, and that which hardly yields to the knife; it is brittle 

 and heavy. Its ftreak is hght yellowifli brown, commonly 

 brighter.. 



The ffitites is alfo known by the names eiitocium, echites, 

 lapis aqiiihc, crodialis, aquikius, 13 lapis prxgnans ; fome 

 rank it under the clafs of precious itones, to which it has 

 no title. 



j5iTILTS, in Biography, one of the followers of Arius, 

 was born at Antioch in Syria, and flouriflied, according to 

 Cave (Hift. Lit. tom. i. p. 218) about the year 359, and 

 died in, or foon after, the year 366. Having contended 

 with difficulties in early hfe on account of the reduced con- 

 jiitiou of his parents, lie applied with diligence and fuccefs 



