A L K 



hi8 genealogy in the mnnufcript Ilillor}' of Pliilofophers, re- 

 fcrrcd to by Dr. lluTrell, coiitradifts tliis (hitcnu'iit ; for liia 

 father's great pjiaudfather is faid to have hecn one of the 

 companions of tin; prophet. This maniifcript contains a ca- 

 talogue of iiis writings; hut the medical trart ufiialiy afcnbtjd 

 to him, and trandattd into Latin, under the title of " Dc 

 Mtdicinarum Conipoiltarum gradibus inveiligandis," is not 

 included. Abuifarajrius mentions an anecdote concerning 

 him, which furnilhes a very amiable trait of the moderation 

 and liberality ot his temper towaids a malicious advcrfary. 

 Whilll be was vifiting the fchools of Bagdad, to which the 

 learned and ftudious ufually rcforted in his days, he gave 

 great offence, by promoting the iludy of philofophy, and 

 endeavouring to reconcile tlie doftrines of Iliamifm wilh the 

 principles ofreafon, to one Albumafar, one of the intei-pre- 

 ters of the Koran, who was alarmed lell increafing know- 

 ledge (liould undermine vulgar fuperftitions. Accordingly 

 this 7.ealot acculed him of herefy and impiety. Alkendi, in- 

 llead of rofenting lliis conduifl, and countenidiYig, by bis 

 iiUerelt with the caUph, the delign which Albumafar had 

 formed againll b.is life, endeavoured to fubdue his adverfaiy 

 by Itfiuns and admonitions cf philofophy. Fully apprized 

 of the influence of wiklom as a means of meliorating the 

 difpcjCtion, he engaged a preceptor to inilrudl his adverfaiy 

 in mathematics and philoft^phy. Albumafar was thus led to 

 perceive the folly and bafenef, oi iiis pail conduft, and to 

 t>ft"er bimfelf as a pupil to the piiilofopher whom he bad pei- 

 fecuted. Alkendi received him with condefeenfion and kind- 

 nets, and Albumafar became an ornament t-o his fchool. 

 Brucker'o Hid. Thil. by Enfield, vol. ii. p. 237. RuffeU's 

 Aleppo, vol. ii. Appendix, p. 9. 



ALKERMES, in Jllir/icine, &c. a term borrowed from 

 the Arabs, denoting a celebrated remedy, of the form and 

 confluence of a conteif ion, whereof the i-ermes are the balls. 



The other ingredients are rofe-watcr, fugar, ambcrgrife, 

 inufl<, cinnamon, aloes wood, pearls, and leaf gold, &c. but 

 the fweets are ufually omitted. 



The confiilto alkcrmcs was chiefly made at Montpelier, 

 which place fupphes moll of Europe with it. It is faid to be 

 better inade there than it can be elfewhcrc; the reafon of 

 which doubtlefs is, that the drug, which gives it the depo- 

 xnination, is no where found fo plentifully as there. The 

 manner of preparing the grain for making the confeclion is 

 defcribcd in the Fhil.Tranf. N=' 20. 



It has been much ufed as a cordial ; efpecially, fays Dr. 

 Quincy, among female prefcnbcrs, and in complaifance 

 to them ; but that author decries its value in that inten- 

 tion, and thinks it ought only to be regarded as a fweet- 

 ener. 



Count Marfjgli, in an inquiry into the com])ofition of this 

 medicine, fliews, that many of the ingredierts with which 

 the ancients fo plentifully loaded it, and which are dill re- 

 tained in it by the modern3,are not only ufelcfs.but hurtful ; 

 more particularly the lup'ts hizuli, by many miitakeiily held 

 cordial, on account of the ajipearance gf veins of gold in it ; 

 whereas, in reality, it is only a marcafite of fulphur and vi- 

 triol, and contains a great quantity of acid, dirtdtly repug- 

 nant to the alkaline nature of the kermes, and highly 

 prejudicial in difeafes where the blood tends to coagu- 

 lation. 



ALKES, in /tjlronomy, a fiar in the conllellation Crater. 



ALKETH, in Cio^rciphy, one of the Pelew iflands, in 

 the North Pacific Ocean. 



ALKMAAR. See Alcmaar. 



Alkmaar, Henry of, in Biography, a native of Alk- 

 maar in Holland, and the rrputed author of the celebrated 

 fable of ♦' Reynard the Fox j" a poem v.-ritten iu Lowf 



ALL 



J")iitcli in the 15th century, which, under the allegory of a 

 Society of Animals, fatiii/es the different vices of n an- 

 .kind. This poem has been very popular, and tranflaled 

 into all the languages of Eni-opc. A Gennan edition of it, 

 by Gottflied, is adorned with figures, and ennchcd witli 

 le.irncd difllrlations. It riow appears that this pnem was 

 aflually written by Nicholas Bauniaim, an Eaft-Irieflandcr, 

 and that he afTimnid the name of Heniy Von Alkmaar, in 

 order to fecure blnifi.lf from the inquiries of the ducal 

 court of Juliers. Baumaiui was a member of the council 

 of duke Magnus of Juliers, who died in 1 503; but being 

 djiven from court by means of a cabal, be compofed this 

 allegorical poem, for the purjiofe of fatiri/.ing his enemies, 

 and painting the intrigues carried on there. Nouv. Dift. 

 Hid. 



ALKMAR, in Gogrnphy, a fmall ifland near that of 

 Java, within fight of Batavia. 



ALKOHOL. See Alcohol, 



ALICORAN. See Alcoran. 



ALKUKSA, in Ichihyolnny,^ name given by the Swedes 

 to a fill), which they alfo called lahe. It is a fpceics of thi- 

 SiLURUS, and is diftinguiflied by Artedi by the name of 

 i\\e flurus, wilh only one cirrus, or beaij, under the chin. 

 The common Jtlurus, which is the glaiius of the ancients, 

 has fo\ir clrn. 



AEKY of kail, among Mchemijls, denotes a fwect fub- 

 flance procured from lead. 



ALL hi the U'iml, a fca-phrafe, which cxpreffes the ftatc 

 of a fhip's fails when they are parallel to the dircdion of 

 the wind, fo as to fhakc or fliiver. 



All Hands hony ! the call by which the fliip's company 

 are fnmmoned upon deck. 



All Sainl', in the Calendar, denotes a feflival celebrated 

 on the firil of November, in com.mcmoration of all the 

 faints in general, which is otherwifc called ylll-lxdloivs. 



The number of faints being fo exceflfively multiplied, it 

 was found too burthenfome to dedicate a feall-day to each. 

 In reality there were not days enough, fcarce hours enough, 

 in the year for this purpofe. Hence an expedient was had 

 recourfe to, by commemorating fuch in combination who 

 had no peculiar days of their own. Boniface IV. in the 

 ninth century, introduced the feaft ai jIII Saints into Italy, 

 which was foon after adoptexl into the other churches. 



All Saints, in Geography, iflands near Guadaloupe ifland, 

 in the Well Indies. 



All Saints, a parifli in the diftrift of George-town, 

 South Carolina, containing 2225 inhabitants, of whom 429 

 are whites, and 1 795 flavcs. It fends a member to each 

 houfe of the flate-legillature. 



All Saints Bay, a fpacious harbour near .St. Salvador in 

 Brazil, in South America, on the Atlantic Ocean. S. lat. 

 i-;" 5'. W. long. 38° 45'. This bay is 2\ leagues wide, is 

 iiiterfpcrfed with a number of fmall but plcafant iflaads, 

 and is of great benefit to the whole country'. This is alfo- 

 the name of a Captainlhip in the middle divifion of Brazil,, 

 fo c.illed from the bay ; bounded north by the Ria real, on 

 the fouth by that of Los Ilheos, on the call by the ocean, 

 and on the welt by three uncoiujiiered nations oi Indians. 

 It is reckoned one of the richell and mod fertile Captain- 

 fhips in Brazil, producing great quantities of cotton and 

 fugar. It has feveral cities and towns, particularly St. Sal- 

 vador, which is its capital. 



All Sfugita, in Italian Mi/Jic, is faid of difcords, winch 

 we call paffing notes, that appear in the melody, but are 

 unnoticed in the harmony. Thefe difcords, yllla SfugitOy 

 require no preparation or refolution like notes in ligature. 



All Souls, in the Calendar, daiotc* a feaft-day held on 



tue 



