ASP 



ASP 



is not willing to allow this to be ths real Ccluber afpis of 



In additioii to- ths fptcific charadter of the coltiber afpis 

 (taken from the ivumbef of abdominal plates, and fcalci of 

 the tail), Gmelin obfervCT, that the nofe is tej-niinatcd by an 

 ereft wart ; the body nifoiis,- ivith figured ftreaks, which 

 are akerTitcly confluent, and the itnder fid.- iU-ei-biuc dottL-d 

 with yellow. Dr. Shaw calk his coluber afpis, the rufef- 

 cent viper, with roundifh, alternate, dinky, dorfa! fpots, 

 fiibcouflnent towards the tail ; and itates the number of ab- 

 dominal feiitd to be [55, fubcaiKlai fcales 37. 



The true afp of the ancients feems to be entirely unknown. 

 It is very frequently mentioned by ancient writers, but in 

 fuch a carclefs and irdeiinite nr.inner that it is impolT.ble to 

 afcertain the fptcics with prccifion. With the afp it is faid 

 the hiji;ii-fpir;ttd princefs Cleopatra effecfted !ier death, rather 

 than fuhmit lierielf a<: ? captive to grace the triumphal eutry 

 of hei concjueror Augu'lus into Rome. This trait of he- 

 rOifin in that dillinguifhcd charafteris conttfted. The indi- 

 cations of Cleopatra's having occafioned her death bv means 

 of an afp, were only t'A'o ahiioft i;;ienlible punflures obferved 

 in her arm ; and it is alfertcd by Plutarch, tliat it is unknown 

 of wliat death file died. 



Brown places the popular report of her death in this man- 

 ner among his vu'j^ar errors. Oihcrs are of a different 

 opinion. Some have imaffined it was the Egyptian viper, 

 defcribcd by Haffelq'iill, which Ck-opatra made ufe of on 

 that occafion. Mr. Bruce is led to conclude, from various 

 circumilances, that it might be the ceraltts, coluber cerajla 

 of Linnxus. 



" I apprehend," fays Mr. Bruce, in fpeakingof theceraftes, 

 " this to be the afpic which Cleopatra employed to procure 

 her death. Alexandria plentifully fupplicd by water, mull 

 then have had fruits of all kinds in its gardens : the bafl-cct 

 of figs mull have come from thence, and the aipic or ccraftcs 

 that was hid in tliem, from the adjoining defcrt, where they 

 are plenty tu this day ; for to the welhvard in Ei;ypt, where 

 the Nile overflows, there is no fmt of lerpents whatever that 

 ever I faw, nor, as I have before faid, is there any other of 

 the mortal kind that 1 know in thofe parts of Africa ad- 

 joining to Egypt, except the cerallcs. It (liould leem very 

 natural for any one, who, from mutlves of dillrels, has re- 

 fulved to put a period to his cxilL-nce, efpccially women 

 and weak perlons, imaccuftomtd to handle arms, to f-.-ek the 

 gentleft methud to free themfelvcs from the lo;id of life now 

 become infupportable." — " It is not to be duubted," adds 

 Mr. Bruce ftiil furtlier, " but that a woman, hi^h-fpirited 

 like Cleopatra, was alfo above the momentary diftcrences in 

 feeling ; and had the way in which file died not been ordinary 

 and ulual, ftie certainly would not have applied herfclf to 

 the invention of a new one. Wt are thereto e to look upon 

 her dying by the bite of the ceraftes, as only following the 

 manner of tleath which (lie had fen ndoptcd bv thole who 

 intended to die without torment. Galen, fpeakiiig of the 

 afpic in the g'-eat citv of Alexandria, fays, I have Icen how 

 fpccddy tliey (thtafpics) occ^ifioned death. Whenever ary 

 perfon is condemned to die, whom they wifh to end quickly 

 -and witiiOMt torment, they put the viper to his breail, and 

 fuffering hmi there to creep a little, the man is prefentiy 

 killed." 



Lord Bacon makes the afp the leail painful of all the 

 inftniments of death ; he fuppofes its poilun to have an 

 affinity to opium, but to be lets clilngreeable in its operation; 

 ■which does not fo well agree with the defeription of the 

 fymptoms given bv Diofcorides and others. Immediately 

 after the bite, the fight becomes dim, a fenfible tumour 

 arifes, and a moderate pain is felt in the ftomach. Matthi- 



olus add?, that the bite n followed bv a flupcr of the whole 

 body, pllenefs, coldneis of the foreliead, continual yawn- 

 ing, nictitation of the eyelids, inchnation of the neck, hea- 

 vincfs of the head, finking into a profoupd fleep, and laflly 

 convulfions. The bite of the afp is faid l;v Ariflotle to 

 admit of no remedy. Pliny and yEgineta allow of no other 

 cure, but to cut off the wounded part. Oilier^ recommend 

 burning the pait, with the internal ufc of hc^t alexipharmic 

 medicines. The ancients had a plaUercalltHi iiMrsii-^v, made 

 of this terrible animal, of great efficacy as a difcutient of 

 ^ftrufnx and other indurations, and ul'cd likewife againfl 

 pains of the gout. The flelh and (l;in, or txuvia of the 

 creature, had alfo their fnare in the ancient Materia 

 Meilica. 



Asp, or /If pen-Tree, m BottJtiy. See PopuLUS. 



ASPA, in Anc'icni Geography, a town of Alia, in Parthia, 

 fuppt.fed to be Ifpahnn. Ptolemy. 



ASPAl'OTA, a town of the Scythians, on this fide of 

 Imaus. Ptolemy. 



ASPACAR.5i, a people of Afia, in Serica. Pto- 

 lemy. 



ASPAGORA or AsPACORA, a country of Afia, in 

 Serica. 



ASPAH, in Geor;raphy, a town orGermany, in the arch- 

 duchy of Auilria, twelve milts call of Steyr. 



ASPALATH, AsPALATHUM, in Pharmary, the wood 

 or root of a foreign tree, heavy, oleaginous, fonewhat .Oiar/ 

 and bitter to the tafte, and of a fljong fmcll, and purple 

 colour. 



It is brought from the Canary iflands, in long crooked' 

 pieces full of knots, externally of a whitifli colour, internally 

 of deep yellow, with a reddidi call. Digefted in reftified 

 fpirit, it gives out pretty readily the whole of its active mat- 

 ter, and tinges the menilruum of a rcddifh colour ; infufed 

 in water, it gives out likcv/ife great part of its fmell and 

 talle, togetlier with a bright yellow colour ; and diflilled 

 with water, it gives over flowly and with difficulty, a highly 

 odoriferous efleiitial oil, at firil of a rtddilh colour, becoming 

 reddilh with age, and amounting, if the ihodium. be good, to 

 about an ounce from jo : the diflilled water is likewife im- 

 pregnated agreeably with the fragrance of the rhodium; and 

 refembies that of dam.afl-: rofes. This oil is ufcd as a per- 

 fume for foenting pomatums, &c. in this light only it is now 

 generally regarded. Dr. Lewis, (Mat. Med.) obfcrves that 

 it promilcs to be applicable to more iriTportant purpofes, arid 

 bids fair to prove a valuable cordial and corroborant. 



The afpalath is otherv.ife called /{j/jum Rhodium, or rofe- 

 wood, and by fome Cyprus-wood; the former on account of 

 its fweet fmell, or growth in the ifland of Rhodes ; the lat- 

 ter from its being aifo found in the ifland of Cyprus. 

 Though fome will have afpalathum a different wood from the 

 lignum Rhoiiium . 



Alpalatli was anciently in much repute, as an aflringent, 

 flrei'iglliener, and diier ; bilt it is now muchdifuftd in inter- 

 nal praftice. 



ASPALATHIS, in Ancient Ge graphy, an ifland of 

 Alia Minor, on the coait of Lvcia. Stcph. Evz. 



ASPALATHUS, in Botany, the name of a thorny 

 flirub in Diofcorides, (from a and oTau, becanfe the thorns 

 were not eafily drawn out of the wounds thiy made.) Lin. 

 gen. 860. Reich. 931. Sclneb. 1 168. Gocrtn. t. 144. Juff. 

 353- Clafs, d-.ailvlphia decandr'ia. Nat. Ord. pcp'dhnaceae 

 or legumlniifx. Gen. Char. Cat. perianth one-kafed, five- 

 cleft, div fions acuminate, equal, except that the upper is 

 larger ; Cor. parilionaceous, banner comprcifcd, afcending, 

 obovate, generally hirfute on the outfidc, obttife, with a 

 point ; wings Kmatc, obtufe, fpreadiug, foorter than the ban- 



Iter, 



