AST 



and under the appellation of Elagabalus, was brought to 

 Rome by the emperor who aflumed this name, and fixed in 

 a magnificent temple raifcd on the Palatine mount, this im- 

 perial fanatic made choice of Aftarte, under which name 

 the moon was adored by the Africans, for his confort. Ac- 

 cordingly hcT image, with the rich offerings of her temple as a 

 marriage portion, wss tranfportcd with folemn pom.p fromCar- 

 thage to Rome; and the day of thefe my (lie nuptials was a ge- 

 neral felbval in the capital, and throughout the empire. An- 

 tiquaiies have fuppofed that (he is exhibited as a half-naked 

 female, &c. on the medals of Berytu* and Czfarea ; in a 

 chariot, &c. on a medal of Elagabalus at Sidon ; and on the 

 medals of Carthage, in the form of a female feated on a lion, 

 witli a thunderbolt in her hand. Proflitution was praftifed 

 by the female worfhippers of Aftarte at Byblus, in Phoe- 

 nicia, in Babylon, and in Carthage. 



ASTASANA, in jin,:ient Geography, a town of Af:a, 

 in Aria. Ptolemy. 



ASTATI, in Ecchfiajlical H'ljlary, the followers of one 

 Sergius, in the ninth century, who renewed the errors of 

 the Manichees. 



The word is derived from the privative a. and irr/<i, Jlo, 

 tojland, and fignifies any thing unilable and inconftant. 

 They prevailed much under the emperor Nicephorus ; but 

 his fucceflbr, Michael Curopaiates, curbed them with very 

 fevere laws. 



ASTCHIKCUNIPI, in Gtography, a large lake in 

 New Britain, abounding with whales, and fuppofed to com- 

 municate w uh the Northern fea. 



ASTEISM, in Rhetoric, a genteel way of irony, or 

 handlome way of deriding another. Such is that ot Vir- 



" Qui Bavium non odit, amet tua carmina Mxvi." 



ASTEIXIS, in Ancient Geography, a mountain of Africa, 

 part of mount Atlas, to the fouth of Mauritania Cxfa- 

 rienfis. 



ASTELEBE, a town of Afia Minor in Lydia. Steph. 

 Byz. 



ASTELEPHUS, a river of Colchis which ran .into 

 the Euxine fea. Arrian. 



ASTELL, Mary, in Biography, the daughter of a 

 merchant at Newcaftle-upon-Tyne, was born in the year 

 1688, and inftrufted by her uncle, who was a clergyman, 

 in logic, mathematics, and philofophy, as well as in the 

 Latin and French languages. At twenty years of age (he 

 removed to London, and devoted the principal part of her 

 time to (ludy. In order to excite emulation and a dcfire of 

 improvement among her fex, file publi(hed " A Serious 

 Propofal to the Ladies, wherein a method is offered for the 

 improvement of their minds," printed in i2mo. at Lon- 

 don in 1697. Her propofal, which was the eftabli(hment 

 of a fcrainary for female education, excited fo much atten- 

 tion, that a lady, fuppofed to be the queen, formed a defign 

 of giving 10,000 1. towards eretfing a kind of college for 

 the education of the female fex, and as an afylum to fuch 

 ladies as might wifti to retire from the world ; but bilhop 

 Burnet difcouraged the liberal intention, by alleging, that 

 fuch an infiitution would too much referable a nunnery. 

 Mrs. Aftcll's " Reflections on Marriage," written in con- 

 fequence of a matrimonial difappx)intraent, were publifhed 

 in i7coand 1705. Mrs. Aftell was orthodox in her reli- 

 gious creed, and in her politics an advocate for the doftrine 

 of non refinance. Befides fome controverfial pieces, fuch 

 as "Moderation truly itated," " A Fair Way with the Dif- 

 fenters," " An Impartial Inquiry into the Caufes of the 

 Rebellion," and " A Vindication of the Royal Martyr," 

 9U printed in 410. ia 1704; fhe alfo dillinguilhed herfclf 



AST 



by a more elaborate performance, publifhed in 1705, and 

 intitled, " TlieC'hriltian Religion asprofcffcd by a Daughter 

 of the Church of England," rn which (he had tlic refolu- 

 tlon to attack Locke and Tillotfon. The clofe of her life 

 was embittered by the anguifh of a cancer in her brcalt, 

 and (lie bore amputation with fortitude. She died in the 

 year 1731. Her manners were auftere, and her principles 

 rigid ; and thougli (he attrafted notice at the time in 

 which (he lived, neither her natural talents nor literary 

 attainments would command attention among the females 

 of the prefent day. Grudging the wade of time occafioned 

 by trifling vifitors, and yet fcrupulous of dictating falfe- 

 hoods to her fci-vants according to the refinement of modem 

 practice, (he ufed to accoft fuch intruc'.crs on their approach, 

 and jellingly fay to them, " Mrs. Ailell is not at home." 

 Ballard's Slem. of Britifti Ladies. Biog. Brit. 



ASTEXAS, in Ancient Geography, a town of Spain in 

 BaJtica. Strabo. 



ASTENOUS, in Entomology, a fpecies of Papilio 

 (Eq. Achi.) that inhabits the Cape of Good Hope. The 

 wings are black both above and beneath ; a radiated white 

 fpot on the anterior pair ; di(k of the pofterior ones yellow. 

 Fabricius. This is papl/io pompeuj o( Cnnner ; and pnpiHo 

 minor of the fame author is fuppofed to be a variety (;3) 

 of this fpecies. 



ASTER, in Botany, Surwort {A-aV,^, a ftar, the flower 

 being radiated). Lin. Gen. 954. Schrcb. 1291. Juff, 181. 

 Gaertn. t. 170. Q\z.i%, fyngenefia polygamia fuperjlua. Nat. 

 Order, compojiti radiati. Corymbiferx. Juff. Gen. Char. 

 Cal. common imbricate ; the inner fcales prominent a little 

 at the end, lower ones fprcading. Cor, compound radiate; 

 coroUules hermapiaodite, numerous in the diik ; females 

 ligulate, more than ten in the ray ; proper of the henr.a- 

 phrodite, funnel (liaped, with a five-cleft fpreading border ; 

 of the female ligulite, lanceolate, three-toothed, at length 

 rolling back. Siam. hermaphrodite ; filaments five ; capil- 

 lary vei-y (bort ; anthers cylindric, tubulous. Pi/l. germ 

 oblong. Style, filiform, the length of the llamens. Stigma 

 bifid, fpreading. Females, germ and ftyle the fame ; ilig- 

 mas two, oblong revolute. Per. none. Calys fcarcely 

 changed. Seeelj folitary, oblong, ovate; down capillary ; 

 rec. naked, flatti(h. 



EfT. Gen. Char. ' Reccpt. naked ; down fimple. Cor. 

 rays more than ten. Cal. imbricate, lower fcales fpreading. 

 • Shnibby. 



Species 1. A. taxijolius, yew-leaved ftar-wort. " Under- 

 fhrubby ; leaves dccurrent, fubalate, channelled, ciliate; 

 flowers terminal." Stem fcarce a foot high ; leaves alter- 

 nate, crowded, linear, revolute ; flowers ftffile, or fubpe- 

 dunculated, folitary. 2. A. rejlexus, reflected liarwort. 

 " Shrubby ; leaves ovate, fubimbricate, recurved, ferrate- 

 ciliate ; flowers terminal." Stem proliferous ; leaves crowded, 

 feffile, little, fmooth, lower ones ferrate, upper ciliate ; 

 flowers folitary, feflile, ray blood-red. 3. A. crinituj. " Sub- 

 fnrubby ; leaves ovate-oblong, acute, tomentofe under- 

 neath ; calyxes terminated in a hair." Branches with few 

 divifions ; leaves feflile, exquifitcly pointed, rough about 

 the edges ; peduncles terminal, leaf}-, one-flowered; ray of 

 the flower blue.4. h..fruticoJ'ut, (hrubby (larwort. " Shrubby ; 

 leaves linear, dotted ; peduncles one-flowered, naked." 

 Stems three feet high ; branches woody, fumiflied witk 

 cluilers of narrow leaves like thofe of the larch tree ; 

 flowers folitary, upon long flender peduncles ; they are of 

 a pale blue colour, and appear in March. Leaves narrow, 

 acute, approximating. Cultivated in 1759 by Mr. Miller. 

 This and the preceding fpecies grow wild at the cape of 

 Good Hope. 



^ •* Her. 



