AST 



AST 



was reprcfcnted 33 a virgin with an auflcrc but dis;nificd 

 countenance; holding a balance in one hand, and a fword 

 in tho other. 



The poets feign that Juftice quitted heaven to refide on 

 earth, in tlie golden age; but, growing weary of the iiiiqni- 

 ties of mankind, (lie left the earth, and retnrned to lieavcn, 

 where (lie commenced a coniUIIation of liars, and fiom 

 her orb ftill looks down on the ways of men. Ovid. Met. 

 lib. i. ver. 149. 



ASTRTEUS, in Andenl Geop-nphy, a river of Greece, in 

 Macedonia. 



AsTRTEus, i'n Mythology, one of the giants or Titans, 

 who made war with Jupiter. He was enamoured of Au- 

 rora, and (he became the motlier of the winds and ftars. 



ASTRAGAL, Astragalus, in Anatomy, the upper 

 bone of the tarfus, which, by its cor.junftion wiih tiie 

 bones of the leg, forms the ancle-joint. See Skeleton, 

 ilcfcr'ipl'ioii of the bones of the lower fxircmi.'w 



Some alfo apply the name aftragalus to the vertebrx of 

 the neck. — Homer, in his 0-d) ffey, ufes the term in this 

 fenfe. 



Astragal, in yfrrhltecfure, from arfy.yv.Xc; the heel- 

 bone, alfo the vertebrx of the neck. It is a fmall moulding, 

 having a femicircular prolile, ufed in vario\i3 parts of build- 

 ings. But it is mor; particularly applied to exprefs the 

 moulding which fcparates the fliaft from the capital of 

 a column, and probably reprefented the rings or hoops 

 that were put round wooden columns, to prevent them from 

 fplitting. See Arch iTECTiTRi", P/atel. 



In Egyptian architcdlure we fometimes meet with aftra- 

 gals at the top of the fliafts, and fometimes with feveral be- 

 tween the top and bottom, though frequently there is no 

 moulding between the fliaft and capital. 



In the earlielt examples of Grecian architeftnre, fuch as 

 the Doric temples at Corinth, Athens, Sicily, and Pirllum, 

 there are no allragals or projecting mouldings fcparating 

 the fliaft from the capital : but inftead of thefe there are 

 grooves, generally three in number, cut into the folid. The 

 original intention of this does not appear to be fufSciently 

 obvious ; nor whether it was done for ornament, or to 

 conceal the joint that would otherwife be feen at that 

 place, between the capital and fliaft. In the ancient ex- 

 amples ot the Ionic order, the aftragal is never omitted under 

 tlie capital. In the oldeft fpecimen of the Corinthian order, 

 that of the monumer.t of Lyficrates at Athens, there is 

 no aftragal, but there is a funk ipace between the fliaft and 

 capital, in which probably was inferted a circular moulding, 

 or ring of metal, or other material. 



In Roman arehiteclure we always find allragals at the 

 top of the fliaft, whether the order employed be of the 

 Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian kind; thougli fometimes they 

 were made in the form of fquare fillets or hoops, inllead of 

 ihat of circular rings. 



The aftragal was frequently, by the ancients, cut into 

 the form of beads of various ftiapes; and many of the 

 moderns, who have been more licentious in their ornaments, 

 have covered it with leaves and flowers. Tlie proportions 

 of the aftragal depend entirely upon its application ; fo 

 that no rules can be given for it. 



Astragal, in Gunnery, is a kind of ring or moulding on 

 a piece of ordnance, at about half a foot diftance from the 

 muzzle or mouth ; ferving as an ornament to the piece, as 

 the former does to a column. 



Astragal Ty/es. See Tyle. 



ASTRAGALOIDES, in Botany. See Astragalus, 

 and Phaca. 



ASTRAGALOMANCY, derived from ur.xy«?.,:, an 



p«vT!ix, dii'hust'ioti, a fpccies of divination performed by 

 throwing fmall pieces, with marks correfponding to the 

 letters of the alphabet ; the accidental difpofition of which 

 formed the anfwer required. This kind of divination waj 

 prafliled in a temple of Hercules, at Acliaia. Hift. de 

 i'Acnd. Inferip. torn. i. p. 102. 



ASTRAGALOTE, in Ntitural HUl>ry, a fpccies of 

 fofflle alum, tlius called from its refeinbling a talus, or ankle- 

 bone; whence it ia alfo denominated tnlare. 



ASTRAGALUS, in Botany, milk-vetch. Lin. gen. 

 892. Sehreb. 1208. Jufi". 358. Gxrtn. t. 154. Traga- 

 canlha Tonrncf. Clafs, diaeielphia e/ecam/ria. Nat. Ord. 

 pahil'nnace.r, or legum'tnofir. Gen. Cl'.ar. Cal. perianth one- 

 leafed, tubular, five-toothcd, acute; lower tootlilets gra- 

 dually lefs. Cor. papilionaceous; banner longer than the 

 other petals, reflex on the fides, emarginate,obtule, ftraight ; 

 wingj oblong, fliorter than the banner; keel length of the 

 wings, emargiiiate. Slam, filaments diadelphons, fimple, 

 nine-cleft, alinoll ftraiglit; anthers roundifli. Pi/I. germ 

 nearly columnar; ilyle fubulate-alcending; ttigma obtufc. 

 Per. legume two-celled; cells bent to one fide, Sect/s, 

 kidiicv-ihaped. 



Efi. Gen. Char, legume two-celled, gibbous. 

 Stems leafy, erect; not projlrate. 



Species, I. A. aI',peenroiiIes, fox-tail milk vetch. MilL 

 fig. 58. "Caulefcent; fpikes cylindric, fubfcflile; calyxes 

 and legumes woolly." Stem upright, hairy, about two feet 

 high; leaves pinnate; leaflets ovate, eighteen or twenty 

 pairs; flowers yellow, in clofe, obtufe, axillary fpikes; 

 legumes fliut up in woolly cabxes, and have two cells con- 

 taining three or four fquare ieeds in each. It flowers in 

 June and July. A native of the Alps and Siberia. Cul- 

 tivated by Mfller in 1739. 2. A. chri/lianus. "Caulefcent, 

 trefi; flowers glomerate, fubfeflilc, from all the leafy 

 axillas." Stalks nearly three feet high, broad at bottom, 

 and gradually diminifliing upwards; leaves very long, which 

 alfo diminifli upward, and form a fort of pyramid; thefe are 

 winged, coiififting of pairs, ot large oval lobes terminated by 

 an odd one; flowers in chifters from the alae of the leaves; 

 they are of a bnght yellow, and iucceeded by cylindrical 

 pods; feeds yellow, fquare. It flowers in July. Difcovcred 

 in the Levant by Tournefort. 3. A. capitiitus. " Caulefcent ; 

 heads globular; peduncles very long; leaflets emarginate." 

 Stalks erecl : long peduncles from the axils, fupporting a 

 head of pu;ple flowers, which appear in July. Difcovcred 

 in the I^evant by Tournefort. 4. A. pilofiis, pale-flowercd 

 milk vetch. " Caulefcent, ereft, hairy, flowers in fpikts; 

 legumes fubulate, hairy." Stem more than a foot high, 

 round, hard, branching ; leaflets ten or twelve pairs, 

 elliptic, lanctolatc, hirfute; flowers on axillary peduncles, 

 about fifteen, yellow; legume nearly cylindric, whitifli, 

 hlky. A native of the Valais, Siberia, &:c. It flowers 

 from June till Auguft. Cultivated by Miller in 1732. 



5. A..fnlcatus, furrowed milk vetch. " Caulefcent, ereft, 

 fmooth, ftriated, ftiff ; leaflets linear, lanceolate, acute; 

 legiunes three-fided." Stems three feet high, round, fmooth, 

 leaflets about nine pairs, with an odd one, fmooth, oblong, 

 entire, on very fliort petioles ; peduncles racemed, axillaiy, 

 fupporting many ertft pale violet flowers ; legumes fniootli, 

 acuminate, triangular ; feeds brown, round, kidney-fllapcd. 

 A native of Siberia. Introduced by Dr. Pitcairn in lySj. 



6. A. galegformis, g.'iat'i-rne-leaved milk vetch. " Caulef- 

 cent, fliff", fmooth, flowers in racemes, pendulous ; legumes 

 thrce-fided, mucronate at both ends." Stems more than five 

 feet high ; leaflets twelve or fourteen pairs, oval, with 

 an odd one; peduncles axillary, on which are fmall yellow 

 flowers; legumes fmooth, fliort, pedicelled within the calyx, 



witU 



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