A U T 



coluber natrix, or common fnake, as to be formerly con- 

 founded with it. Laurenti, in his v.'ork on the Amphibia, 

 appears to be the firft writer who diftingiiiOud t'^eir. ; the' 

 principal difference feems to confift in the perfeA Imooth- 

 iiefs of the fcales in auflriacns, while thofe of natrix are 

 flightly carinated. It is of a bkitilh-afh. inclining to rufous 

 on the fides and abdon.en, with a double row of alternate 

 rufous fpots along the back. Tliis kind lives in moill 

 meadows, hedges, and watery places, and is of a fierce dif- 

 pofition, but incapable of producing injury, being unpro- 

 vided with poifonous fangs. It occafionally varies a little in 

 colour. Gincli'i, Shaw, Sec. 



AUSTRO Africus, in Meteorology, the fouth-fouth- 

 wcft point, or wind. 



AUSTROMANCY, in Mylholngy, properly denotes 

 foothfaying, or a vain method of prediding futurity, from 

 obfervations of the winds. 



AUSUFAL, in Anaent Geography, the name of a place 

 in Africa, on the road from Carthage to Alexandria, 

 thirty-four miles from this latter city. Anton. Itin. 



AUSUM, a town of Africa, in Mauritania Caefarienfis. 

 Ptolemy. 



AUTARIATES, a people of Illyria, mentioned by 

 Arrian, in his account of Alexander's expedition into this 

 country; and probably the fame with thofe placed by 

 Strabo in Thiace, to the north of mount Rhodopus. 



AUTARIS, a place in Arabia Fehx. Pliny. 



AUTEFAGE, in Geography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Lot and Garonne, and chief place of a 

 canton in the dillrift of ViUeneuve d'Agen, nine miles 

 N.N.E. ofAgen. 



AUTENIQUA, an extenfive and beautiful country of 

 Africa, lying to the call of the cape of Good Hope, and partly 

 inhabited by Dutch coloniiis. The term " Auteniqua," 

 in the lanvTuage of the Hotti-ntots, denotes, " loaded with 

 honey," and is ilrictly applicable to this country, as you 

 cannot advance a ftep in it, proceeding from the Cape, 

 without feeing innumerable fwarms ot bees. M.Vaillant, 

 who vifitcd this country in 1782, calls it the moll deliglitful 

 region in the uaiverfe. It is interfperftd with hills and 

 vallies, enamelled meads and beautiful pallures; and it 

 abounds with fmall rivulets, whicli contribute both to the 

 fcen;ry and fertility of it. The whole of Auteniqua, from 

 the chain of mountains which divides it from the race of 

 Hottentots called " Gonaquas," to the fea, is inhabited by 

 planters, who rear cattle, make butter, cut down timber, 

 and coUeft honey, with all which they fupply the Cape. 

 But though they employ wood in commerce, they ufe none 

 of it for building houfesi. Their habitations are .vretchcd 

 hovels, conltruAed of wicker work, daubed over with ciay ; 

 the (liin of a biifFalo, fixed at the four corners to as many 

 flakes, fervea them for a bed; and the door, which fcrves 

 alfo fiir a window, is {hut by a mat. The furniture is mean 

 and fcanty, as the dwelling is incommodious. With this 

 appearance of poverty and wretchednefs, the people live 

 well; they have plenty of game and filt-nater fiib, and 

 vegetables of every kind in their gardens through the 

 year. For thefe they are indebted to the fertility of the 

 foil, and the rivulets flowing in various direftions from the 

 mountains, by which it is watered. In the monntaii.ous re- 

 gions of this diftrift, there are multitudes of elep.iants, 

 buffaloes, panthers, hyenas, and antelopes of every fpecies, 

 which are hunted and killed by the natives, partly for fcod, 

 and partly with a view to the prefervation of their herds and 

 flocks. The kites and vultures of this eounciy are fingulnrly 

 fierce and voracious. Beyoud the limits of the country 



A U T 



called " Auteniqua," is a fp?,cious bay, with fufHcient 

 depth of water for the hr^tii vefl'cis, and fafc anchoring 

 gromid, known to navigators by the name of the bay of 

 " Agoa," but called by the coloniiis " Blettcnberg's" 

 bay, trom the name of a governor w'.o vifited it. In 

 advancing about a league- along the coall, there is a con- 

 fideiaTile river calUd " (^ueur-Boom," which would afford 

 an ample fupply of wa:er. ' The Hottentots, who in fcat- 

 tered " kiaaU" inh..bit this delightful tountry, are de- 

 feribcd by Vaillant as a failhful, gentle, ai.d rather timid 

 race. He affirms, but probably witliout fuiBcient evidence, 

 that they have not any notion of fuperior powers who 

 govern the world. He alfo fays that, totally free from 

 jealoufy, they lend their wiv.-s to travellers who vifit 

 them. In Vaillant's map, Auteniqua lies between ^7,'^ 

 30' and 34°5o'S. lat. and between 20° and 23° 40' E. 

 long. 



AUTENOW, a town of Poland, in the palatinate C3f 

 Kiov, eighteen miles W. S. \V. of Bialacerkicw. 



AUTENTUM, in /fncknt Geography, a town of Africa, 

 in the route from Thene to Thevelta, thirty miles from 

 Suffetula, and twenty-five miles from Amudarfa. Anton. 

 Itin. 



AUTER Droit, in La"M, is where pevfors fue or are 

 fued, in another's right ; as executors, adminitlrators. Sec. 



AuTER Vie; a perfon who holds an ellate by the life of 

 another, is ufually called tenant per autcr "vie. Litt. fed. 

 56. 



AUTERFOITS yfr^ru.v, a plea by a criminal, that h« 

 was heretofore acquitted of the fame treaf .n or felony. 

 For one (hall not be brought in danger of his life, for the 

 fame offence, more than once. 3 lull. 213. But by ftat. 

 3 Ken VII. c. I. this plea (hall be no bar to the prcfecution 

 of any appeal. See Acquittal. 



AuTERFOiTs Attaint, a plea of former attainder, which 

 is a good plea in bar, whether it be for the fame or any 

 other felony, under fome exceptions; fo that this plea 13 

 never good but whena fccond trialwouldbequitefuperfluous. 

 See Attainder. 



AuTERFoiTs ConvicI, a plea upon a former conviilion 

 for the fame identical crime, though no judgment was or 

 ever will be given; and this is a good plea in bar to an in- 

 diclment. 



AUTE R I VE, in Geography, atown of France, in the de- 

 partment of the Upper Garonne, and chief place of a canton 

 in the dillridl of Muret on the Arricge, fittcen miles foulh 

 of Touloiife. 



AUTHENTIC, fomething of received authority. It 

 alfo fignifies fomething folcmn, and celebrated ; clothed in 

 al! its formalities; and atteiled by proper perfons, to whom 

 credit has been regularly ijivcn. 



Biblical writers have differed in opinion about the mean- 

 ing of the phrafe " Authentic letters," ufed by TtrtuUian, 

 De Pnsferip. c. 36. p. 245. B. Some by authentic letters 

 have under!'ood the originals themftlves, in the apoftlc's 

 hand-writing, or that of his amanuenfis, and figied at the 

 cnnclufion by himfelf. Others arc of opinion, that Tertul- 

 lian means 'etter 'u their original language. But Dr. 

 Lardner, rejeAing thefe two interpretations, maintains that 

 this ancient fatlier n.eans by authentic letters fuch as were 

 certain and well atteft J. In this fenfc the word authentic 

 is ufed by Cicero Ad. Attic. 1. r.. ep. 9. Accordingly, by 

 " Authentic;e literx" we are n.t to underftand " Authentic 

 letters, or epilHcs," but " Scriptures;" and fo the word 

 {hould have been rendered. Hence it mav *'e inferred, 

 ai^recably to tb.€ argument ufed by Tertullir.n, that the 



fcripturc* 



