AYE 



ovate, roundifh, tomentofe." Leaflets of the calyx lanceo- 

 late, acute, permanent ; corolla without petals, but com- 

 pofcd of a onc-lcafed bcll-fliaped neftary, with a five-clcft 

 margin ; ftaniens on the outfide of the nedary, lono-er than 

 the calyx, bowed, bent in, and fixed by a broad membra- 

 nous tip, to tue edge of the nectary ; anthers three. A 

 native of South America. 3. A. viagna. Jacqu. Amer. 

 Pict. p. 112. "Leaves cordute pubefcent ; gtrm of the 

 flowers feflile." An upright Ihrub, five feet high ; leaves 

 acuminate, ferrate, alternate, on tomentofe footllalks ; pe- 

 duncles fliort, axillary, molUy in fours ; three-flowered ; 

 flowers fmall, herbaceous, not gynandrious. A native of 

 Carthagena and other places of South America. 4. A. 

 litvigata. S*arlz. Prod. gy. " Leaves ovate, entire, very 

 fniooth, germ pedicelkd, neftary ten-cleft, radiated." A 

 native of Jamaica. 



Propagalion and Ciihiirc. Thefe plants are to be pro- 

 pagated by feeds fown on a temperate hot-bed, early in the 

 Ipring, and when they have four leaves, they (liould be 

 tranfplanted in another hot-bed to bring them forward, or 

 in pots, and plunged into a hot-bed of tanner's bark. They 

 nui!t be (haded till they have taken new root, and afterwards 

 have free air admitted to them every day in proportion to 

 the warmth of the feafon ; they alfo require frequent water- 

 ing. In winter they may be preferved in a moderate (love, 

 but as they pcrfeiR their feeds the firlt year, it is not necef- 

 fary to continue the old plants. See Martyn's Miller's 

 Djft. 



AYENNIS, in Geography, the name of an Lidian tribe 

 of America, in Florida. 



AYE RBA, a town of Spain, in Arragon,on the Gallego, 

 between Saragofa and Jaca. 



AYERBENGAf, a town of the ifland of Sumatra. 



AYERSTOWN. Sec Ayrstown. 



AYESHA, in Biography, the favourite wife of Maho- 

 met, was the daughter of Abubeker, and the only one of 

 Mahomet's numerous wives who was a virgin when Ihe came 

 to his bed. With this view, he married her at feven years 

 of age, and cohabited with her at nine. He had no children 

 by her ; but fo afftftionatc and cojiflant was his attachment 

 to her, that in his lail illncfs he was conveyed to her houfe, 

 and expired in her arms. Her enemies charged her with 

 adultery on a particular occafion ; and though the prophet 

 had fulpicions of her infidelity, he thought it mod prudent, 

 for preierving the dignity of his own charatler, to produce 

 a fealonable revelation from heaven, attefting her innocence; 

 and lie punifhtd her accufcrs as calumniators. After the 

 death of Mahomet, Ayefha was held in great veneration 

 by the Mufl'ulmans, denominated " the mother of the faitli- 

 ful," and confulted on important occafions. Agalnft the 

 caliph Othman (he conceived, for fome reafon that is not 

 known, an invincible prejudice, and formed a plot for de- 

 throning him. When Othman was airaffinated by another 

 enemy, Ihe vigoroufly oppofed the fuccelfion of Ali, becaufe 

 he had concurred in the accnfation of her infidelity. Unit- 

 ing with her favourites Tcllia and Zobeir at Mecca, and 

 under a pretence of avenging the murder of Othman, (he 

 marched in a litter borne by a very ftrong camel, at the 

 head of an army, towards Baffora, and on approaching the 

 town, after fume ineffetlual refiltance on the part ot the in- 

 habitants, (lie was met by a deputation fent to know her in- 

 tentions, whom (he harangued with great pafiion, and in a 

 loud (hrill voice, in a long fpeech. To her fpeech, one of 

 the Arabs replied, " O mother of the faithful, the murder 

 of Othman was a cirtumltance of lefs moment than thy 

 leaving home upon this curfed camel. God has bellowed 

 on thee a veil and a proteflion j but thou haft rent the veilj 



A Y L 



and fet at rought the protection." After fome conteft, the 

 tr(jop3 of Ayeiha gamed po(li;irion of Baifora. But Ali 

 advanced, and as Ayeiha obllinately rejeiled all pacihc 

 counfcls, a fierce battle enfued at a place called Horaiba, in 

 which both Telha and Zobeir v;t:r<: (lain. The combat 

 doled with hamllringing the camel on whieh Aye(ha was 

 earned, and taking lier prifon'-r. After fome mutual re- 

 proaches between her and Ali, the was civilly difniifTcd, and 

 lent to Medina with an injunflion to live ptactablyat home, 

 and to concern herfelf no more in affairs of (late. This re- 

 ilridtion (he afterwards refentcd by rcfufing to luff.r Hafan, 

 the (on of Ali, to be buried near the tomb of the prophet, 

 which was her property. Having regained fome degree of 

 infiu.-nce iji the reign of the caliph Moawiyah, fhe was con- 

 fu'ttd by him concerning the fucceflion of his fon Yezid. 

 Soon after, die died, in the 581I1 year .of the Hegira, A. D. 

 677, at tlie age of 67 years. Mod. Un. Hift. vol. i. Her- 

 belot Bib. Or. p. 75'. 



A\ GIIIjA, in Zrjolo^y, a fpeciesof Simia, charafterifed 

 by Linnaeus as the Ing-tailed, beardlefs, gny monkey, 

 with a rifing longitudinal tuft on the crown ; the fimia 

 nigra magnitudinis medicoe of Edwards ; aigrette of Buf- 

 fon; and egret monkey of Pennant. Liiinjeus mentions 

 an animal, apprehended to be a variety, with a roundifll 

 head, the face lels black, and the colour of the body lefs 

 ferruginous. Mr. Pennant defcribes the egret as having a 

 long face, and an upright pointed tuft of hair on the top of 

 the head, hair on the forehead black ; colour of the upper 

 part of the body olivaceous ; of the lower, cinereous ; eye- 

 brows large; beard very fm.all ; Cze of a fmall cat. It is 

 faid to inhabit India, and particularly the ifland of Java, 

 and to be a very fportive and lively fpecies ; gamboling on 

 the trees, and making a continual noife during the night. 

 M. Cepede furmifes, that the bonneted monkey may per* 

 haps be a variety ot this fpecies. Shaw. 



AYGULUS, \n Entomology, a fpecies of SciRAB^sus, 

 that inhabits India. Thorax with four dots; head tuber- 

 culated ; wing-cafes teftaceous ; and no fore-tarfi. Fabricius. 



AYLAH. SeeAiLAH. 



AYLESBURY, in Geography, is a large market and 

 borough town in Buckinghanifhire, in England; and may b« 

 confidered the molt confiderable town in the county. It 

 confills of feveral (Ireets and lanes, which are irregularly dif- 

 pofcd over an extenfive furface of ground that rifts in the 

 midll of the rich vale of Aykfbnrv. Leland defcribes the 

 town as being principally built with timber when he vifited 

 it, but fince that time it has been confidcrably enlarged and 

 improved, and mod of the houles conllnicted with brick. 

 The improvements originated with Sir John Baldwin, who 

 erciited iome confiderable buildings, and raifcd a caufeway 

 three miles in length to facilitate the approach to the town 

 through a road that was often miry and dangerous. This 

 gentleman, in the time of Henry the eighth, alfo procured 

 the alTizcs to be held here which had before been kept at 

 Buckingham. In confcqucnce of this, a county gaol, and 

 alfo a handfome county hall, were ered^ed. About the 

 year 600, Ayleftjury became famous as the burial p'ace of 

 St. Ofyth, who was born at Quarcndon in this neighbour- 

 hood, and bclieaded in EflTcx by the Pagans. The buriai 

 place of a faint, in the dark ages of luperltition, caufed it ta 

 lie much more frequented by fandlified entliufialh, and 

 Avlctbury became highly celebrated from this ciicumftance. 

 Befides, the fillers Editha and Eadburga became pofTiQedof 

 the manor, which after the conquell was given by the king 

 to fome of his favourites. The fingular tenure, by which it 

 was now held, ferves to explain the culloms of the times. 

 Tkis enjoined the lord of the manor to provide ftraw for the 



king's 



