BOO 



BOO 



But it is now totally abolifhed ; except that there may be 

 found feme families of Indians, who have remained faithful 

 to Baouth, and do not acknowledge the religion of the 

 Brahmins ; and on that account feparated from and de- 

 fpifed by the other cafts. It is generally allowed, that 

 about the time of Chrift the Brahmins gained a fuperio- 

 rity over the worfhippers of Bouddha ; and about 900 years 

 afterwards, we find them totally overthrowing liis doc- 

 trine in its native country, and perfecuting his followers. 

 The Vedas, which are commonly fuppcifed to be the 

 oldeft books of the Brahmins, are of later date than the time 

 of Bouddha, as is evident from the mention which they 

 make of that pcrfonage. Afiatic Refearche?, vols, i. ii. 

 and iv. Symes's EmbafTy to Ava, vol. ii. ch. 15. For a 

 further account of the votaries of Bouddha, as well as the 

 principles and rites of his worfhip ; fee B.rachmass, Go- 

 DOMA, Rahans, Samaneans, and Tirinanxes. See alfo 

 BiRMAN empire, Ceylov, China, Cochinchisa, Siam, 

 &c. 



BOODICOTTA, in Geography, a town of the peninfula 

 of India, in the Myfore country ; 87 miles E. N. E. of Se- 

 ringapatam, and 33 E. S. E. of Bangalore. N. lat. 12' jc'. 

 E. long. 78° 20'. 



BOOG, or BoGOE, a fmall ifland of Denmark, between 

 the idandsof Moen and Falller. 



BOOGOO, in Zoology, the fpecies of Baboon called 

 Sinua maimon, by Linnxus. See Maimon. 



BOOK, a writing compofed on fome point of know- 

 ledge by a perfon intelligent therein, for the inftruftion or 

 amiifement of the reader. 



The word is formed from the Saxon inc, which comes 

 from the Northern btiech, of buechaus, a beech or feivice-tr-ee, 

 on the bark of which our anceftors ufed to write. 



Book may be defined more precifcly, a compofition of 

 fome man of wit or learning, defigned to communicate, 

 to prove, or illuftrate fome fcience, art, truth, or invention. 



Book is diftinguKlied from pamplilet, or fiiigle paper, by 

 its great length ; and from tome or volume, by its containing 

 the whole writing on the fubjeft. liidore makes this dilUnc- 

 tion between //(Jo- and codex ; that the termer denotes a fingle 

 book, the latter a coUeflion of fevcral; though, according to 

 Scipio Maffei, coilex f>gnifies a book in the fquare form ; liber, 

 a book in the roll form. The primary diltinftion between 

 liber and coilex feems to have been derived, as Dr. Heylin has 

 obferved, from the different materials ufed for writing, among 

 the ancients. From the innerlide of the bark of a tree, ufed 

 for this purpofe, and called in Latin liber, the name of liber 

 applied to a book was deduced ; and from tablet, formed 

 from the main body of a tree, called cjuJex, was derived 

 the appellation of codex. 



We fay an old book, a new book ; a Latin, a Greek 

 book ; to read, to write, to publifli a bocik ; the preface, 

 the title, the dedication, the index of a book. To collate a 

 book, is to fee that it be perfect, and that none of rlie flieets 

 be either wanting or tranfpofed. Book-binders fpeak of 

 folding, fewing, beating, prtfiing, covering, gildmg, and 

 lettering of books. See Bookbinding. 



A large collection of books is called a library. An inven- 

 tory of a library, in order to the reader's finding any book, 

 is called a catalogue. 



The hiftory or notitia of books makes the firft part, ac- 

 cording to fome the whole, of the literary fcience. — The 

 principal points of the notitia of a book are, its author, date, 

 printer, edition, verfions, comments, epitomes, fuccefs, eu- 

 logies, cenfures, condemnation, fuppreflion, adverfaries, vin- 

 dicators, continuators, and the like. 



The hiftory of a book is either of its contents, which ij 

 4 



given by analyfing it, as is done byjournalifts and reviewers ; 

 or of its appendages, and accidents, which is the more imme- 

 diate province of thofe called literators, and bibliothecarians. 



The contents of a book are the matters delivered in it ; 

 which make the province of the author. Of thefe there 

 is one principal matter, called the fubjeft ; in refpeft of 

 which the reft are only incidents. 



The appendages of a book are, the title, preface, epiftle 

 dedicatory, fummaries, table of contents, index, and the 

 like, which are the proper province of the editor, nnlefs per- 

 haps the title page, which is frequently ufurped by the 

 bockfcller. 



In the compofition of a book, there occur fentinients, 

 which are alfo the materials of it ; method, the order where- 

 in thele are difpofed; and ftyk, or exprefiion, which is the 

 language in which they are clothed. 



The giving of hiftories, catalogues, and bibliothecas of 

 books, is faid to have been firft introduced by the Germans: 

 we may add, that they have beft fnccecded in them ; and to 

 them the chief works of this kind are owing. I. Alb. Fa- 

 bi;rius has given us the hiftory of the Greek and Latin 

 books ; Wolfius, that of the Hebrew books ; Boeder, of 

 the principal books in each fcience and faculty ; Struvius, of 

 the books of hiftory, law, and philofophy ; the abbot Fa- 

 bricius, of the booksof his own library ; Lambecius, of thofe 

 in the Vienna libraiy ; Le Long, of the books of Scripture ; 

 Mattaire, of the books printed before the year l5.';o; and 

 Morhofi'i a general literary hiftory of this kird, under tl e 

 title o£ Polyhiftor. Tlie various catalogues of choice libr?- 

 rics are ufefu! and necelfary for the fame purpofes ; fo are 

 likewife the relationts, S;c. and the reviews which have been 

 periodically publidied. See Bibliotheca. 



Books, as to the material! of, they were firft written on 

 ftones, witncfs the Decalogue given to Moles (which is the 

 oldeft book we have any warranted account of); then, on the 

 parts of plants, e. gr. the leaves, chiefly of the palm-tree ; the 

 rinds and barks elpecially of the tilia or philyra, and the Egyp- 

 tian papyrus. By degrees, wax, then leather, were introduced, 

 efpecially the ilcins of goats and flieep, of which, at lengthy 

 parchment was prepared : then lead came in ufe : alfo linen, 

 filk, horn, and, laftly, paper itfelf. See Paper. 



The parts of vegetables continued long the common mat- 

 ter of books ; infomuch that moft of the names and terms 

 belonging to books, in moft languages, are taken thence ; 

 as the Greek biblos, the Latin liber, codex, fsHu;n, tab:da,znd 

 the Englifti bool itfelf. We may add, that vegetable barks 

 appear ftill in fome meafure retained for books in certain of 

 the Northern countries, as among the Calmiic Tartars, where 

 a library was difcovered by the Ruffians, of an unufual form 

 as well as matter : the books were exceedingly long, but of 

 no breadth : the leaves very thick, and made of barks of 

 trees, imcared over with a double varnilh ; the ink, or writ- 

 ing, being white on a black ground. Hift. Acad. R. Infer., 

 t. iii. p. 6. 



Whatever were the materials ufed by the ancients for 

 their books, they were liable to be eafily dcftroyed by the 

 damp, when hidden 'in tlie earth ; and in tim.es of war, de- 

 vartation, and rapacity, it was neccflary to bury in the earth 

 whatever they wifhed to preferve from the attacks of fraud 

 and violence. Accordingly, it is well known, that perfons, 

 whofe property was thus expofed, concealed in this manner, 

 not only filver and gold, but wheat, barley, oil, and honey ; 

 and alfo their garments, and their writings. With this. 

 view, Jeremiah ordered the writings, which he delivered to 

 Baruch, to be put in an earthen veflel. See chap, xxxii. 

 In the fame manner the ancient Egyptians made ufe of 

 earthen urns, or pots of a proper fhape, for cootaining- 



what. 



