GEN- 



GEN 



rif tHat femi-circle is the genefis of the fphere, &c. Sec 

 Globe and Sphere. " 



In the genefis of figures, &c. tlie h'nc or fiirface that 

 moves, is called the defcriheiit ; and the line round which, 

 or according to which, the revolution or motion is ir.ade, 

 the dirigent. 



GENEST, Cii-\rles-Claude, in Bioxraphy, was born 

 at Paris in 1639. Being of an unfettled difpofition, he re- 

 folvcd to go to the Indies to feek. his fortune, but the veflel 

 in which he failed having been captured by the Englifli, he 

 was brought to London, where he fubfiiled fyr fome tune 

 by teaching the French language. On his return to his 

 own country, he obtained the poft of preceptor to Made- 

 fhoifelle de Blois, afterwards duchefs of Orleans, and other 

 confiderable offices among the great. He became a member 

 of the French academy in 169S, and died at Paris in 1 7 19. 

 Though a courtier,, he was iincere and limple in his manners, 

 and cliimable in. his charatter. He derived a tafte for natu- 

 ral nhilofophy from the lectures of Rohault, the difciple of 

 Defcartes, and for metaphyfics from the inftruclions and 

 converfation of Boffuet. He v--as an elegant fcholar, and 

 greatly devoted t-o poetry and polite literature. His works 

 are numerous, of which the principal are " Principes de 

 Philofophie," in which fhe author adduces many arguments 

 in defence of a God, and of tlie inimoi-tality of tlie foul'. 

 " Occai".onal Pieces of Poetry." Several tragedies, and 

 •' A dlfiertation upon Pallorahs." Moreri.- 



GENEST-DAMBIERRE, Sr.in Geography, a town of 

 Fnincj, in the department of the Vienne ; feven miles V/. 

 of CiiatellerauU. 



GEiMEST-MALLISAUT, Sr. a town of France, in 

 the department of the Loire, and chief place of a canton in 

 the diilrift of St. Etienne ; four miles S. of St. Etienne. Tire 

 place contains 1987, and the canton 5648 inhabitants, on a 

 territory of 150 kiliometres, in five communes. 



GENET, Francis, in Biography, was born at Avig. 

 non in the year 1640; here he received his grammatical 

 learning, and h.iving acquired a confiderable knowledge in 

 the Latin and Greek, he entered upon philofophy, and was 

 for a time a difciple of Scotus, but he afterwards relinquifhed 

 his fyftem, and became zealotifly attached to the philofophy 

 and theology of Aquinas. In 1670, he was admitted to 

 the deirree of doctor in civil and canon law at Avicrnon, and 

 acquired much reputation by the thefes, which he delivered 

 on that occafion, againll: fimony. His talents recommended 

 him lo the notice of the arehbifhop of Aix, who for fome 

 time made ufe of him in th.e management of the ecclefiallical 

 concerns of Iiis metropolitan diftrift. He was afterwards 

 employed and patronized by M. Le Camus, bilhop of Gre- 

 noble, who engaged him in the compofition of a fyftem of 

 moral theology, which was afterwards publiihod in fix vo- 

 lumes i2-no. ur.J.-r the title of " Morale de Grenoble." 

 This work was well received, has gone through many edi- 

 tions, and has been traniiated' into the Latin language. 

 Soon after its pubhcation, the pope. Innocent XI. creatcd- 

 M. Genet canon and prebend of the cathedral church at 

 Avirnon, and in 1685 appointed him bilhop of Vaifon. 

 He difcharged all the duties of his epifcofal funftions with 

 exemplary watchfuhiefs and zeal, till the year 1688, when 

 Re was profecuted for having admitted" into his diocefe the 

 religious belonging to a new convent at Touloufe, which 

 Louis XIV.. had fuppreffed. Bv the arbitrary mandate of 

 the king, the good bifhop was aiTcfted, and imprifoned for 

 fifteen months m the ifie of Rhe, whence he was releafed by 

 the interf ofii ie-yi of the pope. He was accidentally drowned 

 in 1702. Moreri. 



GtsiW, or Jenntl, faid to be derived from it^yvn.-, bene 



r.alus, in the Manege, &c. a fmall-fized, we11-proportk>r.eJ 

 Span i ill horfe. 



Some alfo give the name genda to wc*li-madc Italian 

 horfes. 



Gevet, Orihr of, an order of knighthood, inftituted in 

 France by Charles Martel in the year 726, for commemo- 

 ratnig a fignal vic^tory, which lie obtained in that year over 

 the Arabian army, commanded by Abdiramo. The badge 

 of the order was a genet feiant, enamelled azure, fpolted 

 or freckled gules, and collared or, on a mount veil, ena- 

 melled with flowers proper. This badge was worn pendent 

 to a collar compofedof three chains of gold interlaced witii 

 red enamelled rofes. This order was inftituted for Axtecn 

 knights, and continued in great repute til! tlie reign of king 

 Robert, when it was abolished on his devifing the order of 

 the ftar, in honour of the holy virgin. 



GENETHLIA, Xt^-'ix^-j, in y;.7//yv;Vv, afolemnity kept 

 in rwemory of fome pcrfon deceafed. 



GENETHLIACI, formed of the Greek yt.i^U, or[^!n,- 

 generation, nativity, in yljlrology, perfons who creft horo- 

 icopes, or pretend to foretef wliat {hail bef 1 a man, by 

 means of the ftars which prefided at his nativity. 



The ancients called them ChaUai, and by tin? general 

 name malhematici : accordingly, the feveral civil and canoji 

 laws, whicli we find made again!! the mathematicians, only 

 refpeft the genethhaci, or altrologers. ,» 



They wxrc expelled Rome by a formal decree of the 

 fenate; and yet found fo much protection from thecredulity 

 of the people, tliat they remained therein unmolefted. 

 Hence an ancient author fpeaks of them as " hominum 

 genus, quod in civitate noftra femper & vetabitur, & reti- 

 nebitur." 



Antipater and Archinapolus have fhewn, that n-enethlio- 

 logy fliould rather be founded on the time of the conception- 

 than on that of the birth. Vitruvius. 



GENETHLIACUM, Genetiiliac Poem, is a compo- 

 fition in verfe, on the birth of fome prince, or other illuf- 

 trious pcrfon ; wherein the poet promifes him great honours, 

 advantages, fuccedes, victories, ic. by a kind of prophecy 

 or prediction : fuch is the eclogue of Virgil to PoUio, begin- 

 ning, 



" Sicelides Mufa', paulo majora canamus.'" 



Tliere are alfo genethliac fpeeches or orations, made to ce- 

 lebrate a perfon's birth-day.- 



GENETIDES, in Nc~:.iral Hijhry, a name given by the 

 ancients to the ftone more generally known under the name 

 enchymoniLes. This was the fpar- incrnileu on the tops and 

 fides of fubteiTanean caverns, which they luppoled d.iily tv> 

 bring forth more, and therefore gave the powder of il to 

 women at the time of their lying-in, to promote tlieir fpeedy 

 delivery. 



GENETTA, To ride a la, is to ridt in the Spanifh- 

 fafiiion, /. e. with the ftirnips fo ihort, that the fpurs beat 

 upon the flanks of the horfe. This is deemed, a- piece ot 

 gallantry in Spain, but not among us.- 



Ge.setta, \nZ.oology, a fpecies of /'jjw/-<j, which fee. 



GENETTE, in the /llanege, a Turki'li bit, the curb o£ 

 which is all of one piece, and made like a liirge ring, and 

 placed above the liberty of the tongue. When they bridle 

 a horfe, they make his chin pafiv through this curb, whick 

 furr«unds his beard. This fort of bit was much afed at the 

 court of France when Guillet wrote. 



GENEFYLLIS, rwili-xxi-, in ylraiquity, a folemnity 

 celebrated by women, in honour of Genetyllis, liie goddefs 

 of that fex. 



GENEVA, or GiN", a populir name for a compound 



viatcTf 



