R I S 



tures of the imagination. Seven of them are mod fre- 

 quently fpoken of; by fome faid to be the firft rational 

 beings created bv Brahma. Each has a wife, and a nume- 

 rous offspring. The names of thefe feven differ in different 

 authorities ; but the following lift is that ufually received. 

 i. Kasyapa; z.Atri; 3. Vasishta ; 4. Viswamitra ; 

 5. Gautama or Godama ; 6. Jamadagni ; 7. Bha- 

 rad-waja. (The names diltinguilhed by capitals have fur- 

 nifhed articles in this work.) The wives of thefe patriarchs 

 have been transferred to the heavens, and are the ftars 

 called by weftern aftronomers the Pleiades; by the Hin- 

 doos, Kiutika, under which word will be found fome in- 

 formation refpe&ing them, {hewing that the aitronomical 

 fabulifts of both races have common legends. The Rifhis 

 are faid to be the bright ftars in the great bear. How the y 

 became fo diftant from their fparkling fpoufes is explained 

 in the article juft referred to. -In feveral languages of 

 India, a bear is called Rifh ; and there may be fome allu- 

 fion both to the conttellation and the fages in queftion. 

 Sometimes the feven Rifhis, and the feven Menus, are con- 

 founded. (See Menu.) Another race of patriarchal fages 

 is alfo fometimes confounded with both. Thefe are the 

 Munis. See Muni ; in which article the reader is re- 

 quefted to correct a typographical error, in the fecond 

 column, third line from bottom, for many-mothered, for, 

 read many-mothered fon. Jamadagni, for inftance, is ufually 

 called a Rilhi ; yet in our article given under the name of 

 his wife, Runeka, he is, on Puranic authority, called " a 

 great Muni." The Rifhis, as the immediate production of 

 Brahma, are fometimes called Brahmadikas, of whom like- 

 wife there are feven ; but they are not ufually fuppofed to 

 be the fame with the Rifhis : fome lifts have no names 

 in common with thofe of the Rifhis ; others have feveral. 

 As the production of Brahma, there is another fet of feven 

 beings of different names from any of the above-named lifts, 

 but employed in early days in peopling the world ; thefe a.-e 

 called Sanakadikas, of whom fomething is faid under the 

 name of their principal, Sanaka. The Hindoo books 

 differ very much in their accounts of thefe varieties of per- 

 fons interpofed between the Supreme Being and the created 

 world ; and it is not eafy, if at all practicable, to reconcile 

 their difagreements ; nor perhaps worth the pains were it 

 otherwife. 



We fhall not attempt to notice the difagreements, that 

 could be picked out from high Hindoo authorities, reject- 

 ing the equivocal perfonages named in" this article. It may 

 be briefly obferved, that although the fever. Rifhia are very 

 commonly adverted to, the appellation is by no means con- 

 fined to that number. In the Siva Purana, Brahma is faid 

 to have produced Brighu and the feven Rifhis, and after 

 that Nareda, from his thigh, Kardama the Riihi from his 

 fhadow, and from the fore-finger of his right-hand, Dakflia. 

 Thefe perfons are fometimes called Rifhis, Brahmadikas, 

 Maharfhis, Devarfhis, &c. A fage of the name of Da- 

 dichi occurs in the Skanda Purana, as having fwallowed the 

 •.acred books, for their fecuritv, at a period of great wicked- 

 nefs and tumult. He is called a Rifhi ; as is another named 

 Uddalaka, who was half betrothed to Lakfhmi, the god- 

 defs of wealth; but efpoufed her fifter Jyefhta, goddefs of 

 poverty. Thefe allegories may be explained. (See Udda- 

 laka, and Kardama.) Other Puranas feem to identify 

 in fome parts the Rifhis and Munis, calling both " the vir- 

 tuous fage6, who delight in protecting the people." In 

 other parts diftinclions are made. In the beginning of this 

 article we have ftated the term Rifhi to be, as it were, 

 generic ; meaning fages, faints, patriarchs. This feems 

 authocifed by the Ramayana, where this note occur'. 



R 1 S 



" There are four kinds of Rifhis, or iage« ; the Rajarfhi; 

 or royal fage ; the Maharfhi, or great fage ; the Brah- 

 marfhi, or facred fage ; and the Devarfhi, or divine fage. 

 Of thefe the firft is efteemed the loweft, and the laft the 

 higheft." Thefe appear to be the fpeeific varieties. In 

 addition to the articles already referred to, fome farther 

 points connected with the fubjects of this will be found 

 noticed under the following : Maharsiiis, Matsyava- 



TARA, PlKE.SWARI, PlTRIS, PuLAHA, PuLASTYA, Ra- 



.tarsiii, Ravena, Runeka. 



RISIBILITY, the faculty of laughers which fee. 

 Riiibility is commonly fuppofed an attribute peculiar to 

 man ; as being the only creature capable of judging what is 

 ridiculous. 



Some philofophers go fo far as to afTert, that the degree 

 of judgment is always feen in that of laughter ; fools always) 

 either have too little or too much of it. 



Authors do not agree as to the peculiar mechanifm in 

 man, by which laughter is raifed. It is ufually attributed 

 to the communication between the plexus nervofus, and the 

 diaphragmatic nerves. See Lungs. 



RISIGALLUM, in the Materia Medica. See P.eal- 

 GAJl. 



RISING, in Aflronomy, the appearance of the fun, a 

 ftar, or other luminary, above the horizon, which before 

 was hid beneath it. 



By reafon of the refradtion of the atmofphere, the hea- 

 venly bodies always rife before their time ; i. e. t.hey are 

 feen above the horizon, while they really are below it. See 

 Refraction of the Atmofphere. 



There are three poetical kinds of riling of the liars. 

 The Acronychal, Cofm'ual, and Heliacal; which fee refpec- 

 tively. 



To find the rifing, &c. of the fun andjiars by the globe, ice 

 Globe. 



Rising, in Rural Economy, a term fometimes applied to 

 yealt, or barm uied for the purpofe of fermen ting different 

 matters. 



Rising, in Ship Building, a term derived from the figure 

 of a (hip's bottom in general, which gradualjy narrows or 

 becomes fharper towards the item and ftern- poft. On this 

 account it is that the floors, towards the extremities of the 

 fliip, are raifed or lifted above the keel ; othsrwife the fhape 

 would be fo very acute, as not to be obtained from timber 

 with fufficient ftrength in the middle or cutting-down. 

 The floor-timbers forward and abaft ane therefore gra- 

 dually lifted or raifed upon a folid body of wood, called 

 the tlead or ri/ing-<wood, which mult of ccmrfe have more or 

 lefs rifing as the body of the (hip aflumej more or lefs full- 

 nefs or capacity. 



R iviNR of Boats, is a narrow drake of board faftened 

 withinfide to fupport the thwarts. 



Rn-isa- Floors are the foremoit aud aftermoft floors, 

 which, on account of the rifing of the body, are the molt 

 difficult to be obtained, as they increafe in the acutenefs of 

 fhape ; and to preferve ftrength in the throat, the cutting- 

 down muft be deeper. 



RimsG-Line, an elliptical line drawn in the plan of ele- 

 vation, by which line, with its correfpondinc; half-breadth or 

 narrowing line, the figure of the bottom near the floor-heads 

 is determined. 



RisisG-S'r/twre, a lquare ufed in whole moulding, upon 

 which is marked the height of the rifing-line above the 

 upper edge of the keel. 



RisiXG-Straight, is a curve line ufed in whole moulding 

 drawn in the fheer plan, at tne inVerfecrion of the ftraight 



part 



