SEC 



SEC 



SECHIUM, in Botany, a name given by Dr. Patrick 

 Browne to this genus, and molt probably derived from 

 o-iinou or o-i«i^j/, to fatten, the fruit being ufed in Jamaica to 

 fatten hogs. In this cafe, however, favs profeflor Martyn, 

 it (hould have been called Secium. — Brown. Jam. 355. 

 Sclireb. 664. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 4. 627. Mart. Mill. 

 Didl. v. 4. JufT. 391. Lamarck D'd. v. 7. 50. — Oafs 

 and order, Monoecia Monadelphia. Nat. Ord. Euphorbiie, 

 JuH. 



Gen. Ch. Male, Cal. Perianth inferior, of one leaf, tu- 

 bular, cloven half way down ; tube bell-fhapcd, fpreading ; 

 fegments of the limb lanceolate, flat, pointed, widely 

 fpreading. Cor. of one petal ; tube the fize and figure of 

 the calyx, and adhering to it ; limb cloven into five, ovate, 

 flat, acute fegments, nearly twice as long as the caly.N, and 

 much fpreading. Neftary confiding of ten cavities in the 

 upper part of the tube of the corolla. Stam. Filaments five, 

 formed into an ereft cybnder, five-cleft at the top, fpread- 

 ing ; anther one on the top of each filament, all the five 

 together forming a continued, undulating, polliniferous 

 line. Female on the fame plant. Cal. as in the male, but 

 placed on the germen, deciduous. Cor. a? in the male, but 

 with larger cavities in the neftary. Pjjl. Germen fuperior, 

 obovate, downy, five-furrowed ; ftyle cylindrical, crecl, 

 the length of the calyx ; ftigma very large, peltate, reflexed, 

 five-cleft at the margin. Perk. Apple very large, ovate, 

 turbinate, five-furrowed, flefliy, unequally gibbous at the 

 top, furniflied with harmlefs prickles, one-celled above. 

 Seed folitary, nearly ovate, flat or comprefied, flefhy, obtufe 

 at each end. 



Efl". Ch. Male, Calyx five-cleft. Corolla five-cleft. 

 Neftary ten cavities. Filaments five, forming a cylinder. 



Female, Calyx and Corolla as in the male. Style five- 

 cleft. Fruit muricated, fingle-feeded. 



I. &. edule. Chocho Vine. Willd. n. i. Swartz. Ind. 

 Occ. 1150. (Sicyos edulis ; Jacq. Amer. 258. t. 163.) — ■ 

 Native of the Weft Indies, where it flowers and fruits in 

 September. Root annual. Stem herbaceous, climbing or 

 procumbent, greatly divaricated, roundifh, ilriated, fmooth, 

 thick. Leaves alternate, italked, angularly heart-fhaped, 

 eight or ten-lobed, toothed at the margin, rough on the 

 upper fide, rugofe beneath, often a fpan long. Tendrils 

 oppofite to the leaves, horizontal, very long. Flowers mo- 

 noecious, axillary, yellow, fccntlefs. 



Jacquin informs us that the Chocho Vine is ufed by the 

 inhabitants of Cuba in their foups and puddings ; and th?t 

 it is ferved up as a vegetable with boiled meats. 



SECHURA, in Geography, a town of Peru, in the 

 bifliopric of Truxillo, and jurifdidiou of Piura, fituated on 

 the banks of the river Piura, about a league froin the Pacific 

 ocean. The town contains about 200 houfes, conltnifted 

 of cane, and a handfome brick church. The inhabitants, 

 who are all Indians, con-ipofe nearly 400 families, and arc 

 employed chiefly either in filhing or driving of mules. The 

 deicrt of Sechura is a wafte of fand, extending 30 leagues, 

 of difiiciilt and dangerous paffage ; 180 miles N.N.W. of 

 Truxillo. 



SECIUM, among the Romans, a term ufed to fignify 

 ever thing the priefts cut with the knife feeefpi/a, as the 

 ilium, placenta, &c. 



SECK, Rent. Sec Rent Sec. 



Seck, in Geography, a town of Germany, in the princi- 

 pality of Naflau-Dillenburg ; 4 miles W. of Mengers- 

 Kirchcn. 



SECKACII, a river of Germany, which runs into the 

 Jaxt, at Meckmulil. 



SECKAU, a town of Stiria, the fee of a bifliop, fuffrn- 

 VoL. XXXII. 



gan of Salzburg ; 6 miles N.W. of Knilterfeldt AUo, 



a town of the duchy of Stiria ; 16 miles S. of Gratz. 



SECKBACH, a town of Germany, in the county of 

 Hanau-Munzeiibcrg ; 7 miles W. of Hanau. 



SECKENDORF, Titu.s Louis de, in Biography, a 

 celebrated German writer, was born at a fmall village near 

 Nuremberg, in the year 1626. His father having aUaincd 

 to higii rank in the army, he was left chiefly to the care of 

 his mother, who obtained for him excellent mailers ; and 

 by the time that be was ten years old, he had acquired a 

 confiderable facility in the Latin language. At this period 

 he began the ftudyof the Greek, the French, and Hebrew 

 languages ; and after a fhort time, he added to t'.e lill of his 

 iludies that of the mathematics. He was at an early period 

 introduced to the court of Erneft, duke of Saxony, where 

 he remained about a year, and then entered himfelf as a 

 ftudent at the academy of Gotha. After this he was, by 

 the afliltance of a friend, enabled to go to Stralburg, which 

 was at that period celebrated for the ability of its profeflors ; 

 and here he made fucli a rapid progrefs, that he furpall'ed 

 in knowledge almoll all his contemporaries. 



In 1645 he returned to Erfurt, and afterwards went to 

 Gotha, wliere he met with a very kind reception from duke 

 Erneft. At this period he was faid to be completely maf- 

 ter of eight languages, viz.. the Latin, Greek, Hebrew, 

 French, Itahan, Spanifb, Danifli, and Swedifli. He had, 

 moreover, acquired a very deep infight into hillory, geo- 

 graphy, theology, philofbphy, and feveral branches of the 

 mathematical fciences. By thefc means, and by an afCduity 

 rarely furpafled, he became not only a great ilatefman, but 

 one of the brighteft ornaments of the republic of letters. 

 At the end of two years the prince made him a gentleman 

 of his bed-chamber, and he was employed in various im- 

 portant miflions. In 1656 duke Erneft gave him the ma- 

 nagement of a part of his revenues ; and in the fame year he 

 accepted the place of aulic judge in tlie tribunal of Jena, 

 which was conferred on him by the duke of Altenburg. 

 In 1663 he was nominated chancellor, a member of the 

 council of ftate, and director of the confiftury, and of the 

 chamber of juftice. The labours attached to thefe offices 

 were more than his ftrength was equal to, and in the fol- 

 lowing year he refigned the greater part of them. After 

 this he was appointed by Maurice, duke of Saxe-Zeitz, to 

 be his chancellor, and prefident of the ecclefiallical fcnatc. 

 John George II., cledtor of Saxony, nominated him, in 

 16^19, to be one of his counfellors ; and that he might de- 

 vote himfelf with more attention to this new office, he re- 

 figned that which he held at Jena ; for he was fo ftri6\ly 

 confcientious, that he was ever cautious of undertaking 

 any thing that he did not believe he fliould be able to per- 

 form. 



On the death of duke Erneft, he was held in no lefs efti. 

 mation by his fon Frederic, who gave him an import.«nt 

 office; and in 1680 the duke of Altenburg entriiUed him 

 with the msnagemcnt of a large part of his revenues. He 

 now finmd the infirmities of age prefTing upon iiini, refigned 

 his employments, and in 1682 retired from public life. 

 After a refidencc of feven years on his coinitry eft.ite, Fre- 

 deric III., eleftor of Brandenburg, invited liim to be cccle- 

 fiaftical counfellor ; and loon after chancellor of the univer- 

 fity of Halle, which he had founded. He accepted the 

 ofler, and removed to Halle in November 1692 ; but lie did 

 not long enjoy his new offices, as death ii: a few months put 

 an end to his labours, having attained to his fifilli year. 

 One of the moft ftriking fe.itures in the charader of Scckcn- 

 dorf was a r.itional and fincerc piety, which wa-; manifcd 

 not only in his writings, but in the whole ttnor of his life ; 

 \J and 



