SEP 



inches long.^ The body is of a reddifh-brown, with two 

 longer arms or tentaciih ; the eyes are of a fine blue ; the 

 cartilaginous plate or bone in the back is long, lance-fhaped, 

 and tranfparent ; it has fometimes been placed as a fpccies 

 of the pennatula. 



* Sepiola. The body of this fpecies has two rounded 

 wings or procefles behnid. It is found in the Mediterranean 

 and European feas, and is very fmall. The body ii> fhort, 

 rounded behind, with a round membrane or fin at the lower 

 extremity ; it has two long arms. 



Tbnicata. -The body of this fpecies is entirely enclofed 

 in a black pellucid raombrane, with two femicircular wings 

 or proceffes behind. This is an inhabitant of the Pacific 

 ocean. The body is very large, and is faid fometimes to 

 weigh one hundred and fifty pounds, and is convertible into 

 palatable and pleafant food. 



SEPIACE, in Ilrilian Mufic, fignifies that the part it is 

 joined to nay be repeated or not, at pleafure. 



SEPIAS, m Ancient Geography, a promontory of Thef- 

 faly, m M-.gnefia, at the entrance of the Pelafgic gulf, ac- 

 cording to Ptolemy. Cape Sepias is now the promontory 

 of St. George's. 



SEPIUSSA, an idand fituated on the coaft of Afia 

 Minor, in the Ceramic gulf, according to Pliny. 



SEPOORY, in Geography, a fortrefs of Hindooftan, 

 in the circar of Gohud ; 18 miles S.W. of Narwa. 



SEPOU, a town of Hindooftan; 12 miles S.W. of 

 Agra. 



SEPRA, or SiPPRA, a river of Hindooftan, which rifes 

 near Indore, joins the Callifind in the circar of Kitchwara, 

 and, united with other ftreams, forms the Chumbul. 



SEPRIO, a town of Italy, in the department of the 

 Olona ; 20 miles N.W. of Milan. 



SEPS, in Zoology, the name of a very peculiar animal of 

 the lizard or lacerta kind, but feeming as if of a middle 

 nature between that genus and the fnakes, and appearing 

 rather a ferpent with feet than a lizard. 



It is a fmall fpecies ; its body is rounded, and its back 

 variegated with longitudinal fines of black ; its eyes are 

 black ; it has ears, and a fmall and very flender tail. What 

 appears moft fingular in it is, that it has four legs, with feet 

 divided into toes ; the firft pair are placed very near the 

 head, the other by the anus ; the fcales are laid in a reticu- 

 lated manner, they are of an oblong figure, approaching to 

 a rhomboides, and laid longitudinally ; its belly is white, 

 with a flight caft of blue, and it has noftrils near the end of 

 the fnout. Columna took five living young ones out of 

 the body of one of this fpecies, fome of which were in- 

 cluded in membranes, and others loofe, as is the cafe in the 

 foetus found in the viper. 



The bite of the feps is faid to occafion an inilant putre- 

 faftion of the flefli of the whole body. 



SEPT MoNCEL, in Geography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Jura ; 2 miles E. of St. Claude. 



SEPTA, in Antiquity, were inclofures, or rails made of 

 boards, through which perfons went in to give their votes in 

 the aliemblies of the Romans. 



The word alfo fignifies divifions, and, in that fenfe, is 

 ufed to exprefs the plates of ipar, wliicli feparate or divide 

 the tali of the Indus Helmontii, thence called by Dr. Hill, 

 feptartjs ; which fee. 



SEPTALIUS, or Settala, Louis, ia Biography, an 



Itahan phyfician of celebrity, was born at Milan, in Fe- 



_ bruary, 1552. He evinced from his early childhood, a 



ftrong inclination to the purfuits of literature, and at the 



age of fixteen defended fome thefes on the fubjeft of natural 



10* 



SEP 



philofophy with an acutenefs of reafoning far above his 

 years, and which excited the furprife of the audience, among 

 wliom was the archbifhop of Milan. It was now fuppofed 

 that he would follow the fteps of his anceftors, both ma- 

 ternal and paternal, who had been much diltinguifhed at 

 the bar ; but his inclination led him to the medical profef- 

 fion, and he accordingly repaired to Pavia, for the purpofe 

 of commencing the ftudy of it. Here he proceeded with 

 the fame fuccefs, and obtained the degree of doftor in his 

 2 1 ft year, and was even appointed to a chair in this cele- 

 brated univerfity in his 23d year. In his profelForial capa- 

 city, though fo young, he gave fo many demonllrations of 

 his talents and acquirements, that he foon became known to 

 the moll diftinguifhed men of his time. Neverthelefs, at 

 the end of four years from the time of his appointment, he 

 determined to relinquifh the profeflbrial dignity, for the 

 purpofe of exercifing his medical llvill in his native city. 

 Wliile he was engaged in the praftice of his art at Milan, 

 Philip III., king of Spain, felefted him for his hiftorio- 

 grapher. But though fully fenfible of the value of this 

 compliment, yet neither this, nor many other more con- 

 genial honours, that were offered to him, could induce him 

 to quit his native city, to which he was ardently attached. 

 He was invited by the eleftor of Bavaria to a profeflbrfhip 

 in the univerfity of Ingoldftadt ; by the grand duke of Pifa, 

 to a chair at that place ; and by the city of Bologna to a 

 fimilar appointment in their fchools ; and the fenate of 

 Venice, by ftill more confiderable offers both of honour and 

 reward, laboured afliduoufly to bring him to the univerfity 

 of Padua. But he declined all thefe opportunities of eleva- 

 tion, content with the efteem and affcftion of his fellow- 

 citizens, which he amply obtained ; and with the domeftic 

 felicity, which the fociety and education of his family, con- 

 fiding of feven fons and fix daughters, conftantly afforded 

 him. The only honour which he accepted was tile ap- 

 pointment of chief phyfician to the ftate of Milan, which 

 Pliihp IV. conferred upon him in 1627, as a reward for 

 his virtues and talents. In the year 1628, the plague vifited 

 Milan. Septalius gave all the aid in his power to his fellow- 

 citizens, and in the midft of his labours to alleviate the 

 diftrefles occafioned by this fatal calamity, he was himfelf 

 feized with the difeafe. He had fcarcely recovered from 

 this attack, when he was fuddenly furprifed by a fit of 

 apoplexy, which left him fpeechlefs, and paralytic on one 

 fide. From this, however, he in a great meafure recovered, 

 and lived feveral years afterwards, but in a ftate of feeble- 

 nefs and imperfect health. He died in September 1633, in 

 confequence of an attack of dyfentery, at the age of 81. 

 Septalius was a man of acute powers, and folid judgment, 

 and was reputed extremely fuccefsful in his praftice. He 

 was warmly attached to the doftrines of Hippocrates, whofe 

 works he never ceafed to ftudy. He was author of the fol- 

 lowing works :. " In Librum Hippocratis Coi, de Aeribus, 

 Aquis, et Locis, Commentarii quinque," 1590; "In 

 Ariftotelis Problemata Commentaria Latina," torn. i. 1602, 

 ii. 1607 ; " De Nxvis Liber," 1606. In this work Sep- 

 talius has not difplayed his ufual judgment ; for he afcribes 

 the ntvi, or mother-fpots, to the imagination of the preg- 

 nant mother, and deduces from their appearances many 

 praftical inferences, which are as unfounded as the notion 

 of their origin. " Animadverfionum et Cautionum Medi- 

 carum Libri duo, feptem aliis additi," 1629. This is a 

 valuable work, the refult of 40 years of praiftice, and equal 

 to any of its contemporanes of the 17th century. " De 

 Margaritis Judicium," 1618 ; " De Pefte et Peftiferis Af- 

 fedtibus Libri V." 1622 ; " Analyticarum et Animafti. 

 carum Dillertationum Libri II." 1626; " De Morbis ex 



mucronata 



