S E R 



S E R 



fiances of the country. He defeated, with his new-trained 

 armies, feveral Roman generals, who were fent acrainft him, 

 and inllituted a fenate in competition with that of Rome, 

 and imitated all the forms of the republic. He foiled the 

 attempts of that eminent commander, Metellus, to reduce 

 him ; continually haraffing his troops by fudden attacks and 

 ncirniifhes, and intercepting his convoys. He adopted the 

 liberal policy of civihzing the Lufitanians and neighbouring 

 Spaniards, and famiharizing them with Roman letters and 

 cuftoms. For this purpofe he eftablirtied a great fchool in 

 the city of Ofca, at which the fons of men of diftinftion 

 were gratnitoufly educated, and at the fame time kept as 

 holtages for the fidelity of their parents. Feeling that his 

 power was not fufBciently firm, without the aid of fuper- 

 ftition, which ever captivates the ignorant and uncivilized, 

 he trained a white fawn, that had been prefented to him, to 

 f uch a degree of taraenefs, that it followed him whitherfo- 

 ever he went, and was his conftant companion ; and he en- 

 couraged the belief that the animal was the gift of Diana, 

 and intended by that goddefs to convey him information of 

 the defigns of his enenv'es. At length the famous Pompey 

 was nominated to the com.mand againft him ; and when he 

 arrived, he found that all the Roman troops, which, after 

 the death of Lepidus, had been carried to Spain by Per- 

 fenna, with the defign of fetting up there for himfelf, had 

 joined Sertorius, who was now at the head of a confiderable 

 army. Pompey proceeded againil him with a fuperior 

 force ; but Sertorius took a town in his prefence, and after- 

 wards defeated him at the battle of Sucro. He gave him a 

 fecond defeat ; but Metellus routed a feparate divifion, and 

 Sertorius was glad to take to the mountains. He then of- 

 fered to lay down his arms, provided the profcription againft 

 him might be taken off, and he were permitted to return to 

 Rome. Soon after he received an embaily from Mithri- 

 dates, the formidable foe of the Romans, offering him an 

 advantageous alliance, provided he were fufFered to re- 

 poffefs the provinces from which he had been expelled by 

 Sylla. But Sertorius would not agree to more than his re- 

 covery of Bithynia and Cappadocia, without touching upon 

 the Roman province of Afia ; and upon thefe terms the 

 treaty was concluded. A confpiracy was formed againit 

 Sertorius by the Roman patricians in his army, and they 

 fucceeded in exciting a revolt in feveral Lufitanian towns. 

 Incenfed at this defeftion, he caufed feveral of the children, 

 whom he kept as hoftages at Ofca, to be flain, and others 

 to be fold as flaves. This is faid to have been the only aft 

 of cruelty by which his memory is tarniftied. In revenge 

 for the lofs of their fons, the confpirators formed a plot 

 againft the life of Sertorius ; in confequence of which he 

 was bafely affaffinated, while he was at a featt. This event 

 took place in the year 73 B.C. " The great qualities and 

 mihtary talents of this eminent perfon would undoubtedly 

 have raifed him to the firft rank among the chiefs of hi's 

 country, had he not been a leader of a partv, inftead of a 

 commander . for the ftate. With nothing to fupport him 

 but the refources of his own mind, he created a powerful 

 kingdom among ftrangers, and defended it a long time 

 againft the arms of Rome, although wielded by the ableft 

 generals of his time ; and he difplayed public and private 

 virtues, which would have rendered a people happy under 

 his rule at a lefs turbulent period." Univer. Hift. 



SERTULA Campana, in Botany, a name given by 

 fome authors to melilot. 



SERTULARIA, in Natural Htjlory, a genus of the 



clafs Vernies, and order Zoophytes. The generic cha- 



rafter is this : the animal grows in the form of a plant ; the 



Hem is branched, producing polypes from cup-fhaped den- 



9 



tides, or tninute cells. There are nearly four-fcore fpeciej, 

 divided into two feftions, A and B, of which the following 

 is the defcription. 



A. Stem horny, tubular, Jjxed to the bafe, befet luilh cup-Jhaped 

 denticles, and furntjhed <with vejieles, or ovaries, containing 

 polypes, eggs, or living young. 



Species. 



* Rosacea. This fpecies is panicled, with oppofite, 

 tubular, truncate denticles, and alternate branches ; the ve- 

 ficles are crowned with fpines. It inhabits the European 

 feas, and our own coafts, growing on flicUs, or creeping 

 up other corallines ; it is white ; the veficles referable the 

 bloffom of the pomegranate. 



* PuMiLA. The denticles of this fpecies are oppofite, 

 pointed, and recurved ; the veficles are obovate ; the 

 branches loofe and irregular. It is found in the ocean, or 

 fuci, particularly on the ferratus. 



* Operculata. Denticles oppofite, pointed, and nearly 

 ereft ; the veficles are obovate, covered with a lid ; the 

 branches are alternate. It inhabits the European and 

 American feas, on fuci and Ihells. The twigs are about 

 five inches long ; the denticles are bicufpidate, with a (hort 

 bi-iftle on each fide. 



* Tamarlsca. Denticles nearly oppofite, truncate, 

 three-toothed ; veficles ovate, two-toothed, with a fhort 

 tube in the centre; the branches are alternate. This is 

 found in moft of the European feas, and is the largeft of its 

 kind. It is about four inches long, and is found adhering 

 to (hells. 



* Abietina. Denticles nearly oppofite, tubular, oval ; 

 the veficles are oval, and the branches alternate. It is 

 found in the Britifh and other European feas, and the Medi- 

 terranean, growing to ihells. It is five inches long, and 

 often covered with fmall ferpulx ; the branches are fre- 

 quently pinnate. 



* Nigra. Denticles nearly oppofite, minute ; veficles 

 large, placed all on one fide, oval, quadrangular ; the 

 branches are pinnate. This is found on the Cornifh coaft, 

 adhering to the Mytilus margaritiferus. It is four inches 

 long, blackifh. 



* FuscESCENS. Denticles nearly oppofite, tubular ; the 

 veficles are numerous, placed all on one fide, minute, with 

 three tubercles on each ; the branches are pinnate. This is 

 alfo an inhabitant of the Cornifli coaft. It refembles the 

 laft, but is of a greyifh-brown colour. 



Obsoleta. Denticles generally placed in eight rows, 

 ovate, flightly heart-ftiaped, and difpofed in a quincunx 

 form ; the branches are alternate and pinnate. It is an in- 

 habitant of the Frozen ocean, is about five inches high, and 

 of a horn colour, with the joints becoming more and more 

 obfolete towards the top. 



PiNUS. Denticles fub-fpinous, generally difpofed in fix 

 rows ; the veficles are bottle- fhaped, turgid, fubdiaphanous, 

 with a fimple mouth ; the branches are pinnate, nearly al- 

 ternate. It inhabits the White fea, fixed to ftiells. 



CupRESsoiDES. Denticles fimple, obliquely truncate, 

 with a flightly protuberant mouth ; the veficles are ovate, 

 with a fubtubular mouth ; the branches are dichotomous, 

 loofe, and with the trunk joined with two rings at the 

 junftures. This is found in the White fea ; is fubdia- 

 phanous, yellowifh, and nearly half a foot long. 



* CupRESSiNA. Denticles nearly oppofite, obliquely 

 truncate, and a little pointed ; veficles obovate, two- 

 toothed ; branches panicled, and very long. It is common 

 in all the European feas, and is found in a long pointed 

 loofe panicle. 



* Argkntea. 



