S E V 



1649. " Therapeuta Neapolitanus, five curandarum Fe- 

 brium et Morborum internorum Methodus ;" 1653. " Tri- 

 membris Chinirgia ;" 1653. «' Seilo-Phlebotome caftigata, 

 five de Venx Salvatellae ufu et abufu cenfiira ;" 16J4. 

 " De Aqua Pericardii, cordis adipe, poris choledocis ;" 

 1654. At the time of his death, Severini was pre- 

 paring for publication fome papers, which he meant to 

 lUuftrate by engravings ; they were publi(hed together, 

 and entitled, «' Antiperipatias, hoc eft, adverfus Arifto- 

 teleos de refpiratione pifcium Diatriba." " Commenta- 

 rius, in Theophraftum de pifcibus in ficco viventibus." 

 " Phoca anatomice fpeftatus ;" 1661. A fort of extraft 

 or abridgment of his writings on furgery waj alfo publilhed 

 in 1664, with the title of " Synopfeos Chirurgicse Libri vi." 

 See Eloy Did. Hift. 



SEVERN, in Geography, the fecond moft important 

 river in England, is fuppofed by fome antiquaries to de- 

 rive its name from the Britifh word fabrin, fandy, or 

 muddy ; but others, with greater probability, confider it as 

 a corruption of the Saxon X.ern\ fiferne, which fignifies fea- 

 flowing. This river has its fource from a large bog on the 

 top of Plinlimmon-hill, in Montgomeryfhire, North Wales, 

 whence running down with a fvvift current, and being joined 

 by many leffer torrents, it prefently appears confiderable ; 

 and paffing by Llanydlos and Newtown, becomes navigable 

 near Welfh-Pool, where the river Vernew joins it with a 

 ttream little inferior to its own. From thence proceeding 

 gently to Shrewfbur)*, which it almoft furronnds, it flows 

 on through a rich vale, with many extenfive windings, to 

 Benthall Edge ; by the way receiving into it the river Tern, 

 which waters all the north of Shropfhire. Here the Severn 

 begins to be rapid, being pent up from thence, to Bridge- 

 north and Bewdley, by high woody banks and rocky cliffs, 

 which afford a variety of beautiful profpefts. Afterwards 

 it again glides pleafantly on through the fertile plains of 

 Worcefterfhire, vifiting in its courfe the city of Worcefter 

 itfelf, near which it receives the waters of the Temc. At 

 Tewkefbury it forms a junftion with the Avon, and there- 

 after purfues its courfe to Gloucelter, about fifty miles be- 

 low which city the name of Severn is loft in that of the 

 Briftol channel. 



The Severn is a river of great importance, being navi- 

 gated by vcfi'els of large burthen for more than 160 miles 

 from its mouth, without the aflillance of any lock. Up- 

 wards of 100,000 tons of coal are annually fhipped by tlie 

 collieries about Madeley and Brofeley, for the cities and 

 towns fitiiated on its bank?, and thence conveyed into the 

 adjacent connties. Great quantities of grain, pig and bar 

 iron, iron manufaftures, and earthen-ware, as alfo wool, 

 bops, cider and provifions, are likewife fent to Briftol and 

 other places, whence various kinds of goods are brought in 

 return. This traffic is carried on with veffcls of two forts, 

 the larger ones being called trows, and the leffer ones barges, 

 or frigates. In May 1756, the number of thefe veffels navi- 

 gating from Welfh-Pool, in Montgomeryfhire, to Briftol, 

 amounted to 376 ; but in confequence of the addition of the 

 inland canals from the Trent, the Merfey, and the Thames, 

 into the Stroud navigation, it may be fairly calculated that 

 more than double that number are now employed. This 

 river is peculiarly remarkable for its tide, which rolls in 

 with a head of three or four feet high, foaming and roaring 

 in its courfe, as if enraged by the oppofition it meets with 

 from the ftrong defcending current of frelh water, which 

 feems to contend with it for the fuperionty. They clafh in 

 fwch a maruier as to dafh the waters to a confiderable height. 

 This conteft is called the hygrc, or ea^ir, as Rudder fup- 



S E V 



pofes, from the French eau-guerre, i. e. water-war. Dray- 

 ton, in his Poly-Albion, defcribes it in thefe words. 



■ " With whofe tumultuous waves. 



Shut up in narrow bounds, the Hygre wildly raves, 



And 'frights the ftraggling flocks, the neighbouring fhore 



to fly 

 Afar, as from the main it comes with hideous cry. 

 And on the angry front the hideous foam doth bring. 

 The billows 'gainft the banks when fiercely it doth fling, 

 Hurles up the flimy ooze, and makes the fcaly brood 

 Leap madding to the land, affrighted from the flood ; 

 O'erturns the toiling barge, whofe fteerfman doth not 



launch. 

 And thrufts the furrowing beake into her ireful paunch." 



Rudder, in his " Hiftory of Glouceilerfhire," remarks that 

 the bailiwick of the Severn is veiled in the crown ; that 

 John Arnold obtained a leafe of it in 1669 for 31 years, at 

 10/. a-year, and that the bailiff in 1779 was a Mr. Ed- 

 ward Baylis. From the rapid and boilterous charafter of 

 this river, its waters are extremely muddy, a circumftance 

 which renders it unfavourable as an abode for iifh. It is, 

 however, well furniflied with falmon in fome of the calmer 

 fpots, and is particularly famous for lampreys. For an ac- 

 count of the local circumftances of this river, and the 

 fcenery on its banks, fee the articles Montgomeryshire, 

 SuROP-sHiRE, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire, 

 alfo Welsh- Pool, Shrewsbury, and Worcester. 

 Skrine's Hiftory of Rivers, 8vo. Atkyns's Ancient and 

 prefent State of Gloucefterfhire, folio, 1768. Rudder's 

 New Hiftory of Gloucefterfhire, fol. 1779. Fofbiooke's 

 Abftrafts of Records and Manufcripts refpefting the 

 County of Gloucefter, 4to. 1807. Nafti's Hiftory of Wor- 

 cefterfhire, fol. 1782. Alfo Tours in Wales by Pennant, 

 Binglcy, Hutton, Skrine, Warner, and Wyndham. 



Severn, a river of America, in Maryland, which runs 

 into the Chefapeak, a little below Annapolis. — Alfo, a river 

 of North America, which runs into Hudfon's bay, with 

 a fettlement at its month, called " Severn Houfe." N. lat. 

 56°. W. long. 88°. — Alfo, a river of North America, 

 which runs from lake Simcoe to lake Huron. — Alfo, a river 

 of Virginia, which runs into the Chefapeak bay, N. lat. 

 37° 23'. W. long. 76° 27'. 



SEVERNDROOG, a fea-port town and fortrefs of 

 Hindooftan, in Concan, taken by the Englifh in 1756 ; 68 

 miles S. of Bombay. N. lat. 17° 55'. E. long. 72° 50'. 



SEVERUS, Lucius-Septimius, in B'wgraphy, a Ro- 

 man emperor, was born at Leptis, in Africa, in the year 146 

 of the Chriftian era. His father, Septimius Geta, was of 

 a Roman equeftrian family, and his tw j paternal uncles were 

 raifed to the confular dignity. Severus was liberally edu- 

 cated, and made a proficiency in rhetorical ftudies. He 

 came to Rome in the reign of Marcus Aurelius, by whom 

 he was raifed to the offices of advocate of the treafury, and 

 fenator. His youth was licentious ; he however pafled with 

 credit through the offices of quzftor, tribune of the people, 

 and prsetor, in confequence of his aftive and regular perform- 

 ance of his public duties. After his quxttorfhip, he went 

 into Africa, as lieutenant of the proconful, wliere he fhewed 

 his fenfeof the dignity of oflSce, and the importance of ftrift 

 difcipline, by caufing an old acquaintance of ordinary rank 

 to be fcourged for greeting him familiarly, as he was walking, 11 

 preceded by liftors. After he had completed the prxtorian 

 year, he was fent to Spain with the command of a legion. 

 He pafted fome time in retirement at Athens, at the beginning 

 of the reign of Comraodus ; after this, however, he was 



raifed 



