S I G 



s I a 



people, fuppofed to afford an indication of its virtues and 

 ufe. 



SIGNAU, in Geography, a tovTn of Switzerland, and 

 principal place of a diltrift, in the canton of Berne; 12 

 miles S.E. of Berne. 



SIGNES, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Var ; 12 miles S.W. of Brignoles. 



SIGNET, one of the king's feals, ufcd for fealing his 

 private letters, and figning all grants which pafs his ma- 

 jefty's hand by bill. Forging it is treafon. See Sign' 

 Manual. 



The fignet is always in the cuftody of the king's fecreta- 

 ries ; on whom attend four clerks of the fignet-ofSce. See 

 Sechetary and Clerk. 



SIGNIA, in Ancient Geography, a town of Italy, in 

 Latium, at fome diftance to the right of the Latin way, 

 and towards the S.W. of Anagnia. Livy fays, that Tar- 

 quin the Proud fent hither a colony. Some remains of 

 it are ftill vifible. — Alfo, a mountain of Afia Minor, in the 

 Greater Phrygia. Pliny fays, that the town of Apamxa 

 \vas built at the foot of this mountain. 



SIGNIFER, among the Romans, an enfign-bearer, or 

 the perfon who carries the ftandard, on which was repre- 

 fented a hand ftretched out. See Signa. 



SIGNIFICATION, the fenfe or meaning of a fign, 

 word, phrafe, emblem, device, or the like ; that is, the 

 thing denoted by fuch fign, word, figure, &c. 



We are almoil perfectly at a lofs as to the fignification 

 of the hieroglyphic charafters of the ancients. 



Signification, in Law, is the notification of an aft, 

 !kc. made to the oppofite party, by a copy, &c. of it, 

 given and attefted by a proper officer. 



Some fignifications are to be made to the perfon himfelf ; 

 or at lealt at his houfe : for others, it is enough that they 

 be made to the party's attorney, or agent. 



SIGNIFICAVIT. See Excommunicato Capiendo. 



SIGNING. See Signature, and Covi^TER-Jigning. 



SIGNINUM, among tlie Romans, a kind of pavement 

 much elleemed : it was made of powdered (hells mixed 

 with lime. 



SIGNORELLI, Luca, in Biography, was born at Cor- 

 tona in 1439, and was a difciple of Pietro della f rancefca. 

 He was among the firft of the Italian artifts who defigned 

 the naked figure with fidelity and accuracy ; though ilill im- 

 peded by the fliackles of iliffneis and formality, and too 

 much adherence to common nature. His grejteit work is 

 his celebrated frefco in the chapel of the Virgin in the 

 cathedral at Orvieto, reprcfenting the final diflolution and 

 judgment of the world ; a work ot extraordinary qua- 

 lity, in which variety and originality of ideas are rendered 

 with force and effeft. Vafari, who was related to Signo- 

 relli, fays that Michael Angelo adopted, in his Lall Judg- 

 ment, many of the ideas of this artiit ; of which molt pro- 

 bably he only took the charafters of aftions, and clothed 

 them with his own emphatic ilylc of dcfign. 



Though grace of form, and harmony of colouring, are not 

 the moft prominent features in the llyle of Signorclli, yet 

 one of his works is extolled by Lanzi as pofFoffing thefe 

 qualities in a fiipcrior degree ; ii;z. his Communion of the 

 Apoltles, in the church del Gefa at Cortona. He was 

 invited to Rome to alTill in dccoratnig the apartments of the 

 Sillina, where he painted the Journey of Mofes and Zip- 

 porah, and the Promulgation of the old Law ; exiiibiting 

 a fupcrior arrangement of compofition. He painted at 

 Urbino, Voltcrra, Arczzo, Sienna, and Florence, and 

 eftabhlhed a name among the molt eminent of the Florentine 

 painters. He died in 1521, aged 82. 



Vol. XXXII. 



SiONORKLLi, Pietro Napoli, of Naples, author of a* 

 excellent critical Inltory of tlie ttage, " Storia Critica de' 

 Teatri," 1783. This work is written with great fpirit, 

 and, in general, exaftitude and genuine information, con- 

 cerning other theatres, as well as thofe of Italy ; parti- 

 cularly of Spain, where the author had refided twenty 

 years, and with whofe hterature and dramatic produftions he 

 feems perfeftly well acquainted. But having given the 

 preference to the dramatic works and performance of the 

 Italians, he provoked a controverfy with a Spanilh writer, 

 which was not carried on with great patience or urbanity. 



Signor Signorelli is likewife author of a work more volu- 

 minous and important, entitled " Vicende della Coltura 

 nelle due Sicilie ;" or, " Progrefs in the Culture of Legifla- 

 tion, Policy, Literature, Commerce, Fine Arts, and Thea- 

 trical Exhibitions, in the Two Sicihcs," 5 vols. 8vo. Na- 

 ples, 1786. This work contains much information of the 

 progrefs of mufic at Naples during the two lalt centuries; 

 but we were difappointed in finding no mention of the Con- 

 fervatorios, thofe famous mufical feminaries which have pro- 

 duced fo many great compofers and fingers, whofe works and 

 performance have not only dehghted Naples and the reft of 

 Italy, but all Europe. 



SIGNORESSA, in Geography, a town of Italy, in the 

 Trevifan ; 6 miles N.W. of Trcvigio. 



SIGNUM PuGN.s, the fignal of battle among the 

 Romans, was a coat of arms of a purple colour, fet upon 

 the general's pavihon. 



SIG^Y -k-GrariJ, in Geography, a town of France, in 

 the department of the Ardennes, and chief place of a can- 

 ton, in the diftrift of Mezieres ; 6 miles S.W. of Charle- 

 ville. The place contains 2380, and the canton 6699 in- 

 habitants, on a territory of 210 kiliomctres, in 13 com- 

 munes. 



SlCHY-le-Pelil, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Ardennes, and chief place of a canton, in the diltrift 

 of Rocroy ; 9 miles W.S.W. of Rocroy. The place con- 

 tains 1723, and the canton 5790 inhabitants, on a territory 

 of 142^ kiliometres, in 10 communes. 



SIGONIO, Carlo, in Biography, was born of a good 

 family at Modena, about the year 1524. At the age of 

 feventeen he went to Bologna, where he palled three yean 

 in the ftudy of philofophy and medicine, to which lall pro- 

 feffion he was dellined by his father. But having no turn 

 for phyfic, he fpent a year at Pavia, and then entered into 

 the fervice of cardinal Grimani. At the age of twenty-two 

 he was taken by invitation from liis native city to occupy 

 the chair of Greek, vacant by the departure of Porta, the 

 malter under whom lie had formerly Itudicd. In 1550 he 

 made himfelf advantageoufly known to the learned world 

 by publifliing the " Faiti Conlulares," with a commentary, 

 which quickly went llirough fcveral editions. In 1552 he 

 was invited to the profefTorfliip of belles-lettres at Venice, 

 and in that city he publifiied leven dileourfes on important 

 topics of literature, and liis valuable notes and conjectural 

 emendations of Livy. In 1560 he was removed to the 

 chair of eloquence at Padua, then the molt celebrated of 

 the Italian univerfities, but in 1563 he accepted an invita- 

 tion to Bologna, wliich was from this time the ufual place 

 of his refidence. In this fituation he rcndeied himfelf fo 

 acceptable to tlie city, that he was i)releiited with its free- 

 dom, together with a large increale of (alary. Here he 

 employed himfelf in the compofition of learned works, 

 which have handed down his name to pollerity with 

 high honour, and lie was fo well latisfied with liis con- 

 dition, that he refufcd a very flattering propofal from 

 Stephen, king of Poland, to occupy a profclTorlhip in that 

 4 S country. 



