SIM 



S I M 



Simony, Conveniiona!, is where there is an exprefs adt, 

 and a formal bargain, though it never come to an execution. 



Simony, Real, is where the convention is executed on 

 both fides ; which lall is the moll criminal of all. The 

 canonical penalty of fimony is depofition in a clerk, and 

 excommunication in a layman. 



It is a maxim among the Romifh canonifts, that there is 

 no fimony in the court of Rome ; becaufe the pope afts 

 there as an abfulute fovereign ; they alfo fay, that refig- 

 nations infavoirm are not to be admitted but by the pope, as 

 favouring a little of fimony. On thefc occafions, however, 

 the parties always fwcar, that there had been no dsceit, 

 coUnfion, fimony, or other illegal covenant. 



Peter Damian diftinguifhes three kinds of fimony : that 

 ^ money, that of tie tongue, and that offervices. 



Simony of Money, or Per munus a manu, is where money 

 is really paid down for a benefice : he adds, that the fame 

 is likewife committed, by expending money to live at 

 court to obtain a benefice. 



Simon Y nf the Tongue, or Per munus a lingua, confifts in 

 flattering the collator, or making one's felf agreeable by 

 complaifance and commendation. 



S1.M0NY of Seriiices, or Per munus ah obfequio, confifts in 

 doing for them good offices to obtain a benefice. 



It was agreed by all the juftices, Trin. oft. Jac. primi, 

 that if the patron prefcnted any perfon to a benefice with 

 cure, for money ; fuch prefentation, &c. is void, though 

 the prefentee were not privy to it ; and the flatute gives 

 the prefentation to the king ; but this is now repealed. 



SIMORI, in Geography, a town of Naples, in Calabria 

 Ultra ; 13 miles N.E. of Squillace. 



SIMORRE, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Gers ; 13 miles S.E. of Auch. 



SIMPLA NoBLA, in Botany. See Phyllis. 



SIMPLARY, SiMPLARis, in Antiquity, a Roman fol- 

 dier, who had only fingie pay. Thus called, in oppofition 

 to the Juplares, or fuch as had double pay. 



SIMPLE, Simplex, fomething not mixed, or com- 

 pounded ; in which fenfe it ftands oppofed to compountl. 



Simple Bodies or Elements, in Chemiflry, are thofe fub- 

 flances which have not yet been decompofed. 



In every era of chemical fcience, fomething like a fyftem 

 or theory has prevailed, which has had for its bafis a cer- 

 tain number of bodies, called elements or fimple bodies, of 

 ■which all other bodies were formed. This has ever had 

 the good cffeft of flimulating the minds of enquirers, and 

 has tended much to the progrefs of this uleful branch of 

 philofophy. Theory has fucceeded theory, varying widely 

 from, and in feme inilances contradifting each other, till 

 philofophers have become very cautious in the admifiion of 

 the elementary nature of bodies ; and hence have agreed 

 in the above general definition of a fimple body. 



The limited proportions in which bodies combine, is 

 fufficient to convince us, that fimple bodies confift of hard 

 unchangeable particles or atoms, which arc not praftically 

 divifiblc. And the general forms of the cryllals of com- 

 pound matter go far to fhew, that thefe atoms are fpheres, 

 a form the belt calculated for motion, and under which tliey 

 would be the Icall likely to change. How many varieties 

 of thcle unchangeable fpherical particles there exiil, it is dif- 

 ficult to fay ; and wliat ratio they bear to each other, in denfity 

 or magnitude, we are equally at a lofs to determine. One 

 great (lep, however, has been made, which may lead us to 

 more important conclufions. Althougii we are ignorant of 

 the abfohite dimenfions and denfities of thofe atoms, we 

 are now in a way to acquire a knowledge of their relative 

 weights, by which we fiiall be enabled to calculate the pro- 

 portions of compound bodies, by fimply knowing of what 



Vol. XXXIL 



elements they are compofed. The ufe of experiment will 

 be to find out the elements of a compound, and rudely 

 guefs at its proportions ; but theexaft proportion will re- 

 quire to be determined by calculations, which will render 

 chemiftry as complete as altronomy. 



There is the greatell reafon to believe, that the atoms of 

 fimple matter attraft each other by the fame laws with gravi- 

 tation. Sir Ifaac Newton fuppofes, that in gold, which in 

 his time was confidered the denfeft body, the pores or 

 interftices between its particles greatly exceed its material 

 part. Of what denfity, therefore, mull we confider the 

 atoms of bodies. Our prefcnt idea of denfity is very vague, 

 and varies with the temperature, and depends, therefore, 

 upon the quantity of caloric they contain. If thefe atoms 

 were to be finally deferted by the caloric, they would 

 come in contaft ; and if they were fpheres, the refulting 

 fpecific gravity would be 4^ of the fpecific gravity of the 

 atoms themfelves. The caloric, on the contrary, if de- 

 ferted by the atoms, would, from its repellent property, 

 be difperfed to an unlimited extent. Wlien, however, 

 thefe two fpecies of matter combine, they Itill retain their 

 original properties ; but the attraftion of the atoms dc- 

 creafcs, as they recede, by new additions of caloric in a 

 lefs ratio than the repulfion of the caloric, and the two 

 powers are kept in equilibrium by change of dillance be- 

 tween them. If the attraftion be as the fquare of the 

 diftance, and the repulfion as the cube ; then, if the dif- 

 tances be fuccefiive intervals of i, 2, 3, &c. the attractions 

 at thefe points will be i, \, ',, &c. and the repulfion 

 i» T, -iV> &c. Therefore, the caloric at each point, to 

 make the atoms Itand in equilibrium at thefe refpeftive dif- 

 tances, will be i, 2, 3, &c. for i x I = l, i X 2 = 4, 

 .^ X 3 := -^, and fo on. It is under this form that the 

 fpecific gravity of a body is taken ; but we know not what 

 may be the denfity of the real atoms, although we know 

 that it mull be very confiderable. In proportion as this 

 is the cafe, we are to expeft a greater attraftive force 

 agreeably to the laws of gravitation. If the earth were 

 to be condenfed to half its diameter, the weight of bodies 

 on its furface would be quadrupled. This circumltance, 

 aided by the proximity of the atoms in chemical combina- 

 tion, and the Hate of aggregation, in which folids cxill, 

 will make us ceafe to wonder at the powers of chemical 

 attraftion, and at the fame time gives a lively hope, that 

 the fame attraftion is common both to gravity and chemi- 

 cal combination. However indeterminate this problem 

 may appear, we underlland that fome experiments are foon 

 to be inllitutcd for fettling this point. 



The experiments will in the firll place determine, whether 

 thefe attractions are the fame, or not : if they are the fame, 

 the experiments will determine, and point out the numbers 

 which will exprefs tiie llrength of affinity between different 

 bodies ; the only fafts which are now wanting to make 

 chemiltry a complete fcience. 



In the prefent Hate of chemical fcience, thofe bodies 

 confidered as elements are divided into two clallcs ; tlie 

 one called combullible or inflammable, and the other fup- 

 porters of combullion ; becaufe in combining with the firll 

 clafs, much light and heat are developed. 



The firll cbls, wliich is by far the moll numerous, cor.filtii 

 chiefly of metals, with only a few exceptions. Tliefc arf 

 exhibited in tlie following tabic, wliich alfo contains the 

 weights of their atoms and fpecilic gravities ; hydrogen, tiic 

 lightcil atom, being i. 



If the views of Gay Lufiac, the French chemift, be cor- 



refl, in a memoir on .Iodine, or Iodine, which has been publifh- 



cd in Dr. 'i'liomfon's Aiuials, we (liall be hardly warranted in 



drawing this line between the combullible bodies, and thofe 



5 D which 



