S 1 M 



lovers of geometry are ready gratefully t<) acknowledge 

 their obligations to him for his edition, which contains the 

 Elements and the Data, and which has gone through many 

 impreffions in quarto and oftavo, in the Latin and Englifh 

 languages. 



Another work on which Dr. Simfon beftowed great labour 



SIN 



Syria, fituated on a plain two leagues N. of mount Libanus, 

 and eight leagues S.S.E. of Antaradus, and li league S. 

 of the tiver Kcr. Strabo fays that it was inhabited by the 

 Zemaritcs. Ptolemy places it between the moutii of the 

 rivers Eleuthorus and Orthofia. 



SIN, the kingdoms of Laos and Camboja, an extenfive 



and pains, was the Scftio Determinata of ApoUonius, which, country of India, on the other fide of the Ganges, according 

 though begun early, was not given to the world till after his to Ptolemy 



death, when it was printed with the work on Porifms of 

 Euclid, at the expence of the late carl Stanhope, who 

 was himfelf deeply read in riathematics, and who for many 

 years had kept up a conllant correfpondence with Dr. Sim- 

 fon ; and at the death of tlie profellor, in 176S, the nobk 

 lord engaged Mr. Clow, profellor of logic in the univerfity 

 of Glafgow, to whofe care he had left all his papers, to 

 make a leleftion of fuch as might ferve to fapport and ex- 

 tend his well-earned reputation as the reftorer of ancient 

 geometry. 



" The life of a literary man," fays his biographer, " 

 Seldom marked with much vari''ty ; and a mathematician im- 

 merfed in itudy, is more ab(lrafli.d, perhaps, than any other 

 perfon from the ordinary occurrences of life, and even the 

 ordinary topics of converfation. Such was the cafe with 

 Dr. Simfon. As he never entered into the marriage ftate, 

 and had no occafion for the commodious houfe in the uni- 

 verfity, to which as profedbr he was entitled, he contented 

 himfelf with chambers, fpacious enough for his own accom- 

 modation, and for containing his large, but well-feledled, 

 coUeAion of books, but without any decoration, or even 

 convenient furniture. His official fervant acted as valet, 

 footman, and bed-maker ; and as this retirement was en- 

 tirely devoted to lludy, he entertained no company at his 

 chambers, but on occafions, when he wifhed to fee his 

 friends, he repaired to a neighbouring houfe, where an apart- 

 ment was kept facred to him and his guefts. He enjoyed a 

 long courfe of uninterrupted health, but towards the clofe 

 of life he fuffered from acute difeafe, which obliged him to 

 employ an alTillant in his profelTional labours. He died iu 

 1768, at the age of 81, leaving to the univerfity his valuable 

 library, which is now kept apart from the red of the books- 

 It is itill regarded as the moll complete coUedlion of mathe- 

 matical works and maiiufcripts in the kingdom, many of 

 them being rendered doubly valuable by the addition of 

 Dr. Simfon's notes. It is open for the public benefit, but 

 the ufe of it is limited by particular rules and reftrictions. 

 Dr. Simfon was of a good itature, and he had a fine counte- 

 nance, and even in his old age he retained much graceful- 

 nefs and dignity of manner. He was naturally difpofed to 

 cheerfulnefs ; and though he feldom made tlie lirll advances 

 towards acquaintance, he always behaved with great affa- 

 bility to ftrangcrs." See Dr. William Trail's Account of 

 the Life and Writings of Dr. Simfon. 



SIMULACRUM, among the Romans. See Idol and 

 Idolatry. 



SIMULATION, in Ethics, is making a thing appear 

 which does not exiil ; and thus it is dillinguinied from tl'iffl- 

 mulatioii, which is keeping that which exifts from appear- 

 ing. Set DlSSLMHLATION. 



SIMULCANDY, m Geography, a town of Bengal; 

 60 miles N.E of Pucculoe. 



SIMULYA, a town of Bengal; 25 miles N.N.E. of 

 Dacca. 



SIMUS, in Ichthyology, the name ufed by fome authors 

 for the nafus, or nafc, a fifh common in the large rivers in 

 Germany, and fomewhat rcfembling our chub, and in fome 

 refpetts our ommon rudd. 



SIMYRA, SirMUAll, '\a ^incimt Geography, a town of 

 Vol. XXXII. 



Si.v, or Zin, a city and defart S. of the Holy Land, in 

 Arabia Petraja : this gave name to the wildernefs of Sin. 

 The fcripturc diilinguiflies two cities and two defarts of 

 Sin ; one is written |>D, Sin, with a famech, and the other 

 ^'if, tzin, with a tzade. The firft was near Egypt and the 

 Red fea. The Ifraclites, in their march, entered tlie wilder- 

 nefs of Sin immediately after they had palled the fea, be- 

 tween Elim and Sinai. (Exod. xvi. I. andxvii. I.) Here the 

 manna defcended upon them. The other Sin was fouth of Pa- 

 leftine, but towards the Dead fea. Kalefh was in the defart 

 of Zin (Deut. xxii. 51.) ; from this wildernefs they fent 

 out the fpies. Here Mofes and Aaron offended the Lord, 

 at tlie waters of ftrife. ( Numb. xiii. 21.) The land of Ca- 

 naan, and the tribe of Judah, had the defart of Zin, or Zina, 

 for their fouthern limit. Numb, xxvii. 14. xxxiv. 3, 

 Jo(h. }tv. 3. 



Sin, in Theology, denotes want of conformity to the lavr 

 of God, given as a rule to the reafonable creature, and fo 

 far as any creature is capable of conforming to it, in the 

 things which that law requires, or the tranfgreflion of that 

 law in thofe things which it forbids ; and under this de- 

 finition are comprehended both the fins of omijfion and fins 

 of commijfton. 



Plato defines fin to be fomething void, both of number 

 and meafure : by way of contradiclion to virtue, which he 

 makes to confill in mufical numbers, &c. See Virtue, 

 and Rhythmus. 



Accordingly, Suarez obferves, that an aftion becomes 

 finful, by its wanting a due commenfuration ; for as every 

 thing meafured refers to fome rule, from which, if it de- 

 viate, it becomes incommenlurate ; and as the rule of man'i 

 will is the law of God, fo, &c. Suarez adds, that all evil 

 aftions are prohibited by fome divine law ; and that tiiis is 

 required to the pcrfedtion of tlie divine providence. 



Simplicius, and after him the fchoolmen, allcrt, that evil 

 is not any pofitive tiling, contrary to good ; but a mere 

 defeft and accident. 



Sins are dillinguifhed into original and adual. 

 Sin, Original, has been divided by fome divines into inhe- 

 rent and imputed : the former term is ufed to denote that 

 corruption or degeneracy of nature, which is faid to be pro- 

 pagated by the laws of generation from the firll man to 

 all his offspring, by reafoii of which man is utterly indif- 

 pofed, difabled, and madeoppofite unto all that is fpiritiially 

 good, and wholly inclined to all evil, and that continually. 

 Hence, it is laid, proceed all attual tranlgreffions. The 

 general caufe and ground of this propagation of a finful 

 nature, are referred originally to man's common intcieil iu 

 the guilt or coiidenination of Adam's firft fin ; but the man- 

 ner in which thin hereditary corruption is conveyed, \% not 

 particularly explained, though iume have fuppofed that it 

 may refult from the conftitutiun of the body, and the de- 

 pendence of the mind upon it. 



Father Malebranclie accounts for it from natural caufes 

 thus : men at this day retain, in the brain, all the traces 

 and imprcfiions of their firll parents. For all anim.ils pro- 

 duce their like, and with like traces in the brain ; whence 

 it is that animals of the lame kind have the fame fympa- 

 thies and antipathies, and do the lame tilings on the fame 

 5 £ occafioni ; 



