S T A 



S T A 



of St. MicJiael, this order was abob'Hied by his fon 

 Charles VIII. 



The enfijjn of this order was the four capital letters 

 M. R. A. v., embroidered in gold within a fquare on the 

 left bread of the knight's garment ; between the letters a 

 miiilet of eight points, the point in bafe wavy; and larger 

 than the otlier ; over the mullet a crown, compofed of 

 fleurs-de-lis and balls. The collar was three rows of gold 

 chains ; thereon rofes enamelled white and red, and placed 

 alternately. 



Juftiniani mentions another order of the Star, at Mefiina, 

 in Sicily, called alfo the oriitr nf the Crefcent. This was 

 inltituted in the year 1268, by Charles of Anjou, brother 

 of St. Louis, king of the Two Sicilies. 



According to cithers, this order was inftituted in 1 351, 

 when the princes of the houfe of Anjou being driven out of 

 the kingdom of Naples, and Sicily falling again under the 

 dominion of the kings of Aragon, this order, it is faid, 

 was eftablifhed in lieu of that of the Crefcent, which was 

 then aboli(hed,as is this order alfo. The badge of the order 

 was a ilar of eight points, furmounted with a mullet of eight 

 points. 



Others will have it inftituted in 1464, by Renatus, duke 

 of Anjou, who took the title of king of Sicily. At leall 

 it appears, from the arms of this prince, that he made fome 

 alteration in tlie collar of the order ; for, inftead of fleurs- 

 de-lis, and ilars, he only bore two chains, whence hung 

 a crefcent, with the old French word lo% ; which, in the 

 language of rebus, fignified loz in a crefcent. 



The order, being funk into obfcurity, was raifed again by 

 the people of Mefiina, under the name of the " Noble Aca- 

 demy of the Knights of the Star," reducing the ancient 

 collar to a fingle Itar, placed on a forked crofs ; and the 

 number of knights to flxty-tvvo. Their device was mon- 

 stuant regibus astra viam : which they exprefi'cd by 



MR 

 the four initial letters * with the ftar in the middle. 

 AV 

 Star, Order of the Polar. See Polar. 

 Star of yllexandria, in Botany. See OrMitiiogalvm. 

 STAK-y///>/f. See Chrysophvllum. 

 St AR- F/omer. See Oknithogai.um. 

 Stak- Hyacinth. See Scilla. 

 Star of BethUhcm. See Ounitiiogalum. 

 Star nf the Earth, the name of a plant famous for its 

 virtues in curing the bite of a mad dog. The original ac- 

 count of its nature and virtues feems to be this : king James 

 fent to the Royal Society a dried fpecimen of a plant, 

 which had been fent to him as the plant with which his uogs 

 had been cured when bitten by a mad dog, and the name by 

 which this was called was Jlar of the earth. 



This plant was fo ill dried, that it was not cafily diftin- 

 guifhed ; but at length Mr. Ray ffiund it to be the fefamoides 

 falamanticum magnum. It does not iecm, however, clear, 

 that this was the plant vulgarly known by that name, but 

 rather that it was gathered by fome ignorant perfon ; neither 

 the name ftar of the earth at all agreeing with it, nor any 

 account having been given before of its having fuch virtues. 

 Dr. Grey, in his Complete Farrier, greatly recommends the 

 ftar of the earth in the cure of this bite, and the plant he 

 means is plainly the coronopus, or buck's-horn-plantain ; and, 

 upon the whole, it feems that this hit mentioned is the plant 

 properly called by this name, as its virtues have always been 

 celebrated even in this cafe, and its leaves always are dif- 

 pofcd on the earth in the form of the rays of a liar. It is 

 to be added to this, that the countefs of Si'ftolk's pow- 

 der, fo famous in many places for this terrible dileafc, and 

 Vol. XXXIII. 



by which ferral perfons have been known to be cured, is 

 principally tmpofed of this plant. Phil. Tranf. N^ 450. 

 p. 155. 



Star-F1/ called alfo the Sea-JIar, in Ichthyology, is the 

 general nam for the Linnaan genus Asteri.^.s ; under 

 which term le feveral fpecies are enumerated without de- 

 fcription. 'here are more than forty fpecies, leparated into 

 fediions, accrding an the individuals are lunate, ftellate, or 

 radiate. 



A. Lunate, 

 Species. 



NoBiLis. Granulous, with a ridge round the margin, 

 the diflc of wlch is glabrous. It is found in the North feas. 



PuLVlLLU. Lubricous, with an entire iiinple margin. 

 This is foundn the North feas. It is defcribed as having 

 a body conve above, covered with a (mootli fanguineous 

 flcin tratifverfty in particular parts ; befet towards the mar- 

 gin with foft btufe white fpines, about the fize of a grain 

 of millet-feed, and divided into ten arcae ; the margin is not 

 articulate, buirough in the angles, with about ten acute 

 papiUx ; beneth, the body is concave, fmooth, whitilh, 

 with a rofy tiije, and hollowed by five grooves each fide, 

 covered with brizontal batons. It tinges warm water with 

 a tawny coloui 



MiLiTARis. Every where granulous, with a granulous 

 margin. It is'ound in the North feas. 



Luna. Onicular, entire. It inhabits India. The body 

 is compreffed, aid every where fprinkled with raifed dots. 



B. Stellate. 



*Papposa. This fpecies has from twelve to fourteen 

 rays, the edgesof which are furrounded with (hort fafcicu- 

 lar procedis ; tie furface is muricate. It inhabits the Eu- 

 ropean and Afetic feas. The body above is ferruginous, 

 the difli fpottec with white ; the rays are paler at the ends ; 

 beneath whitifh with paler papilla and black grooves down 

 the rays ; the (ifli is tinged with red ; the rays are from 

 II to 15 ; it islanceolate, and a little convex above. 



Si'ONGiosA. This fpecies is roughifti ; with five femi- 

 cylindrical obtue rays, unarmed at the edge;;. It inhabits 

 the Greenland Teas, and is not three-quarters of an inch in 

 diameter. The body is of a pale reddilh, with a very mi- 

 nute and red central protuberance above, and rough, with 

 minute crowded fpines ; the rays are infleftcd at the edges. 



* Rubens. Lax, with five lanceolate, convex rays, co- 

 vered above witl fingle fpines, difpofed in rows. This is the 

 Aiterias hifpida of Pennant. It inhabits the ocean, and is 

 from nine to fourteen inches in diameter. The body above 

 is red, pale orange, ycllowifii, cinereous or black, fome- 

 times violet ; it has from four to fix rays, with four rows of 

 papilla: beneath ; the tubercles are fomctimes fcatterid, or 

 difpofed in rows. In fome of the individuals there are no 

 prickles, and in fome no briftles. 



''■ Siii'OsiTA. With five round rays, reticulate beneath, 

 and covered above with peftuiate prickles. This is the 

 Afterias fpinofa of Pennant. It is very fmall, and found in 

 the European feas. 



Endeca. With nine rays, every where covered with 

 peAinate prickles. There is a variety of this fpecies. It 

 is found in the North feas ; and the rays are from five to 

 nine. 



MiNUTA. With fix rays, the edges wiili diilaiu, pro- 

 jeAing, fafcicular pnicefies. It inhabits the Norlhem feas. 

 The body is of a pale yellow ; about two lines and a half 

 in diameter ; and flat on each fide. 



5 G • GtA- 



