ALT 
soils and more sunny exposures, the sta- 
mens are usually five or three. When the 
flowers first open, the peduncles are up 
right; as the flower's go off, they hang 
down; and when the seeds ripen, they 
again become upright. Dr. Withering ob- 
serves, that the flowers are upright, and 
open from nine in the morning till noon ; 
but if it rains, they do not open. After 
rain they become pendent ; but in the 
course of a few days, rise again. In gar- 
dens or dunghills, chick-weed sheds abun- 
dance of seeds, which are round, compress- 
ed, yellow, and rough, with little tubercles ; 
and thus becomes a troublesome weed ; but 
if it be not suffered to seed, it may be des- 
troyed, as it is annual, without much trou- 
ble. This species is a remarkable instance 
of the sleep of plants ; for every night the 
leaves approach in pairs, including with 
their upper surfaces the tender rudiments 
of the new shoots; and the uppermost pair 
but one, at the end of the stalk, is furnished 
with longer leaf-stalks than the others, so 
that they can close upon the terminating- 
pair, and protect the end of the branch. 
The young shoots and leaves, when boiled, 
can scarcely be distinguished from spring 
spinach, and are equally wholesome. Swine 
are very fond of it, cows and horses eat it ; 
sheep are indifferent to it ; and goats refuse 
it. This plant is found wild in most parts 
of th'e world. It is annual, and flowers al- 
most through the whole year. 
ALSTONIA, in botany, a genus of the 
Polyandria Monogynia class and order. 
Essen, char, corol. one-petalled, eight or 
ten-cleft : clefts alternated. There is but 
one species, a shrub found in South Ameri- 
ca. It is very smooth, and has the air of 
the bohea-tea, in the leaves, calyxes, and 
situations of the flowers. The dried leaves 
taste like those of Chinese tea. 
ALSTROEMERIA, in botany, a genus 
of the Hexandria Monogynia class and or- 
der : cor. six-petalled, somewhat two-lipped ; 
the lower petals tubular at the base : stamina 
declined. There are six species, all found 
in South America. 
ALT in music, a term applied to that 
part of the great scale of sounds which lies 
between F above the treble-cleft note and 
G in altissimo. 
ALTAR, a place upon which sacrifices 
were antieutly offered to some deity. 
The heathens at first made their altars 
only of turf ; in following times they were 
made of stone, of marble, of wood, and even 
of horn, as that of Apollo in Delos. Altars 
VOL. I. 
ALT 
differed in figure as well as in materials. 
Some were round, others square, and others 
oval. All of them were turned towards 
the east, and stood lower than the statues 
of the gods, and were generally adorned 
with sculpture, inscriptions, and the leaves 
and flowers of the particular tree consecrat- 
ed to tffe deity. Thus, the altars of Jupi- 
ter were decked with oak, those of Apollo 
with laurel, those of Venus with myrtle, and 
those of Minerva with olive. 
The height of altars also differed accord- 
ing to the different gods to whom they sa- 
crificed. Those of the celestial gods were 
raised to a great height above the ground ; 
those appointed for the terrestrial were al- 
most on a level with the surface of the 
earth; and, on the contrary, they dug a 
hole for the altars of the infernal gods. Ac- 
cording to Servius, the first were called nl- 
taria, the second arce, and the last crobiculi ■ 
but this distinction is no,t every where ob- 
served, for we find in the best authors, the 
word aril, as a general word, including the 
altars of celestial, infernal, and terrestrial 
gods. 
Before temples were in use, altars were 
erected sometimes in groves, sometimes in 
the high ways, and sometimes on the tops 
of mountains ; and it was a custom to en- 
grave Upon them the name, proper ensign, 
or character of the deity to whom they 
were consecrated. Thus, St. Paul observed 
an altar at Athens, with an inscription To 
the unknown God. 
In the great temples of ancient Rome, 
there were ordinarily three altars ; the first 
was placed in the sanctuary, at the foot of 
the statue of the divinity, upon which in- 
cense was burnt, and libations offered : the 
second was before the gate of the temple, 
and upon it they sacrificed the victims . 
and the third was a portable altar, upon 
which were placed the offerings and the sa- 
cred vessels. 
Besides these uses of the altars, the an- 
cients swore upon them, and swore by 
them in making alliances, confirming trea- 
ties of peace, and on other solemn occa- 
sions. Altars also served as a place of re- 
fuge and sanctuary to all those who fled to 
them, whatever crime they had committed. 
Altar is also used, among Christians, 
for the communion-table. 
ALTERNATE, in heraldry, is said in re- 
spect of the situation of the quarters. 
Thus the first and fourth quarters, and 
the second and third, are usually of the same 
nature, and are called alternate quarters. 
K 
