ADO 
£ul for a young man to adopt an elder, becaufe that it 
would have been contrary to the order of nature : nay, 
it was even required that the perfon who adopted ffiould 
be eighteen years older than his adopted fon, that there 
might at lead appear a probability of his being the natural 
father. 
To prevent rafb and inconfiderate adoptions, the Lace- 
doemonians had a law, that adoptions fhould be tranfaft- 
ed, or at lead confirmed, in the prefence of their kings. 
The children adopted were inveded with all the privileges, 
and obliged to perform all the duties, of natural children; 
and, being thus provided for in another family, ceafed to 
have any claim of inheritance, or kindred, in the family 
which they had left, unlefs they fird renounced their 
adoption; which, by the laws of Solon, they were not 
allowed to do, unlefs they had fird begotten children, to 
bear the name of the perfon who had adopted them: thus 
providing againd the ruin of families, which would other- 
wife have been extinguiflied by the defertion of thofe who 
had been adopted to preferve them. If the children 
adopted happened to die without children, the inheritance 
could not be alienated from the family into which they 
had been adopted, but returned to the relations of the 
adopter. It ihould feem, that, by the Athenian law, a 
perfon, after having adopted another, was not allowed to 
marry without permiflion from the magidrate : in effect, 
there are indances of perfons, who, being ill ufed by their 
adoptive children, petitioned for fuch leave. However 
this be, it is certain that fome men married after they 
had adopted fons: in which cafe, if they begat legiti¬ 
mate children, their edates were equally fliared between 
the begotten and adopted. 
Befides the formalities abovementioned, various other 
methods have taken place ; which have given denomina¬ 
tions to different fpecies of adoption, among the Gothic na¬ 
tions, in different ages. As, 
Adoption by Arms, was when a prince made a prefent 
of arms to a perfon, in confideration of his merit and va¬ 
lour. Thus it was that the king of the Heruli was adopted 
by Theodoric ; Athalaric by the emperor Judinian ; and 
Cofroes, nephew of the king of Perfia, by the emperor 
Judin.'—The obligation here laid on the adoptive fon was, 
to proteft and defend the father from injuries, affronts, 
&c. And hence, according to Selden, the ceremony of 
dubbing knights took its origin as well as name. 
Adoption by Baptifm, is that fpiritual affinity which 
is contradled by god-fathers and god-children in the cere¬ 
mony of baptifm. This kind of adoption was introduced 
into the Greek church, and came afterwards into ufe among 
the ancient Franks, as appears by the Capitulars of Char¬ 
lemagne. In reality, the god-father was fofar confidered 
as adoptive father, that his god-children were fuppofed to 
be intitled to a fhare in the inheritance of his edate. 
Adoption by Hair , was performed by cutting off the 
hair of a perfon, and giving it to the adoptive father. It 
was thus that pope John VIII. adopted Bofon king of 
Arles ; which, perhaps, is the only indance in hidory, of 
adoption, in the order of the ecclefiadics ; a law that pro- 
feffes to imitate nature, not daring to give children to thofe 
in whom it would be thought a crime to beget any. 
Adoption by Matrimony, is the taking the children 
eJi a wife or hufband, by a former marriage, into the con¬ 
dition of proper or natural children ; and admitting them 
to inherit on the fame footing with thofe of the prefent 
marriage. This is a praftice peculiar to the Germans ; 
among whom, it is more particularly known by the name 
of einkindjehaft ; among their writers in Latin, by that of 
unio proaum, or union of ijjues. But the more accurate 
writers obferve, that this is np adoption. See Adfilia- 
tion. I 
Adoption by Teflament, that performed by appoint¬ 
ing a perfon heir by will, on condition of his affuming the 
name, arms, &c. of the adopter. Of which kind we meet 
with fevcral indances in the Roman hidory, 
3 
ADO 123 
Among the Turks the ceremony of adoption is perform¬ 
ed by obliging the perfon adopted to pafs through the 
ffiirt of the adopter. Hence, among that people, to adopt 
is expreffied by the phrafe, to draw another through myJhirt. 
Adoption is alfo ufed, in theology, for a federal aft 
of God’s free grace ; whereby thofe who are regenerated 
by faith are admitted into his houfehold, and intitled tog 
fliare in the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. 
Adoption is fometimes alfo ufed, in fpeakingof the 
ancient clergy, who had a cudom of taking a maid or wi¬ 
dow into their houfes, under the denomination of an adop¬ 
tive, or fpiritual, fjler, or niece. 
Adoption is alfo ufed in fpealcing of the admiffion of 
perfons into certain hofpitals, particularly that of Lyons ; 
the adminidrators whereof have all the power and rights 
of parents over the children admitted. 
ADOPTIVE, adj. \_adoptivus, Lat.] He that is adopted 
by another, and made his fon. He that adopts another, 
and makes him his fon. 
ADORABLE, adj. \_adorable , Fr.] That which ought 
to be adored ; that which is worthy of divine honours.— 
On thefe two, the love of God and our neighbour, hang 
both the law and the prophets, fays the adorable Author 
of Chridianity ; and the Apoftle fays, the end of the law 
is charity. Cheyne. 
ADORABLENESS, f. The quality of being adorable; 
worthinefs of divine honours. 
ADORABLY, adv. In a manner worthy of adoration. 
ADORATION, f. \_adoratio, Lat.] The external ho. ? 
mage paid to- the Divinity, didinft from mental reverence-. 
Homage paid to perfons in high place or edeem : 
O ceremony, ffiew me but thy worth : 
What is thy toll, O adoration ! 
Art thou nought elfe but place, degree, and form^ 
Creating awe and fear in other men ? 
Wherein thou art lefs happy, being fear’d, 
Than they in fearing. 
What drink’d thou oft, indead of homage fweet, 
But poifon’d flattery ? Shakefpeare. 
The Romans praftifed adoration at facrifices, and other 
folemnities; in palling' by temples, altars, groves, &c. at 
the fight of datues, images, or the like, whether of done or 
wood, wherein any thing of divinity was fuppofed to re- 
fide. Ufually there were images of the gods placed at the 
gates of cities, for thofe who went in or out to pay their 
refpefts to. The ceremony of adoration among the an¬ 
cient Romans was thus : The devotee, having his head co¬ 
vered, applied his right hand to his lips, the tore-finger 
reding on his thumb, which was ereft, and thus bowing 
his head, turned himfelf round from left to right.—The 
Jewilh manner of adoration was by prodration, bowings 
and kneeling. The Chridians adopted the Grecian rather 
than the Roman method, and adored always uncovered. 
The ordinary podure of the ancient Chridians was kneel¬ 
ing, but on Sundays danding : and they had a peculiar re¬ 
gard to the ead, to which point they ordinarily direfted 
their prayers. 
The Perfian manner of adoration, introduced by Cyrus, 
was by bending the knee, and falling on the face at the 
prince’s feet, driking the earth with the forehead, and kif- 
iingthe ground. Thisceremony, which the Greeks called 
'TT^otry.vni'j, Conon refufed to perform to Artaxerxes, and 
Calidhenes to Alexander the Great, as reputing it impi¬ 
ous and unlawful. 
The adoration performed to the Roman and Grecian 
emperors confided in bowing or kneeling at the prince’s 
feet, laying hold of his purple robe, and prefently with¬ 
drawing the hand and clapping' it to the lips. Some-attri-, 
bute the origin of this practice to Condantiiu. It was 
only perfons of fome rank or dignity that were intitled to 
the honour. Bare kneeling before the emperor tp deliver 
a petition, was alfo coMed..adoration. 
The practice of adoration may bufuid to be dill fubfid*- 
ing 
