A G A 
receivers, through a coarfe cloth or drainer, itisexpofed 
to a hot fun, until, the aqueous part being exhaled, it is 
reduced to a thick confidence. It may then be made up 
into balls, with the help of lye alhes, and it will lather 
with fait water as well as frefli. This foap may all'o be 
prepared by pounding the leaves in a wooden mortar, and 
then exprefling the juice, which may be brought to a con¬ 
fidence by the' fun or by boiling. One gallon of juice 
thus prepared will yield about one pound of a foft extraft. 
The juice, in both thefe ways, mud be carefully drained, 
•and the extradf mud never be combined with tallow or 
other unctuous materials. The leaves are alfo ufed for 
fcowering pewter and other kitchen utenfils, and floors. 
The inward fpongy fubftance of the decayed dalk is ufed 
for tinder. The fibres of the leaves, feparated by bruit¬ 
ing and deeping in water, and afterwards beating them, 
make a drong thread for common ufes. 
2. Agave vivipara, or viviparous or childing agave : 
fiemlefs; leaves toothed. This fpecies of aloe never 
grows to a large fize; the leaves are feldom more than a 
foot and a half long, and about two inches and a half 
broad at the bafe; it never produces any dickers from the 
root, and therefore cannot be increafed till it flowers. 
3. Agave Virginica, or Virginian agave: demlefs, her¬ 
baceous; leaves tooth-thorny. This is fo like the x fird 
fort, as not to be didinguiflied from it but by good judges. 
This fort, however, feldom puts out fo many offsets as 
the common aloe. 
4. Agave lurida: fubcaulefcent; leaves tooth-thorny. 
This alfo greatly refembles the fird. 
5. Agave tuberofa, or tuberous-rooted agave : caulef- 
cent; leaves tooth-thorny. This has never flowered in 
England. Indeed this and the preceding are doubtful fpe¬ 
cies, their fructification being unknown. 
6. Agave foetida, or fetid agave: caulefCent; leaves 
quite entire. A plant of this fpecies flowered in the Chel- 
fea garden in the year 1735. The dem began to fliootthe 
beginning of Oftober, and by the end of that month was 
upwards of ten feet high; by the end of November it 
was near twenty, and the lower lateral branches were up¬ 
wards of four feet long, the others decreafing. gradually, 
fo as to form a regular pyramid. In December the 1 
branches were clofely fet with flowers; and, in the fpring, 
when the flowers dropped off, they were fucceeded by 
young plants; dowers putting out roots as thdy fell 
into the pots that flood near, thereby became good plants. 
The old plant prelently after died. It was cultivated in 
1690, in the royal garden at Hampton Court. 
Propagation and Culture. The fird and third forts are 
hardy. Plants of the former have lived in the open air 
for fome years, in mild feafons; but in fevere winters they 
are always killed, if not fheltered. They are propagated 
by offsets, which the fird fends out in plenty. The third 
fort generally puts out fuckers enough for propagation, 
though, though not in fo great plenty as the fird. They 
flioulcl be plamed in pots or tubs filled with light fandy 
earth, and hotifed in winter with oranges, myrtles, See. 
and, during that feafon, flioulcl have but little wet. In 
the hummer they mud be placed abroad in the open air, 
where they may remain till toward the end of Odtober. 
The Vera-Cruz agave, being a little more tender than 
thefe, fiiould be hOnfed before them, and may remain 
in the green-houfe a little longer in the fpring. The fe- 
cond, fourth, and lixth, never produce offsets or fuckers 
from the root; they cannot, therefore, be increafed this 
way, except when they flower; at which time there will be 
abundance of them. They may however be increafed, 
by taking off fome of the larger roots, when the plants 
are drifted. The fecond, fifth, and fixth, with the karat- 
to and rigid agaves, are much more tender than the others, 
and cannot be preferved through the winter in England, 
unlefs they are placed in a warm dove; nor will they 
thrive if fet abroad in fummer: therefore they diould 
condantly remain in the ftove; obferving to let them en¬ 
joy a great fhare of free air in warm weather. They alfo 
AGE 19$ 
require a light fandy Cartli, and fiiould have little wet in 
winter; but in fummer they may be gently watered twice 
a week. If they have too much water, it rots their roots, 
and then their leaves will decay, and infefts will infeff 
them. They fhould be fliifted every fummer into frefh 
earth, but mud not be put into large pots; for, unlefs their 
roots are confined, the plants will not thrive. 
To AGAZE, v. a. [from a and gaze , to fet a gazing ; 
as, amaze , amufe, and others.] To drike with amazement ; 
to flupify with fudden terror. The verb is now out of 
ufe: 
So as they travell’d, fo they ’gap efpy 
An armed knight toward them gallop fad, 
That feemed from fome feared foe to fly. 
Or other grilly thing that him agajl. -- Spencer. 
AGAZED, part. adj. Struck with amazement; terri¬ 
fied to dupidity: 
Hundreds he fent to hell, and none durfl fland him; 
Here, there, and every where, enrag’d he flew: 
The French exclaim’d, “ The devil was in arms!” 
All the whole army flood agazed on him. Shahcfpcare. 
AGDE, a city of France, in Lower Languedoc, in the 
territory of Agadez, with a bifliop’s fee. The diocefe is 
fmall, but is one of the richefl countries in the kingdom. 
It produces fine wool, wine, oil, corn, and (ilk. It is feat- 
ed on the river Eraut, a mile and a quarter from its mouth, 
where it falls into the gulph of Lyons, and where there 
is a fort built to guard its entrance. It is well peopled; 
the houfes are built of black done, and there is an en¬ 
trance into the city by four gates. The greatefi part of 
the inhabitants are merchants or fearnen. The public 
buildings are but mean; the cathedral is fmall, and not 
very handfome; and the bifliop’s palace is an old building, 
but convenient. The city is extended along the river, 
where it forms a little port, wherein fmall craft may en¬ 
ter. Lat. 43.19. Ion. 3. 20. E. 
AGE,yi [age, Fr. anciently cage, or aage ; it is deduced 
by Menage from cetatium, of cetas-, by Junius, from aa , 
which, in the Teutonic dialedts, fignified long duration.] 
Any period of time attributed to fomething as the whole, 
or part, of its duration. 
Thus, among the ancient poets, this word was ufed for 
the fpace of thirty years; in which fenfe, age amounts to 
much the fame with generation. Thus, Nedor is faid to 
have lived three ages when he was ninety years old. By 
the ancient Greek hidorians, the time elapfed fince the 
beginning of the world is divided into three periods, which 
they called ages. The fird reaches from the creation to 
the deluge, which they called the obfeure or uncertain age, 
becaufe the hifiory of mankind is altogether uncertain du¬ 
ring that period. The fecond they call the fabulous or he¬ 
roic age, becaufe it is the period in which the fabulous 
exploits .of their gods and heroes are faid to have been 
performed. It began with the Ogygian deluge, and con¬ 
tinued to the fird Olympiad ; where the third or hifiorical 
age commenced. 
The interval fince the fird formation of man has been 
divided by the poets into four ages, didinguiflied by the 
epithets of golden, fiver, brazen, and iron. During the 
golden age, Saturn reigned in heaven, and juflice and in¬ 
nocence in this lower world. The earth then yielded her 
productions without culture; men held all things in com¬ 
mon, and lived in perfect friendfiiip. This period is fup- 
pofed to have laded till the expulfion of Saturn from his 
kingdom. The fiver age commenced when men began to 
deviate from the paths of virtue ; and, in confequence of 
this deviation, their lives became lefs happy. The bra¬ 
zen age commenced on a farther deviation ; and the iron 
age took place in confequence of one dill greater. A late 
author, however, refledung on the barbarifm of the fird 
ages, will have the order which the poets aflign to the 
four ages inverted; the fird being a time of rudenefsand 
ignorance, more properly denominated an iron than a 
golden 
