‘4So A M M 
their country. Juffin Martyr fays, that in his time there 
■were.ftill many Ammonites remaining; but Origen affures 
tis, that, when lie was living, they v\ere known only un¬ 
der the general name of Arabians. Thus was the pre¬ 
diction of Ezekiel, xxv. io. accomplilhed ; who (aid, that 
•the Ammonites fliould be deflroyed in fitch a manner as 
not to be remembered among the tuitions. 
AMMONI'TIS, a country of Arabia Petrsea, anciendy 
occupied by the children of Ammon, whence the appella¬ 
tion. Its limits, partly to the weft and partly to the north, 
•were, the river Jabbok, whofe con He is no where deter¬ 
mined ; though Jofephus fays, that it runs between Rab- 
bath-Ammon, or Philadelphia, and Gerafa, and falls in- 
the Jordan, 
AMMO'NIUS, furnamed Saccas, was born in Alex¬ 
andria, and flourifhcd about the beginning of the third 
•century. Pie was one of the mo ft celebrated philofophers 
of bis age ; and, adopting with alterations the Eccleilic 
philcfophy, laid the foundations of that feet which was 
diftinguilhed by tlie name of the New Platonics. This 
learned man was born of Chriftian parents, and educated 
in their religion; the external profefiion of which, it is 
fatd, he never deferted. As his genius was valt and com- 
prehenlive, Io were his projects bold and lingular: for he 
attempted a general coalition of all feCts, whether philo- 
fpphical or religious, by framing a fyftem of doitrines 
which he imagined calculated to unite them all, the Chrif¬ 
tians not excepted, in the mod perfeit harmony. In pur- 
fuance of this defign, he maintained, that the great prin¬ 
ciples of all philofophical and religions truths were to be 
found equally in all feits; that they differed from each 
other cniy in their method of exprefling them, and in fo'me 
opinions of little or no importance; and that, by a proper 
interpretation of their refpeitive feritiments, they might 
eafily be united into one body. Accordingly, all the Gen¬ 
tile religions, and even the Chriftian, were to be illufrra- 
ted and explained by the principles of this univerfal phi¬ 
losophy. In conformity to this plan, lie infilled, that all 
the religious fyftems of all nations fltould be reftored to 
their otiginal purity, and reduced to their primitive ftand- 
ard, viz. the ancient philofophy of the Eafr, preferved un¬ 
corrupted by Plato : and he affirmed, that this projeft was 
agreeable to the intentions of our Saviour; whofe foie 
view in-defeending upon earth was to fet bounds to the 
feigning fuperflition, to remove tire errors that had blend¬ 
ed themfelves with the religions of all nations, but not to 
aboli(l) file ancient theology from which they were derived. 
In order to reconcile the popular religions, and particu¬ 
larly the Chriflian, with tIris new fyftem, he made the 
whole hiftory of the heathen gods an allegory; maintain¬ 
ing that they were only celeftial nrinifters, intitled to an 
inferior kind of worfhip. This fyftem, fo plaufible in its 
firft rife, but fo comprehenfive and complying in its pro- 
grefs, lias been the fd-urcc of innumerable errors and cor¬ 
ruptions in the Chriftian church. At its firft cftablifli- 
ment, it is fa]d to lrave had the approbation of Athenago- 
ras Pantaenus, and Clemens the Alexandrian, and of all 
who had the care of the public fchool belonging to the 
Chriftians at Alexandria. It was afterwards adopted by 
Longinus, the celebrated author of the treatife on the 
Sublime, Plotinus, Kerennius, Origen, Porphyry, Jam- 
btichus the difciple of Porphyry, Sopater, Edilius, Eu- 
ffathiuS, Maxihiiis of Ephefus, Prifcus, Chryfanthius the 
mafter of Julian, Julian the apoftate, Hieroclis, Proclus, 
and many others, both Pagans and Chriftians. 
Ammonius, furnamed Lithotome, a celebrated fur- 
geon of Alexandria ; fo called from his inventing the o- 
peration of extrniting the (tone from the bladder. 
AMMU Nl'TlON,/! [fnppofed by fofne to come from 
amonitio, which, in the barbarous ages, feems to have fig- 
nified fupp-ly of provifion; but it furely may be more rea- 
fonably deiived from munitio, fortification ; chofes a muni¬ 
tions, things for the fortreffeS.] A general name for all 
warlike provifionS; but more particularly powder; ball, 
&c. Ammunition, arms, utenlils of.war, gun-powder, im- 
A M O 
ported without licence from his majefty, are, by the laws 
o"f England, forfeited, and triple the value.' And again, 
fuch licence obtained, except for furnifhing his majefty’s 
public (lores, is to be void, and the offender to incur a 
(premunire, and to be difabled to hold any office from the 
crown. 
Ammunition Bread, Shoes, See. fuch as are ferved 
out to. the foldiers of an army or garrifoii. 
AM'NESTY,/! \amvjlie , Fr. amrrfdn, Lat. of 
Gr.] An ait of oblivion ; an ait by which crimes again It 
the government, to a certain time, are fo obliterated, that 
they can never be brought into charge. 
AMNI'COLIST, f. [ amnicola , Lat.] Inhabiting near 
a river. 
AMNPGENOUS, f. [amnigenus , Lat.] Bred in or near 
a river. 
AM'NION, or Amnios, A- [Martinus thinks it is de¬ 
rived from, or hath its name in allulion to, ciy-nov, a veffel.] 
The internal membrane which lurrounds the foetus. It 
is a fine, thin, tranfparent, membrane,, fo ft but tough, 
fniooth on its infide, but rough on the outer. Dr. Hunter 
fays, that it runs over the internal lurface of the placenta, 
and that this membrane, which feems not valcular in the 
human fubjeit, makes the external covering of the navel- 
ftring, to which it is molt firmly united ; and that, viewed 
in a microfcope, it appears to have blood-veffels, but they 
are lymphatics. However the exifrence of the allantois 
may be difputed in the human fubjeif, the ainnion is found 
in all animals both viviparous and oviparous. 
AM'NON, [pER, Heb. i. e. true; alfo an artificer or 
fclioobnafter.] The firft-born fon of king David. 
AMOEBjE'UM, f. in ancient poetry, a kind of poem 
reprefenting a difpute between two perfons-, v lio are made 
to anfwer each other alternately: fuch are the third and 
feventh of Virgil’s eclogues. 
AMO'L, a town of Alia, in the country of theUfbecks, 
feated on the river Gihon. Lat. 39. 20. N. Ion. 64.. 30. E. 
AMO'MUM , f. [a/zii/xoK, Gr. from tire Arabic.] In 
botany, ranks in the natural order of feitamineae. The 
generic characters are—Calyx : perianthium one-leafetl, 
cylindraceous, unequally trifid. Corolla: monopejaloirs, 
funnel-ftiaped ; tube cylindraceous ; border three-parted, 
parts oblong, fpreading. Niila'ry two-leaved or two¬ 
lipped ; lower lip inlerted tinder the upper fegment of the 
corolla, fpreading, almoft erect, entire or three-lobed. 
Stamina: filament none, except the upper lip of the nec¬ 
tary, fmaller than the lower and oppoiite to it, acuminate 
or three-lobed at the tip ; along the middle or at the end 
of which grows longitudinally a large oblong anthera, 
germinate, or divided by a longitudinal furrow into two, 
which are one-valved. PiftiUum : germ inferior, oblong; 
ftyle filiform, drawn through the future of the anthenc ; 
ftigma turbinate, obtufe, ciliate. Pericardium: capfule 
flefhy, ovate, three-cornered, three-celled, thrCe-valved. 
Seeds feveral, covered with a fort of berried aril. The 
inflorefcence is in a fpike on a diftinit fcape .—EJfential 
CharaEler. Calyx : trifid, unequal, cylindrical. Corolla : 
three-parted, unequal, fpreading. Neilary two-lipped, 
almoft ereiL 
Species. 1. Amomum zinziber, or narrow-leaved gin¬ 
ger: fcape middle-fized, fpike ovate, leaves linear-lan¬ 
ceolate. It is a native of the Eaft Indies, and other coun¬ 
tries of Afia ; and is largely cultivated both tiiere and in 
the Weft Indies. The dried roots fiirnifh a conliderable 
export from our Weft-India iflands. Thefe roots, it is 
well known, are of great life both in the kitchen and in 
medicine; and, preferved green as a fweetmeat, are pre¬ 
ferable to every other fort. It flowers With 11s in Septem¬ 
ber. The root of ginger appears to be much lefs liable 
to heat the conftitution, than might be expeited from the 
penetrating warmth and pungency of its tafte. It gives 
out tire whole of its virtue to reitified fpirit, and great 
part of it to water. The fpirituous tiniture infpi (Faffed 
yields a fiery ex trail, frnellsng modeMfCly of the ging'O'r. 
A fyr.up made from an infufion of three or four ounces, of 
