§3$ A P Y 
ufual fymptom, is yet wanting, as in what is called a dry 
afflima, a dry pleurify, &c. 
APULEl'US (Lucius), a Platonic philofopher, univer¬ 
sally known as the author of the Golden Afs. He lived 
in the Second century, under the Antonines ; and was born 
at Madaura, a Roman colony in Africa. He was a man 
of a curious and inquisitive difpofitjon, efpecially in reli¬ 
gious matters, which prompted him to take feveral jour¬ 
neys, and ro enter into feveral Societies of religion. He 
Spent his fortune in travelling; fo that, at his return to 
Rome, when he was about to dedicate himfelf to the Service 
of OSiris, lie had not money fufficient to defray the expence 
attending the ceremonies of his admifiion, and was obliged 
to pawn his clothes to raife the neceffary Sum. He Sup¬ 
ported himfelf afterwards by pleading caufes; but lie 
railed himfelf more by a .good marriage, than by his 
pleadings : a widow named Pudcntilla, who was very rich, 
fell in love with him. This marriage drew upon him a 
troublefome law-luit. The lady’s relations, pretending lie 
made ufe of forcery to gain her heart and money, accufed 
him of being a magician. Apuleius was under no great 
difficulty of making his defence. He fa id Pudentilla was 
neither- handSome nor young, nor fuch as could tempt him 
to have recourfe to enchantments. He alfotook notice of 
many inconveniences which attend the marrying of widows, 
and Spoke highly of the advantages of a maid above a wi¬ 
dow'. “ A handfome virgin (faid he), let her be ever fo 
poor, is abundantly portioned ; She brings to her huSband 
a heart quite new, together with the flower and firSt-fruits 
of her beauty. It is with great reafon that all huSbands 
Set So great a value upon the flower of virginity: all the 
other goods which a woman brings her hufband are of fuch 
a nature, that lie may return them again, if he has a mind 
to be under no obligation to her : but, virginity cannot be 
reflored, it remains in the poffeffion of the SirSt huSband. 
If you marry a widow, and She leaves you, She carries away 
all that She brought you.” This apology is Still extant, 
and is reckoned a very ffine piece. Apuleius was extremely 
indefatigable in his Studies; and compofed feveral books. 
He took great pleafure in declaiming, and was generally 
heard with applaufe. 
APU'LIA, the eaft fide of the kingdom of Naples, on 
the gulf ot Venice. It is divided into three territories, 
Gapitanata, Terra di Bari, and Otranto. 
APURI'MA, or Aforamac', a rapid river of Peru, 
in South America. 
A'PUS, Avis indica, in aftronomy, a constellation of the 
fouthern hemifphere, placed near the pole, between the 
triangulum auftrale and the chamelion, fuppofed torepre- 
fent the bird of paradife. 
APYC'NT SUO'NI,/ in niufic, founds distant one or 
more odtaves, and yet concord. 
APYC'NOS, f. in mulic, is faid of the diatonic genus, 
on account of its having Spacious intervals, in comparison 
of the chromatic and enharmonic. 
APYE'TOS,/ [from a priv. and ttvov, pus.~] Anepithet 
for a tumour that will not Suppurate. 
APY'REXY,/. [ccttvos^iu, Gr.] The abating or Slack¬ 
ening of a fever. 
APY'ROUS,/ a word applied to denote that property 
of fome bodies, by which they refill the molt violent fire 
without any fenfible alteration. Apyrous bodies ought to 
distinguished from thofe which are refractory. Refraftory 
fubffances are thofe which cannot by violent heat be fufed, 
whatever other alteration they may fuStain. But a body, 
properly apyrous, can neither be fufed by heat, nor can 
undergo any other change. Diamonds were long thought 
to be poffeffed of this property. But fome late experi¬ 
ments have Shewn, that diamonds may be entirely diSfipated 
or evaporated by heat, and are therefore not intitled to be 
ranked among apyrous fubltances. Perhaps there is no 
body in nature eflentially and rigoroufly apyrous ; but it 
is fufficient that there be bodies apyrous relatively to the 
degree of fire which art can produce, to intitle them to 
that name. 
A Q_ U 
A'QUA,/ [Lat.] A word Signifying water, very much 
ufed in chemical writings. 
Aqua Fortis, a name given to an impure nitrous acid, 
commonly ufed by dyers, brals-founders, See. and Serves 
as a menstruum for diffolving of Silver, and all other me¬ 
tals, except gold. It is ufually contaminated with a fmall 
quantity of marine acid. The artists w ho ufe nitrous add 
distinguish the common and lefs pure acid by the name of 
aqua fortis, and call the more concentrated acid Spirit oi 
nitre. This distinction appears to be of fome utility, and 
is therefore not improperly retained by chemical writers. 
The manufacturers of Soap in France and el.fewhere call 
their lixivium or foap-lees by the name of Strong water; 
and this name, cauforte, being consequently uSed to denote 
the cau flic alkali in recipes tor dying and other proceSTes, 
has given rife to Several mistakes. 
Aqua Mari'na, or Augi'tes, a precious (tone of a 
transparent green-blue colour, fuiible by the blow-pipe; 
it is nearly the Same both in form and fpecific gravity with 
the Peru emerald, and the chry Soli te. Its Specific gravity 
is about 2-72,' and its hardnefs nearly the fame as that of 
quartz. 
A qua Mirab'ilis. The wonderful wafer is prepared 
of cloves, galangals, cubebs, mace, cardomums, nutmegs, 
ginger, and Spirit of wine, digested twenty-four hours, then 
distilled. 
Aqjja Re'gia, or Re'gis, an acid compounded of a 
mixture of the nitrous and marine acids, the bales of which, 
together with a certain-portion of vital air different from 
what originally existed in the two acids, become combined 
in a manner which has not been clearly explained. When 
one or two parts of pale concentrated nitrous acid are mixed 
with four of marine acid, an eifervefcence loon takes place, 
and dephlogiSticated marine acid flies off in the elastic form, 
at the fame time that the mixture becomes of a deep red 
colour: it has obtained its name from its property of dif- 
folving gold, the royal metal of the alchemists, which is 
not perceptibly acted upon by either of the acids which 
compofe it. Aqua regia may be made by adding to nitrous 
acid any alkaline or earthy fait which contains the marine 
acid ; for the affinity of the nitrous acid to the bafe being 
in moft cafes Stronger than the marine, this lad is fet at 
liberty, and confequently the mixture, if the fait be not 
excellive in quantity, fo as to engage the whole of the ni-- 
trous acid, will contain a certain portion of both acids at 
liberty. An aqua regia wfill therefore be produced, which 
is not effentially impaired with refpect to common ufes by 
the portion of neutral fait fufpended in it. It is ufual to 
make aqua regia by diffolving fal ammoniac in about four 
times its weight of Strong nitrous acid ; but the refults of 
experiments mult vary considerably according to the nature 
and proportions of the ingredients made ufe of. 
The opinions and inferences of chemical writers refpeft- 
ing the nature of this mixed acid, are various. After the 
difcovery of the dephlogiSticated marine acid, it was con¬ 
cluded, that the nitrous acid performs the lame office with 
refpedt to the marine as the manganefe does; that is, in 
fadt, that it either deprives the marine acid of phlogiston, 
or affords vital air to combine with-it, or anfvvers both 
thefe purpofes. This general fuppofition is not however 
without Several difficulties. If the marine acid be enabled 
to calcine and diffolve gold, becauSe it has been dephlo¬ 
giSticated or aerated by the nitrous, it Should follow much 
more Strongly that the nitrous acid itfelf Should dilfolve 
that metal; whereas, in fact, it does not. And again, it 
has not been Shewn how this dephlogiSticated acid, which 
is fo volatile, and fo fparingly foluble in water, is retained 
in the folution; not to mention that no component part of 
the nitrous acid is found to efcape during the effervefcence, 
except the vital air which enters into the compofition of 
the gas which flies off. When the two acids are in due 
proportion, aqua regia mutt therefore consist of marine acid 
and nitrous acid, which lias an under-proportion of vital 
air, or is in the molt fuming State;- or, in other words, it 
contains the two bales of the acids, together with a lefs 
proportion 
