CON 
Enfweeping firft 
The lower Ikies, they all at once converge 
High to the crown of heaven. Thomfon. 
CONVER'GENT, or Converging, adj. Tending to 
one point from different parts. 
GONVER'GING, or Convergent Lines,/, in geo¬ 
metry, are thofe that continually" approximate, or whofe 
diftance becomes continually lefs and lefs the farther they 
are continued, till they meet: in oppofition to divergent 
lines, whofe diftance becomes continually greater. Lines 
that converge the one way, diverge the other. 
CONVER'GING RAYS,/ in optics, are fuch as in¬ 
cline towards one another In their paffage ; and in diop¬ 
trics, are thofe rays which, in their paffage out of one 
medium into another of a different denfity, are refradted 
towards one another; fo that, if far enough continued, 
they will meet in a point or focus. 
CONVER'GING SERIES, / A feries of terms or 
quantities, that always decreafe the farther they pro¬ 
ceed, or which tend to a certain magnitude or limit: in 
oppofition to diverging feries, or fuch as become larger 
and larger continually. See Series. 
CONVER'SABLE, adj. [from converf. It is fome- 
times written converjible, but improperly ; converfant , con¬ 
verfation, converfable.~\ Qualified for converfation ; fit for 
company ; well adapted to the reciprocal communication 
of thoughts; communicative.—That fire and levity which 
make the young fcarce converjible, when tempered by years, 
makes a gay old age. Addifon. 
CONVER'SABLENESS,/. The quality of being a 
pleafing companion ; fluency of talk. 
CONVER'SABLY, adv. In a converfable manner; 
with the qualities of a pleafing communicative com¬ 
panion. 
CONVERSA'NO, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of 
Naples, and province of Bari : the fee of a bilhop, fuffra- 
gan of Bari: fifteen miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Bari. 
CONVER'SANT, adj. \_convcrfant, Fr.] Acquainted 
with ; having a knowledge of any thing acquired by fa¬ 
miliarity and habitude; familiar: with in. —Let them 
make fome towns near to the mountain’s fide, where 
they may dwell together with neighbours, and be con - 
verjant in the view of the world. Sptnfer .—Having in- 
tercourfe with any ; acquainted ; familiar by cohabita¬ 
tion or fellowftiip ; cohabiting : with among or with .—■ 
All that Mofes commanded, Joftiua read before all the 
congregation of Ifrael, with the women, and the little 
ones, and the ftrangers that were converfant among them. 
JoJ'. viii. 35.—Old men who have loved young company, 
and been converfant continually with them, have been of 
long life. Bacon. 
Never to be infedled with delight, 
Nor converfant with eafe and idlenefs. Shakfpeare. 
Relating to ; having for its objedt; concerning : with 
about, formerly in. —The matters wherein church polity 
is converfant , are the public religious duties of the church. 
Hooker. —If any think education, becaufe .it is converfant 
about children, to be but a private and domeftic duty, he 
has been ignorantly bred himfelf. V/otton. 
CONVERSA'TION, /. [ converfatio , Lat.] Familiar 
difeourfe ; chat; eafy talk : oppoled to a formal con¬ 
ference.—She went to Pamela’s chamber, meaning to 
joy her thoughts with the fweet converfation of her filter. 
Sidney. —A particular act of difcourling upon any fub- 
iedl; as, we had a long converfation on that quefion .—Prac¬ 
tical habits x knowledge by long acquaintance.'—I fet 
down, out of long experience in bulinefs and much con¬ 
i’: fztion in books, what I thought pertinent to this bufi- 
nefs. Bacon .'—Behaviour; manner of adting in common 
life.'—Having your converfation honeft among the Gen¬ 
tiles. 1 Peter. —Commerce; interco.urfe ; familiarity.— 
The knowledge of men and manners, the freedom of ha¬ 
bitudes, and converfation with the beft company. Dryden. 
There is no part, perhaps, of focial life which affords 
Vol, V, No. 261, 
CON 149 
more real fatisfadlion than thofe hours which we devote 
to rational and unreferved converfation. In the condudl 
of it, however, much judicious management is required, 
added to a’determination to pleafb, and to be pleafed. 
Be not eager to interrupt others, or uneafy at being your- 
felf interrupted; fince you fpeak either to amufe or in- 
ftruft the company, or to receive thofe benefits from it. 
Give all, therefore, leave to fpeak in turn. Hear with 
patience, and anfwer with precaution. Inattention is ill 
manners; it: Sews contempt; and contempt is never for¬ 
given. Trouble not the company with your own pri¬ 
vate concerns, as you do not love to be troubled with 
thofe of others. Yours are as little to them as theirs are 
to you. You will need no other rule whereby to judge 
of this matter. Contrive, but with dexterity and pro¬ 
priety, that each perfon may have an opportunity' of diff 
courfing on the fubjedt with which he is beft acquainted. 
He will be pleafed, and you will perhaps be informed. 
By obferving this rule, every one has it in his power to 
afiift in rendering converfation agreeable ; fince, though 
lie may not choofe, or be qualified, to fay much himfelf, 
he can propofe queftions to thofe who’ are able to anfwer 
them. Avoid ffories, unlefs fhort, "pointed, and quite 
a-propos. He who deals in them, lays Swift, muft either 
have a large ftock, or a good memory, or muft often 
change his company. Some have a fet of them ftrung 
together like onions; they Rent the converfation by an 
early introdudtion of one, and then you muft have the 
fmell of the whole rope : there is an end of every thing 
elfe, perhaps, for that meeting, though you-may have 
heard all twenty times before. Talk often, but not 
long. T he talent of haranguing private company is in- 
fupportable. Senators and barrifters are apt to be guilty' 
of this error ; and members who have not the ability of 
haranguing in the houfe, will often do it out of the 
houfe. If the majority of the company be naturally' 
filent, the converfation will flag, unlefs it be often re¬ 
newed by one among them who can ftart new fubjedts. 
Forbear, however, if poflible, to broach a fecond, before 
the firft is out. There are thofe who repeatedly crofs 
upon and break into the converfation with a frefli topic, 
till they have touched upon all, and exhaufted none. 
Economy here is neceffary for mod people. Laugh not 
at your own wit and humour; leave that to the com¬ 
pany. When the converfation is flowing in a ferious and 
ufeful channel, never interrupt it by an ill-timed jeft. 
The ftrearn is Scattered, and cannot be again colledted. 
Difeourfe not in a whifper, or half-voice, to your next 
neighbour. It is ill-breeding, and, in fome degree, a 
fraud ; converfation-ftock being, as one has well ob~ 
ferved, a joint and common property. In refledtions on 
abfent people, go no farther than you would go if they 
were prefent. “ I refolve (fays bilhop Beveridge) ne¬ 
ver to fpeak of a man’s virtues to his face, nor of his 
faults behind his back.”—A golden rule ! the_obferva- 
tion of which would, at one ftroke, banifh flattery and 
defamation from the earth. 
CONVERSA'TION POINT, a head-land on the 
fouth-fide of a bay on the coaftof California. Lat. 32. 30. 
N. Ion. 119. W. 
CONVER'SATIVE, adj. Relating to public life, and 
commerce with men ; not contemplative.—Finding him 
little ftudious and contemplative, ihe chofe to endue him 
with converfative qualities of youth. JVotton. 
To CONVER'SE, v. n. [converfer, Fr. converfor, Lat.] 
To cohabit, with ; to hold intercourfe with ; to be a com¬ 
panion to : followed by with. —By approving the fenti- 
ments of a perfon with whom he convtrfd, in fuch parti¬ 
culars as were juft, he won him over from thofe points in 
which he was miftaken. Addifon. 
For him who'lonely loves 
To feek the diftant hills, and there convefe 
With nature. Thomfon. 
To be acquainted with ; to be familiar to action.—Men 
CQq then 
