C E R 
rleties of this tree, one with a white, and the other hath 
a flefh-coloured, flower; but thefe have not half the beauty 
of the firft. Native.of the Levant, Spain, South of Franee, 
Italy near Rome, and on the Apennines, Japan, &c. Cul¬ 
tivated in 1596, by Gerard. 
2. Cercis canadenfls, or Canada judas-tree, or red bud- 
tree : leaves cordate pubefeent,. ovate, acute. This fort 
grows naturally in moll parts of North America, where it 
is called red-bud, from the red flower-buds appearing in the 
fpring before the leaves come out; it grows to a middling 
failure in the places where it is a native, but in England 
rarely riles with a item more than twelve feet high, but 
branches out near ti e root. The branches of this are 
weaker than thofe of the firft fort; the leaves are downy, 
and terminate in points ; whereas thofe of the firft are 
fmootli, and round at the end, where they are indented. 
The flowers of .th s are alfo fmaller, and do not make fio 
fine an appearance as thofe of the firft ; but the trees are 
equally hardy, and will thrive in the open air very well. 
The flowers of t ;s fort are frequently put into falads by 
the inhabitants of America; and the French in Canada 
pickle the flowers, but thefe have little flavour. I he vvood^ 
of this tree is of the fame colour and texture as that of 
the firft. Tiie young branches die wool of a very fine 
nankin colour. Cultivated 173°- 
Propagation and Culture. Thefe plants may be propa¬ 
gated by fowing' their feeds upon a bed of light earth, to¬ 
wards the latter end of March, or the beginning of April, 
(and, if you put a little hot dung under the bed, it will 
greatly facilitate the growth of the feeds ;) when the feeds 
are fown, fift the earth over them about half an inch thick; 
and, if the feafon prove wet, it will be proper to cover the 
bed with mats, to preferve it from great rains, which will 
fometimes burft the feeds, and caufe them to rot; the feeds 
will often remain till the fpring following before they come 
up, fo the ground mull not be difturbed till you are con¬ 
vinced that the plants are all come up ; for lome few may 
rife the firft year, and a greater number the fecond. When 
the plants are come up they fliould be carefully cleared 
from weeds, and in very dry weather muft be now and then 
refrefhed with water, which will greatly promote their 
growth. The winter following, if the weather is very 
cold, it will be proper to (belter the plants, by covering 
them either with mats or dry ftraw in hard frofts, but 
they fhould conftantly be opened in mild weather, other- 
wife they will grow mouldy and decay. About the begin¬ 
ning of April, you fliould prepare a fpot of good frefh 
ground, to tranfplant thefe out, (for the beft feafon to re¬ 
move them is juft before they begin to (hoot;) then you 
fliould carefully take up the plants, being careful not to 
break their roots, and plant them as floon as poflible, be- 
caufe,if their roots are dried by the air, it will greatly pre¬ 
judice them. The diftance thefe fhould be planted, muft 
be proportionable to the time they are to remain before 
they are again tranfplanted ; but commonly they are plant¬ 
ed two feet row from row, and a foot afunder in the rows, 
which is full room enough for them to grow two or three 
years, by which time they fhould be tranfplanted where 
they are defigned to remain ; for, if they are too old when 
removed, they feldom lucceed fo well as younger 
plants. 
The ground between the plants fliould be carefully kept 
clean from weeds in fummer, and in the fpring fliould be 
well dug to loofen the earth, that their roots may extend 
themfelves every way ; at that feafon prune off all ftrong 
fide branches, (efpecially if you intend to train them up 
for ftandard trees,) that their top branches may not be 
checked by their fide (hoots, which often attract the great- 
ell part of the nourifliment from the roots ; and, if their 
flems are crooked, you muft place a ftrong flake down by 
the.fide of each plant, and fallen the Item to it in feveral 
places, fo as to bring it llraight, which direction it will 
foontake as it grows larger, and thereby the plants will be 
rendered beautiful. When they have remained in this 
nurfery two or three years, they fhould be tranfplanted in 
C E R 39 
the fpring where they are defigned to remain, which may be 
in wildernefs quarters among other flowering trees, ob- 
ferving to place them with trees of the fame growth, foas 
they may not be overhung, which is a great prejudice to 
molt plants. 
CERCO'DIA, f. in botany. See Haloragis. 
CERCOPI'THECI, f the name given by Ray to mon¬ 
kies, or the clr.fs of apes with long tails. See Simia. 
CERCO'SIS, [from Hifjto?, Gr. a tail.] A difeafe of the 
clitoris, when it is enlarged, and hangs from the vagina 
like a tail. 
CER CY LA TOUR, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment ot the Nyevre, and chief place of a canton, in the 
diltrift of Decile: eight miles E.N E. of Decife. 
CER'CYON, a king of Eleniis, fon of Neptune, or, 
according to others, of Vulcan. He obliged all ftrangers 
to wreltie with him ; and, as he was a dexterous wreftler, 
they were eafily conquered and put to death. After many 
cruelties, he challenged Theleus in wreftling, and he was 
conquered and put to death by his antagonifl. His 
daughter, Alope, was loved by Neptune, by whom fire had 
a child. Cercyon expofed the child, called Hippothoon ; 
but he was prelerved, and placed upon his grandfather’s 
throne by Theleus. Ovid. —On this paflage Mr. Bryant 
obferves, that Cercyon originally meant a temple wherein 
human facrifices were offered, and that the Cercyonians 
were the prieils deputed to this cruel office ; moll of whom 
he fuppofes were perfons of great llrength and ftature, and 
of the race ot Anak. Enemies and ftrangers who were 
taken or feized, appear to have been compelled to fight 
with thefe prieils, either with the ceitus, or by wreltling; 
and this was looked upon as a more fpecious kind of facri- 
fice. Ancient hiftory affords numberlefs inftances of this 
ungenerous and cruel treatment of ftrangers ; and the laws 
of liofpitality were evaded under the fanilion of afacrifice 
to the gods. Thefe attributes of wreftling and boxing have 
been conferred upon many of the chief divinities. Hercules 
and Pollux (thofe imaginary beings) were of that num¬ 
ber ; yet they are reprefented upon earth as flurdy champi¬ 
ons, a kind of honourable banditti, who righted fome, and 
wronged many ; who would fuller nobody to do any mif- 
chief but themlelves. From thefe cultoms were derived the 
Nemean, Pythic, Olympic, and Delian, games. 
CERT) A (John Lewis), aSpanifh jefuit, native of To¬ 
ledo. He diltinguilhed himfelf by feveral productions, 
and the fame of his learning was fo great, that Urban VIII. 
is faid to have had his picture in his cabinet; and, when 
that pope fent his nephew cardinal Barberini ambaflador 
into Spain, it was part of his bufinefs to pay Cerda a vilit, 
and to allure him of the pope’s elteem. Cerda’s Commen¬ 
taries upon Virgil, have been much efteemed, and ufu- 
al!y read by critics and perfons of talle in the belles letti es. 
There is alfo of Cerda’s a volume of “ Adverfa Sacra,” 
which was printed in folio at Lyons, 1626. He died in 
1643, aged upwards of 80. 
CERDA'GNE (La), a country on the Pyrenees, situ¬ 
ated partly in Spain, in the province of Catalonia ; and 
partly in France, in what was formerly called RoujjiUon ; 
Puycerda is the capital of the former, as Mont Louis was 
of the latter. 
CER'DON, a town of France, in the department of the 
Ain : four leagues fouth-eaft of Bourg en Brefle. 
CERDO NIANS, ancient heretics, who maintained 
moft of the errors of Simon Magus, Saturninus, and the 
Manichees. They took their name from their leader Cer- 
don, a Syrian, who went to Rome in the time of pope Hy- 
ginus, and there abjured his errors ; but in appearance 
only ; for he was afterwards conviCled of perfifting in them, 
and expelled the church. Cerdon afierted two principles, 
the one good, the other evil : this laft, according to him, 
was the creator of the world, and the god that appeared 
under the old law. The firft, whom he called unknown, 
was the father of Chrill ; who, he taught, was incarnate 
only in appearance, and was not born ot a virgin; nor did 
lie luffer death but in appearance. He denied the refurrec- 
