GG 
■E U N 
fo high as that of emafculating the males in Upper 
Egypt. This unfufpected but mod abominable practice 
is termed in the Arabic, chafadh and lire perfon 
who performs it ll confifts in cutting off the 
clitoris, a little before the period of puberty. Oui 
Africa aut Afta pla'gis Peragratis, primi hunc exfecandi morem 
Occidcntalibus narravere aubiores, ab ore incolarum re accepts!, 
et novitate ejus perculfi, de modi) excifionis toto cedo errareJ'olent , 
■nymphas exfecari perhi.bentes: prorfus inepte quidon,J'ed fepta 
pudicitid vitam agentibus , nunquam illis nudam ve/e longinquo 
vidijje , multo minus muliebria attrettavijfe, uti manifejhtm, con - 
tigerdt'. —Strabo is apparently the fir ft who mentions this 
cufiom, which is neverthelel's undoubtedly very ancient. 
Lib. xvii. 
-- nai to. nciihx TTifirep-mv, v.a i 7 a Svfau evUep-niv, &c. 
“ Thirteen or fourteenyoung females (fays Mr. Browne) 
underwent ijxsbA. in an houfe where I was. It was per- 
formed by a woman, and fome of them complained much 
of the pain, both at and after it. They were prevented 
from locomotion, but permitted to eat meat. The parts 
v. ere walhed every twelve hours with warm water, which 
profufe fuppuration rendered neceffary. At the end of 
eight days the greater part were in a condition to walk, 
and were liberated from their confinement. The opera¬ 
tion produces an artificial impediment to the vagina, with 
a view to prevent coition. This cruel practice occurs 
mod frequently in the cafe of Oaves, whofe value would 
be diminilhed by impregnation, or even by the common 
refult of.coition, though unaccompanied by conception. 
It is alfo often adopted towards girls who are free, in cafes 
where the impulfe to venery is too ftrong to be counteract - 
ed by any lefs impediment. This operation is performed 
from eight to fixteen years of age, but commonly from 
eleven to twelve; nor are they who undergo it always 
virgins. In fome the parts are more eafily formed to 
cohere than in others. There are cafes in which the 
barrier becomes fo firm, that the embrace cannot after-, 
wards be received but by the previous application of a 
iharp inftrument. Ouoties aut.em combulatio forticr meatus 
etiam urinarii oditum claudere 7n1n.cJ.ur , pluma vcl offed quadam 
tubuld adhibitd, illam in ore urethra infer unt, ibidemque tenent, 
vfque dum c'analis majoris aditui ampliusinvigilare non fit opus." 
See Browne’s Travels in Africa, qto. p. 3+7—349. This 
appears to be a different operation from that oi^fpaying 
or eradicating the ovarium, which there is evidence to 
fhew has been alfo praCtifed upon women—a wicked but 
mod effectual mode of counteracting the primary command 
of the Deity, increafe and multiply, and replcnifh the earth. 
Genefis. 
The ingenious Dr. Burney has taken much pains fo 
prove, that emafculation injures not the menjal or manly 
endowments, fo far as relate to the arts of invention, in¬ 
genuity, and courage. But however this may be in fome 
particular cafes, general experience, and obfervation on 
the brute fpecies certainly prove tire contrary. And 
with refpeCt to the licenfe fuppofffd to be given to this 
praftice from various readings in the facred Scriptures, it 
be fufficiept to obferve, that the term eunuch is there ap¬ 
plied to the (late of fervitude, or to the hr/lding of places 
of confidence and truft, as the etymology of the word 
evinces ; and not to the unnatural difmerpberment of the 
nobleft organ of human frame—that whereby the propa¬ 
gation of the fpecies can alone be carried on. Origen,. 
from a religious motive, was induced to caftrate himfelf, 
by thus milapplying the following words'of our. Saviour: 
“ and : eunuclis who made themfelves eunuchs for the. 
kingdom of heaven which clearly implies no more 
than perfons who devoted themfelves. to the fervices of 
the Chriftian religion. Though human reafort cannot 
but confider this practice in the molt.deteftable point,of 
view, yet it is carried on without fhame or remorfe, not 
enly in almoft all the countries where the Mohammedan 
religion prevails, but even in a Chriftian country, Italy, 
E V O 
once fo famousfof its manly virtues. It is to the honour 
of England, that even its earlieft laws wifely provided 
againft this unnatural excifion. See the article Castra¬ 
tion, vol. iii. p. 891. 
To EU'NUCHATE, v. a. To make an eunuch,—It 
were an impoffible aCt to eunuchate or caftrate themfelves. 
Brown. 
EU'NUS, a Syrian (lave who inflamed the minds of 
the fervile multitude by pretended infpiration and en- 
thufiafm. He filled a nut with fulphur in his mouth, 
and by artfully conveying fire to it, he breathed out 
flames to the aftonifhment of the people, who believed 
him to be a god, or fomething more than human. Op- 
preffion and mifery compelled two thoufand Haves to join 
liis caufe, and he foon faw himfelf at the head of fifty 
thoufand men. With fuch a force he defeated the Ro¬ 
man armies, till Perpenna obliged him to furrender by 
famine, and expofed on a crofs the greateft part of his 
followers; before Chrift 132. Plutarch. 
EVOCA'TI,/I foldiers among the ancient Romans, 
who having ferved their full time in the army, went after¬ 
wards as volunteers at the requeft of fome favourite ge¬ 
neral ; on which account they were called by the honour¬ 
able epithets of Emeriti and Bencfciarii. 
EVOCA'TION, f. \_evocatio, Lat.] The aCt of calling 
out.—Would truth diipenfe, we could be content with 
Plato, that knowledge were but remembrance, that in¬ 
tellectual acquifition were but reminilcential evocation .. 
Brown. 
EUO'DI A, f. in botany. See Agathophyllum and 
Fagara. 
EUO'DIAS, the name of a woman. 
EVOI.A'TIC, adj. [e, from, and volo, Lat. to fly.] 
Flying abroad ; apt to fly off. 
EVOLA'TION,/. [from evolo, Lat.] TheaCt of flying 
away. 
E'VOLI, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, 
and province of Principato Citra : fifteen miles eaft-fouth- 
eaft of Salerno. 
TeEVOL'VE, v.a. \_evolvo, Lat. ] To unfold ; to dif- 
entangle.—The animal foul fooner expands and evolves 
itfelf to its full orb and extent than the human foul. Hale. 
ToEVOL'VE, v.a. To open itfelf; to difclofe itfelf: 
Ambrofial odours 
Do round the air evolving fcents diffufe ; 
The holy ground is wet with heav’nly dews. Prior. 
EVOL'VENT, f. in the higher geometry, a term ufed 
by fome writers for the involute or curve refulting from 
the evolution of a curve, in contradiftinCtion to that evo- 
lute, or curve fuppofed to be opened or evolved. 
E'VOLUTE, f. in the higher geometry, a curve firft: 
propofed by Huyghens, and lince much ftudied by mathe¬ 
maticians, It is any curve fuppofed to be evolved or 
opened, by having a thread wrapped clofe upon it, faft- 
ened at one end, and beginning to evolve or unwind the 
thread from the other end, keeping the part evolved or 
wound off tight ftretched ; then this end of tire thread 
will deferibe another curve, called the involute. Or the 
fame involute is defertbed the contrary way, by wrapping 
the thread upon the evolute keeping it always ftretched. 
lmperfcEl Evolute, is a name given by M. Reaumur to 
a new kind of evolute. The mathematicians had hither¬ 
to only conlidered the perpendiculars let fall from the in¬ 
volute on the convex fide of the evolute: but if other 
lines not perpendicular be drawn upon the fame points, 
provided they be all drawn under the fame angle, the 
effeil will (till be the fame ; that is, the oblique lines 
.will all interleCt in the curve, and by their interfeCtions 
form the infinitely, fmall lides of a new curve, to which 
they would be lo many tangents. Such a curve is a kind 
of evolute,- and has its radii; but-it is an imperfeCt one, 
fince. the radii are not perpendicular to the firft Curve or 
involute. _ • ' •* 
EVOLU'TI©N, f. [evolutus, Lat.] The aCt of un¬ 
rolling or unfolding.—.The fpontaneous coagulation of 
