F I C 
F I C 
afforded him ; and, befides his progrefs in the languages 
and philofophy, diflinguifhed himfelf by the knowledge 
which he acquired in tiie belles-lettres, medicine, and 
theology, as well as by his tafte in vocal and inflrumental 
mu fie. Some of the firft fruits of his (Indies which he 
pfefented r o his patron were, tranflations into Latin verfe 
ot the Paemander, and Afclepius, at that time attributed 
to Hermes Trifmegiftns ; and the Hymns of Orpheus, 
which he (ling, and accompanied his voice with his harp. 
By way of reward, as well as of encouragement to his 
future exertions, Cofmo bellowed upon him an eflate 
near Careggi, in the territory of Florence, and a houfe 
in the city, together with fotne Greek manufcripts, beau¬ 
tifully written, and richly ornamented. When that pa. 
tron of literature had founded his academy, he nominated 
Ficinus to the ftation of pfefident. After this appoint¬ 
ment, Ficinus applied himfelf to the tranflation of the 
whole of Plato’s works into the Latin language; 'which 
was firft primed at Florence in Gothic characters, but 
without any date on the title-page. He is faid to have 
completed this work when he was only thirty-five years 
or age. His tranflation of Plotinus he undertook princi¬ 
pally at the felicitation of John Picus of Mirandola, and 
to his tranflations from the works of lamblicus, Proclus, 
Synefius, Pfelius, Theophraftus, and other Platonifts. 
After the death of Cofmo, Ficinus found liberal patrons 
in his fon Pietro, and his gr.mufon Lorenzo the Magnifi¬ 
cent. By the former, copies of his tranflation of Plato’s 
works were difperfed throughout Europe, and he was 
encouraged to deliver a feries of lectures iir illuflration of 
them, at the univerfity of Florence. The'fame of thefe 
lectures form Ipread to the remote'll parts, and drety a 
vafi concourfe of auditors to his fchool. Among his dif- 
ciples were many who became celebrated for their fcience 
and literature, or tor the dignified (lations which they af¬ 
terwards filled. Ficinus was now induced to embrace the 
ecch fiaftical profefiion, and to devote the greater part of 
his attention to theological (Indies. He was very afliduous 
in t> e diicharge ot his profeffional duties, and preached, 
as he had prefided in the philosophical chair, with great 
acceptability and applaule. His fermons, however, were 
ftrongly tinctured with the mylticifm of his philofophical 
Fchool. '1 he leifure time which Ficinus could fpare from 
his various avocations, was (pent in the pleafant retreat for 
w hich he was indebted to the munificence of the houfe of 
Medici. Indeed, fo delicate was his constitution, that a 
change of air was frequently neceffary for his recovery from 
•the dilorders which were brought upon him by a too clofe 
confinement to his (tudies at Florence, and his great exer¬ 
tion in his different engagements. In his retreat he was ge¬ 
nerally accompanied by a few chofen friends, with whom 
he fpent his time in literary converfation, and innocent 
amufements; taking peculiar pleafure in (hewing good 
offices to men of talents and genius, and in afts of bene¬ 
volence towards the neeefihous and unfortunate. He died 
there in 1499, about the age of fixty-fix. His works were 
collected together and -publilhed, in 2 vols. folio, at Ve¬ 
nice in 1516, at Balil in 1361 and 1576, and at Paris in 
1641. In a Separate form, the author’s tranflation of the 
works of Plato was printed at Venice in 1491, at l.yons 
in 1590, and at Frankfort in 1602 ; his tranflation of the 
works of Plotinus, at Bafil in 1580; and his epiftles, in 
twelve books, containing numerous treatifes, at Venice in 
1495, folio, and at Nuremberg in 1497, quarto. 
FIC'KLE, adj. [picol, Sax.] Changeable; inconflant; 
irrefolute ; wavering; unfleady; mutable; changeful 3 
without Heady adherence: 
Remember where we are, 
In France ainongft a fickle wavering nation. Shakefpeare , 
Or liked hovering dreams, 
Th e fickle penfioners of Morpheus* train. Milton. 
T >Ve in vain the fickle fex purfue, 
Who change the condant lover .for the new. Prior . 
Vol.VII. No.432. 
49 
Not fixed ; fubjeft to viciditude : 
He would be loth 
Us to abolifti ; led the adverfary 
Triumph, and fay, fickle their date, whom God 
Mod favours! Milton. 
FIC'KLENESS, f. Incondancy; uncertainty ; unde3- 
dinefs.—Whether out of ficklcncfis or defign I can’t tell; 
I found that what die liked one day (he didiked another. 
Addifon. 
1 am a foldier, and unapt to weep. 
Or to exclaim on fortune’s ficklenfis. Shakefpeare „ 
FIC'KLY, adv. Without certainty or dabilify : 
Do not now. 
Like a young wadeful heir, mortgage the hopes 
Of godlike majefty on bankrupt terms. 
To raife a prefent pow’r that’s fickly held 
By the frail tenure of the people’s will. Southern, 
FI'CO, f. [Italian.] An aft of contempt done with 
the fingers, exprefling a fig for you. —Having once reco¬ 
vered his fortrefs, he then gives the fico to his adverfa- 
ries. Carew. 
FICOI DE'A, f . in botany. See Aizoon. 
FICOl'DES. See Aizoon, Cactus, Crassula, 
and MeskmbrYANTHEMUM. 
FIC'TILE, adj. [ fidilis, Lnt.] Moulded into form ; 
manufactured by the potter.—The caufe of fragility is an 
impotency to be extended: and therefore done is more 
fragil than metal, and fo fidile earth is more fra'gil than 
crude earth. Bacon. 
FIC'TION, f. \_fidio, Lat . fidion, Fr.j The aft of 
feigning or inventing.— FiElion is of the effence of poetry, 
as well as of painting : there is a refemblance in one of 
human bodies, tilings, and aftions, which are not real; 
and in the other of a true dory by a fidion. Dryden .—The 
thing feigned or invented.—So alfo was the fidion of thofe 
golden apples kept by a dragon, taken from the ferpent 
which tempted Eve. Raleigh. —A falfehood; a lie. 
JftC'TION OF LAW, [fidio juris, Lat.] This is al¬ 
lowed of in feveral cafes in the Englifli jurifprudence : but 
it mud be framed according to the rules of law, not what 
is imaginable in the conceptions of man ; and there ought 
to be equity and poflibility in every legal fiftion. There 
are many of thefe fiftions in the civil law ; and by fome 
civilians, it is faid to be an affumption of law upon an 
untruth, fora truth in fomething pollible to be done, but 
not done. The feifin of the conufee in a fine is but a 
fiftion in our law ; it being an invented form of convey¬ 
ance only. 1 Lil. Abr. 610. And a common recovery is 
fidio juris, a formal aft or device by confent, where a man 
is defirous to cut off an edate-tail, remainders, &c. 10 
Rep. 42. By fiftion of law, a bond made beyond fea, 
may be pleaded to be made in place, to wit, in Iflington, 
in the county of Middlefex, &c. in order to try the fame 
here ; without which it cannot be done. Co. Lit. 261. And. 
fo it is in fome other cafes ; but the law ought not to be 
fatisfied with fiftions, where it may be otherwife really 
fatisfied; and fiftions in law fir all not be carried farther 
than the reafons which introduce them neceffariiy require. 
2 Hawk. 320, 
FIC'TIOUS, adj. [fidus, Lat.] Fictitious; imaginary; 
invented. A word coined by Prior : 
With fancied rules and arbitrary laws 
Matter and motion man redrains 
And fludied lines and fiElious circles draws. Prior. 
FICTI'TIOUS, adj. [fiditius, Lat.] Counterfeit; falfe; 
not genuine: 
Draw him flriftly fo. 
That all who view the piece may know 
He needs no trappings of fiditious fame. Dryden. 
Feigned; imaginary.—The human perfons are as fiditious 
as the airy ones; and Belinda refembles you in nothing 
but in beauty, Pa/ie.=-Not real; not true ; allegorical; 
4 U made 
