F I X 
Brighteft feraph ! tell 
In which of all thefe fliining orbs hath man 
His fixed feat, or fixed feat hath none, 
Bat all thefe fliining orbs his choice to dwell. Milton. 
To diredl: without variation : 
Why are thine eyes fixt to the fallen earth, 
Gazing at that which feems to dim thy fight ? Shakefpeare. 
To deprive of volatility.-—We pronounce concerning 
gold, that it is fixed. Locke. —To pierce ; to transfix. A 
fenfe purely Latin : 
While from the raging fword he vainly flies, 
A bow of fleel (hall fix his trembling thighs. Sandys. 
To withhold from motion. 
To FIX, v. n. To fettle the opinion ; to determine the 
refolution. — If we would be happy, we muff fix upon 
l’ome foundation that can never deceive us. L’Efirange. 
Here hope began to dawn ; refolv’d to try, 
Slie fix’d on this her utmoft remedy, 
Death was behind ; but hard it was to die. Dryden. 
To reft ; to ceafe to wander : 
Your kindn’efs banifhes your fear, 
Refolv’d to fix for ever here. Waller. 
To lofe volatility, fo as to be malleable.—In the rnidft 
of molten lead, when it beginneth to congeal, make a 
little dent, and put quickfilver, wrapped in a piece of 
linen, in that hole, and the quickfilver will fix and run 
no more, and endure the hammer. Bacon. 
FIXA'TION,/. [French.,] Stability; # firmnefs; ftea- 
dinefs.—Your fixation in matters of religion will not be 
more neceffary for your foul’s than your kingdom’s peace. 
King Charles. —Refidence in a certain place.—To light, 
created in the firft day, God gave no proper place or fix¬ 
ation. Raleigh. —Confinement; forbearance of excurfion. 
—They are fubjeft to errors from a narrownefs of foul, 
a fixation and confinement of thought to a few objects. 
Watts. —Want of volatility; deftrudtion of volatility.— 
Upon the compound body three things are chiefly to be 
obferved ; the colour, the fragility or pliantnefs, and the 
volatility or fixation, compared with the Ample bodies. 
Bacon. —Reduction from fluidity to firmnefs.—Salt dif- 
folved upon a fixation returns to its affedted cubes, Glan- 
ville. 
FIX'ED AIR. See the article Chemistry, vol. iv. 
p. 197. 
FIX'ED BO'DIES. See Fixity. 
FIX'ED SIGNS, in aftrology, are the four figns, Tau¬ 
rus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. They are fo called, 
becaufe the fun paffes them refpedtively in the middle of 
each quarter, when that feafon is more fettled and Jixed 
than under the figns which begin and end it. 
FIX'ED STARS, thofe which retain the fame pofi- 
tion and diftance with refpedt to each other; by which 
they are contradiftinguifhed from erratic or wandering 
ftars, which are continually varying their fituation and 
diftance,—The fixed ftarsonlyare properly and abfolutely 
called ftars; the reft having their peculiar denomination 
of planet or comet. See Astronomy, vol. ii. p. 407. 
FIX'EDLY, adv. Certainly; firmly; in a manner fet¬ 
tled and eftabliflied.—If we pretend that the diftindlion 
of fpecies, or forts, is fixedly eftabliflied by the real and 
fecret confutations of things. Locke. —Stedfaftly.—Om¬ 
nipotency, omnifciency, and infinite goodnefs, enlarge the 
fpirit while it fixedly looks on them. Burnet. 
FIX'EDNESS, fi. Stability ; firmnefs. Want or lofs 
of volatility.— Fixednefis, or a power to remain in the fire 
unconfumed, is an idea that always accompanies our com¬ 
plex idea fignified by the word gold. Locke. —Solidity ; 
coherence of parts.—Fluid or folid comprehend all the 
middle degrees between extreme fixednefis and coherency, 
and the mod rapid inteftine motion of the particles of 
bodies. Bentley.— Steadinefs j fettled opinion or refolu- 
F I X 435 
tion.—A fixednefis in religion will not give my confcience 
leave to confent to innovations. King Charles. 
FIXI'DITY, fi. Coherence of parts, oppofed to vola¬ 
tility.—Bodies mingled by the fire are differing as to the 
fixidity and volatility, and yet are fo combined by the 
firft operation of the fire, that itfelf does fcarcely after¬ 
wards feparate them. Boyle. 
FIX'ITY, fi. \_fixite, Fr.] That quality of a body 
which enables it to endure the fire, and other violent 
agents. A body may be faid to be fixed in two re- 
fpedts : firft, when on being expofed to the fire, or a cor- 
rofive menftruum, its particles are indeed feparated, and 
the body rendered fluid, but without being refolved into 
its firft elements. The fecond, w hen the body fuftains 
the adlive force of the fire or menftruums, whilft its in¬ 
tegral parts are not carried off in fumes. Each kind of 
fixity is the refult of a ftrong or intimate cohefion between 
the particles. The fixity of bodies appears to be merely 
relative, and depends on the temperature at which they 
aflame the elaftic ftate or form. Such bodies as affume 
this ftate at a low temperature will eafily rife; whereas 
thofe which cannot be fo dilated but at an extreme heat, 
will remain fixed in all ordinary fituations. From the 
analogy of a variety of fades, it does not feem probable 
that any fubftances are abfolutely fixed. Fixed bodies are, 
for the moll part,denfer than thofe which are more vola¬ 
tile. The planets neared the fun are alfo found to be 
deafer than thofe which are more remote, and are cer¬ 
tainly formed of more fixed materials, as far as our expe¬ 
riments of heat on the folids and fluids of this globe can 
allure us. 
FIXLMILL'NER (Placidus), a celebrated aftronomer, 
born at Achleiten, near Linz, in Auftria. He received the 
firft part of his education in the monaftery of Kremfmun- 
fter, of which hjs uncle Alexander was abbot, and to 
whom that inftitution was indebted for the eftablifhment 
of a fchool and an obfervatory. He then proceeded to 
Salzburg; where he went through a courfe of philofophy, 
and attended in particular the mathematical ledtures of 
profeftbr Stuard. Having deftined hinafelf to the mo¬ 
nadic life, he was admitted into Kremfmunfter as a novice 
in 1737 ; and the year following he took the folemn vow 
before his uncle the abbot Alexander. After refiding 
two years in the monaftery, where he employed all his 
fpare time in the ftudy of the mathematics and philo¬ 
fophy, his uncle lent him back to Salzburg to complete 
his ftudies in theology and jurifprudence. Here he ap¬ 
plied with the utmoft afliduity to the mathematics, the 
oriental and modern languages, hiftory, and antiquities. 
He made great progrefs alfo in the practical part of mufic, 
under Eberlin, dire&or of the church mufic of Salzburg; 
fo that he not only could play the organ and harpfichord, 
in the facred and theatrical ftyle, but publifhed works in 
both thefe departments, which were received with ap» 
plaufe. He obtained the degree of dodtor in theology; 
and in 1745 was recalled to his monaftery, where he re¬ 
ceived prieft’s'orders. About this period a fchool, be¬ 
longing to the celebrated monaftery of the benedidtines 
at Ettal in Bavaria, which was much frequented by the 
young nobility from Auftria, having been given up, in 
confequence of a fire which deftroyed the nmnaitery, 
Fixlmillner’s uncle conceived the idea of a fimilar eftab¬ 
lifhment for his monaftery ; and with this view folicited 
and obtained a diploma from the emprefs Mari a-T he re fa, 
in 1744. As a profelfor of ecclefiaftical law was wanted 
for this new inftitution, and as Placidus Fixlmillner had 
acquired great reputation in that branch of ftudy at the 
univerlity, he was appointed to the office, which he after¬ 
wards dilcharged for forty years, having refigned it only 
a few days betore his death. His uncle, the abbot Alex¬ 
ander, a friend to the fciences in general, but particularly 
to the mathematics, refolved, in 1747, to found an eftab¬ 
lifhment in his monaftery for the purpofe of dilfeminating 
mathematical knowledge; and for the better carrying 
this deiign into execution, he propofed alfo to build an 
obfervatory* 
