A U S 
vefplendency.] Gold. This metal was introduced into 
medicine by the Arabians, who edeemed it one of the 
greateft cordials and comforters of the nerves, under a li¬ 
quid form, called aurumpotabile, or drinkable gold ; which 
v/as a kind of folution of it in fpirits of wine and other 
liquors : from them Europe received it without any dimi¬ 
nution of its charafter ; but, as it is found infoluble by 
any of the animal fluids, its medicinal power can only 
confid in its being an external antidote or amulet againlt 
poverty. See the articles Chemistry, and Gold. 
Aurum Fulminans, fulminating or thundering gold, 
or ammoniacal oxyd of gold ; a powder made of gold dif- 
folved in nitro-muriatic acid ; and is fo called, becaufe 
it explodes like gunpowder. It is made in the following 
manner : Put a dram of the filings of gold with half an 
ounce of the new-made acid into a matrafs placed in fand; 
when the menftruum ceafes to a£i, pour off the folution, 
and, if any of the gold is left, add as much more nitro- 
muriatic acid as will be neceffary to diffolve it; dilute 
the folution with ten times its quantity of warm water, 
then drop in the lixivium of tartar (acidulous tartrit of 
potafli) till the effervefcence and precipitation ceafe ; let 
the whole fettle, pour off the clear liquor, and waff the 
precipitated matter with water till it becomes infipid, 
and then dry it. In drying it the ntnioft care is requir¬ 
ed, fince in a fmall heat it explodes with violence. The 
more it .is walked, the lefs violently it fulminates when 
heated. It is ten times llronger than the common gun¬ 
powder as to its explofive power. See Chemistry, 
vol. iv. p. 316. 
Aurum Mosaicum, or Musivum, Mofaic gold-, a 
cdmpofition made ufeof by ftatuaries and painters, to lay 
on a colour like brafs or copper. 
Aurum Regina;, the queen's gold ; an ancient perquifite 
belonging to every queen confort during her marriage 
with the king, and due from every per foil who made 
a voluntary offering or fine to the king, amounting to 
ten marks or upwards, f«r and in confideration of any 
privilege, grant, licence, pardon, or other matter of royal 
favour, conferred upon him by the king ; and it is due in 
the proportion of one-tenth part more, over and above 
the entire fum .paid to the king. As if 100 marks in filver 
be given to the king to have a fair, market, park, chafe, 
or free-warren, there, the queen is intitled to ten marks 
in filver, or (what was formerly an equivalent denomina¬ 
tion) to one mark in gold, by the name of queen-gold, or 
aurum reginie. 1 Black. 219. 
AURUN'CI, anciently a people of Latium, towards 
Campania ; the fame with the AuTones, at leal! fo inter¬ 
mixed as not to be eafily diftinguifhable. 
AURUNGABAD'. See Aurengabad. 
AURUS'PI, in ancient geography, a people of Africa, 
in Ethiopia, vvhofe capital, according to Pliny, was not 
far from the Nile. 
AURUSULIA'NA, an epifcopal city of Africa, in 
Numidia. 
AU'SA, anciently a town of Tarraconenfis, in the mid¬ 
dle age called Aufona ; now Vick de Ofona, a town of Ca¬ 
talonia in Spain. 
AUSCHE, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Leit- 
tneritz, eight miles ead-north-eaft of Leitmeritz. 
AUSCULTATION, f. [from aufculto, Lat.] A heark¬ 
ening or lidening to. 
AUSA'NA, a town of Belgic Gaul, where the twelfth 
legion had its winter-quarters.—Alfo, an epifcopal fee of 
Africa, in the proconfular province. 
AUSANCA'LI, a town of Italy, in Liburnia. Ptolemy. 
AUSA'RA, a town of Arabia Felix, in the country of 
the Sachalites, near the fea.—Alfo a town in the interior 
part of Arabia Felix. Ptolemy. 
AUSCHI'S^E, in ancient geography, a people of 
Africa, in Libya, to the welt of the Albyftie, and eaft of 
the Nafamons. Herodotus. 
AU SCII, a people of Europe, in that part of Gaul 
called Aquitania. Their capital was Climberris, which 
Vol. II. No. 89. 
A U S 5 VS 
afterwards affumed the name of the people. They occu¬ 
pied the country cotrefponding to the territory of Auch, 
welt of the Toiofates. 
AU'SER, or Ausar, in ancient geography, a river of 
Italy, in Etruria, which difeharges itfelf into the fea, 
about fix miles north of the Artuts ; now the Serchio. 
AU'SI, a people of Africa, on the fea-coalt of Libya, 
encompafiing the lake of Tritonis, and feparated by the 
river Triton from the Machlyes. 
AUSIG'DA, a town of Africa, in the Pentapolis, wa. 
tered by the river Cinnydbius.—An illand of the fame 
name is mentioned by Stephanus. 
AUSILIN'DUM, a place of Africa, in the province 
of Tripoli, on the road from Tacape to the greater Leptis. 
AU'SIMUM, or Auximum, an ancient P-oman colony, 
in the Picenum ; now OJ'mo, or Osimo. 
AUSIN'ZA, a town of Afia, in Perfia Propria. Ptolemy. 
AU'SITvE, or JEsi’vje, a tribe of ancient Arabs, (up- 
pofed by Bochart to have inhabited the land of Uz men¬ 
tioned in Scripture. 
AUSKUTS, in the Courland mythology, the god of 
health and ficknefs. Sobarri were the offerings, which 
during the times of epidemic difeafes, were dedicated to 
Au fkuts. 
AU'SON, a fon of Ulyffes and Galypfo, who fettled in 
Italy, and gave his name to that country, it being an¬ 
ciently called Aufonia, and the inhabitants Aufonians. 
AUSO'NA, anciently a town of the Aufones, a people 
who formerly occupied all the Lower Italy, from the Pro- 
montorium Circaeum down to the (traits of Sicily. Livy. 
AUSO'NTA, the ancient name of Italy, from its mod 
ancient inhabitants the Aufones. Virgil. 
AUSONE'UM MA'RE, a part of the Ionian Sea, ex¬ 
tending fouthwards from the promontory Japygium to 
Sicily, which it waffles on the eaff, as it does the Brutit 
and Magna Graeciaon thefouth and eaff. It is feparated 
from the Tufcan Sea by the Strait of Medina. 
AUSO'NIUS (Decinnis Magnus), one of the bed; poets 
of tlie fourth’century, was the fon of an eminent phyfi- 
cian, born at Bourdeaux. He made an uncommon pro- 
grefs inclaffical learning, and was chofen to teach gram¬ 
mar at Bourdeaux. He was promoted foon after to be 
profeffor of rhetoric ; in which office he acquired fo 
great a reputation, that he was fent for to be preceptor 
to Gratian, the emperor Valentinian’s fon. The rewards 
and honours conferred on him for the faithful difeharge 
of his office prove the truth of Juvenal’s maxim, that, 
“ When Fortune pleafes, (he can raife a man from a 
rhetorician to the dignity of a conful.” He was actually 
appointed conful by the emperor Gratian, in 379. The 
time of his death is uncertain ; but lie lived to a great 
age. The bed edition of his poems is that of Amfter- 
dam in 1671. 
AUS'PEX,/ A name originally given to thofewho 
were afterwards denominated augurs. In which fenfe the 
word is fuppofed to be formed from avis, ‘ bird,’ and in- 
fpicere, ‘ to infpeCt;’ aufpices, q. d. avifpices. Some will 
therefore have aufpices properly to denote thofe who 
foretold future events from the fight of birds. 
To AU'SPICATE, v. a. [from aufpice.~\ To give an 
aufpicious turn to.—They cufpicate all their proceedings 
by dating, &c. &cc. Burke. 
AUS'PiCE,/; [ aufpicium, Lat.] The omens of any fu¬ 
ture undertaking drawn from birds ; protection, favour 
Ihown ; influence j good derived to others from the piety 
of their patron. A pried.— Aufpices were thofe, that 
handfaded the married couple. Ben Jonfon. 
AUSPI'CIAL, adj. Relating to prognoliics. 
AUSPICI'OUS, adj. Having omens of fuccefs.—You 
are now, with happy and aufpicious beginnings, forming a 
model of a Chridian charity. Spratt. —Profperous; for¬ 
tunate ; applied to perfons, 
Aufpicious chief! thy race, in times to come. 
Shall fpreadtbe ccyiqueft of imperial Rome. Dryden. 
7 G Favourable j 
