ILL 
the genuine portraits, in miniature, of all the kings, and 
leveral of the queens, of England, from Edward the Con- 
fefTor to Henry VII. moftly in their crowns and royal 
robes, together with the portraits of many other eminent 
perfons of both fexes. 
The illuminators and painters of this period feem to 
have been in poflefiion of a coniiderable number of co¬ 
louring materials, and to have known the arts of prepar¬ 
ing and mixing them fo as to form a great variety of co¬ 
lours; for, in the fpecimeps of their miniature-paintings 
that are (till extant, we perceive not only the five pri¬ 
mary colours, but alfo various combinations of them. 
Though Strutt’s prints do not exhibit the bright and vi¬ 
vid colours of the originals, they give us equally a view, 
not only of the perfons and drefies of our anceftors, but 
alfo of their culloms, manners, arts, and employments, 
their arms, fhips, houfes, furniture, See. and enable us to 
judge of their Ik ill in drawing. The figures in thofe 
paintings are often ItifF and formal; but the ornaments 
are in general fine and delicate, and the colours clear and 
bright, particularly the gold and azure. In fome of thefe 
illuminations the pafiions are ftrongly painted. How 
Arongly, for example, is terror painted in the faces of the 
earl of Warwick’s bailors when they were threatened 
with a Ihipwreck, and grief in the countenances of thofe 
■who were prefent at the death of that hero? After the 
introduction of printing, this elegant art of illuminating 
gradually declined, and at length was quite negleCted. 
Before concluding, it may not be improper to obferve, 
that from the fifth to the tenth century, the miniature- 
paintings which we meet with in Greek manuferipts are 
generally good,, as are fome which we find among thofe 
of Italy, England, and France. From the tenth to the 
middle of-the fourteenth century they are commonly very 
bad, and may be confidered as fo many monuments of 
the barbarityof thofe ages ; towards the latter end of the 
fourteenth, the paintings in manuferipts were much im¬ 
proved; and, in the two fucceeding centuries, many ex¬ 
cellent performances were produced, efpecially after the 
happy period of the reftoration of the arts, when great 
attention was paid to the works of the ancients, and the 
fludy of antiquity became falhionable. 
ILLUMINATION, f. The a Cl of fupplying with light. 
That which gives light.—The fun is but a body il- 
lightened, and an illumination created. Raleigh. —Feftal 
lights hung out as a token of joy: 
Flow’rs are flrew’d, and lamps in order plac'd, 
And windows with illuminations grac’d. Dry den. 
Brightnefs; fplendour.—The illuminators of manuferipts 
borrowed their title from the illumination which a bright 
genius giveth to his work. Felton. —Infufion of intellec¬ 
tual light; knowledge of grace.—Hymns and pfalms are 
Inch kinds of prayer as are not conceived uponafudden; 
but framed by meditation beforehand, or by prophetical 
illumination are infpired. Hooker. 
ILLU'MINATIVE, adj. Having the power to give 
light.—What makes itfelf and other things be feen, be¬ 
ing accompanied by light, is called fire ; what admits the 
illuminative aClion of fire, and is not feen, is called air. 
Digby. 
ILLU'MINATOR, f. One who gives light.—One 
whofe bufinefs it is to decorate books with pictures at 
the beginning of chapters.— Illuminators of manuferipts 
borrowed their title from the illumination which a bright 
genius giveth to his work. Felton. 
To ILLU'MINE, v.a. To enlighten; to fupply with 
light; 
. What in me is dark 
Illumine! what is low, raife and fupport l Milton. 
. To decorate; to adorn : 
To Cato, Virgil paid one honeft line; 
O let my country’s friends illumine mine. Pope. 
ILLU'MINER, f. An illuminator j one who paints or 
VOL. X. No. 72+. 
ILL 849 
adorns the frontifpieces and capital letters of a book or 
manufeript. Scott. 
ILLU'MINING, /. The aCt of enlightening. 
ILLU'SION, f. [illujio , Lat. illufwn, Fr.] Mockery; 
falfe ihow; counterfeit appearance ; error.—There wanted 
not fome about him that would have perfuaded him that 
ail was but an illujion. Bacon. 
So oft they fell 
Into the fame illujion ; not as man, 
Whom they triumph’d, once laps’d. Milton. 
ILLU'SIVE, adj. Deceiving by falfe Ihow: 
The heathen bards, who idle fables dreft, 
lllufive dreams in myftic forms exprelt. Blachnort. 
ILLU'SORY, adj. Deceiving ; fraudulent.—Subtilty, 
in thofe who make profefiion to teach or defend truth, 
hath palled for a virtue ; a virtue indeed, which, confin¬ 
ing for the moll part in nothing but the fallacious and 
illufory ufe of obfeure or deceitful terms, is only fit to 
make men more conceited in their ignorance. Locke. 
To ILLUS'TRATE, v.n. \illuJlro, Lat. illujlrcr, Fr.]' To 
brighten with light. To brighten with honour: 
Thee Ihe enroll’d her garter’d knights among, 
lllujlrating the noble lift. Phillips, 
Matter to me of glory! whom their hate 
Illnjlrates, when they fee all regal pow’r 
Giv’n me to quell their pride. Milton. 
To explain; to clear; to elucidate.—Authors take up 
popular conceits, and from tradition unjuftifiable, or falfe, 
illujlrate matters of undeniable truth. Brown. 
ILLUSTRATING, f. The aft of explaining. 
ILLUSTRATION, f. Explanation; elucidation; ex- 
pofition. It is feldom ufed in its original fignification for 
material brightnefs.—Space and duration, being ideas that 
have fomething very abftrufe and peculiar in their nature, 
the comparing them one with another may perhaps be of 
life for their illujlration. Locke. 
ILLUSTRATIVE, adj. Having the quality of eluci¬ 
dating or clearing.—They play much upon the fimile, or 
illujlrative argumentation, to induce their enthymeme3 
unto the people. Brown. 
ILLUSTRATIVELY, adv. By way of explanation.—. 
Things are many times delivered hieroglyphically, meta¬ 
phorically, illujlratively , and not with reference to aftion. 
Brown. 
ILLUSTRIOUS, adj. [ illujlris , Lat. illujlre, Fr.] Con- 
fpicuous; noble ; eminent for excellence.—In other lan¬ 
guages the moll illujlrious titles are derived from thing# 
lacred. South. 
Of ev’ry nation, each illujlrious name. 
Such toys as thofe have cheated into fame. Dryden. 
Illustrious, illujlris, was heretofore, in the Roman 
empire, a title of honour peculiar to people of a certain 
rank. It was firft given to the moll diilinguilhed among 
the knights, who had a right to bear the latus clavus: 
afterwards thofe were intitled illujlrious who held the firft 
rank among thofe called honorati ; that is, the praefe<fli 
praetorii, prcefedli urbis, treafurers, comites, See. There 
were, however, different degrees among the illujlrious : a* 
in Spain they have grandees of the firft and fecond clafs, 
fo in Rome they had their illujlres, whom they called great, 
majores ; and others lefs, called illvjlres minores. For in- 
llance; the prsefeflus prsetorii was a degree below the 
mailer of the offices, though they were both illujlres. The 
Novels of Valentinian diftinguilli as far as five kinds of 
illujlres ; among whom, the illujlres adminjlratores bear the 
firft rank. 
ILLUSTRIOUSLY, adv. Confpicuoufly; nobly; emi¬ 
nently.—He difdained not to appear at feltival entertain¬ 
ments, that he might more iilujlrioujly manifeft his charity. 
A tier bury. 
You, carrying with you all the world can boaft. 
To all the world iilujlrioujly are loft. Pope. 
is G ILLUSTRIOUS- 
