N I H 
N I G 
NI'GHTINGALE I'SLAND, a fmall illand in the 
Eallern Indian Sea, near the fouth coaft of Madura. Lat. 
7. 15. S. Ion. 114. E. 
NI'GHTINGALE I'SLAND, a fmall ifland in the 
South Atlantic Ocean. See Islands, vol. xi. 
NI'GHTISH, adj. Belonging to the night; attached 
to the night: 
When hawks fhall dread the filly fowl, 
And men efteem the nightijh owl. Turberville's Sonn. 1567. 
NI'GHTLY, adj. Done by night; adling by night; 
happening by night: 
Soon as the flocks (hook off the nightly dews, 
Two fwains, whom love kept wakeful, and the mufe, 
Pour’d o’er the whit’ning vale their fleecy care. Pape. 
NI'GHTLY, adv. By night: 
Thee, Sion! and the flowery brooks beneath, 
That wafh thy hallow’d feet, and warbling flow, 
Nightly I viiit. Milton's P. L. 
Every night: 
Soon as the evening (hades prevail, 
The moon takes up the wondrous tale. 
And nightly to the lift’ning earth 
Repeats the ftory of her birth. Addifon's Spe£t. 
NI'GHTSHADE, f. See Solanum. 
And I ha’ been plucking (plants among) 
Hemlock, henbane, adder’s tongue, 
Night/hade, moon-wort, libbards-bane. B. Jovfon. 
NI'GHTSHADE, American. See Phytolacca and 
Rivina. 
-————, Bafe. See Rivina. 
- -, Deadly. See Atropa. 
--, Enchanters. See Circ^ea. 
■---, Malabar. See Basella. 
-, Three-leaved. See Trillium. 
NI'GHTWARD, adj. Approaching towards night.— 
Their niglitward ftudies, wherewith they clofe the day’s 
work. Milton on Education. 
NIG'IDIUS- FIG'ULUS (Publius), one of the molt 
learned men of ancient Rome, the contemporary and 
friend of Cicero, was a profefied advocate for the doc¬ 
trines advanced and defined by Pythagoras. He is 
reprefented by Cicero as an accurate and penetrating 
enquirer into nature, and as one to whom is to be 
afcribed the revival of that philofophy which had for¬ 
merly flouriflied for feveral ages in the Pythagorean 
fchools, both in Italy and Sicily. He was alfo a conflder- 
able proficient in mathematical andaftronomical learning; 
but,like his mafter, applied the knowledge of nature to the 
purpofes of impofture. He held frequent deputations with 
Cicero and his friends on philofophical fubjefts. His at¬ 
tachment to fcience did not prevent him from engaging 
in civil affairs, and afpiring to polls of honour, and aul 
thority in the Hate. Cicero was indebted to him for con- 
liderable afiiftance in unravelling and defeating Cataline’s 
confpiracy; and he alfo received important fervices from 
him in the time of his adverfity. Nigidius, in the civil war 
between Pompey and Csefar, attached himfelf to the party 
of the former; and, upon Csefar’s acceflion to the fupreme 
power, he was banilhed from Rome, and died in a (late of 
exile. He wjote feveral books on various fubjedts, of 
which fragments only have come to our hands, which may 
be feen in the Varise Leftiones of Janus Rutgers, and in 
the Comment, de Hill, by Anthony Ricoboni. After the 
time of Nigidius, the Pythagorean doctrine was much 
negledled, few perfons being able to decipher, with accu¬ 
racy, the obfcure dogmas of this myilerious fed:. Enfield's 
, Hi ft. Phil. vol. ii. J 
NIGLA'RIENjJi in Greek Mulic,the name of a languid 
and effeminate nome or chant, with which Ariltophanes 
reproaches its author, Philoxenes. 
87 
NIGO'NE, a town of Italy, in the department of the 
Panaro : twenty-two miles fouth-well of Modena. 
NIGOU'DEN, a river of Hindoollan, w-hich runs into 
the Tungabadra twelve miles north of Bifnagar. 
NIGRES'CENT, adj. [nigrefcens,L at.] Growing black; 
approaching to blacknefs. 
NIGRIFAC'TION, or Nigrifica'tion, f. [niger and 
facio, Lat.] The ad of making black. 
To NIG'RIFY, v. n. [from the Lat. niger, black, and 
facio, to make; but not ufed.] To make black. Bailey. 
NIGRI'NA,/ in botany. See Chloranthus and Gk- 
rardia. 
NI'GRINE, or SPHENE,yl An ore of Titanium. See 
vol. xv. p. 516. 
NIGRI'TIA. See Negroland, vol. xvi. p. 689. 
NIG'ROMANCY,y! The black art; necromancy. See 
vol. xvi. p. 666. 
NIGUM'BO. See Negombo, vol. xvi. 
NI'HIL, f. [Lat.] Nothing; among the fchool philofo- 
phers, it is what has no real ej'e, and which is only con¬ 
ceived negatively, and denominated by a negative. 
Nihil capiat per billam, or per breve, in law, is a 
form ufed when judgment is given againlt the plaintiff, 
fo as to bar his adion, or overthrow his writ or bill. 
Nihil, or Nil debet, is the ufual plea in an adion of 
debt; but it is no plea in an adion of covenant, or breach 
afligned for non-payment of rent, &c. 
Nihil dicit is a failing of a defendant to put in an an- 
fwerto the plaintiff’s plea by the day afligned ; on which 
omiflion judgment is given againll him of courfe, (juod 
nihil dicit, becaufe he alleges nothing to the contrary. 
Nihls, or Nichils, are iffues which the fheriff, that is 
appofed in the exchequer, fays are nothing worth, and 
illeviable, from the infulficiency of the parties that fhould 
pay them. 
NIHIL'IFY, v. n. [from the Lat. nihil, nothing, and 
facio, to make.] To flight, to account as nothing. Cole. 
NIHIL'ITY, /! [niliilite, Fr. from nihilum, Lat.] No- 
thingnefs ; the (late of being nothing.—Not being is con- 
fidered as excluding all fubltance, and then all modes are 
alfo neceffarily excluded ; and this we call pure nihility, 
or mere nothing. Watts's Logic. 
NIHU'SIUS (Barthold), a German catholic divine and 
titular bifhop, who acquired reputation by his writings, 
was born at Wolpe, in the duke of Brunfwick’s territo¬ 
ries, in the year 1589. He was educated in the Lutheran 
religion ; and, after ftudying for fome time in the colleges 
of Verden and Goflar, went to the univerlity of Helmftadt 
about the year 1607. His circumftances, however, being 
very narrow, he was under the neceflity of entering into 
the fervice of Martinus, profeffor of logic, who allowed 
him fome- hours every day for fludy, and alio gave him the 
advantage of his inftruflions. By the progrefs which 
Nihulius made, he reflefted credit on his talents and in- 
dultry, and obtained a recommendation to the patronage 
of the bifhop of Ofnaburgh, who allowed him a penfion. 
He took his degree of mailer of philofophy in the year 
1612 ; and afterwards chiefly lupported himfelf, for fome 
years, by giving private lectures to rich fcholars in the 
univerfity. In the year 1616, he was appointed tutor to 
two gentlemen, whom he attended to the univerfity of 
Jena; and, when the term of his engagement with them 
expired, he obtained a fimilar employment, with a hand- 
fome llipend,at the court of Weimar. Here he conceived a 
difgufl againll the Lutheran church, owing, it is faid, to 
fome affronts which he received, or his being dilappointed 
of preferment ; and he retired to Cologne, where he be¬ 
came a convert to the Roman-catholic religion about the 
year 1622. His firft employment was that of director of 
the college of profelytes; and he afterwards entered the 
lifts in defence of the catholic caufe againll Horneius and 
Calixtus, two celebrated protellant divines at Helmftadt. 
For an account of the articles which he publifhed in this 
controverfy, we refer to Baylt. About the year 1626, he 
returned to the country of Brunfwick to be direflor of a 
4 convent 
