NOV 
274 
duftions, now common throughout the year, is princi¬ 
pally to be afcribed the almoft total extirpation of the le- 
profy, which formerly made fuch havock among man¬ 
kind ; though the introduftion of linen, tea, and to¬ 
bacco, are confidered as having contributed very much to 
that happy efteft. 
The appellative November, by which this month is called 
in this country, and, with fome trifling variation, gene¬ 
rally, on the continent, was the one afligned to it in the 
Alban calendar ; and the contraction of novem, nine, 
and imber, a Ihower of rain, denotes the ftation it then 
held. Diana was confidered the tutelar deity of this 
month, and it originally conflfted of 30 days, which were 
continued both by Romulus and Numa; Julius Csefar 
gave it another day ; but Augultus reduced it again to 30, 
which it has ever fince retained. 
November has kept that title from its firft introduction, 
though the emperor Commodus attempted in vain to 
change it; and, notwithftanding the Roman fenators, 
for whole mean fervilities even Tiberius, it is faid, often 
blulhed, wilhed to call this month, in which he was born, 
by his name, in imitation of Julius and Auguftus Caefar, 
this emperor abfolutely refufed, faying, “ VVhat will you 
do, confcript fathers, it'you lliould have thirteen Cedars ?” 
November was reprefented as a man clothed in a robe 
of changeable green and black (or, as it is ufually termed, 
Jhot-coloured); his head adorned with a garland of olive- 
branches and fruit; holding in his left hand turnips and 
parfnips, and in his right the lign Sagittarius, or the Ar¬ 
cher, which tb.e fun enters on the 22d of this month ; 
thereby emblematically exprefling that the cold ether, 
which in the former month u'as gaining a predominance 
over the fun’s heat, now' Jhot and pierced its way into the 
pores of the earth, and l'ufpended vegetation. Brady's 
Claris Calendaria. 
NOVEMDIA'LE, or Novendiale, f [from the Lat. 
novem, nine, and dies, a day.] A lolemn facrifice among 
the ancient Romans, held on occafion of any prodigies 
appearing to menace them with ill-fortune. It had its 
name from the term of its celebration, viz. novem dies, 
nine days. 
NOVEMIASECZ'KO, a town of Samogitia : twenty- 
fix miles north-eaft of Medniki. 
NOVEMPOPULA'NIA, in ancient geography, a pro¬ 
vince of Gaul, towards the fouth-weft. 
NOVEM'SILES, or Novensiles, a fpecies of gods 
worfliipped among the ancient Romans. The dii novern- 
filcs were»the gods of the Sabines, adopted by Romulus, 
and had a temple built to them, in conlequence of a vow 
by king Tatius. Some antiquaries take the name to have 
been given to thofe heroes who were laid placed among 
the number of the gods ; as Hercules, Velta, SanClity, 
Fortune, &c. 
NOVEMVI'RI, f. [from the Lat. novem, nine, and vir, 
a man.] Nine magilirates of Athens, whofe government 
halted but for one year. The frit of them was called 
arelion, or prince; the fecond bajileus, or king; the third 
polemarchus, or general of the army ; the other fix were 
called thefmothette, or lawgivers. They took an oath to 
obferve the laws ; and, in cafe of failure, obliged them- 
lelves to bellow upon the commonwealth a ftatue of gold 
as big as themfelves. Thofe who difcharged their office 
with honour were received into the number of the fena¬ 
tors of Areopagus. 
NO'VENARY, f \_novenarius, Lat.] Number of nine ; 
nine colleftively.—Ptolemy, by parts and numbers,, im- 
plieth climafterical years ;. that is, feptenaries and nove- 
naries. Brown. —A religious office.—A novenary, or fervice 
of nine days, was performed for Lope de la Vega. Quarterly 
Bev. Oft. 1817. 
NOVEN'NIAL, ad), [yiovenus, Lat.] Done every ninth 
year. BulloJtar. —A novennial feltival, celebrated by the 
Bceotians, in honour of Apollo. Potter's Antiej. of Greece. 
NOVER'CAL, adj. \_noverca, Lat.] Having the manner 
of a ftepmother; befeeming a llepmother.— When the 
NOV 
whole tribe of birds by incubation produce their young, 
it is a wonderful deviation, that fome few families ihould 
do it in a more novercal way. Derham. 
NO'VES, a town of Spain, in New Caftils : fixteen 
miles north-north-well.of Toledo. 
NO'VES, a town of France, in the department of the 
Mouths of the Rhone, on the Durance : fix miles fouth- 
eall of Avignon. 
NOVE'SIUM, in ancient geography, a town of the 
Ubii, on the well of the Rhine ; now called Nays, near 
D u field or f. 
NOUGAR'SAK, a town of Eaft Greenland. Lat. 60. 
3. N. Ion. 44. W. 
NOUGAR'SAK, a town of Eafl Greenland. Lat. 6r. 
14. N. Ion. 43. 30. W. , 
NOUGHT, I', [ne auht, not any thing, Saxon. As 
therefore we write aught, not ought, for any thing, we 
Ihould, according to analogy, write naught, not nought, 
for nothing; but a cuftom has irreverfibly prevailed of 
tiling naught for bad, and nought for nothing. Johnfon. —• 
This cuftom originated in the delire of dillinguilhing, in- 
judicioufly condufted. There is indeed no real ground 
for a diftinftion ; the word naught, in thefenfe of wicked, 
being only a figurative lign ideation of naught, nothing; 
meaning wortldefs or nothing-worth, nothing in point of 
value or goodnefs. Narcs's Elem. of Orthoep. —The regu¬ 
lar deduftion of this word, from its original, will warrant 
the writing it either naught or nought: M. Goth, niwaihi , 
from ni, the negative particle, and icaiht, the final left 
thing poflible, on r whit; and thus the Sax. napihr, and 
alfo nopili?: ; naulvc, and noht. Todd.] Not any thing ; 
nothing.—We are of nothing, and your work of nougfit. 
If a. xli. 24. 
Be fruftrate all ye ftrntagems of hell, 
And devililh machinations come to nought, Milton. 
In no degree. A kind of adverbial figniiication, which 
nothing has fometimes : 
In young Rinaldo fierce defires he fpy’d. 
And noble heart, of reft impatient; 
To wealth or fovereign power lie nought apply’d. Fairfax, 
To fet at Nought. Not to value ; to flight; to fcorn ; 
to disregard.—Ye have fet at nought all my counfei, and 
would none of my reproof. Prov. i. 23. 
NOVGOROD', oi-'Novcgorod, a city of Ruffia, and 
capital of a government, on the river Volchova, at the 
north end of the lake Ilmen: the fee of an archbilhop. 
It is one of the moll ancient towns in Ruffia, and was 
formerly called Novgorod Veliki, or Great Novgorod, to 
diftinguilh it from other Ruffian towns of a fimilar name. 
In the ninth century it was taken by Ruric, firll great 
duke of Ruffia, who made it the capital of his dominions. 
At his death, the feat of government was removed to 
Kiev, and Novgorod continued for above a century un¬ 
der the jurildiftion of governors nominated by the great 
duke. Afterwards, Novgorod was for a long time go¬ 
verned by its own dukes; thefe fovereigns were at firll 
fubordinate to the great dukes, who refided at Kiev and 
Vladimir; but afterwards, as the town increafed in po¬ 
pulation and wealth, they gradually ufurped an abfolute 
independence. As thefe dukes, however, were elefted 
by the inhabitants, they gradually bartered away, as the 
price of their nomination, all their moll valuable prero¬ 
gatives; and, in efteft, Novgorod was a republic under 
the jurifdiftion of a nominal fovereign. The privileges 
enjoyed by the inhabitants, however unfavourable to the 
power of the dukes, proved extremely beneficial to the 
real interefts of the town ; it became the great mart of 
trade between Ruffia and the Hanfeatic cities, arid made 
the moll rapid advances in opulence and population. Its 
territory extended as far as the frontiers of Livonia and 
Finland ; and comprifed great part of the province of 
Archangel, and a large dillrift beyond the north-vveflern 
limits of Siberia. So extenlive was its dominion, Co great 
