N A V 
ward. This may be expreffed by faying, The man was 
born fo; or, The thing was generated fuch. 
Nature fometimes means an internal principle of local 
motion, as we fay, The ftone falls, or the flame rifes, by 
nature; for this we may fay, that “ the motion lip or down 
is fpontaneous, or produced by its proper caufe.” 
Nature lometimes means the eftabliihed courfe of 
things corporeal; as Nature makes the night fucceed 
the day. This may be termed ejlablijhed order, ox fettled 
courfe. 
Nature means fometimes the aggregate of the powers 
belonging to a body, efpecially a living one; as when 
phyficia.ns fay, that Nature is ftrong, or Nature left to 
herfelf will do the cure. For this may be ufed, conftitu- 
tion, temper ament, or Jlru&ure of the body. 
Nature is put like wile for the fyftem of the corporeal 
works of God ; as, There is no phcenix or chimera in na¬ 
ture. For nature, thus applied, we may ufe the world, or 
the univcrfe. 
Nature is fometimes indeed commonly taken fora kind 
of femi-deity. In this fenfe it is belt not to ufe it at all. 
Boyle's Free Enq. into the Received Notion of Nature. 
Father Malebranche fays, that the Nature, fo much 
talked of in the fchools, is fit for nothing but to lead us 
back to idolatry; the ancient heathens hereby underftand- 
ing fomething, which-, without being God, adts continu¬ 
ally throughout the univerfe. Thus the idol Nature mull 
be an abtual principle, which, in concurrence with God, 
is the next and immediate caufe of all the changes which 
befal matter. This l'eems to fall in with the opinion of 
the anima mundi; as if Nature were a fubftitute of God, 
or a collateral caufe with God, or a middle being between 
God and created things. 
NA'TURE, in mythology, is ufed by the poets fome¬ 
times for the mother, fometimes for the daughter, and at 
other times for the companion, of Jupiter. She is defcribed 
by the fymbols of the Diana of Ephefus. 
NA'TURE, Laws of, are axioms, or general rules, of 
motion and reft, obferved by natural bodies in their aftion 
on one another, and in all the changes which befal them 
in their natural ftate. The laws of nature, and of motion, 
are, in effeft, the fame; for which fee the article Mecha¬ 
nics, vol. xiv. p. 626, 7. but fome new Jaws have lately 
been propofed, as to which fee Motion, p. 108 & feq. 
of the prefent volume. 
To NA'TURE, v. a. To endow with natural qualities. 
—We have long ceafed to ufe the verb, but we retain the 
participle in good-natured, ill-natured, and other com¬ 
pounds. Johnfon. 
He whiche natureth every kynde. 
The myghty God, fo as I fynde, 
Of man, whiche is his creature, 
Hath fo devyded the nature. Gower's Conf. Am. 
NA'TURED, adj. [from nature, chiefly ufed in compo- 
fitiom] Conditioned; difpofed by nature; as, good-na¬ 
tured, ill-natured. AJh. 
NATU'RITY, f. The ftate of being produced by na¬ 
ture.—This cannot be allowed, except we impute that 
unto the firft caufe which we impofe not on the fecond ; 
or what we deny unto nature we impute unto naturity. 
Brown. 
NA'VA, in ancient geography, a river of Belgica, 
which runs north-eaft into the left or weft fide of the 
Rhine. Now the Nahe, which lee. 
NA'VA, a town of Italy, in the department of the 
Mela: five miles north of Brefcia. 
NA'VA, a town of Spain, in the province of Leon: 
twenty-two miles fouth-weft of Valladolid. 
NAVA'CE (La), a fmall illand in the Weft-Indies, be¬ 
tween Jamaica and Hifpaniola. Lat. 18. 23. N. Ion. 
74 - 5 °- w - 
NAVACEL'LE, a town of France, in the department of 
the Gard : thirteen miles north-weft of Uzes. 
Vol. XVI. No. 1139. 
N A V 605 
NAVACOT'TA, a town of Lamjungh: 130 miles 
north ofFyzabad. Lat. 28. 56. N. Ion. S3. 36 E. 
NAVAJ'US (Jofeph), a celebrated catholic divine of 
the diocefe of Liege, was born in the year 1651, at the 
village of Viefme in Helbaye, within the diocefe of Liege; 
He purfued his academical ftudies at the univerfity of 
Louvain, where he diftinguifhed. himfelf by his exercifes. 
while palling through his courfes of philofophy and divi¬ 
nity, and obtained the character of being one of the fineft 
geniufes and belt divines in the Low Countries ; at the 
lame time that he rendered himfelf refpedted and beloved 
by all who knew him,for his piety, exemplary moral con¬ 
duct, and amiable manners. He was made profelfor of 
poetry in the college of the Trinity at Louvain, and re¬ 
tained that lituation till he took the degree of licentiate 
in divinity. He undertook to confute the fentiments 
advanced by the lieur du Bois, who filled the chair of 
public ledlurer on the facred Scriptures in the univerfity 
of Louvain; and the pieces which he produced in this 
controverfy were afterwards collected together in a vo- 
lume, under the title of “ Recimations,” which is held in. 
much efteem. Afterwards he accepted of an invitation 
to become profeffor of philofophy at Liege, and difeharged 
the duties of that office during feveral years with very 
high reputation. He became involved in controverfies 
with the Jefuits, on account of the efforts which they 
made to introduce themfelves into the profefforlhips in 
the feminary at Liege; and alfo in defence of M. Dennis, 
profeffor of divinity at Liege, and other leading men in 
the Janfenift party, whom they accufed of heterodoxy. 
In Moreri the reader may.find the titles of the principal 
works of our author, which thefe controverfies occafion- 
ed. About the year 1701, the infirm ftate of his health 
obliging him to refign the philofophical chair, he was 
made canon of the collegiate church of St. Paul at Liege, 
where he punctually officiated as long as his infirmities 
permitted him. He is alfo defervingof being commemo¬ 
rated among the friends of humanity, for the very aftive 
part which he took in forming the regulations of the 
Flofpital of Incurables at Liege, and in founding the 
Houle for penitent Proftitutes. Towards the end of his 
days, finding that he was no longer able perfonally to 
dilcharge the duties of his canonry, he religned that pre¬ 
ferment, and devoted the remainder of his ftrength and 
fortune to the private inftrudlion and confolation of the 
poor. He died at Liege in 1705, at the age of fifty-four. 
He was the author of feveral pious treadles; of which 
that molt known is entitled, “ The Foundation of the 
Chriftian Life, &c.” 
NAVAs'US (Matthias), another catholic divine of the 
diocefe of Liege in the fame century, concerning the time 
and place of whofe birth we have no information. He 
became a member of the univerfity of Douay, where he 
took the degree of doftor of divinity, and was made pallor 
of the church of St. Peter in that city. Afterwards he 
was promoted to a canonry of Seclin, and finally to the 
fame dignity in the cathedral church of Tournay. He 
had been appointed to the office of cenlor of books, for 
which he is laid to have been well qualified by the folidity 
of his judgment, the quicknefs of his penetration, and 
the ample fto.res of learning with which he had furnilhed 
his mind in the courfe of a lludious life. He died about 
the middle of the feventeenth century. He was the 
author of feveral works which are held in efteem, among 
which are, 1. Catechefis, five de Sacramentorum Inftitu- 
tione, Confefllone SacramentaLi, extrema Undlione, et Ma- 
trimonio, Conciones Sexdecim, 1633, 8vo. 2. Prelibatio 
Theologies et Sacre Scripture precipuas Difficultates, 
See. 1640, 4to. 3. TrirO.dtava Sermonum de Venerabili 
Sacramento et Sacrificio, 1645, 8vo. and other pieces, of 
which the titles may be feen in Valerii Andrea Biol. Belg. 
NAVAGE'RO (Andrea), an eminent Italian poet 
and orator, was born at Venice, of a patrician family, in 
1483. He received his firft inftrufiions from Anto.mo. 
7 P Sabeilico, 
