722 
N E P 
venture upon an operation fo difficult to perform, and fo 
uncertain in its confequences. When, indeed, a calculus, 
generated in either of the organs deftined to the fecretion 
of urine, makes its way-wholly or partially out of them 
by producing an abfcefs that points externally, the open¬ 
ing of that abfcefs, and the extraction of the renal calculus 
thereout, may be fafely undertaken ; but fuck an opera¬ 
tion cannot properly be termed nephrotomy. Phil. Tranf, 
ubr. vol. iv. p. 117. 
NE'PI, a town of Italy, in the Patrimonio, the fee of 
a bilhop, united to Sutri. It contains fix churches and 
five convents. It is twenty miles north of Rome, and 
fifteen fouth-fouth-eaft of Viterbo. Lat. 42. 15. N. Ion. 
12. 24. E. 
NE'PIA, a daughter of Jafus, who married Olympus 
king of Myfia, whence the plains of Mylia are fometimes 
called Nepiee Campi. 
NEP'ISET, a town of Eaft Greenland. Lat. 60. 35. N. 
Ion. 45. W. 
NEPISIN'GUIS. See Nipissing. 
NE'PISS, a lake of Canada, on the borders of Main. 
Lat. 45. 40. N. Ion. 70. 31. W. 
NEP'OLIS, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Ko- 
nigingratz : three miles fouth of New Biezow. 
NEPOMUK', a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Pil- 
fen : nine miles eaft-north-eaft of Klattau. 
NEPON'SAT, a river of America, in the Maflachufetts, 
originating chiefly from Muddy and Punkapog ponds in 
Stoughton, and Mafhapog-pond in Sharon; and, after 
uniting with leveral ftreams, meeting the tide in Milton, 
whence it is navigable for veflels of 150 tons burden to 
Bofton-bay, at the diftance of four miles. There are fix 
paper-mills, and others of different kinds, on this fmall 
river. 
NE'POS (Cornelius), a Roman hiftorian and biogra¬ 
pher, flourilhed in the time of Julius Cssfar and Au- 
guftus, and was the friend of Cicero and Atticus. He 
was born on the banks of the Po, probably at Hoftilia in 
the diftriCf of Verona. Nothing more is known of his 
life. This writer coinpofed feveral works, one of which 
is commemorated in fome verfes addrefled to him by Ca¬ 
tullus, as comprifing an univerial hiftory in three books 
or tables. The only performance of his which has reach¬ 
ed modern times is a collection of biographical iketches, 
entitled “ Excellentium Imperatorum Vitae,” and confid¬ 
ing of twenty-two articles of Greek and other foreign 
generals, with a fragment of the Life of Cato of Utica, 
and a more detailed Life of Atticus. Thefe pieces long 
palled under the name of Emilius Probus, who prefen ted 
them to the emperor Theodofius in the fourth century; 
but the purity of the llyle, which is that of the bed age 
of the Latin language, aifigns them to the real author. 
They are elegant compofitions, but too concife for pur- 
pofes of accuracy, and not marked by any depth of re¬ 
flection or force of moral painting. The editions of Cor¬ 
nelius Nepos have been extremely numerous, as it has 
been made a common fchool-book. 
NEP'OTAL, adj. [from the Lat. nepotatus, profufe.j 
Extravagant; luxurious. Not njied. Bailey. 
NEPOTA'TION, f. Extravagance ; luxurioufnefs. 
Bailey. 
NE'POTINE, adj. Extravagant; riotous; luxurious. 
Bailey. 
NE’POTISM, f. [nepotifme, Fr. nepos, Lat.] Fondnefs 
for nephews.—To this humour of nepotifm Rome owes 
its prefent fplendour; for it would have been impoflible 
to have furnifhed out fo many glorious palaces with fiuch 
a profufion of pictures and datutes, had not the riches of 
the people fallen into different families. Addifon on Italy. 
NEPOT'SKOI, a town of Rulfia, in the government of 
Archangel, on the coad of the White Sea : twenty-four 
miles wed of Archangel. 
NEPTUNALIA, /.' Fedivals celebrated by the an¬ 
cients in honour of Neptune. 
NEPTUNA'LIA, feafts held among the ancients, in 
N E P 
honour of Neptune.—The Neptunalia differed from the 
ConJ’mlia, in that the latter were leads of Neptune, con- 
fidered particularly as presiding over horfes, and the ma¬ 
nege; whereas the Neptunalia were feads of Neptune in 
general, and not confidered under any particular quality. 
They were celebrated on the 10th of the calends of Au- 
gud. Chambers. 
NEP'TUNE, in mythology, the god of the fea, was the 
fon of Saturn and Ops, and brother to Jupiter, Pluto, and 
Juno. He was devoured by his father on the day of his 
birth, and reitored to life by means of Metis, who gave 
Saturn a certain potion. Paufanias fays, that his mother 
concealed him in alheepfold in Arcadia ; and that die im- 
pofed upon her hulband, telling him that lhe had brought 
a colt into the world, which was indantly devoured by 
Saturn. Neptune fiiared with his brothers the empire of 
Saturn, and received as his portion the kingdom of the 
fea. This, however, did not feem equivalent to the 
empire of heaven and earth, which Jupiter had claimed ; 
therefore he confpired to dethrone him with the reft of 
the gods. The confpiracy was difcovered, and Jupiter 
condemned Neptune to build the walls of Troy. (See 
Laomedon.) A reconciliation was foon after made, and 
Neptune was re-inftituted to all his rights and privileges, 
Neptune difputed with Minerva the right of giving a 
name to the capital of Cecropia, but he was defeated - r 
and the olive which the goddefs luddenly raifed from the 
earth, was deemed more ferviceable for the good of man¬ 
kind, than the liorfe which Neptune had produced by 
llriking the ground with his trident, as that animal is the 
emblem of war and daughter. This decifion did not 
pleafe Neptune : he renewed the combat by difputing for 
Troezene; but Jupiter fettled their difputes by permitting 
them to be conjointly worlhipped there, and by giving 
the name of Polios, or the Protefilrefs of the City, to 
Minerva, and that of King of Trcezene to the god of the 
fea. He alfo difputed his right for the ifthmus of Corinth 
with Apollo; and Briareus the Cyclops, who was mu¬ 
tually chofen umpire, gave the ifthmus to Neptune, and 
the promontory to Apollo. 
Neptune, as being god of the fea, was entitled to more 
power than any of the other gods, except Jupiter. Not 
only the ocean, rivers, and fountains, were fubjedled to 
him, but he alfo could caufe earthquakes at his pleafure, 
and raife iflands from the bottom of the fea, with a blow 
of his trident. The worfhip of Neptune was eftabliflied 
in almoft every part of the earth ; and, the Libyans, in 
particular, venerated him above all other nations, apd 
looked upon him as the firft and greateft of the gods. 
The Greeks and the Romans were alfo attached to his 
worfhip; and they celebrated their Ifthmian games and 
Confualia with the greateft folemnity. He was generally 
reprefented fitting in a chariot made of a fliell, and drawn 
by fea-horfes or dolphins. Sometimes he is drawn by 
winged horfes, and holds his trident in his hand, and 
ftands up as his chariot flies over the furface of the fea. 
Homer reprefents him as ifiuingfrom the fea, and in three 
fteps crofting the whole horizon. The mountains and 
the forefts, fays the poet, trembled as he walked; the 
whales, and all the fillies of the fea, appear round him ; 
and even the fea herfelf, feems to feel the prefence of her 
god. The ancients generally facrificed a bull and^a horfe 
on his altars ; and the Roman loothfayers always offered 
to him the gall of the viftims, which in tafte refembles 
the bitternefs of the fea-water. The amours of Neptune 
are numerous. He obtained, by means of a dolphin, the 
favours of Amphitrite, who had made a vow of perpetual 
celibacy; and he placed among the conftellations the filh 
which had perfuaded the goddefs to become his wife. He 
alfo married Venilia and Salacia, which are only the names 
of Amphitrite, according to fome authors, who obferve 
that the former word is derived from venire, alluding to 
the continual motion of the fea; Salacia is derived from 
falum, which fignifies the falt-fea, and is applicable to 
Amphitrite. Neptune became a horfe to enjoy the com¬ 
pany 
