N E P 
pany of Ceres. (SeeAtuoN.) To deceive Theophane, he 
changed himfelf into a ram. (See Theophane.) He af- 
fumed the form ofthe river Enipeus, to gain the confidence 
of Tyro, the daughter of Salmoneus, by whom he had Pe- 
lias and Neleus. He was alfo father of Phorcus and Poly¬ 
phemus by Thoofia; ofLycus, NyCteus,and Euphemus, by 
Celeno ; of Chryfes, by Chryfogenia; of Anteus, by Afty- 
palea ; of Bceotus and Hellen, by Antiope ; of Leuconoe, 
by Themifto j of Agenor and Bellerophon, by Eurynome, 
the daughter of Nyius ; of Antas, by Alcyone, the daugh¬ 
ter of Atlas; of Abas, by Arethufa; of ACtor and DiCtys, 
by Agemede, the daughter of Augias ; of Megareus, by 
CEnope, daughter of Epopeus; of Cycnus, by Harpalyce ; 
of Taras, Otus, Ephialtes, Dorns, Alefus, &c. The word 
Neptunus is often ufed metaphorically by the poets to fig- 
nify fea-water. In the Confualia of the Romans, horfes 
were led through the ftreets finely equipped, and crowned 
with garlands, as the god, in whofe honour the feftivals 
were inftituted, had produced the horfe, an animal fo be¬ 
neficial for the ufe of mankind. 
This deity was known in Egypt by the name of Ceno- 
lus, or Canopus, and was worfhipped as the Numen Aqua- 
rum, or Spirit of the Nile. His emblem was the figure of 
certain vafes or pitchers, with which the Egyptians fil¬ 
trated the water of their facred river, in order to purify 
and render it fit for ufe. From the mouth of each of thefe 
vafes, which were charged with hieroglyphics, arofe the 
head, and fometimes the head and hands, of a man or 
woman. Such are the emblems which ftill remain of the 
Egyptian Neptune, or Canopus ; and it was by this em¬ 
blem that the tutelar god of Egypt vanquilhed the god 
of Chaldseain the following manner, mentioned by Ruffi- 
nus in his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. “ The Chaldeans, who 
adored the fire, carried their god into various countries, 
that he might try his ftrength in contefts with other gods. 
He vanquilhed, as we may eafily conceive, the images 
made of gold, filver, brafs, and wood, &c. by reducing 
them to allies; and thus the worlhip of fire was every¬ 
where eftablifhed. The prieft of Canopus, unwilling, as 
became him, to admit the fuperiority of ftrange gods, con¬ 
trived to make his godvanquilh the god of Chaldsea in a 
pitched battle. The vafes which were worfhipped as the 
emblems of Canopus, being ufed for filtering the waters 
of the Nile, were of courfe perforated on all fides with 
very fmall holes. This faithful prieft, having Hopped all 
the holes in one of thefe with wax, and painted the vafe 
of different colours, for a reafon which the reader will 
admit to be a good one, filled it up with water, and fitted 
to its mouth the head of an idol. This emblem of Cano¬ 
pus was-then placed in a fmall fire brought by the Chal- 
dasans as the emblem of their god ; and thus the gods of 
Egypt and Chaldasa were forced into battle. The con- 
teft, however, was of Ihort duration. The heat melting 
the wax, made way foinhe water to run out, which quick¬ 
ly extinquiftied the fire; and thus Canopus vanquilhed 
the god of the Chaldeans.” Ridiculous as this ftory is, 
it is perfeftly fuitable to the genius of paganifm, and the 
artifices of the pagan priefthood ; but we fufpeCt that the 
hiftorian laboured under one miftake, and fubftituted the 
Chaldaeans inftead ofthe Perfians. 
NEPTU'NIA, f. in botany. See Mimosa. 
NEP TU'NIAN, aclj. Belonging to Neptune; belong¬ 
ing to the fea. Cole , 
NEP'VEU (Francis), a French Jefuit, whofe devotional 
and practical writings have been widely circulated and 
much elteemed in the catholic communion, was born at 
St. Malo’s in the year 1639. He entered the order in the 
year 1654.; and, after he had finilhed his ftudies and taken 
the four vows, he occupied the chair of claffical profellbr 
for fix years, and afterwards that of philofophy for eight 
years, with great reputation. His talents occafioned his 
being appointed to various important offices in the fociety; 
and he died principal of the college of Rennes, but in 
what year is not known. He publilhed numerous trea- 
tifes confecrated to the interefts of piety and morality j 
N E R 723 
and, among others, 1. On the Knowledge and Love of our 
Lord Jefus Chrift, 1681, lamo. which has been frequently 
reprinted, a. The Method of Prayer, 1691, umo, which, 
as well as the preceding piece, has been tranllated into 
Italian. 3. Preparation for Death, 1693, izmo. 4. Chrif- 
tian Thoughts and Reflections for all the Days in the 
Year, 1699, 4 vols. nrao. which has been tranllated into 
Latin and Italian. 5. The Spirit of Chriftianity, or the 
Conformity of a Chriftian to the Example of Jefus Chrift, 
1700, 12mo. 6. Chriftian ConduCt, or, Directions for 
praCtifing the Principal Duties of the Chriftian Life, 1704, 
i2tno. &c. Gen. Biog. 
NE'QUIENT, adj. [from the Lat. nequeo, to be unable.] 
Unable. Cole. 
NEQUITA'O, a town of South-America, in the pro¬ 
vince of Venezuela : twenty miles fouth of Truxillo. 
NEQUONQUI'QUA, a river of New Brunfwick, which 
runs into the St.John in lat. 46. 6. N. Ion. 66. 55. W. 
NER, [Heb. a lamp.] A Scripture-name. 
NER, a town of Hindooftan, in thecircarof Auran¬ 
gabad : thirty-eight miles eaft of Aurangabad. 
NE'RA, a river of Italy, which runs into the Tiber 
feven miles fouth-weft of Narni. 
NE'RA, a valley of Moldavia: eight miles fouth of 
Roman. 
NE'RA, a town of the illand of Banda. 
NERAC', a town of France, and principal place of a 
diftriCt, in the department of the Lot and Garonne, on. 
the Blaife, which here becomes navigable. It is divided 
into Great and Little Nerac. It is twelve miles weft- 
fouth-weft of Agen, and ten north of Condom. Lat. 44, 
8. N. Ion. o. 25. E. 
NERA'I, a river of Hungary, which runs into the 
Danube two miles eaft of Vipalanka. 
NERAIN'SKOI SEREBRE'NOI ZAVO'ID, a town of 
Ruffia, in the government of Irkutlk, on the Argun, near 
the borders ot China : 128 miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Nert- 
chinlk. Lat. 50. 28. N. Ion. 120. E. 
NER'BA, a town of Saxony, in Thuringia, on the 
Unftrutt: fifteen miles north-iveft of Naumberg. 
NERBUD'DAH, a river of Hindooftan, which rifes 
from a lake in the fouthern part of the province of Alla¬ 
habad, and, after a courfe of 350 miles, almoft due weft, 
runs into the Gulf of Cambray thirty-one miles north of 
Surat. On the 27th of December, 1817, this river, fwelled 
by continual rains during the three preceding days, over¬ 
flowed its banks and fwept away forty-two villages. 
Many thoufand men, women, and children, loft their lives 
by this calamitous event, which has deprived thefurvivors 
ot (belter, food, and raiment. A collection was made at 
Bombay for their relief. 
NER'CHAU, a town of Saxony, in the circle of Leipfic: 
three miles north-north-eaft of Grimma, and fixteen eaft 
of Leipfic. 
NE’RE, for ne were. Were not: 
He trembled fo, that, ne're his fquires befide 
To hold him up, he had funk down to ground. Fairfax. 
NE'RE, a town of Hindooftan, in the circar of Ellich- 
pour : thirty miles eaft-north-eaft of Ellichpour. 
NEREAL'LY, a town of Hindooftan, in Vifiapour: 
twenty-five miles eaft of Anamfagur. 
NERECH'TA, a town of Rufiia, in the government of 
Koftroma: fixteen miles fouth-weft of Koftroma. 
NE'REID, f. [Nereis, Lat. pi. Nereides, daughters of 
Nereus.] A fea-nymph : 
Her gentlewomen, like the Nereids, 
So many mermaids, tended her i’the eyes, 
And made their bends adornings. Shakejp , Ant. and Cieop. 
The Nereids w’ere fifty in number, all the daughters of 
Nereus by the nymph Doris. Their names and genealo¬ 
gies are deferibed in Hefiod. Homer gives their names, 
with feme variation, and reckons only thirty-two of them. 
The ancient monuments, as well as medals, agree in re- 
z prefenting 
