NEE 
720 
inhabit the Britilh ffiores, extending fometimes to four¬ 
teen or fifteen inches in length, and large in proportion. 
It inhabits rocky filiations, and is found lurking under 
the broken fragments; but is rare. While the animal 
was in a glafs of fea-water, the circulation of the colour¬ 
ing fecretion through the ramifications of the cirri was a 
curious objefl, and appeared to be effected at the will of the 
animal; but, when it became fickly, the circulation was 
flower, riling up through the branches of the cirri gradually 
as in capillary tubes; and as foon as it expired all the co¬ 
lour from thole parts vaniflied. This curious and beautiful 
worm is fliown of the natural fize at fig. 13. the peduncles 
magnified at fig. 14. and the fangs magnified at fig. 15. 
32. Nereis maculofa: body linear, with about thirty 
pairs of fafciculate peduncles complicated with a (lender 
pencil of hairs above the broad fafcicles, and in fome 
points of view appearing like a Angle hair ; above this 
iffues a cirrus changeable in Ihnpe, but never longer than 
the peduncle, independent of the fafciculus: tentacula 
feven, the middle one larger, and placed in the centre of 
the forehead between the eyes, fomewhat eredl, and ap¬ 
pears to.be jointed. Eyes four, black, fhe hindmoft pair 
fmalleft, and not vifible on the upper part; the others are 
large, and moll confpicuous beneath. Along the back 
are feven cordiform equi-dillant yellow fpots ; the ground¬ 
colour white. Length about an inch. Rare. This is 
fomewhat like N. corniculata; but the want of the bifid 
tentacula makes it diftindl. This and the two preceding 
were difcovered by Mr. Montagu on the fouth coall of 
Devonlhire ; and defcribed by him, with feveral other new 
and curious marine animals, in the ixth and xith volumes 
of the Linnasan Tranfadtions. 
NE'RENBERG, a town in the late French department 
of the Sarre : twenty-fix miles well of Coblentz, and 
thirty-two fouth of Cologne. 
NE'RESHEIM, a town of Germany, in the principality 
of Oettingen; near it is a princely abbey, of the fame 
name : twelve miles fouth-fouth-well of Oettingen, and 
fix fouth-fouth-well of Nordlingen. 
NERE'SI, a town on the fouth fide of the illand of 
Brazza, in the Adriatic, near the coall of Dalmatia. Its 
fituation is not pleafiant, though it is the refidence of the 
governor and a place of refort, and the only good lands 
in the illand are adjacent. The road to it from the fea- 
fliore is exceedingly rough and wild ; the air continues 
rigid after the fpring-feafon, and the winter, they fay, is 
intenfely cold. Nerefi has been more confiderable in the 
timesof incurfions and'piracies; and hence it Hill preferves 
a kind of primacy, beCaufe the principal highlanders re¬ 
tired thither; but now, fince the places near the fea may 
be fafely inhabited, it has loll much of its population, and 
deferred houfes are falling into ruins on all fides. 
NERES'TABLE, a town of France, in the department 
of the Rhone and Loire : twelve miles fouth-weft of 
Roanne. 
NE'RESTBAD, a town of Perfia, in the province of 
Kerman : ninety miles north of Maltih. 
NERE'TO, a town of Naples, in Abruzzo Ultra; 
thirty-fix miles nortii-north-eall of Aquila. 
NE'REUS, in mythology, a deity of the -fea, fon of 
Oceanus and Terra. He married Doris, by whom he had 
fifty daughters, called the Nereids. (SeeNEREiD.) Nereus 
was generally reurefented as an old man, with a long flow¬ 
ing beard, and hair of an azure colour. The chief place 
of his refidence was in the JEgean Sea, w'here he was fur- 
rounded by his daughters, who often danced in chorufles 
round him. He ha the gift of prophecy, and informed 
thofe that confulted him of the different fates that at¬ 
tended them. Thus he acquainted Paris with the con- 
fequences of his elopement with Helen; and it was by his 
directions that Hercules obtained the golden apples of 
the Hefperides ; but the lea-god often evaded the impor¬ 
tunities of inquirers by affuming different fliapes, and 
totally efcaping from their grafp. The word Nereus is 
often taken for the fea itfelf. Nereus is fometimes called 
the moll ancient of all the gods. 
N E R 
NERFU'A, a fmall ifland in the gulf of Finland. Lat, 
60.12. N. Ion. 28. 9. E. 
NER'GAL, an idol of the Cuthites, who were a tribe 
of the Chaldeans or Perfians. The Jews reprefent it in 
the.form of a cock ; but, as the word fignifies “ the reveal¬ 
ing or rolling lamp,” it is more probable that it fignifies 
fire, or the fun. Two of Nebuchadnezzar’s generals' were,, 
in honour of it, called Nergal-lharezer. 2 Kings xvii. 30. 
Jer. xxxix. 3. 
NERIJELBE'NO, a town of Poland, in the palatinate- 
of Kiev : forty-eight miles weft-north-weft of Kiev. 
NE'RI, [Heb. my light.] A man’s name. 
NE'RI (Philip de), a faint in the Roman calendar, and 
founder of the celebrated Congregation of the Priells of 
the Oratory, was defcended from a noble family at Flo¬ 
rence, where he was born in the year 1515. He was fent 
to one of his uncles, a merchant at St. Germain’s in the 
kingdom of Naples, with the intention of being educated 
to buiinefs; but he early difcovered a ffronger inclination 
for reading and iludy, and was permitted to indulge it. 
After going through a courfe of clalfical literature, and 
makinga confiderable progrefs in philofophy and divinity, 
he fuddenly renounced the purfuit of learning, fold his 
books, and gave himfelf up wholly to prayer^and con¬ 
templation. At the age of nineteen he came to Rome, 
where he devoted much of his time to attendance on the 
lick poor, and pradlifed the moll rigorous mortification 
and felf-denial, allowing himfelf no other food but bread, 
olives, and a few herbs. When he was twenty-fix years 
old, he was ordained priell; and, from that time till 
his death, not a day palled without his either celebrating 
mafs or communicating. In the year 1550 he founded a 
fraternity for the relief of ftrangers, pilgrims, and dellitute 
fick perlons; which led the way to the inllitution of the 
Congregation of the Oratory. This celebrated fociety 
was begun to be formally organifed by him in 1564, and 
ten years afterwards was approved by pope Gregory XIIK 
Among the firll members of this congregation was the 
famous Baronius, who by his advice was led to undertake 
his “ Ecclefiaftical Annals;” and the numerous eftablilh- 
ments, belonging to the order, which foon arofe in Italy, 
and France in particular, have furniflied many other emi¬ 
nent names, which have rendered very important fervice 
to the interefts of literature and fcience. Neri died at 
Rome in 159 5, when he was about eighty years of age. He 
was canonized by pope Gregory XV. in 1622. TeiJJier'e- 
Elcges des Hotnmes Savants, vol. ii. 
NE'RI (Antonio), an Italian priell and excellent che- 
mift, a native of Florence, flourilhed about the beginning 
of the feventeenth century. He acquired great expert- 
nefs in the art of glafs-making, and refided many years 
at Antwerp; but returned to Italy, where he lpent the 
remainder of his days, fometimes at Pifa, and fometimes 
at Florence. He wrote, in the Italian language, a work 
on the art of glafs-making, Dell’ Arte Vetraria, lib. 7, 
Florence, 1612, 410. which was tranllated into Latin by 
Andrew Frifio, and publilhed at Amfterdam, with the 
notes of Chriffopher Meretti, 1668, nmo. A German 
tranflation was printed at Leiplic in 1678, and it was 
afterwards inferted by Kunkel in his Complete Art of 
Glafs-making. A new edition of Neri’s work appeared 
at Venice in 1782. The difcoveries of thischemill tended 
greatly to improve the art on which he treated; and were 
of great fervice, in particular, to thofe who attempted to 
make artificial precious Hones. Gen. Biog. 
NE'RI (Pompeio), a native of Florence, who became 
profeffor of the law at Pifa, and was employed in ftate- 
affairs by the duke of Lorraine, and the emprefs Maria 
Therefa. He founded the Academy of Botany at Flo¬ 
rence, where he died in 1776 at the age of fixty-nine. 
He wrote Obfervations on the ancient and prefent Hate 
of the Tufcan Nobility; on the Imports of Milan; on the 
legal value of the Coin, and the difficulty of fixing and 
maintaining the fame. 
NERIABAD', a town of Hindooltan, inGuzerat: four¬ 
teen miles fouth of Malnnoodabad. 
NERI'AH, 
