What defcent of waters could tere be in a splerical and round body, wherein there is nor high or low. Raleigh -Sounds spread round, fo that there is an orb or her ical area of the found. Bacon. -We must know the reafon of the spherical fi gures of the drops. Glanville.-A fluid maf neceffarily falls into a spherical furface. Keil-Where the central nodule was globular, the inner furface of the firft cruft would be spherick; and if the cruft was in all parts of the fame thicknefs, that whole crust would be spherical. Woodward. 2. Planetary; relating to orbs of the planets.-We make guilty of our difafters the fun, the moon, and ftars, as if we were villains by spherical predominance. Shak.

* SPHERICALLY. adv. [from spherical.] In form of a sphere.-

SPHERICALNESS. Įn. f. [from Sphere.] *SPHERICITY. 3 Roundness; rotundity.-Such bodies receive their figure and limits from fuch lets as hinder them from attaining to that Sphericalnefs they aim at. Digly.—The phericity keeps 'em from touching one another in more points than one. Cheyne.

SPHEPICK. See SPHERICAL.

(1.) SPHEROID. n. f. [7zzign and ; spheroide, Fr. A body oblong or oblate, approaching to the form of a phere.-They are not folid particles, by the neceffity they are under to change their figures into oblong spheroids, in the capillary veffels. Cheyne.

(2.) The SPHEROID, in geometry, is generated by the entire revolution of a femi-ellipfis about its axis. When the revolution is made round the largest axis, the spheroid is called prolate; and when round the fhorteft, oblate. This laft is the figure of the earth, and probably of all the planets. SPHEROIDICAL. adj. [from Spheroid.) Having the form of a spheroid.—If thefe corpufcles be fpheroidical, or oval, their fhorteft diameters muft not be much greater than those of light. Cherne

*SPHFRULE. n. f. [fphærula, Lat. A little globe.-Mercury is a collection of exceeding fmall, vaftly heavy fpherules. Cheyne.

SPHERUS, a Greek philosopher, a difciple of Zeno of Cyprus; who flourished about A. A. C. 243. He came to Sparta in the reign of Agis III. and Cleomenes III. and opened a fchool for philofophy. Plut. Died.

SPHEX, ICHNEUMON WASP, or SAVAGE; a genus of infects belonging to the order of hymenopter. The mouth is armed with entire jaws, bat contains no tongue; the mandibles are horny, crooked, dentated; the lip horny, the apex membranaceous. The palpi or feelers are 4. The antennæ have from 10 to 16 joints. The wings of both fexes are extended without folds, and laid horizontally on the back. The fting is fharp, and roncealed within the abdomen. There are 97 fpecies. The manner of living is different in the various fpecies, and fo is the general form of the body and their haunts; but though the method of life be utterly different, yet the fame nammers appear innate and inherent in ail. They agree in being the fierceft of all flies: they will attack infects much larger than themfelves, and this whether they be defenceless or armed, as they are proVOL. XXI. Part 1.

vided with a fting. The strength in all this favage kind is great; their jaws are hard and tharp, and in their iting lies a poifon fuddenly fatal to the creatures with whom they engage. The favage feizes hardily on the animal he attacks, and gives a ftroke of amazing force; after which he falls down as if himfelf were killed, but it is to reft from h.. fatigue, and enjoy his victory. He keeps a feady eye on the creature he has truck till it dies, which happens in a few minutes, and then drags it to the neft to feed the young. The number of other infects they deftroy is fearce to be conceived; the mouth of their cave is like that of a giant in the days of yore, ftrewed with the remains of prey. The eyes, the filament that ferves as a brain, and a finall part of the contents of the body, are all the favage cats, and he will kill 50 for a meal. Of this numerous gentis only 2 are natives of Britain and Ireland; viz.

1. SPHEX CRIBRARIA is black, with yellow ringlets on the abdomen: the antennæ are short, and turned backwards: the fore legs are broad, with an appendix like a fhield. See Plate CCcx.

2. SPREX VIATICA is black: the antennæ are fhort and thick: the three fit fegments of the abdomen red brown: the pedicle is thort: the length half an inch.

SPHINCTER, in anatomy, a term applied to a kind of circular mufcles, or mufcles in form of rines, which ferve to close and draw up feveral o rifices of the body, and prevent the excretion of the contents. See ANATOMY, § 294.

(I.) * SPHINX. n. f. [opy.] The Sphinx was a famous monster in Egypt, that remained by con joined Nilus, having the face of a virgin, and the body of a lion. Peacham.

(II.) SPHINX, or SPHYNX, in the mythology, a monfter which had the head and breafts of a a woman, the body of a dog, the tail of a ferpent, the wings of a bird, the paws of a lion, and an human voice. It sprang from the union of Orthos with the Chimera, or of Typhon with Echidna. The Sphinx had been fent into the neighbourhood of Thebes by Juno, who wished to punith the family of Cadmus, which the perfecuted with immortal hatred, and it laid this part of Boeotia under continual alarms, by propofing enigmas, and devouring the inhabitants if unable to explain them. In the midft of their confternation the Thebans were told by the oracle, that the fphinx would destroy herself as foon as one of the enigmas the propofed was explained. In this enigma the withed to know what animal walked on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening. Upon this Creon king of Thebes promifed his crown and his fifter Jocafta, the widow of king Laius, in marriage to him who could deliver his country from the monster by a fuccessful explanation of the enigma. It was at laft explained by CEDIPUS, who obferved, that man walked on his hands and feet in the morning of life, at the noon of life he walked erect, and in the evening of his days he fupported his intimities upon a ftick. (See JOCASTA, and OEDIPUS.) The fphinx upon this explanation, dathed her head againit a rock and expired. Among the Egyptians the fphinx was the fymbol of religion, by reason of the obfcurity of its myfteries;

SPHONDYLIUM, in anatomy, one of the vertebræ of the back.

SPHRAGIDIUM, a famous cave of Boeotia, in Mount Citheron. Paus. ix. c. 3.

SPHYNX. See SPHINX, N° I-IV, 1-10. * SPIAL. n. f. \efpial, Fr.] A spy; a scout; a watcher. Obfolete.

His ears be as fpials, alarum to crie. Tuffer. He privy fpials plac'd in all his way. Spenfer. For he by faithful fpial was affured That Egypt's king was forward on his way. Fairfax. -Their truft towards them hath rather been as to good spials than good magiftrates. Bacon. SPIAN, a river of Scotland, in Inverness-shire, which rifes from the W. extremity of LOCH-LAGGAN; and after a rapid and precipitous courfe of 20 miles, joins the Lochy near the church of Kilmanivaig. See LOCHY, N° 1.

SPICA, in botany. See BOTANY, Gloffary. (1.) SPICE. n. J. [efpices, Fr.] 1. A vegetable production, fragrant to the fmell and pungent to the palate; an aromatick fubftance ufed in fau

ces.

Dang❜rous rocks

Would featter all the spices on the ftream. Shak. -Is not manhood, learning, gentienefs, and virtue, the Spice and falt that seasons a man? Shak.--Garlick, the northern spice, is in mighty requeft among the Indians. Temple.-High fauces and rich fices are fetched from the Indies. Baker. 2. A fmall quantity, as of spice to the thing seasoned.Thy by-gone foolèries were but spices of it. Shak. -It containeth fingular relations, not without fome fpice of all learning. Brown.

So in the wicked there's no vice, Of which the faints have not a fpice. Hudib. (2.) SPICE, is a name given to any kind of aromatic drug that has hot and pungent qualities: fuch are pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves,

&c.

(3.) SPICE, in botany, or ALL-SPICE. See MYRTUS, § II, N° 2.

(4.) SPICE ISLANDS, in the Eaft Indies. See BANDA, MOLUCCA ISLANDS, and CEYLON.

(5.) SPICE WOOD, a fpecies of Laurus.

To SPICE. v. a. [from the noun.] To seafon with spice; to mix with aromatick bodies.In the Spiced Indian air by night

Full often the hath goffip'd by my fide. Shak. She'i firft receive thee; but will Spice thy bread

With flowrie poyfons.

Chapman. And fo, though not revive, embalm and spice The world, which elfe would putrify. Donne. If thou hast wherewithal to spice a draught. Herbert. * SPICER. n. f. [from Spice.] One who deals in fpice.-Names have been derived from occupations, as Salter and Spicer. Camden.

*SPICERY. n. J. [efpiceris, Fr. from Spice.] 1. The commodity of fpices. Their camels were loaden with spicery. Raleigh.

The western treafure, eaftern Spicery. Donne. 2. A repofitory of spices.-The Spicery, the cellar and its furniture are well known. Addifon.

*SPICK AND SPAN. [This word I should not have expected to have found authorised by a polite writer. Span-new is ufed by Chaucer, and is fuppofed to come from Spannan, to ftretch, Sax. expandere, Latin, whence span.. Span-new is originally used of cloath new extended or dressed at the clothiers, and spick and span is newly extended on the fpikes or tenters: it is however a low word.] Quite new; now first used.The honour thou haft got,

Is fpick and pan new, piping hot. Butler. They would have these reduced to nothing, and then others created spick and span new out of nothing. Burnet.— Spick and fpan I have enough. Swift. (1.) * SPICKNEÏ, n.f. [meum, Latin.] The herb maldmony or bear-wort. Di&.

(2.) SPICKNEL, or SPIGNEL. See ATHAMANTA. * SPICOSITY. n. f. [fpica, Latin.] The quality of being spiked like ears of corn; fulness of ears. Dia.

SPICULA. See BOTANY, Gloffary.

* SPICY. adj. [from Spice.] 1. Producing spice; abounding with aromaticks.

Sabæan odour from the spicy fhore
Of Araby the bleft.

Milton.

In hot Ceilon Spicy forefts grew. Dryden. 2. Aromatick; having the qualities of spice.-— The regimen in this difeafe ought to be of spicy and cephalick vegetabies. Arbuthnot.

Led by new stars, and born by spicy gales!

Pope. (1.) * SPIDER. n. f. [Skinner thinks this word foftened from fpinder, or spinner, from fpin: Junius, with his ufual felicity, dreams that it comes from rigs, to extend; for the fpider extends his web. Perhaps it comes from pieden, Dutch; fpeyden, Danith, to spy, to lye upon the Catch. Dor, dora, Saxon, is a beetle, probably an humble bee, or ftingless bee. May not spider be fpy dor, the infect that watches the dor?] The animal that spins

a web for flies.

More direful hap betide that hated wretch, Than I can wish to adders, spiders, toads. Shak. The spider's web to watch we'll stand. Drayton. Infidious, reftlefs, watchful Spider. Dr Littlet. The Spider's touch how exquifitiy fine! Pope. (2.) SPIDER, in entomology. See ARANEA, 1, N° 1—5; 1—13. See aifo a peculiarity in the generation of fpiders, under ENTOMOLOGY, Sect. III.

(3.) SPIDER, SHEPHERD. See PHALANGIUM. SPIDERCATCHER, n. f. [from Spider and catcher; picus murarius, Lat.] A bird.

*

(1.) SPIDERWORT, n. f.{sphalangium, Latin.] A plant with a lily-flower, compoted of fx petais. Miller.

(2.) SPIDERWORT, in botany. See ANTHERI¬

tor of Brunfwis and Lucoburg. It is about xo miles E. of Hameln, and 21 SW. of Hanover. SPIELBERG, a town of Suabia in Oettingen; 8 m. NE. of Oettingen, aud 13 SSE. of Antpach. SPIERINGS, H. an eminent landfcape painter, born at Antwerp, about 1633. His manner of deligning was agreeable, his touch delicate, and Jus colouring natural,

SPIERS, Albert VAN, a historical painter, born at Amfterdam, ❗ 1666. After studying in fly, he returned to his native city, where he acquired great fame. He died in 1718.

SPIETZ, a town of the Helvetic republic, in Berne, on the W. coaft of Lake Thun; 25 miles SSE. of Berne, and 27 SE. of Friburg.

(1.) SPIGELBURG, a county of Germany, in Weltphalia, 18 miles long and to broad.

(2.) SPIGELBURG, the capital of the above county, 22 miles SW. of Hildesheim. Lon. 9. 46. E. Lat. 51. 56. N.

SPIGELIA, WORM-GRASS, in botany, a genus of plants belonging to the clafs of pentandria, and order of monogynia; and in the natural fyttem arranged under the 47th order Stellata. The corolla is funnel-shaped; the capfule is didymous, bilocular, and polyfpermous. There are two fpecies:

I. SPIGELIA ANTHELMIA has a herbaceous ftem, and its highest leaves are fourfold. "The effects of this medicine (ays Dr Browne are thefe; It first procures fleep, almost as certainly, and in an equal degree, with opium; the eyes feem to be diftended, and sparkle as it were before the eruption of the imall-pox or meafles, which may be easily oblerved after the fleep is over; the pule grows regular and rifes, the fever cools, the fymptoms appear more favourable, and the worms are enerally difcharged by the nfe of the fubfequent purgatives (if not, before) in great quantities, of, ten above 100 at a time; but when a few only come away, which is feldom, and thefe aliye, the fame defes are again repeated, which feldom or never fail. I never faw this medicine fail when there was the leaft probability of fuccefs; nay, often prove fuccefsful when there was not the leaft reafon to expect it. I have been, however, cautious in ordering it for children; for though I never knew it at all hurtful, its effect upon the eyes bas often deterred me from ordering it to children, whofe fibres are weak and relaxed, and in whom the fevers from this fource are feidom fo vehement, as to hinder the adminiftration of other medicines, likely as effectual in other caf s of this nature. This plant is generally had in low dry lands, after they have been turned up fome months, and after great rains; its tafte is herbaceous, and fomewhat ciammy, its growth is foft and fudden, its ftalk hollow, fmooth, and sound th. Its herbaceous tafte and fudden growth would alone make me think it capable of little or no action, had not hundreds of careful obfervations fatisfied me to the contrary."

2. SPIGELIA MARILANDICA, perrenial wormgrafs, or Indian pink. The best description of this plant which we have seen is given by Dr Woodville, in his Medical Botany; a work which exhibits a complete lyftematic view of the megicid

effects of vegetables. Its item 18 four-cornered; all the leaves oppofite. Dr Garden, in a letter to the late Dr Hope, profeffor of botany in the univerfity of Edinburgh, dated 1763, gives the following account of the virtues of this plant. "About forty years ago, the authelmintic virtues of the root of this plant were difcovered by the Indians; fince which time it has been much used here by phyficians, practitioners, and pianters; yet its true dofe is not generally afcertained. I have given it in hundreds of cafes, and have been very attentive to its effects. Inover found it do much fervice, except when it proved gently purgative. Its purgative quality paturally led me to give it in febrile difeafes, which feemed to arife from vifcidity in the prime via; and, ta thefe cafes, it fucceeded to admiration, even when the fick did not void worms. I have of late, previous to the use of the Indian pink, given a vomit, when the circumstances of the cafe permitted it; and I have found this method antwer fo well, that I think a vomit fhould never be omitted. I have known huf a dram of this root purge as brifkly as the fame quantity of rhubarb; at other times, I have known it, though given in large quantities, produce no effect upon the beily: in fuch cafes, it becomes neceffary to add a grain or two of tweet mercury, or fome grains of rhubarb; but the fame happy effects did not follow its ufe in this way, as when it was purgative without addition, The addition, however of the purgative renders its ufe fafe, and removes ail danger of convulfions of the eyes, although neither ol. rutæ, fabinæ, nor any other nervous fubftance, is given along with it. It is, in general, fafer to give it in large cofes than in fmall; for, from the latter, more fre quently the giddinefs, dimnefs of the fight, and convulfions, &c. follow, whereas from large dofes, I have not known any other effect than its prov ing emetic or violently cathartic. To a child of two years of age, who had been taking 10 grains of the root twice a-day, without having any other effect than making her dull and giddy, I preferibed 22 grains morning and evening, which purged her brifkiy, and brought away five large worms. After fome months an increafed dole had the fame good effects. I prefer the root to the other parts of the plant, of which, when proper. ly dried, I gave from 12 to 60 or 70 grains in fubftance. In infusion, it may be given to the quantity of two, three, or four drams, twice aday. I have found that, by keeping, the plant lofes its virtue in part; for 40 grains of the root which has not been gathered about two months, will operate as trongly as 60 which has been kept for 15 months." In Dr Garden's fubfequent letters, addreiled to Dr Hone, in 1764 and 1766, the efficacy of this root in worm cafes is further confirmed, and he obferves, that the root keeps better than he at first thought (having lately ufed it feveral years old with great fuccefs.) In what he calis continued or remitting low worm fevers, he found its efficacy promoted by the addition of rad. jepentar, virg.

SPIGELIUS, Adrian, an eminent anatomist, furgeon, and botanift, born at Bruffels in 1578, He became profeffor of anatomy and furgery at

Padua.