ASS

253

ASS

ASSERTION, a fact or proposition advanced by lire asscrtor,who avows the truth of it.

ASSES, Order of, jVsinorum Ordo, a name given to theMatlnirins, or Trinitarians , because they were anciently obliged,in travelling, to ride on asses, instead of horses. This obligationwas set aside by Pope Clement IV. in 1267.

ASSESSOR , an inferior officer of justice, appointed chiefly toassist the ordinary judge with his opinion and advice.

Assessor is also one who assesses, or settles taxes, and otherpublic duties.

ASSESSMENT, the sum levied on certain property.

ASSETS, in law, are either real or personal. Where a manhath lands in fee simple, and dies seised thereof, the lands whichcome to his heir are assets real; and where he dies possessed ofany personal estate, the goods which come to the executors areassets personal. Assets are also divided into assets per descent,and assets inter maines.

Assets by Descent are where a person is bound in an obli-gation, and dies seised of lands which descend to the heir, theland shall be assets, and the heir shall he charged as far as the landto him descended will extend.

Assets inter Maines are when a man indebted makes exe-cutors, and leaves them sufficient to pay his debts and legacies ;or where some commodity or profit ariseth to them in right ofthe testator, which are called assets in their hands.

ASSI, the modern name of the Orontes .

ASSIDEAN'S, or GIlASlDzEANS, [from the Heb. D’TCn,chasidim, merciful, pious,] those Jews who resoited to MallathiastQ fight for the law of God and the liberties of their country.They were men of great valour and zeal, having voluntarily de-voted themselves to a more strict observation of the law thanother men. For after the return of the Jews from the Babylonishcaptivity, there were two sorts of men in their church ; thosewho contented themselves with that obedience only which wasprescribed by the lawr of Moses, and who were called Zadikim ,i. e. the righteous; and those who, over and above the law, su-peradded the constitutions and traditions of the elders, and otherrigorous observances: these latter weTe called Chasidim, i. e. thepious. From the former sprung the Samaritans , Sadducees, andCaraites ; from the latter, the Pharisees and the Essenes.

ASSIDENT Signs, in medicine, are symptoms which usuallyattend a disease but not always; hence differing from pathognomicsigns, which are inseparable from the disease.

ASSJDUI, in Roman antiquity, volunteers who served in thearmy at their own expence.

ASS1DUUS, or ADSIDUUS, [from as, money,] among theRomans, denoted a rich or wealthy person.

ASSIENTO, a Spanish word, signifying a farm, is used for abargain between the king of Spain and other powers, for import-ing negroes into the Spanish dominions in America , and particu-larly to Buenos Ayres. The first assiento was made by the FrenchGuinea company ; and by the treaty of Utrecht , transferred to theEnglish , who were to furnish four thousand eight hundred negroesannually. Infamous traffic!

ASSIGN, in common law, a person to whom a thing is assign-ed, or made over. The word assign is said to have been intro-duced in favour of natural children ; who, because tliev cannotpass by the name of heirs, are comprised under that of assigns.

ASSIGNABLE Magnitude, in geometry, any finite mag-nitude.

Assignable Ratio, the ratio of any finite quantities.

ASSIGN Els, in law, a person appointed by another to do an act,transact some business, or enjoy a particular commodity. Assigneesmay be by deed or by law; by deed, where the lessee of a farm assignsthe same to another; by law, where the law makes an assignee, with-out any appointment of the person intit'ed, as an executor is as-signee in law to the testator, and an administrator to an intestate.But when there is assignee by deed, the assignee in law is notallowed.

ASSIGNMENT, the transferring the interest one has in alease, or other thing, to another person. Assignments may bemade of lands in fee for life or years, of an annuity, rent-charge,judgement, statute, &c.

ASSIMILATION, in physics, is that motion by which bodiesconvert other bodies related to them, or at least such as are pre-pared to he converted, into their own substance and nature. Titus,

dame multiplies itself upon oily bodies, and generates new fiam" :air upon water, and produces new air; and all the parts, as wellsimilar as organical, in vegetables and animals, first attract withsome election or choice, nearly the same common or not very de-ferent juices for aliment, and afterwards assimilate or convert them-to their own nature. We are very much in the dark respectingthe nature of assimilation, and the instruments employed in thisprocess. But the reality of its existence is beyond the reach ofdoubt. The healing of every fractured bone, and of every woundof the body, is a proof of its existence, and an instance of it-caction.

ASS ISA, in old law Latin, an assize .

ASSISE, or ASSIZE. See Assize .

ASSISil, in ecclesiastical writers, persons beneficed in a cathe-dral church, not in a rank below that of canons.

ASSISUS, in ancient law-writers, a thing farmed out for a cer-tain rent, in money or provisions.

ASSIZE, in old English law books, is defined to he an assem-bly of knights, and other substantial men, together with a justice,in a certain place, ami at a certain time: but the word, in its pre-sent acceptation, implies a court, place, or time, when and wherethe writs and processes, whether civil or criminal, are decided bvjudge and jury. England is divided into six circuits; and twojudges are assigned hv the king’s commission, who hold theirassizes twice a year in every county (except London anti Middle-sex, where courts of nisi prius are liolden in and after every term,before the chief or other judge of the several superior courts; antiexcept the four northern counties, where the assizes are taken onlyonce a year) to try by a jury of the respective counties the truthof such matters of fact as are then under dispute in the courts ofWestminster hall. They usually make their circuits in the re-spective vacations after Hilary and Trinity terms; assizes being,allowed to be taken in the holy time of Lent by consent of the bi-shops at the king’s request, as expressed in statute Weslm. 1.3 Edw. I. c. 51. The judges upon their circuits now sit by vir-tue of five several authorities. 1. The commission of the peace,in every county of the circuits; and all justices of the peace ofthe county are bound to be present at the assizes; and sheriffs arealso to give their attendance on the judges, or they shall be fined.

A commission of oyer and terminer, directed to them and manyother gentlemen of the county, by which they are empowered totry treasons, felonies, Ac. ami this is the largest commission theyhave. 3. A commission of general gaol-delivery, directed to thejudges and the clerk of assize associate, which gives them power totry'ecery prisoner in the gaol committed for an)- offence whatsoever,but none but prisoners in the gaol. 4. A commission of assize, direct-ed to the judges and clerk of assize, to take assizes; that is to takethe verdict ot a peculiar species of jury called an assize, and sum-moned for the trial of landed disputes. 5. That of nisi prius,which is a consequence of the commission of assize, being annexedto the office of those justices by the statute of Westm. 2. 13 Edw. I.c. 30. And it empowers them to try all questions of fact issuingout of the courts of Westminster, that are ripe for trial by jurv.

ASSOCIATE Presbytery, the title first assumed by thoseministers, who associated together, after seceding from the churchof Scotland . ,

Associat\Synod, the highest ecclesiastical court among theAmiburgher Seceders.

ASSOCIATION, in law, is a patent by the king, cither of his ownmotion, or at the suit of a party plaintiff, to the justices of assize ;to have other persons associated with them, in order to take theassize.

Association of Ideas, is where two or more ideas constant! vand immediately accompany or succeed one another in the mind,so that one shall almost infallibly produce the other, whether therehe any natural relation between them or not. See Metaitivsics.Where there is a real affinity or connection in ideas, it i- the excel-lency of the mind, to he able to collect, compare, and range themin order, in its inquiries: hut where there is none, nor any causeto he assigned for their accompanying each other, hut what is ow-ing to mere accident or habit; this unnatural association becomesa great imperfection, and is, generally speaking, a main cause oferror, or wrong deductions in reasoning. 'Elms tin: kit a of gob-lins and spriglits has really no more affinity with darkness iii,.nwith light; and yet let a foolish maid inculcate these ideas oftenon the mind of a child, and raise them there together, it is possible

he