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equator. Earthquakes are the shocks occasioned by its passing in ||great quantity from one place where it is pressed and confined, toanother from which it has a free passage; or from a part of theearth positively electrified, to one that is negatively so. Let ussuppose, however, that such obstructions are thrown in its way,that it cannot get out of the earth by any passage. The conse-quence of this must very si.ou be, that the motion ot the lightacting upon the equatorial parts would be propagated through thewhole global; ami this would be productive of consequences muchmore terrible than any we can conceive. We see that by settingit in motion in a small part of the atmosphere or of the earth, themost violent effects ensue; but should this tremendous fluid beobliged (o put forth all its strength, the earth must be shaken fromthe centre. Instead of plantations and little hills removed fromtheir places, as in Calabria , it is pro! able that the largest islandsand continents wonld be detached from their bases, or perhaps anuniversal dissolution ensue. Happily, however, such an effectcan never take place, because the electric matter always vents itselfby the superficial parts; for the depths to which even the causesot earthquakes and volcanoes descend, are undoubtedly superficialin comparison of the vast thickness of the body of the earth itself.The great bulk of electric lluid therefore lies quietly in the centralparts; and is never moved by the commotions of that which lieson the surface, any more than the water at the bottom of the oceanis moved by the storms which ruffle the upper part.
EARWIG , in zoology. See Forucula.
F.ASEL, among painters, the frame whereon the canvas islaid
Easel Pieces, such small pieces, either portraits or landscapes,as are painted on the easel; thus called to distinguish them fromlarger pictures drawn on walls, ceilings, &c.
EASEMENT, in law, a privilege or convenience which oneneighbour has of another, whether by charter or prescription, with-out profit: such are a way through his lands, a sink, or the like.These, in many cases, may be claimed.
EASING, in the sea language, signifies the slackening of a ropeor the like. Thus, to ease the bow-line or sheet, is to let them goslacker; to ease the helm, is to let the ship go more large, morebefore the wind, or more larboard.
EASINGWOLD, a town in the N. Riding of Yorkshire; 13miles N. N. W. of York . Lon. 1. 4. W. Lat. 54. 10. N.
EAST, [east, Saxon; hens, Erse,] one of the four cardinalpoints of the world ; being that point of the horizon where the sunis seen to rbe when in the equinoctial. In Italy , and throughoutthe Mediterranean, the east wind is called the levante: in Greek«varoXti and airt|XiuiT»i£, because it comes from the side of the sun,«v’ n>w; in Latin, eurus .
EASTBOURN, a town of Sussex. It lies near Beachy Head,
EASTER , called by the Greeks, n«<rx«, and by the LatinsPascha, from ntJfi, a Hebrew word signifying passage, applied tothe Jewish feast of the passover. It is called Easter in English ,from the Saxon goddess Eostre, whose festival was held in April.The Asiatic churches kept their Easter upon the very same daythat the Jews observed their passover, and others on the first Sun-day after the first full moon in the new year. This controversywas determined in the council of Nice ; when it was ordained thatEaster should be kept upon one and the same day, which shouldalways be Sunday, in ail Christian churches in the world. SeeChronology.
Easter Island, an island in the South Sea, thought to havebeen first discovered in 1686, by one Davis an Englishman, whocalled it Davis’s Land. It was next visited by Commodore Rog-gewein, a Dutchman, in 1722; who gave it the name of EasterIsland. The island is extremely barren ; and bears evident marksnot only of a volcanic origin, but of having been not very long agoentirely ruined by an eruption. It is 36 miles in circumference.Lon. 109. 46. W. Lat. 27. 5. S.
EAST INDIES. See IIindostan, and India .
East-ness, or Eastonness, a cape in the German ocean, onthe east coast of England, and county of Suffolk, betweenSouthwold and Lowestoff.
East-ness, on the coast of Yorkshire , near Rydel.
EASTON, a town of the United States, in Maryland, the capi-tal of Talbot county , formerly named Talbot Court-House.
Easton, a town of Pennsylvania, the capital of Northamptoncounty, 70 miles N. of Philadelphia ,
EAS T POINT, the N. E. extremity of New Holland.
EA TON, a town of England, in Buckinghamshire , on the N.side of the Thames , opposite to Windsor; famous for its collegiateschool, founded by Henry VI . being a seminary for King’s Col-lege, Cambridge, the fellows of which are all from this school.
EAU, [Fr.] signifies water; and hence makes part of the namesof several compositions in perfumery, pharmacy, &e.
KAYES, in architecture, the margin or edge of the roof of ahouse; being the lowest tiles, slates, or the like, that hangoverthe walls, or throw off water to a distance from the wall.
Kavks-lath, a thick feather-edged board, generally nailedround the eaves of a house for the lowermost tiles, slates, orshingles to rest on.
EAUSE, or EAUZE, an ancient town of France , in the de-partment of Gersey, and province of Armagnac, 17 miles S. W,of Condom .
EBDOMADARIUS, EBDOMAGENES, or I1EBDOMA-DARIUS. See H ebdomadarius, &c.
EBENUS, the Ebony Tree; a genus of the decandria order,and diadelphia class of plants; natural order, Papilionacese. Calyxwith teeth, the length of the corolla; wings scarcely any ; seedone rough with hairs. It has two species, viz. E. Cretica, Cretan ebony, and E. pinnata, pinnated ebony: the former grows naturallyin Crete, and some islands of the Archipelago ; the latter is foundin Barbary and the Levant.
EBERliEG, or KBEKNBERG, a town of Germany , now in-cluded in one of the new departments on the left bank of theRhine, five miles S. W. of Creuznacb.
EBERNSTEIN, a town of Germany , in the duchy of Ca-rinthia, twelve miles N. N. K. of Clagenfurt.
EBERSPERG, a town of Germany, in Bavaria , 19 miles E. ofMunich .
EBERSTEIN, a town of France , in the department of theLower Rhine, and late province of Alsace , eight miles S. W. ofStrasburg .
EBERSTEIN, a principality and county of Germany , in Sna-bia, between Baden and Wurtemburg .
Eberstein, a tow n and fort in the above county six miles S. E,of Baden.
EBERVIL, or EBERVILLE, a town ofFrance, in the de-partment of Puy de Dome, and late province of Auvergne , eightmiles from Riom .
EBHER, a river and town of Persia, in the province of Irak .
EBION, the author of the heresy of the Ebionites , was a dis-diple of Cerinthus, and his successors. To the errors of his master,he had added new opinions of his own. He began Ids preachingin Judea; he taught in Asia , and even at Rome. His tenets in-fected the isle of Cyprus . St. John opposed botli Cerinthus andEbion in Asia ; and it is thought that he wrote his gospel, in theyear 97, particularly against this heresy.
EBIONITES , ancient heretics, who rose in the very first ageof the church, formed themselves into a sect in the second century,denying the divinity of Jesus Christ. Origen takes them to havebeen so called from the Hebrew word ebion, which signifies poor;because, they were poor in understanding. Eusebius is of opinionthey were thus called, as having poor thoughts of Jesus Christ ,taking him for no more than a mere man. It is more probable theJews gave this appellation to the Christians in general out of con-tempt: because in the first age few but poor people embraced theChristian religion. 'Ibis opinion Origen himself seems to give into,-in his book against Celsus, where he says, that they called Ebio-nites, such among the Jews as believed that Jesus was truly the ex-pected Messiah. There is even some probability, that the primi-tive Christians assumed the name themselves, in conformity totheir profession. It is certain, Epiphanius observes, they valuedthemselves on being poor, in imitation of the apostles. The sameEpiphanius , however, is of opinion, that there had been a man ofthe name of Ebion, the founder of the sect, contemporary with theNazarenes and Cerinthians. lie gives a long and exact accountof the origin of the Ebionites , making them to have risen after thedestruction of Jerusalem, when the first Christians , called Naza-renes, went out of it to live at Pella. The Ebionites seem to havebeen a branch of Nazarenes: only they altered and corrupted the
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