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HELIX, [,'xif,] literally signifies a wreath or winding; ofto environ.

IIf.ux, in anatomy, is the whole circuit or extent of the auricleor border of the ear outwards ; whence the inner protuberancesurrounded thereby, and answering thereto, is called antihelix.See Anatomy.

Helix, in architecture. Some authors make a difference be-tween the helix and the spiral. A staircase, according to Daviler,is in a helix, or is helical, when the stairs or steps wind round acylindrical newel; whereas the spiral winds round a cone, and iscontinually approaching nearer and nearer its axis. The word isalso applied to the caulicules or little volutes under the (lowers ofthe Corinthian capital ; called also urilla.“. See Architecture.

Helix, the Snail, in zoology, a genus in the class vermes,and order testacea. Animal a limax ; shell consists of one spiral,brittle, and almost diaphanous valve ; aperture narrow, roundish,'t here are upwards of 300 species, principally distinguished by theligure of their shells. They are of various sizes, from that of asmall apple to less than half a pea. Some of them live on land,frequenting woods and gardens, or inhabiting clefts of rocks anddry sand-banks. Others are aquatic, inhabiting ponds, deep ri-vers, and the ocean. They are separated into divisions; A.whorls, with a carinate acute margin ; 11. umbilicate, the whorlsrounded; C. rounded imperforate ; D. tapering; E. ovate, im-perforate. See Plate LXVI1.

- II. Hortensis, Garden-Snail, has its shells imperforate,globular, pale, w ith broad interrupted brown bands : this speciesinhabits gardens and orchards id most parts of Europe , with a vis-cid slimy juice, which it readily gives out by boiling in milk orwater, so as to render them thick and glutinous. The decoctionsin milk are apparently very nutritious and demulcent, and havebeen recommended in a thin acrimonious state of the humours, inconsumptive cases and emaciations. The eyes of snails are lodgedin their horns, one at the end of each horn, which they can retractat pleasure. The manner of examining these eyes, which are fourin number, is this: when the horns are out, cut off nimbiv the ex-tremity of one of them; and placing it before the microscope youmay discover the black spot at the end to be really a semigiobulareye. The dissection of this animal is very curious; for the micro-scope not only discovers the heart beating just against the roundhole near the neck, which seems the place of respiration, but alsothe liver, spleen, stomach, and intestines, with the veins, arteries,mouth, and teeth, are plainly observable. Snails are all herma-phrodites, having both sexes united in each individual. They laytheir eggs with great care in the earth, and the young ones arehatched with shells completely formed. Cutting off a snail’s head,a little stone appears, which is supposed to be a great diuretic, andgood in all nephritic disorders. Immediately under this stone theheart is seen beating ; and the auricles are evidently distinguish-able, are membranous, and of a white colour ; as are also the ves-sels which proceed from them. The snail, though a small animal,is not free from the plague of supporting other smaller animals onits body ; and as in other animals we find t' ese secondary oneseither living only on their surface, as lice, &c. or only in the in-testines, as worms, it is very remarkable that this creature infeststhe snail in both these manners; being found sometimes on thesurface of its body, and sometimes within its intestines. There isa part of the common garden-snail, and of other of the like kinds,commonly called the collar. This surrounds the neck of the snail,and is considerably thick, and is the only part that is visible whenthe animal is retired quietly into its shell. In this state of the ani-mal these insects which infest it are usually seen in considerablenumbers marching about very nimbly’ on this part: besides, thesnail, every time it has occasion to open its anus, gives them aplace by which to enter into its intestines, and they often seize theopportunity. Snails are great destroyers of fruit in gardens, espe-cially the better sorts of wall-fruit. Lime and ash.es sprinkled onthe ground where they most resort will drive them away, and de-stroy the young brood of them: it is a common practice to pulloff the fruit they have bitten ; but this should never be done, forthey will eat no other till they have wholly eat up this if it be leftfor them.

H. Jant.hina, with a violet-coloured shell. This is remark-able for the extreme thinness of texture, which breaks with theleast pressure, and stems therefore entirely calculated to keep the

open sea, or at least to shun rocky shores. It inhabits the seas ofEurope , especially the Mediterranean ; those ol Asia and Africa ;and also the ocean. The living animal, when touched, exudes ajuice which stains the hands of a violet-colour.

II. Eormatia, a snail with live spires remarkably ventricose,slightly umbilicatcd, fasciated w ith a lighter and deeper brown :this is found in the woods of the southern counties ot England ; itis said to have been introduced into this country by Sir KenelinDigby, for medicinal purposes. These are confined to thesouthern counties, attempts having been made, but without suc-cess, to bring them into Northamptonshire . This snail is used inmany parts of Europe as food, particularly at Rome during theweeks of Lent : here they are fattened, and grow to a verv largesize. It is oviparous, very tenacious of life, and, towards winter,covers its aperture with a calcareous lid.

HELL , [ hellc , Sax. a covered place, or a cavern; perha|«from txsr, a lake, or from the Ileb. Sin , he was tormented,] signi-fied formerly the place of separate spirits, but is now used for theplace of divine punishment after death, in contradistinction to hea-ven. As all religions have supposed a future state of existence afterthis life, so all have their hell or place of torment, in which thewicked are supposed to he punished. The hell of the ancientheathens was divided into two mansions ; the one culled Elysium,on the right hand, pleasant and delightful, appointed for the souUof good men ; the other called Tartarus, on the left, a region otmisery and torment, appointed for the wicked. The latter onlywas hell, in the present restrained se'nse of the word. The philo-sophers were of opinion, that the infernal regions were at an equaldistance from all the parts of the earth ; nevertheless it was theopinion of some, that there were certain passages which led thither,as the river Lethe near the Syrles, and the Aclierusian cave inEpirus. At Ilcrmione it was thought, that there was a very shortway to hell; for which reason the people of that country neverput the fare into the mouths of the dead to pay their passage.The Jews placed hell in the centre of the earth, and believed it tobe situated under waters and mountains. The Mohammedans be-lieve the eternity of rewards and punishments in another life. Inthe Koran it is said, that hell has seven gates, the first for the Mus-sulmans, the second for the Christians, the third for the Jews , thefourth for the Sabians, the fifth for the Magians, the sixth for thePagans , and the seventh for hypocrites of all religions. AmongChristians , there are two controverted questions in regard to hell;the one concerning the locality, the other the duration of its tor-ments. 1. The locality of lieil, and the reality of its fire, beganfirst to he controverted by Origen . That father, interpreting thescripture-account metaphorically, makes hell to consist, not in ex-ternal punishments, but in a consciousness or sense of guilt, and aremembrance of past pleasures. Among the moderns, Mr. AV Lis-ton advanced a new hypothesis. The comets, lie thinks, are somany hells appointed In their orbits alternately to ca'ry the damn-ed into the confines of the sun, there to be scorched by its violentheat, and then to return with them beyond the orb of Saturn,thereto starve them in those cold and di.-mal regions. Anothermodern author supposes the sun to be the local hell. 2. As tothe duration of the torments, Origen is again at the head of thosewho deny that they are eternal; it being that father’s opinion,that not only men, but devils, after a due course of punishment: uitable to their respective crimes, shall be pardoned, and restore 11to heaven. The chief principle upon which Origen built his opi-nion, was the nature of punishment, which he took to be emenda-tory, applied only as physic for the recovery of the patientshealth. The chief objection to the eternity of bell-torments,among modern writers, is the disproportion between temporarycrimes and eternal punishments. Those who maintain the aflh’ n ’ a "live, ground their opinions on scripture-accounts, which representhe pains of hell under the figure of a worm which never dies, nn<a fire which is not quenched ; as also upon the word', “ 1 hes cshall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous mf°life eternal.” But, say their opponents, the character given by tn®Almighty of himself should decide the point: “ His mercy is ovC1all Ids works.” Eternal punishment excludes every idea of m® r 'cy ; and even of justice, for finite crimes can never merit in(m ,tapunishment. But here is certainly a mistake or two. Kterna^punishment does not exclude every idea of mercy ; for the v ^ r J

beings who stiller have rejected the infinite mercy of God to tip3 J •, rum