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SEPIARIJE, [from sepes, a hedge,] the name of the 44ihorder of Lmnams’s Fragments of a Natural Method, consisting ofa beautiful collection of woody plants, some of which, fromtheir size and elegance, are very proper furniture for hedges. SeeBotany .

SEPTAS, in botany, a genus of the heptandria heptagynia classand order. Natural order, Succulents . There is but one species,viz. S. capensis, round-leaved septas, a native of the Cape of GoodHope .

SEPTEM, [Eat.] seven, forms part of the names of some an-cient places: as

Septem Aqu/e, a lake near Reale, in Italy .

Septem Aquas Marine, the entrance of the seven mouths ofthe Po into the Adriatic.

SEPTEMBER, the ninth month, consists of only 30 days; ittook its name as being the seventh month from Marcii, with whichthe Romans began their year.

SEPTENTRIO, in astronomy, a constellation, more usuallycalled ursa minor. Sec Astronomy.

SKPTERION, a festival observed once in nine years in honourof Apollo. It was a representation of his victory over Python.

SEPT1CS, substances which promote putrefaction, chiefly thecalcareous earths, magnesia, and testaceous powders.

SEPTIZON, or SEP11ZON1UM, in Roman antiquity, acelebrated mausoleum, built by Septimitis Severus, in the tenthregion of the city of Rome : it was so called from septem andzona, by reason it consisted of seven stories, each of which wassurrounded by a row' of columns.

SEPT UAGESIMA, in the calendar denotes the third Sundaybefore Lem, or before Quadrigesima Sunday : so named fromits beintr about 70 days before Easter .

SEPTUAGI NT, the Greek version of the Old Testament , whichis said to be ilie work of seventy-two Jews , w ho are usually calledthe seventy interpreters, because seventy is a round number.The histo: y of this version was expressly written by Aristeas , anoffi eer of the guards to Ptolemy Pbdadelphus. The substance ofhis account is as follows: Ptolemy having erected a fine library atAlexandria, which lie took care to fill with the most curious andvaluable books from all parts of the world, was informed that theJews had one containing the laws of Moses , and the history of thatpeople ; and being desirous of enriching his library with a Greektranslation of it, applied to the high-priest of the Jews ; and toengage him to comply with his request, set at liberty all the Jews "'horn his father Ptolemy Soter had reduced to slavery. After*u. h a step he easily obtained what he desired ; Eleazar the Jewish high-priest sent back his ambassadors with an exact copy of theMosaical law, written in letters of gold, and six elders of eachtribe, in all seventy-two ; who were received with marks of re-spect by the king, and then conducted into the isle of Pharos,■where they were lodged in a house prepared for their reception,ai 'd supplied with every thing necessary. They set about thetranslation without loss of time, and finished it in 72 days: andthe w’hole being read in the presence of the king, he admired theProfound wisdom of the law of Moses ; and sent back the depu-ties laden with presents, for themselves, the high-priest, and thetemple. Aristobulus, who was tutor to Ptolemy Physcon, Philo ,who lived in our Saviour’s time, and was contemporary with the?Post|es, and Josephus , speak of this translation as made by 72pt^rpreters, by the care of Demetrius Phalareus in the reign oftolemy Philadelphia . All the Christian writers, during the 15centuries of the Christian era, have admitted this account ofe Septuagint as an undoubted fact. But since the reformation,ritics have boldly called it in question, because it was attendedJy "circumstances which they think inconsistent, or improbable., 11 | u > has a«ked, why were 72 interpreters employed, since 12°md have been sufficient ? Such an objection is trifling. Wer a *k, why did King James I. employ 54 translators in

b odertng the bibie into English , since 12 or even two might haveWritt Sl, .^ < ‘ient ? 1. Prideaux objects that the Septuagint is notnot u ,lle Jewisl) > but in the Alexandrian dialect; and couldlect iere ^‘ >re be the work of natives of Palestine. But these dia-andr'"'^ 6 ,>r °bahly at that time the same, for both Jews and Alex-ftbon'rsoreceived, the Greek language from the Macedoniansbooke c y i ' ars before. 2. Prideaux farther contends, that all the

°t the Old Testament could not be translated at the sameIV.-—mo 194.

time ; for they exhibit great difference of style. To this it issufficient to reply, that they were the work of 72 men, each ofwhom had separate portions assigned them. 3. The Dean alsourges, that Aristeas, Aristobulus, Philo, and Josephus , all di-rectly tell us, that the law was translated without mentioning anyof the other sacred hooks. But nothing was more common amongwriters of the Jewish nation titan to gives his name to the Scrip-tures as a w hole. The most probable supposition is that the Sep-tuagiut, as-we now have it, was written at different periods, and thatAristaeas’s account is litUe better than fabulous. This version wasin use to the time of our blessed Saviour, and is that out of whichmost of the citations in the New Testament , from the Old, aretaken. It was also the ordinary and canonical translation madeuse of by the Christian church in the ear'iest ages; and it still sub-sists in the churches both of the east and west. Those who desirea more particular account of the Septuagint translations may con-sult Hody de Bibliorum Textibus, Prideaux’s Connections,Owen’s Inquiry into the Septuagint Version, Blair’s Lectures onthe Canon, Michaelis’s Introduction to the New Testament , lastedition, and Dr. A. Clarke’s Bibliographical Dictionary. TheRev. Mr. Parsons of Baliol College, Oxford,- prepared for thepress an invaluable edition of the Septuagint, w hich was left im-perfect by the late learned Dr. Holmes.

SEPTUM, an anatomy, in inclosure or partition ; a term ap-plied to several parts of the body, which serve to separate onepart from another; as, septum nariimi, or partition between thenostrils, &c.

SEPULCHRAL COLUMN, a column erected over a tomb,with an inscription on its shaft.

SEPULCHRAL LAMPS, those said to have been foundburning in the tombs of several martyrs and others.

SEPULCHRE is chiefly used inspeakingof the burying-placesof the ancients, those of the moderns being usually called tombs.Sepulchres were held sacred and inviolable ; and the care taken ofthem has always been held a religious duty, grounded on the fearof God , and the belief of the soul’s immortality. Those who havesearched or violated them have been thought odious by all nations,and were always severely punished.

Sepulchre, Knights of the Holy, a military order, esta-blished in Palestine about the year 1114.

Sepulchre, Regular Canons of St. a religious order, for*merly instituted at Jerusalem , in honour of the holy sepulchre, orthe tomb of Jesus Christ .

SEQUESTRATION, in common law, is setting aside thething in controversy from the possession of both the parties thatcontend for it. In which sense it is either voluntary, as when doneby the consent of the parties; or necessary, as where it is done bythe judge, of his own authority, whether the parties will or not.

Sequestration, in the civil law, is the act of the ordinary,disposing of the goods and phattels of one deceased, whose estateno man will meddle with. A widow is also said to sequester,when she disclaims having any thing to do with the estate of herdeceased husband.

Sequestration is also used for the act of gathering the fruitsof a benefice void, to the use of the next incumbent.

Sequestration, in chancery, is a commission usually directedto seven persons therein named, empowering them to seize thedefendant’s personal estate, and tiie profits of his real, and to de-tain them, subject to the order of the court.

Sequestration is also made, in London , upon an action ofdebt; the course of proceeding in which case is this: The actionbeing entered, the officer goes to the defendant’s shop or ware-house, when no person is there, and takes a padlock, and hangs iton the door, uttering these words: “ I do sequester this warehouse,and the goods and merchandize therein, of the_defendant in thisaction, to the use of the plaintiff,” tkc. after which he sets on hisseal, and makes a return of the sequestration in-the compter ; andfour davs being passed after the return made, the plaintiff may, atthe next court, have judgement to open the shop or warehouse, andto have the goods appraised by two freemen, who are to be swornat the next court held' fur that compter; and then the serjeantputs his hand to the bill of appraisement, and the court grantsjudgement thereon ; but yet the defendant may put in bail beforesatisfaction, and by that means dissolve the sequestration ; and altersatisfaction, may put in bail to disprove the debt, &c,

7 C SEQUIN,