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lie most abominable cruelties. He ordered 8000 wretches, whohad thrown themselves upon his clemency, to be butchered inthe Campus Martius. To carry on these cruelties with the ap-pearance of justice, he commanded the people to elect him dicta-tor. He kept this office above two years; and then, to the amaze-ment of all, laid it down, and offered to stand his trial before thepeople. Soon afterwards he retired into the country, and plungedinto every -kind of debauchery. He died of the lousy disease inthe 60th year of his age.

SYLLABLE , in gratnmer, is one or more letters

pronounced by a single impulse of the voice, forming a completesound and constituting a word or a part of a word.

SYLLABUB, a kind of compound drink, most usual in sum-mer; ordinarily made of white wine and sugar, into which issquirted new milk with a syringe or wooden cow. Sometimes it ismade of canary, in which case the sugar is spared, and a littlelemon and nutmeg are added in lieu of it. To prepare it the bestway, the wine and other ingredients, except the milk, are to bemixed over night, and the milk or cream added in the morning.The proportion is, a pint of wine to three of milk.

SYLLABUS, ['Ti/XXuSo;,] an abstract; a compendium con-taining the heads of a discourse.

Syllabus, in literature, denotes also a table of contents, or anindex of the chief heads of a book.

SYLLEPSIS, [saxxi)4i;, Gr.] in grammar, a figure in whichtwo nominative cases of the singular number are joined to a pluralverb.

SYLLOGISM, [o-vxxoyiffpio;,] in logic and argument, a term ■of reasoning, consisting of three propositions; the two first ofwhich are called premises, and the last the conclusion. SeeLogic.

SYLPH , in modern mythology and dxmonology, an idealbeing , somewhat analogous to the Fairy of the British; supposedto attend with anxious care about all the minutiae and parapher-nalia of a fine lady.

SYLT, an island of Denmark, in the North Sea . Lon. 8. 20.E. Lat. 54. 55. N.

SYLVAN, in mineralogy, a genus which is divided into fourspecies; the colour of the native sylvan, is intermediate betweentin-white and silver-white: it occurs massive and disseminated,and also in various kinds of crystals: internally it is shining, andits lustre is metallic: its specific gravity is from 4. 1 to 6. 1. Itsconstituent parts are

Sylvan. 92.55

Iron. 7.20

■Gold. 0.25

100

Before the blow-pipe it melts as easily as lead, emits a thickwhite smoke, and burns with a light green colour, and a sharpdisagreeable odour. When exposed to a low heat, is is con-verted into an oxide : by an increase of temperature, it meltsinto a brownish black glass, in which gold-grains are interspersed:at a still higher heat, the oxide is completely volatilized. Itoccurs in veins, and is accompanied with iron-pyrites, blende,lead-glance, quartz, and lilhomarge, and is found in Transyl-vania .

SYMBOL, [tru^oxov,] a sign or representation of somethingmoral, by the figures or properties of natural things. Hencesymbols are of various kinds; as hieroglyphics, types, enigmas,parables, fables, Sec.

SYMMETRY , [tut and |wtr»o»,j the just proportion of theseveral parts of anv thing, so as to compose a beautiful whole.

SYMPATHETIC,'that acts or is acted on, by sympa-thy: thus we say, sinypathetic diseases, inks, powders, Sec.

Sympathetic Ink. See Ink. A sympathetic ink may bemade from a solution of a mixture of sulphate of copper, andmuriate of ammonia, which appears of a bright yellow when ex-posed to heat, but disappears with cold or moisture.

SYMPATHY, [wfAvoSiirt,] an agreement of affections andinclinations, or a conformity of natural qualities, humours, and tem-peraments, which make two persons delighted and pleased with<ach other.

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SYMPHONIA, in botany, a genus of plants be longing t o thclass monadelphia, and order pentandria. Corolla globularberry five-celled. There is onlv one species yet discovered ; vii.S. globulifera, a native of Surinam .

SYMPHONY, [ct/v and ^ots,] in music, denotes a'consonanceof several sounds agreeable to the ear, whether vocal or instru-mental. See Harmony.

SYMPHYSIS, [nit and fuw ,3 in its original signification, de-notes a connaseency, or growing together; and perhaps is meantof those bones which in young children are distinct, but aftersome years unite and consolidate into one bone.

Symphysis, in anatomy, one of the kinds of junctures or arti-culation of the bones. See Anatomy.

SYMPHYTUM, Comfrey; in botany, a genus of plants be-longing to the class pentandria, and order monogynia; naturalorder, Asperifolia:. Limb of the corolla tubular, ventricose;throat shut, w'ith awl-shaped rays. There are three species.

S. Ofpicinale is a British plant. The stem is about two feethigh, round, branched, green, and rough. The radical leaves arevery large and rough ; those on the stalk are decurrent, and alter-nate. r I he (lowers grow on loose spikes, and are either of a yel-lowish or purple colour.

SYMPLOCE, [o-iyatXoxii,] in rhetoric, a figure, where thesame word is repealed. See Oratory.

SYMPLOCOS, in botany, a genus of plants belonging to theclass polyadelphia, and order polyandria. Calyx five-cleft; co-rolla nve-petaled, erect at the base; stamens in four rows, grow-ing to the tube of the corolla; fruit five-celled. There are fourspecies.

SYMPOSIARCH, [from Ju/aototiov, a banquet, and go-vernor,] in antiquity, the director or manager of an entertain-ment.

SYMPTOM , [o-u/A7r7uifA«,] in medicine, means any circum-stance which indicates the existence, nature, or stage, of a disease.Pain, weakness, drowsiness, convulsions, suppression of urine,difficulties of breathing and swallowing, coughs, distastes, nauseas,thirsts, swoonings, faintings, looseness, costiveness, dryness, andblackness of the tongue, are the principal symptoms of diseases.See Medicine.

SYMP I OMATICAL, in medicine, is a term often used todenote the difference between the primary and secondary causesin diseases : thus a fever from pain is said to be symplomatical,because it rises from pain only ; and therefore the ordinary meansin fevers are not in such cases to be had recourse to, but to whatwill remove the pain; for, when that ceases, the fever will ceasewithout any direct means taken for it.

SYNjERESIS, or CRASIS, Contraction, in grammar, afigure whereby two syllables are united in one; as vemens, forvehemens, opi? for ofu*;, tvyj>e for tux* 5 :, Sec.

SYNAGOGUE, [Tuvreycuya,] among the Jews , was a placewhere people met to worship. Authors are not agreed about thetime when the Jews first began to have synagogues. Some willhave them as old as the Ceremonial Law, and others fix their be-ginning to the times after the Babylonish captivity. They erect-ed synagogues not only in towns and cities, but also in the coun-try, especially near rivers, that they might have water for theirpurifications and ceremonious washings. No synagogue was builtin any town, unless there were ten persons of leisure in it; butthere might be many in one town, or in one quarter of a town,provided it was very populous.. Jerusalem is said to have con-tained 480. The chief things belonging to a synagogue were, 1-The ark or chest, made after the model of the ark of the covenant,containing the Pentateuch. 2. The pulpit and desk in the mid-dle of the synagogue, in which he that was to read or expoundthe law stood. 3. The seats or pews of the people. 4. Thelamps to give light at evening-service, and the feasts of dedica-tion. 5. Rooms or apartments for the utensils and alms-chests.'Phe synagogue was governed by a council or assembly, overwhom was a president, called, 'Phe Ruler of the Synagogue-These are sometimes called Chiefs of the Jews , The Rulers, ThePriests or Elders, 'Phe Governors, The Overseers, The Father*of the Synagogue. Their business was to punish the disobedientby censures, excommunication, or penalties, such as fines an<scourging; to take care of the alms, which are frequently calleI)v the name of righteousness. .

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