Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

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cafions, fuch as the king’s coronation. The conftable
of France had his perfon privileged, and, during the
king’s minority, was named next to the princes of the
blood. The army obeyed him next the king: he ma¬
naged all that belonged to war, either for punifhment
of delinquents, diftribution of booty, furrender of pla¬
ces, <bc. The jurifdi&ion and fun&ions of this office
are now in the marefchals of France.
The fumflion of the conftable of England confifted
in the care of the common peace of the land, in deeds
of arms and matters of war. By a law of Richard II.
the conftable of England has the determination of
- things concerning wars and blazonry of arms, which
cannot be difcufled by the common law. The firlt
oonftable was created by the Conqueror: the office
continued hereditary till the thirteenth of Henry VIII.
when it was laid afide, as being fo powerful as to be¬
come troublefome to the king. We have ajfo con-
ftables denominated from particular places, as conftable
of the Tower, of Dover caftle, of Windfor-caftle, of
the caftle of Caernarvon, and many other of the ca-
ftles of Wales, whofe office is the fame with that of
the cafteUani, or governors of caftles.
Constable of Scotland. See Scots Law, title, Of
inferior judges.
Constables to juftices of the peace, in Scots law,
are the proper officers for executing their orders.
They have powers to fupprefs tumults, and to ap¬
prehend delinquents and thofe who can give no good
account of themfelves, and carry them to the next ju-
ftice.
CONSTANCE, a city of Swabia, in Germany, fituated
on the weftern ftiore of a lake to which it gives name,
in 90 12 E. Ion. and 47® 3^ N. lat.
It is the fee of a bifhop, who is a prince of the Ger¬
man empire
CONSTANTIN A, the capital of a province of the
fame name, in the kingdom of Algiers, in Africa:
E.long. 70, and N. lat. 3$® 0,0 .
CONSTANTINOPLE, the metropolis of the Turkiffi
empire, called by the Turks themfelves Stamboul, and
by many Europeans the Port, being one of the beft
harbours in Europe: E. long. 29° 15', and N. lat.
4!° 30'.
It is built on the weftern ffiore of the Bofphorus, in
the form of a triangle; the feraglio, or palace, oc¬
cupying that angle which runs out between the Pro¬
pontis and harbour; and underneath the palace are the
gardens, which extend to the water-fide.
CONSTELLATION, in aftronomy. SeeVol. I. p. 486.
CONSTIPATION, in medicine, ahardnefs of the belly,
with great coftivenefs.
CONSTITUENT part, in phyfiology, an eflential
part in the compofition of any thing, differing little
from what is otherwife called element or principle.
CONSTITUTION, in matters of policy, fignilies the
form of government eftabliffied in any country or king¬
dom.
Constitution alfo denotes an ordinance, decifion,
regulation, or law, made by authority of any fuperior,
ecclefiaftical or civil.
CON
dpojlolical Cohstitvtioks, acolledlion of regulations
attributed to the apoftles, and fuppofed to have been
collected by St Clement, whofe name they likewife
bear.
It is the general opinion, however, that they are
fpurious, and that St Clement had no hand in them.
They appeared firft in the IVth age, but have been
much changed and corrupted fince that time. They
are divided into eight books, confifting of a great num¬
ber of rules and precepts, relating to the duties of
Chrftians, and particularly the ceremonies and dif-
cipline of the church. Mr Whifton, in oppofition to
the general opinion, afterts them to be a part of the
facred writings, didtated by the apoftles in their meet¬
ings, and wrote down from their own mouth by St
Clement, and intended as a fupplement to the New
Teftament, or rather as a fyftem of Chriftian faith and
polity. The reafon whythe Conftitutions are fufpedt-
ed by the orthodox, and, perhaps, the reafon alfo
why their genuinenefs is defended by Mr Whifton, is,
that they feem to favour Arianifm.
Constitution, in a phyfical fenfe, fignifies the parti¬
cular temperature of the body.
CONSTRICTOR, an appellation given to feveral mu--
fcles on account of their conftringipg or doling fome
of the orifices of the body. See Anatomy,
CONSTRUCTION of equations, in Algebra. Sea
Algebra.
Construction, in grammar, the connedfing the words
of a fentence according to the rules of the language.
CONSUALIA, in Roman antiquity, a feftival inftituted
by Romulus, who, at the time of the rape of the Sa¬
bine virgins, found an altar under ground dedicated to
the god Confus, that is, Neptune. They were intro¬
duced with a magnificent cavalcade; and during the
celebration, the horfes and affes were crowned with
flowers, and a mule was facrificed to that god.
CONSUBSTANTIATION, a tenet of the Lutheran
church with regard to the manner of the change
made in the bread and wine in the euchrift.
The divines of that profeflion maintain, that after
confecration, the body and blood of our Saviour are
fubftantially prefent, together with the fubftance of'
the bread and wine, which is called confubftantiation,
or impanation.
CONSUL, the chief magiftrate of the Roman common¬
wealth. They were two in number, chofen every
year in the Campus Martius, by the people affembled in
the comitia centuriata. In the firft times of the com¬
monwealth, no man could pretend to this dignity, but
fuch as were of a patrician family; but afterwards the-
people obtained, that one of the confuls ihould bs
chofen from among them. A conful was commonly
chofen at forty-three years of age, but this was not
always obferved : beltdesr it was requifite he ffiouM
have exercifed other offices, as that of quaeftor, sedile
and praetor: and yet this condition was no better ob¬
ferved than the firft; for Pompey had never been prte-
tor nor quaeftor when he obtained the confullhipi
Their authority and power was of very great extent,
lb long as the commonwealth fubfifted. They were.
the:
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