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

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HELLEA, in Grecian antiquity, was the greated and
mod frequented court in Athens for the trial of civil
affairs. The judges who fat in it were at lead fifty,
but the more ufual number was either two or five hun¬
dred When caufes of great moment were to be tried,
it was cudomary to call in the judges of the other
courts: fometimes a thoufand were called in, and then
two courts are faid to have been joined ; fometimes
fifteen hundred or two thoufand were called in, atad
then three or four courts met together, »
They had cognizance of civil affairs of the greated
■weight and importance, and were not permitted to
give judgment till they had taken a folemn oath-to do
it with impartiality, and to give fentence according to
the laws, <fac.
HELIACAL, in adronomy, a term applied to therifing
or fetting of the dars 4 or, more dridtly fpeaking, to
their emerfion out of, and immerfian into, the rays and
fuperior fplendor of the km .
A dar is faid to rife heliacally, when after having
been in conjunftion with the fun, and on that account
- invifible, it comes lobe at fuels a didance from him, as
to be feen in the morning before fun-rifing; the fun,
by his apparent motion, receding from the dar towards
the ead : on the contrary, the heliacal fetting is when
the fun approaches fo near a dar, as to hide it with
his beams, which prevent the fainter light of the dar
from being perceived ; fothat the terms apparition and
©ccultation would be more proper than rifing and fet-
ting
HELIANTHEMUM, in botany, fee the article Cis-
TUS.
HELIANTHUS, the Great sun-flower, in botany,
a genus of the fyngenefia polygamia frudranea clafs.
The receptacle is paleaceous and plane; the pappus
confids of two leaves ; and the calix is imbricated and
fquarrous. There are twelve fpecies, none of them
natives of Britain.
HELIASTES, in antiquity, one of the judges of the
court heliaea. See Heli^ea.
HELICTERES, thi skew-tree, io botany, a genus
of the gynandriadecandria clafs. It has five dyli; the
calix confids of one oblique leaf; the petals are five ;
the ne&arium confifts of five fmall leaves ; and it has
five twided capfules. There are four fpecies, none of
them natives of Britain.
HELIOCARPUS, in botany, a genus of the dodecan-
dria digynia clafs. The calix confids of four leaves;
the petals are four ; the dyli are Ample; and the cap-
fule confids of two comprefled cells, radiated on each
fide. There is but one fpecies, a native of America.
HELIOCENTRIC latitude of a planet, the inclina¬
tion of a line drawn between the centre of the fun and
the center of a planet, to the plane of the ecliptic.
Heliocentric place of a planet, in adronomy, the
place of the ecliptic wherein the planet would appear
to a fpe&ator placed at the centre of the fun.
HELIOCOMETES, aphaenomenon fometimes obferved
about fun fetting ; being a large luminous tail or co¬
lumn of light, proceeding from the body of the fun.
!o ) H E L
and dragging after it, not unlike the tail of a comet;
whence the name.
HELIOSCOPE, in optics, a fort of telefcope, pecu¬
liarly fitted for viewing the fun without hurting the
eyes.
HELIOSTATA, in optics, an indrument invented by
the late learned Dr S Gravefande ; who gave it this
name, from its fixing, as it were, the rays of the fun
in an horizontal direction acrofs the dark chamber all
the while it is in ufe.
HELIX, in anatomy. See Anatomy, p. 298.
Helix, in zoology, a genus belonging to the order of
vermes tedacea. It is an animal of the fnail-kind;
the fliell confids of one fpiral, brittle, and almod dia¬
phanous valve; and the aperture is harrow. There
are 60 fpecies, principally didinguifhed by the figure
of their (hells.
HELL-, the place of divine punidiment after death.
As all religions have luppofed a future date of ex-
idence after this life; fo all have their hell or place of
torment, in which the wicked are fuppofed to be pu-
nifhed. The hell of the ancient heathens was divided
into two manfions; the one called elyfium, on the
right hand, pleafant and delightful, appointed for the
fouls of good men ; the other called tartara, on the
left, a region of milery and torment, appointed for the
wicked. The latter only was helb in the prefent re¬
drained fenfe of the word. See Elysium.
The philofophers were of opinion, that the infernal
regions were at an equal didance from all the parts of
the earth; neverthelefs it was the opinion of fome,
that there were certain padages which led thither, as
the river Lethe near the Syrtes, and the Acherufian
cave in Epirus. At Hermione it was thought, that
there was a very fhort way to hell; for which reafon
the people of that country never put the fare into the
mouths of the dead to pay their paflage.
The Jews placed hell in the centre of the earth,
and believed it to be fituated under waters and moun¬
tains. According to them, there are three paflages
leading to it: the fird is in the wildernefs, and by
that Korah, Dathan and Abiram defcended into hell;
the fecond is in the fea, becaufe Jonah, who was
thrown into the fea," cried to God out of the belly of
hell; the third is in Jerufalem, becaufe it is faid the
fire of the Lord is in Zion, and his furnace is in Je-
rufalem. They likewife aclyiowledged feven degrees
of pain in hell, becaufe they find this place called by
feven different names in fcripture. Though they be¬
lieved that infidels, and perfons eminently wicked, will
continue for ever in hell; yet they maintained, that
every Jew who is not infeifted with fome herefy, and
has not aided contrary to the points mentioned by the
rabbins, will not be punifhed therein for any other
crimes above a year at mod.
The Mahometans believe the eternity of rewards and
punifhments in an'other life. In the Koran it is faid,
that hell has feven gates, the fird for the Mulfulmans,
the fecond for the Chridians, the third for the Jews,
the fourth for the Sabians, the fifth for the Magians,
the