Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 8, ELE-FOR

ENG [ 44 ] ENG
inline come from thence to his court. Near it were the ruins
i! of Abydus, where there was an oracle of the god Befa,
ngen- one 0f mo^. anclent in Egypt, and which was ftill
! ■ ■ famous in tlie time of Conftantius *, and hence fome
have derived the appellation juft mentioned, the neigh¬
bouring people coming in crowds to confult the oracle.
The ruins of the gates are the moft beautiful pieces
of architecture to be met with in this place. The
handfomeft has three vaulted entries ; the middle one
being 40 feet in height, 22 wide, and 20 thick ; the
other two fmaller. Each of the facades of this edifice
is ornamented with four pilafters in bas relief, with
Corinthian capitals, the acanthus leaves of which have
a confiderable projection. It was furrounded by eight
Corinthian columns, of which only one now remains,
but the pedeftals of the reft are ftill entire. Befides
thefe, there are heaps of rubbifii in different parts of
the town, apparently the remains of ancient temples
or palaces. All thefe feem to have been bordered by
a colonnade, forming a portico on each fide, where the
inhabitants might walk fecure from the heat of the
fun. One of the iquarcs was ornamented with four
large Corinthian pillars, three of which are deftroyed
all but the bafes. The fourth is quite entire, about
i;o feet high, and the fnaft compofed of feveral ftones.
The pedeftal has a Greek infeription, pretty much de-
faced, dedicating it to the emperor Alexander Severus,
to whom the fenate of Alexandria had already dedi¬
cated the famous column mentioned under that article.
Thefe four other columns were therefore probably rai-
fed in honour of that emperor after his victories over
the Perfians 5 for the foliage of the oak, with which
the firft ft one of the ftiaft is decorated, was a fign of
riftory among the Romans. Towards the end of the
fourth century the city was peopled by Chriftians; and
Palladius affures us, that there were at that place 12
convents of virgins, and feveral others inhabited by
monks. In the convents there are ftill feveral Coptic
monafteries poffeffed by monks equally miferable and
ignorant. The Nubian geographer informs us, that
the city was furrounded by a well cultivated country,
abounding in fruits and harvefts 5 but thefe have now
given place to fands and barren deferts. The ruins of
Abydus above mentioned are ftill to be feen near this
place.
ENFRANCHISEMENT, in Zaw, the incorpora¬
ting a perfon into any fociety or body-politic.
ENGASTRIMYTHI, in Pagan theology, the
Pythians, or priefteffes of Apollo, who delivered ora¬
cles from within, without any aCtion of the mouth or
lips.
The ancient philofophers, &c. are divided upon the
fubjeCt of the engaftrimythi. Hippocrates mentions
it as a difeafe. Others will have it a kind of divina¬
tion. Others attribute it to the operation or poffeftion
of an evil fpirit. And others to art and mechanifm.
M. Scottus maintains that the engaftrimythi of the
ancients were poets, who, when the priefts could not
fpeak, fupplied the defect by explaining in verfe what
Apollo dictated in the cavity of the bafon on the facred
tripod.
ENGENDERING, a term fometimes ufed for the
aft of producing or forming any thing: thus meteors
are faid to be engendered in the middle region of the
atmofphere, and worms in the belly.
ENGINE, in Mechanics, is a compound machine, Engine
made of one or more mechanical powers, as levers, II
pulleys, ferews, &c. in order to raife, caft, or fuftain , fe
any weight, or produce any effeft which could not be
eafily effefted otherwife. The wTord is formed of the
French engitt, from the Latin ingenium, “ wit}” by rea-
fon of the ingenuity required in the contrivance of en¬
gines to augment the effeft of moving powers.
Engine for Extinguijhing Fires. See Hydro¬
dynamics Index.
PUc-Engine, one contrived for driving piles. Sec
PiLE-Engine,
Steam-ENGiNE, a machine to raife rvater by fire, or
rather by the force of Avater turned into fteam. See
SrKAM-Engig0.
ENGINEER, in the military art, an able expert
man, Avho, by a perfeft knoAvledge in mathematics,
delineates upon paper, or marks upon the ground, all
forts of forts, and other Avorks proper for offence and
defence. He ftiould underftand the art of fortifica¬
tion, lb as to be able, not only to difeover the defefts
of a place, but to find a remedy proper for them; as
alfo hoAV to make an attack upon, as Avell as to defend,
the place. Engineers are extremely neceffary for thefe
purpofes: Avhcrefore it is requifite, that befides being
ingenious, they Ihould be brave in proportion. When,
at a liege, the engineers have narroAvly furveyed the
place, they are to make their report to the general, by
acquainting him Avhich part they judge the weakeft,
and Avhere approaches may be made Avith moft fuccefs.
Their bufinefs is alfo to delineate the lines of circum-
vallation and contravallation, taking all the advantages
of the ground } to mark out the trenches, places of
arms, batteries, and lodgments, taking care that none
of their Avorks be flanked or difeovered from the place.
After making a. faithful report to the general of what
is a-doing, the engineers are to demand a fufficient
number of workmen and utenfils, and Avhatever elfe is
neceffary.
ENGLAND, the fbuthern divifion of the ifland of
Great Britain. Including Wales, it is of a triangular
form, and lies betAveen the 50th and 55th degrees of
north latitude, extending about 400 miles in length
from fouth to north, and in fome places it is 300
miles in breadth. It is bounded by Scotland on the
north } by the Englilh channel on the fouth, di ¬
viding it from France; by the German fea on the
ealt }' and on the weft by St George’s, or the Irilh
channel. _ t
At Avhat time the ifland of Britain Avas peopled is whence
uncertain } nor do av e know Avhether the fouthern or peopled,
northern parts Avere firft inhabited. We have no ac¬
counts that can be depended upon before the arrival of
Julius Caefar, and it is certain he found the fouthern
parts full of people of a very Avarlike difpofition.
Thefe people, according to Cadar, Avere a colony of
the Gauls-, and this opinion is embraced by moft of
the ancient as Avell as modern Avriters. It is chiefly
founded on the agreement obferved by the Romans
betAveen the Iavo nations in their cuftoms, manners,
language, religion, government, Avay of fighting, &c.
The more northern inhabitants, according to Taci¬
tus, came from Germany. This he infers from the
make of their limbs} but Cgefar Amply calls them A-
barigenes,
England^,