Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 18, RHI-SCR

SAT [ 503 ] S A V
turn Some time after, Saturn being told that Jupiter intended
I! to dethrone him, endeavoured to prevent it; but the
^avra- jatl;er beinor informed of his intention, depofed his fa¬
ther, and threw him into Tartarus. But Saturn efca-
ping from thence fled into Italy, where he was kindly
received by Janus king of the country, who alTociated
him to the government: whence Italy obtained the
name of Saturnia Tellus; as alfo that of Latium* from
lateo, “ to lie hid.” There Saturn, by the wiidom and
mildnefs of his government, is faid to have produced
the golden age.
Saturn is reprefented as an old man with four wings,
armed with a fey the; fometimes he is delineated under
the figure of a ferpent with its tail in its mouth. This
is emblematic of the feafons, which roll perpetually in
the fame circle. Sometimes alfo Saturn is painted
with a fand-glafs in his hand. The Greeks fay, that
the ftory of his mutilating his father and deftroying
his children is an allegory, which fignifies, that Time
devours the pad and prefent, and will alfo devour the
future. The Romans, in honour of him, built a temple,
and celebrated a feftival which they called Saturnalia.
During this feftival no bufinefs or profeflion was allowed
to be carried on except cookery, all diftinftions of rank
ceafed; Haves could fay what they pleafed to their maf-
ters with impunity; they could even rally them with
their faults before their faces.
SATURNALIA, in Roman antiquity, a feftival
obferved about the middle of December, in honour of
the god Saturn, whom Lucan introduces giving an ac¬
count of the ceremonies obferved on this occafion, thus.
“ During my whole reign, which lafts but for one week,
no public bufinefs is done; there is nothing but drink¬
ing, finging, playing, creating imaginary kings, placing
fervants with their matters at table, &e. There (hall
be no difputes, reproaches, &c. but the rich and poor,
mafters and Haves, fhall be equal,” &c.
On this feftival the Romans facrificed bare-headed,
contrary to their cuftom at other facrifices.
SATURNINE, an appellation given to perfons of
a melancholy difpofition, as being fuppofed under the
influence of the planet Saturn.
S A CY AVR AT A, or Menu, in Indian mythology,
is believed by the Hindoos to have reigned over the
whole world in the earlieft age of their chronology,
and to have refided in the country of Dravira on the
coaft of the eaflern Indian peninfula. His patronymic
name was Vaivafwata, or child of the fun. In the Bha-
gavat we are informed, that the Lord of the univerfe,
intending to preferve him from the fea of deftrudlion,
caufed by the depravity of the age, thus told him how
he was to a<5h “ In feven days from the prefent time,
O thou tamer of enemies, the three worlds will be plun¬
ged in an ocean of death ; but, in the midfl of the de¬
ftroying waves, a large veffel, fent by me for thy ufe,
fhall ftand before thee. Then (halt thou take all medi¬
cinal herbs, all the variety of feeds ; and, accompanied
by feven faints, encircled by pairs of all brute animals,
thou (halt enter the fpacious ark and continue in it, fe-
cure from the flood on one immenfe ocean without light,
except the radiance of thy holy companions. When
the (hip (hall be agitated by an impetuous wind, thou
(halt fatten it with a large fea-ferpent on my horn; for
I will be near thee; drawing the veflel, with thee and
thy attendants, I will remain on the ocean, O chief of
men, until a night of Brahma (hall be completely ended. Satyavra-
Thou (halt then know my true greatnefs, rightly named hi1
the fupreme Godhead ; by my favour, all thy quef- gavjll)e>
tions (hall be anfwered, and thy mind abundantly in- f ‘
ftrudled.” All this is faid to have been accomplilhed;
and the ftory is evidently that of Noah difguifed by A-
fiatic fiftion and allegory. It proves, as Sir William
Jones has rightly obferved, an ancient Indian tradition of
the univerfal deluge deferibed by Mofes; and enables us
to trace the connexion between (he eaftern and weftern
traditions relating to that event. The fame learned au¬
thor has fliown it to be in the higheft degree probable,
that the Satyavrata of India is the Cronus of Greece and
the Saturn of Italy. See Saturn ; and Afiatic Re-
fearches, vol. i. p. 230, &.c.
SATYR, or Satire, in matters of literature, a dif-
courfe or poem, expofing the vices and follies of man¬
kind. See Poetry, Part II. (ect. x.
The chief (atirifls among the ancients are, Horace,
Juvenal, and Perfius: thole among the moderns, are,.
Regnier and Boileau, in French; Butler, Dryden, Ro-
chefter, Buckingham, Swift, Pope, Young, &x. amuiig
the Englifli; and Cervantes among the Spaniards.
SATYRIASIS. See Medicine Index.
S ATYRIUM, a genus of plants belonging to the gy-
nandria clafs; and in the natural method ranking under
the 42d order, Verticillatce. See Botany Index.
SATYRS, in ancient mythology, a fpecie's of demi¬
gods who dwelt in the woods. They are reprefented
as monfters, half-men, and half-goats; having horns on
their heads, a hairy body, with the feet and tail of a
goat. They are generally in the train that Jollows
Bacchus. As the poets fuppofed that they were re¬
markable for piercing eyes and keen raillery, they have
placed them in the fame pictures with the Graces, Loves,
and even with Venus herfelf.
SAVAGE, Richard, one of the moft remarkable
chara&ers that is to be met with perhaps in all the re¬
cords of biography, was the fon of Anne countefs of
Macclesfield by the earl of Rivers, according to her
own confeflion; and was born in 1698. This con-
feflion of adultery was made in order to procure a fe-
paration from her liufband the earl of Macclesfield : yet,
having obtained this defired end, no fooner was her fpu-
rious offspring brought into the w'orld, than, without
the dread of fhame or poverty to excufe her, (he difeo-
vered the refolution of difowning him; and, as long as
he lived, treated him with the moft unnatural cruelty.
She delivered him over to a poor woman to educate as
her own; prevented the earl of Rivers from leaving him
a legacy of 6000I. by declaring him dead: and ineffedl
deprived him of another legacy which his godmother
Mrs Lloyd had left him, by concealing from him his
birth, and thereby rendering it impofiible for him to
profecute his claim. She endeavoured to fend him fe-
cretly to the plantations; but this plan being either laid
afide or fruftrated, (he placed him apprentice with a
(hoemaker. In this fituation, however, he did not
long continue; for his nurfe dying, he went to take
care of the effedls of his fuppofed mother; and found in
her boxes iome letters which difeovered to young Savage
his birth, and the caufe of its concealment.
From the moment of this difeovery it was natural for
him to become diffatisfied with his fituation as a fhoe-
tnaker. He now conceived that he had a right to (hare-
in