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CENTAURY. See CHELIDONIUM .

CE NTER

gr,¡oil)',

in mech.nics, that point about

whieh all die pans of a body do, in any filua lion, ex·

a[lly bAlance eaeh odler. Sre

~! ECH ANI CS.

CEN TEk

o/"w1itn,

thal point which rem.ins at ref!,

\\'hile all the olher pJrts of a boJy move about it. See

lI!ECHA N

cs .

CENTESI~I ATION,

amilder kind of military punifh–

ment, in eab of defenioll, nltlliny, and Ihe hkc,

\Vhen only crerl' hundrtdth lOan is exccuted.

CEI T!PE$, in zoology. See SCOLOPENDRA .

CENTOl ¡R Il, in antiquity,. cenain orlicers of Ihe

Roman army, \Vho provid 'd tents and other lIuff,

"lIed ceutones, m,de ufe of to quench the fi,e which

the cneml" s engines IhreIV intO the campo

Thc;~

cCllton.1I ii kepl

ith the carpenters and olhcr

n/licers of Ihe :lrnllery. .

CI:.,\J'f1t ,\L CORCB, the powe!'s which

c~ufe

a mllving

body 10 lend 101VJr.!s, or recede from Ihe centre of

mOllon. See r-l[cHANlcs.

CtNTUL RI'LE, a rule difcovered by Mr TllQmas

B"kcr, IVhereby tO find Ihe cenlre 01' a cirele defiglll!J

Cllt

the parabol. in as maoy poinrs, as an c'lualioo

to be conllruéled halh realrools. lis pi iocipal ufe is

in Ihe conf!ruélion of equalions, aod he has applied it

",ith good fuceefs as f'lr as biquadratics.

The eemral rule is chieHy founde9 00 this properly

of the parabola, that if a lioe be infCribed io Ihat curve

perpendicular 10 any diameter, a reélaogle formed of

Ihe fegment! of Ihe inCcript, is equal tO Ihe rcélaoglc

of the inlercepled diammr and paramClCr of Ihe

axis.

The central rule has the advantage over Canes and

De Lalere's medlOds of conllruéliog equaliolls, in Ihat

both dlefe are fubjeél 10 the trauble of preparing the

equ'Hilln, by takmJ . IVay the feeond termo

CENTRl fUGAL ro RCE, Ihat force by IVhich all bo–

dies Ihat move round any otlter body in a cllrve. en–

deavour to fiy off from lhe . xis of Iheir motioo in a

tangeOl tO the periphery of the curve, and liJa[ in

ever)' point ofit. See JllECJiANICS.

CENTRINA, in ichth)'0108Y, the trivial name

fpecíes offqllalus. Ste S'tUALus.

CENTRIPETAL rORC E, that force by which a body

is el'ery IVhere impelltd, or any holV tends tOIVards

fome pointasacentre. See MECHANICS.

CENTR ISCUS, in ichthynlogy, a genus belonging to

the order of amphibia oaOles. The head gradually

cnds in a narrow fnout; the aperture is broad and fiat ;

lhe belly is carinated; and the belly.fios are united.

T here.are two fpecies,

viz .

The fcut atllSb.s its

b3Ck covered lI'ilh a fmooth bony fllell, wllich ends in

a flmp fpine, under which is the tail; blll lhe baek-

6ns are bet'.veen the tail

~nd

lhe fpine,

J¡

is a native

of Ihe E. II Indies .

The fcul"pax has a rough

fcabrous body, and a tlrait extended tail. 1I has twO

btlly-fins, with four rays in e"ch, and has no .eelh.

11 is fouod in the Mediterranean.

CENTUMVIR I, in Roman aOliquily, judges appointed

to Utciclc common cauf, s among Ihc reople: tl:ey IVere

E P

chofen lime out

cach tribe ; and Ihough five more

than an hundred, IVere nevenhelcfs called centum\'iri,

from the round number centum, ao hundred.

CENTUNCULUS, in botany, a geous of Ihe tetran–

dria monogl'nia elafs. The calix conlills of fOllr feg–

mCllIs; the corolla has four di,'ifions, and opcn; the

tl3mina are fllOrt; and the capfulo has but

on~

cell.

There is onlyone fpecies,

viz ..

theminimus, or baf!ard

pimpernel, a native of

Ilrit.in.

CENTURION, aruong the Romans, an oRicer in the

infanary, \Vho commanded a century, or an hundred

men.

The centurions held the firf! rank in the flrf! cohort

of a legion, .nd tIVO of them Ihe'place of Ihe tlVO fi rll

hallali or pike-men: the firH among the principes was

alfo a cenlllrion.

The centurion primipilus was the chief of lhe cen –

tllrions, he IVas not under the comlOand of any tri–

bllne, as all the refl \Vcre; he had four centuries un–

der his direélioll, and guarded the lIandard and theea–

gle of the hgion.

CENTURY, in a general fenfe, any thing di.ided iOlo

or coofilling of an hunGred pans.

The Roman people, \Vhen they \Vere alfembled for

the eleéling of maginratcs, enaéling of lalVs, or dcli–

.berating upon any public alfair, were allVays dil'ided

iOlO cl!Olllries, and voted by centuries, in order that

their fu!frages might be the more eafily colleéled;

wheoce thefe alftmblies were called

cOllli,ia cen/u ria/a.

The Rom.n cohons \Vere alCo divided into centuries.

See CENTURION and COHORT.

CENTUR

in chronology, the fpace of one hundred

yem .

This melhod of computing by centuries is generally

obferved in church.hitlo!'y, commencing from the time

of our Saviollr's incarnation; in which feofe we r:ly

the firll centur)', Ihe fecond century,

&c.

CENTURIES

Mugd,burg,

a famolls eccJefiallical hi-

1I0ry,

ranged into thirteen centuries, carried Jown tO

the year

1298,

compiled by Ceveral hundred PrOle–

tlants of Magdeburg, Ihe chief of \Vhom was Mauhias

Flaca liS IJlyriclls.

CENTUSSIS. in Roman antiquity, a coin

containin~

an hundrcd alfes.

CEp

la,

in botany, Ihe trivial name of a fpecies of alli–

um. See AL LI UM.

CEPlEA , in botaoy. See SEDUM.

CEPHALANTHUS, in bOlany, a genu$ of Ihe tetran–

dria monogynia c1aCs.

has no commOD calix;

the proper calix is tnnnel.fhaped; the receptade i$

globular, and naked; and the feeds are downl" There

is but one fpeeies, oiz. the occidentalis, a nalive of

America.

CEPHALlC, in a general meaning, fignifies any Ihing

bdongillg lO the hcad.

C!PHALIC

lIudiciflU

are remedies for diCorders of the

head .

CEPHALIC

",in,

in anatomy. See p. 24 1.

CEPHALON lt\, the

c~pital

of an ifland of the fame

name, filuated in Ihe

Mtdltcnanc~n,

oear Ihe coall