195 / 868
M E T
l
í -I
M E T
fu, Chrifl, io whom lhe prophecie. relatiog to lhe
M efli.h were . eeom
pliO.ed.M ESUA , io bo,"ny. a genu, of lhe polyandria mono·
gyoia clars.
T lle c.d ix has
four
leaves
;
lhe
corolJa
four petals ; and lhe
caprule
has fou r
val
ves,
comain –
ing four feed.. There is but ooe fpeeies, a oative of
Indi• .
METACARPUS, io aoato",y.
See ANATOM V, p.
18 r.
METALS , in oatural hiflory, are dc60ed
10
be foflile
bodies, fufibl e
by
rire, concrcting agaio in lhe cold,
aod malle.ble, or J iUenfible aod duélole under Ihe hamo
Oler.
See
CH E,.'I S T R Y.
Semi
M ETAL S, metajlie fonils, fufible by fire, and oot
malleable in t!leír
puren nate.
8ee
CH EM I STRY .
METAL,
in heraldry. Thcre are two metals
ured
in he·
raldry, by way of
colours,
viz .
gold aod filver, in
blazot> ealled
or
and
argent .
ID lhe common painting of arms there metals are re–
p~nted
by
white and yello\'/, which are lhe
natural
colours of thoCe metals. In cograving. gold is exprefs–
ed by douin!: the eoat,
&c.
all over; aDd filver, by
leaving
it
quite
blank.
lt
is a general rule in
heraldry, nel'er tO place metal
upon metal, nor coJour upon colour; fo [hal if lhe
field be of ooe of the metals, the be.riog mufl be of
fomo colour; aod if dI< úeld b: of any eolour, the bear–
ing mull: be of one of the metals
METÁLLURGY. eomprehends lhe whole art of pre.
paring and working metals, from
lhe
glebe, or orc, to
the utenfile ; io whieh renfe. afr.ying . fmelting. re.
fioiog, (mithery, gildiog,
&c.
are ooly
brao~he,
of
metallurg)' .
METAMORPHOSIS, io geoeral, denotes the ehangiog
of fomething ioto a difrcrent form; in which fcnfto!
it
in–
d udes the transformadon of infetls. See
NATURA L
HISTORY.
METAPHOR, in rhetorie.
a
trope, by whieh we put
a
nrange word for
a
propet word. by reafon of
its re.
fembJance to ie ; or it
m;:ty
be defined,
;:t
fiOlile or com–
parifon intended tO enforce and illunrate the thing we
fpeak of, without lhe ligns or forms of comparifon...
Thus,
.if
we fay,
God
iJ
a
lhield
lo good nu n,
it is
a
metaphor; becaufe the lign of comparilon is nO[ exprefs–
ed, (hough the refembJance which
is
the found.nion
of the trope, is plain ; for as a fhield
g~ards
him
lhat
bears it, again(l the'auacks of an enemy. fo the provi .
dence and favour
óf
Cod protetls good men
Crom
malice
and misrortunes: bUl if the fentence
be
put thus.
God
;J
as a fbidd
l o
good
fII,n,
then
it
becemcs
a
{imile or
eomparifoo.
M
E
T
A
p
H y
s
1
e
s.
M
ETAPHYSICS is that par! of philofophy whieh
eonGders the oature aod propeni•• of thioking
beings .
Arinorle, after trealing on phyfics, begins his neXI
book, (in which he prettnds
10
elevare lhe mind above
corporeal objeft! , to fix
jI 00
che contemplalian of Gad,
of aogels, and. of thing! fpirilual, and tO en.abl.e
jI
to
juege of ,he prineipies of (eienees by abrlra(tion.) witb the
Greek word!
1~.€Td.
Td..
~1Jt1Ix..a.,
poj/ ph):fica1n,
i.
e.
a/ur
1/Jttaph;jiCl.
His direiples. and fueeeeding philorophers,
have (ormed, af t¡lere two, one ward,
M
ETAPH YSI
es, by
",hieh ,hey mean that (eieoee of whieh we have Jun oow
given lhe
defini~ion.
Metaphyfies i, dividcd. aeeording to the obj e(t, that
it confiders, jnto lix principal pans, which are called,
1.
Oo'ology:
2 .
Cormology:
3.
Antrophology:
4.
P ryebology :
5.
PoeumatOlogy: and,
6.
Theodiey, or
metaphylieal IheologlÍ.
1.
Tilo do(trine that is named
Ont% gy,
is.that par!
of metaphylics which invenigales, and explains, the na·
ture and gcncr.d t:{fence of aH beings, as well as the qua·
lides ano attributes that e(fentíally otppcrtain
10
thern, and
whieh weought tO anign them by abilra(tioo. as eonfider–
jng them
a priori.
Hence il appears. that I.his doét rine
Jhould proceed in jts operations from the moft limpie j.
deas; fu ch as do nOI admit of any other qualities of
",hieh ,hey may be eompounded. The(e fimple ideas are.
for example, thofe of heing. o( errence, of fubf!ance, of
mod~,
of elÚfleoee
a$
well with regard tO time as place,
of a necerrary caufe, of unity, the idea
of
negalíon, the
diffaence between
a
being that is
fimple
or compound,
nece(fary or accidental, fini te or infinite ; the idea of er·
fential and abftraét properties, as of the grealnefs, per·
fe(tioo, aod goodoers ofbeings; aod (o ofthe rell. Tho
bufinefG therefore of ontology. is tO m.,ke us acquainted
with every kiod of being
iD
¡ts
etrenee and abClra(t
qu.li–ties, .od flleh as are
d~lio(t
from all other beings. rhis
koowledge beiog once eflablifhed
00
fimplc principies,
juft confequences may from thence be drawn, and thoCe
thiogs proved after \Vhieh metaphyGes io'lui«s, aod whieh
is .ils bufinefs, lo proveo
It
¡Si eafy tOconceive, that even a clear knowledge of
being•• and [h.i r drential propenies, would b; flill de–
feétive and urelefs to man,
iE
he did nOl know how
lO
de·
termine and 6x his ideas by proper denominatioos, ílnd
confequently tO communicate his per...eptions to thoCe
whom he would ¡nftrua, or againCl whom he is obliged
to difpule, as they would nOl Aave the ("me pClcepuons
thac he has.
1t
¡s, by the way, perh .. ps ene uf the
&I e:íltell advanuges that we have over othc:r animals, to
be able fo
tb
determine our ideas by »gns or dcn(lmina–
lions, either of writing or (peech,
a~
tO rc:(er c2ch
p'.¡rti.
cular perceptioo lo its general idea, 2nd earh general per..
ception to its particular idea. T o rcnd('r thercfor(' our
jdras intdligible to others, we mull have dctermil"l.ltc
words or denomin:uions for rach heinj.!. olr"d tht 'I ualiti.:s
of each beinR ; and ontology
tlachc~
m
¡hOh: t("lnlS
\VIidl
are [o needlary tO
fix
our ideas,
and
lO &"'e lh, '" the
,,<¡u.file