pnugues/EB7 huggingface dataset:
ATTENTION, a due application of the ear or of the mind to any thing said or done, in order to acquire a knowledge thereof. The word is compounded of ad, to, and the verbal substantive derived from tendo, I stretch.

Attention, in respect of hearing, is the stretching or straining of the membrana tympani, so as to make it more susceptible of sounds, and better prepared to catch even a feeble agitation of the air; or it is the adjusting of the [7:4:140]tension of that membrane to the degree of loudness or lowness of the sound to which we are attentive..

According to the degree of attention, objects make a stronger or weaker impression. Attention is requisite even to the simple act of seeing: the eye can take in a considerable field at one look, but no object in the field is seen distinctly except that singly which fixes the attention ∙. in a profound reverie, which totally occupies the attention, we scarcely see what is directly before us. In a train of perceptions, no particular object makes such a figure as it would do singly and apart; for when the attention is divided among many objects, no particular object is entitled to a large share. Hence the stillness of night contributes to terror, there being nothing to divert the attention.

Attention is classed by Mr Dugald Stewart as a distinct faculty of the mind; an arrangement from which some other philosophers have dissented. But his admirable illustrations of the effects or results of attention are not at all dependent on the opinion which may be formed on this question. (See Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind, ch. ii.)
ATTENUATION, the act of making any fluid thinner and less consistent than it was before, or of enlarging bodies in superficial extent. The word is compounded of ad, to, and tenuis, thin.
ATTICÜS, Titus Pomponius, one of the most distinguished men in ancient Rome. He understood so thoroughly the art of conducting himself with address, that without in any degree compromising his neutrality, he preserved the esteem and affection of all parties. His strict friendship with Cicero did not prevent him from being at the same time on terms of great intimacy with Hortensius. The contests at Rome between Cinna’s party and that of Marius induced him to retire to Athens, where he continued for a considerable time. Atticus was much attached to polite learning, and kept constantly employed at his house several librarians and readers. He might have obtained the most considerable offices in the government; but he chose rather not to interfere, because amidst the corruption and faction which then prevailed he could not discharge the duties connected with them according to the laws. He wrote Annals, or Universal History, embracing (as we learn from Cicero) a period of700 years; and some other pieces, of which none has been preserved. He married his daughter to Agrippa. Having reached the seventy-seventh year of his age, [7:4:173]he was seized with an incurable disorder; and his case being considered hopeless, he anticipated the consummation of the disease, by abstaining from food, in consequence of which he died upon the fifth day, b. c. 33.
ATTIGNY, a small town of France, in the department of Ardennes. It was a place of some celebrity at an early-period, from its being usually selected as the summer residence of the kings of France. It is situated on the river Aione, in long. 4. 47. E. lat. 49. 30. N.
ATTILA, king of the Huns, surnamed the Scourge of God, may be ranked amongst the greatest and fiercest of conquerors, since there was scarcely any province of Europe which did not feel the weight of his victorious arms. His death was attended with singular circumstances. He had married a beautiful virgin named Ildico His nuptials were celebrated with great festivity at his palace beyond the Danube, and he retired late to bed oppressed with wine. In the night a blood-vessel burst in his lungs, and suffocated him. The bride was found in the morning sitting by the bedside, lamenting his death and her own danger. The body, inclosed in three coffins, of gold, silver, and iron, was interred in the night time; and to prevent the violation of his remains by the discovery of the place where he had been buried, all the captive slaves employed in the solemnity were massacred. This happened about the year 453. With Attila ended the empire of the Huns. His sons, by dissension and civil war, destroyed one another, or were dispossessed by more powerful chieftains.
ATTLEBOROUGH, or Attleburgh, a market-town of the hundred of Shropham, in the county of Norfolk, ninety-three miles from London, and six from Norwich. This place is said to have been formerly a large city, the 1 capital of the county, and at one time had a collegiate church. There is a market held every Thursday, and another every alternate Tuesday. The population in 1801 was 1333; in 1811, 1492; and in 1821, 1659.
ATTLEBURY, a town in the county of Norfolk in England. Long. 0. 40. E. Lat. 52. 23. N.
ATTOCK, a celebrated town and fort of Hindostan, in the province of Lahore, situated on the eastern bank of the Indus, which is here from three fourths to one mile across. It is the place where Alexander, Tamerlane, and Nadir Shah crossed the river in advancing eastward into India. The emperor Akbar built the present fortress in 1581. The fortress still retains the ancient name of Va-ranas or Benares, though it is more generally known by that of Attock. Long. 71. 15. E. Lat. 33. 6. N.
ATTORNEY at Law answers to the procurator or proctor of the civilians and canonists. He is one who is put in the place, stead, or room of another, to manage his matters of law.

Attorney-General, a great law-officer under the king, whose duty it is to exhibit informations, and prosecute for the crown, in matters criminal, and to file bills in the exchequer for any thing concerning the king in inheritance or profits.
ATTRIBUTE, in a general sense, is that which mąy be predicated of a person or thing as a determining characteristic, inherent quality or accident, the negation of which involves either a falsehood, a contradiction, or an absurdity. Thus understanding is an attribute of mind, and extension an attribute of matter. That attribute which the mind conceives as the foundation of all the rest is called its essential attribute ; thus extension is by some, and solidity by others, considered the essential attribute of matter.
ATTRIBUTES, in Theology, the several qualities or perfections of the divine nature.

Attributes, in Logic, are the predicates of any subject, or what may be aflirmed or denied of any thing.
ATTRIBUTIVES, in Grammar, are words which are significative of attributes; and thus include adjectives, verbs, and particles, which are attributes of substances, together with adverbs, which denote the attributes only of attributes. Mr Harris, who introduced this distribution of words, denominates the former attributives of the first order, and the latter attributives of the second order.
ATTRUCK, a river of Persia, which has its rise in a branch of the Elburz Mountains that borders on the northern deserts of Khorassan. It collects the streams of an extensive valley, and of several subordinate glens, and conveys in a westerly direction to the desert a large body of water, which being joined by several other streams, falls into the Caspian Sea at Kooroo-Soofee, 40 or 50 miles to the north of Asterabad.
ATTU, or Aττoo, one of the Aleutian Islands, about 60 miles in length, mountainous, and covered with snow, but inhabited. It is 215 miles east of Behring’s Island. Long. 172. E. Lat. 54. N.
AUBAGNE, a town of France, in the department of the Mouths of the Rhone, and arrondissement of Marseilles. It possesses manufactures of earthenware, and has a population of about 5000. It lies on the Veaune, 17 leagues N. W. of Aix.
AUBAINE, in the old customs of France, a right vested in the king, by virtue of which he claimed the inheritance of all foreigners that died within his dominions, notwithstanding any testamentary settlement made by the deceased. An ambassador was not subject to the right of aubaine; and the Swiss, Savoyards, Scots, and Portuguese, [7:4:189]were also exempted. This ancient privilege of the crown was abolished in 1819.
AUBE, a department of France, deriving its name from that of the chief river by which it is watered. It is bounded on the north by the department of the Marne, on the east by that of the Upper Marne, on the south-east by that of the Côte d’Or, on the south-west by that of the Yonne, and on the north-west by that of the Seine and the Marne. It extends over 2400 square miles or 1,536,000 acres, is tolerably productive in corn and wine, and breeds a considerable number of sheep. At the last census its inhabitants were 244,720, who work some iron mines, and manufacture silk, linen, and woollen goods, together with glass, paper, and leather. The department returns two deputies to the legislative assembly. It is divided into five arrondissements or circles. The chief city is Troyes.
AUBENTON, a small town of France, in the department of Aisne, situated on the river Aube. Long. 4. 30. E. Lat. 44. 37. N.
AUBETERRE, a small town of France, in the department of the Charente, nine leagues south of Angoulême.
AUBIGNY, or Avigny, a town of France, in the department of the Cher. It contains about 2500 inhabitants, who manufacture cloth, and carry on a trade in woollens, thread, linen, &c. Long. 2. 31. E. Lat. 47. 29. N.
AUBIN DE CORMIER, St, a town of France, in the department of the I∏e and Vilaine, containing about 1500 inhabitants. It is situated six leagues N. E. of Rennes.
AUBONNE, a circle in the canton of Waadt or Vaud, in Switzerland, containing one town, four villages, and 6620 inhabitants. The capital of the circle is of the same name. It is small but well built, containing 1700 inhabitants, who make good wine, and pursue agriculture with skill.
AUBREY, John, descended from an ancient family in Wiltshire, was born in 1626. He made the history and antiquities of England his peculiar study and delight, and contributed considerable assistance to the Monastico Anglicanum, He succeeded to several good estates; but law-suits and other misfortunes consumed them all, and reduced him to absolute want. In this extremity he found a valuable benefactress in the Lady Long of Draycot in Wilts, who gave him an apartment in her house, and supported him till his death, which happened about the year 1700. He was a man of considerable ability, learning, and application, but credulous, and tinctured with superstition. He wrote Miscellanies, and A Perambulation of the County of Surry, in 5 vols. 8vo. Besides these, he left many pieces in manuscript, among which are Monumenta Britannica, or a Discourse concerning Stonehenge and Roll Rich Stones in Oxfordshire; and Architectonica Sacra, or a Dissertation concerning the Manner of Church Building in England. In 1813, his Lives of Eminent Men, and a Collection of Letters, were published from the originals preserved in the Bodleian library, in 3 vols. 8vo. The Lives are replete with curious matter; and that of Hobbes, in particular, is very full and elaborate.
AUBURG, a bailiwick on the Aue, belonging to Hesse till 1815, but then ceded to Hanover, and now included in the province Hoya and Diepholz of that kingdom. It is about 22 square miles or 14,000 acres in extent, but has no town, and only 274houses, with 2309 inhabitants, who subsist by agriculture, and spinning and weaving coarse linen.
AUBURN, or Albourn, a market-town of Wiltshire, in England, about 70 miles from London.
AUBUSSON, an arrondissement in the department of the Creuse, in France. Its extent is 860 square miles, or 5u0,400 acres. It is divided into 10 cantons, and these into 113 communes, containing 93,298 inhabitants. The capital, of the same name, is a city on the banks of the river Creuse, containing a population of 3520 persons, chiefly occupied with manufactures of silk, of carpets, and of cloths.
AUCH, one of the arrondissements of France, in the department of the Gers. It extends over 540 square miles, or 537,600 acres, and is divided into six cantons and 136 communes, containing 56,098 inhabitants. The chief city, of. the same name, is situated on the river Gers. It contains a population of 9215 persons, mostly occupied in manufactures, viz. coarse woollens, serges, and leather.
AUCHTERARDER, a town and parish of Scotland, in the county of Perth. The town consists of a single street about a mile in length. It was formerly a royal burgh, but is now disfranchised. It has near it an ancient castle, said to have been a hunting seat of Malcolm Canmore. This place is 15 miles S. S. W. of Perth, and the population of the parish amounts to 2508.
AUCHTERMUCHTY, a town and parish of Scotland, in the county of Fife. The town has not the privilege of voting for a member of parliament, though it is governed by its own magistrates. A considerable manufacture of brown linen is carried on here. The population is 2404, and it is nine miles west from Cupar.
AUCKLAND-BISHOPS, a market-town in the ward of Darlington and county of Durham, 257 miles from London and 12 from the city of Durham. It stands on the banks of the river Wear, at its confluence with the Gaun-less or Wandless. Its name is derived from the great number of oak-trees that formerly surrounded it, and from the palace belonging to the bishop of Durham. The town is remarkably well built. The parish church, a Gothic structure, is one mile from the town, at Auckland St Andrews. It has some manufactures of muslins and other cotton goods. The market is held on Thursday. The population in 1801 amounted to 1961, in 1811 to 2007, and in 1821 to 2180.
AUCTION, a kind of public sale, much in use for the disposal of household goods, books, plate, and other articles. By this method of sale the highest bidder is always the buyer. Auction was originally a kind of sale among the ancient Romans, performed by the public crier sub hasta, i. e. under a spear stuck up on the occasion by some magistrate, who made good the sale by delivery of the articles.
AUDE, a department of France, taking its name from the river, which rises in the Eastern Pyrenees, and runs through it in two branches to the Mediterranean Sea. It is bounded by the department of Hérault on the northeast, that of the Tarn on the north, by the Mediterranean on the east, and by the department of the Arriège on the west. Its extent is 2550 square miles, or 1,632,000 acres. It is divided into four circles, viz. Narbonne, Limoux, Carcassonne, and Castelnaudry; which are again divided into 31 cantons, and these subdivided into 436 communes or parishes. The inhabitants by the last census amounted to 262,190. The soil produces corn, fruit, wine, olives, and mulberry trees. The manufactures are of linen, woollen, and silk. The canal of Languedoc, which passes through the department, is highly beneficial to its trade. The chief city is Carcassonne. The department sends two members to the legislative assembly.
AUDEUS, the chief of the Audeans, obtained the name of a heretic, and the punishment of banishment, for celebrating Easter in the manner of the Jews, and attributing a human form to the Deity. He died in the country of the Goths, about the year 370.
AUDITOR, in a general sense, a hearer, or one who listens or attends to any thing.

Auditor of the Receipts is an officer of the exchequer who files the tellers’ bills, makes an entry of them, and gives the lord treasurer a certificate of the money receiv [7:4:190]ed the week before. He also makes debentures to every teller before they receive any money, and takes their accounts.

AUDITORS of the Revenue, or of the exchequer, officers who take the accounts of those who collect the revenues and taxes raised by parliament.

AUDITORS of the Prest and Imprest, officers of the exchequer, who received and made up the accounts-of any money impressed to any man for the king’s service. They received poundage on all accounts passed by them; but the office is now abolished.
AUDITORS, in Ecclesiastical History, those who formed one branch of the Manichean sect, which was divided into elect and auditors ; corresponding, according to some writers, to clergy and laity, and according to others, to the faithful and catechumens among the Catholics. By the Manichean rule, a different course of life was prescribed to the elect from that of the auditors. The latter might eat flesh, drink wine, bathe, marry, traffic, possess estates, bear magistracy, and the like; all which were forbidden to the elect. The auditors were obliged to maintain the elect, and kneel down to ask their blessing. Beausobre observes that the elect were ecclesiastics, and in general those who made profession of observing certain counsels called evangelic, such as the clergy and monks; and they were called the perfect by Theodoret. The auditors were the laity, and so denominated because they heard in the church, whilst others taught and instructed.
AUDITORIUM, in the ancient churches, was that part of the church where the auditors stood to hear and be instructed.
AUERBACH, a small city, with 1350 inhabitants, in the bailiwick of Eschenbach and circle of the Upper Maine, in the kingdom of Bavaria.

Auerbach, a city on the river Golzsch, with 18Õ0 inhabitants, mostly weavers of cotton goods. It is in the bailiwick of Plauen and circle of Voigtland, in the kingdom of Saxony.
AUERSTADT, a village of 500 inhabitants, celebrated for the victory more commonly known by the name of the neighbouring city of Jena, which the French gained over the Prussians in October 1806. It is situated in the circle of Eckartsburg and government of Merseburg, in The Prussian province of Saxony.
AUGEAS, in fabulous history, was king of Elis, and particularly famed for his stable, which contained 3000 oxen, and had not been cleaned for thirty years. Hercules was desired to clear away the filth from this stable in one day; and Augeas promised, if he performed it, to give him a tenth part of the cattle. This task Hercules is said to have executed by turning the course of the river Alpheus through the stable; when Augeas refusing to stand by his engagement, Hercules slew him, and gave his kingdom to Phyleus his son, who had shown an abhorrence of his father’s insincerity.
AUGRE, or Awgre, an instrument used by carpenters and joiners to bore large round holes, and consisting of a wooden handle, and an iron blade terminated at bottom with a steel bit.
AUGSBURG, a city of Bavaria, the capital of the circle of the Upper Danube, celebrated in all the periods of German history. It is built on a beautiful plain between the rivers Lech and Wertach, and is surrounded with walls and ditches; but these form very imperfect defences against an enemy. The city is generally ill built, and most of the streets are narrow; but the Max street is very magnificent, both for its breadth and the grandeur of the buildings. The public buildings especially are very noble edifices. The inhabitants amount to 28,900, of whom 16,800 are Catholics, and 12,060 Lutherans. The manufactures are respectable, and produce, though in diminished quantities, silver goods, linen, parchment, tobacco, leather, paper, silk goods, looking-glasses, soap, sealing-wax, and printed cottons. The commerce is still very respectable, as this city is the centre of communication between the south of Germany and Italy. Long. 11. 0. 14. E. Lat. 48. 21. 24. N.

Augsburg Confession denotes a celebrated confession of faith drawn up by Luther and Melanchthon, on behalf of themselves and other reformers, and presented in 1530 to the emperor Charles V. at the diet of Augusta or Augsburg, in the name of the evangelic body. This confession contains twenty-eight chapters, of which the greater part is employed in representing, with perspicuity and truth, the religious opinions of the Protestants, and the rest in pointing out the errors and abuses that occasioned their separation from the church of Rome.
AUGUR, an officer among the ancient Romans, appointed to foretell future events by the chattering, flight, and feeding of birds. There was a college or community of these functionaries, consisting originally of three members; afterwards the number was increased to nine, four of whom were patricians and five plebeians. They bore an augural staff or wand, as the ensign of their authority; and their dignity was so much respected that they were never deposed, nor any substituted in their place, even though convicted of the most enormous crimes.
AUGURY, in its proper sense, the art of foretelling future events by observations on birds; though it is used by some writers in a more general signification, as comprising all the different kinds of divination.

Augury was a very ancient superstition. We know from Hesiod that husbandry was in part regulated by the coming or going of birds; and most probably it had been in use long before his time, as astronomy was then in its infancy. In process of time these animals seem to have attained a greater and more wonderful authority, till at last no affair of consequence, either of public or private concern, was undertaken without consulting them. They were looked upon as the interpreters of the gods; and those who were qualified to understand their oracles were held among the chief men in the Greek and Roman states, and became the assessors of kings, and even of Jupiter himself.
AUGUST (augustus), in a general sense, something majestic, venerable, or sacred. The appellation was first conferred by the Roman senate upon Octavius, after he had been confirmed by them in the sovereign power.

August, in Chronology, the eighth month of our year, containing 31 days. August was dedicated to the honour of Augustus Caesar, because in the same month he was created consul, thrice triumphed in Rome, subdued Egypt to the Roman empire, and made an end of the civil wars. It was previously called Sextilis, or the sixth month from March.
AUGUSTA, or Austa, an island in the Adriatic Sea, on the coast of Dalmatia, near Ragusa, subject to Venice. Long. 17. 50. E. Lat. 42. 35. N.

Augusta, a city in the intendancy of Catania, in Sicily. It stands on a tongue of land near Cape Croce, and has a good harbour, from which some salt, honey, and wine are exported. It is well built and strongly fortified, and contains 1836 houses, with 9425 inhabitants. Long. 15. 13. 15. E. Lat. 37. 12. 50. N.
AUGUSTALES, in Boman Antiquity, an epithet given [7:4:192]to the'flamens or priests appointed to sacrifice to Augustus after his deification; and also to the ludi or games celebrated in honour of the same prince on the fourth of the ides of October.
AUGUSTALIA, afestival instituted by the Romans in honour of Augustus Caesar, on his return to Rome, after having settled peace in Sicily, Greece, Syria, Asia, and Parthia; on which occasion they likewise built an altar to him, inscribed Fortunae Reduci.
AUGUSTALIS Praefectus, a title peculiar to a Roman magistrate who governed Egypt, with a power much like that of a proconsul in other provinces.
AUGUSTAN Confession. See Augsburg Confession.
AUGUSTENBURG, a ducal circle in the divisions of the Danish kingdom, known as the adlichen or noble districts. The duchy consists of seven parishes on the island of Alsen, and of one town and two villages on the continent. It is a part of the duchy of Sleswick.