AUSPICIOUS. PROPITIOUS. FAVOURABLE. GENIAL.

The AUSPICIOUS (Lat. auspicium, lit. bird-inspection) and PROPITIOUS (Lat. propitius) are both forms of the FAVOURABLE (Lat. favorabilis). The term FAVOURABLE is the most comprehensive and the least specific in its meaning. It is applied to anything which tends to further our designs, whether it be the goodwill of men, or the forces of nature, as a favourable wind; or the confluence of events, as a favourable moment or circumstance. That is

propitious which is favourably inclined; that is auspicious which looks favourable, and seems an indication of coming good or success. AUSPICIOUS cannot therefore be applied, like PROPITIOUS and FAVOURABLE, to persons, but only to events and appearances. That is auspicious which looks as if success were at hand; that is propitious which causes or grants success; that which inclines or is well disposed to us, which aids, seconds, or is ready to serve us, is favourable. That which is above us, or stronger than we, yet ready to protect or assist us, or having that tendency-which comes to our succour, and having power exerts it on our behalf, is propitious. The inefficient may be favourable; the powerful only can be propitious. Persons and circumstances show themselves every day as favourable or unfavourable to us. It is in trouble, danger, or enterprise, that men say they hope that heaven or fortune may be propitious.

“The favourableness of the present times to all exertions in the cause of liberty."BURKE.

"Thus were their lives auspiciously begun, And thus with secret care were carried on.' DRYDEN.

"And now to assuage the force of this new flame

And make thee more propitious in my need,

I mean to sing the praises of thy name,
And thy victorious conquest to areed."
SPENSER.

The GENIAL (Lat. genialis: see GENIUS) is that which warms and fosters into life, vivifies, and nurtures; hence fostering the natural enjoyment of life -sympathizing with it and promoting

it. The genial is opposed to the chilling in natural effects, and the austere in human dispositions. The genial breeze invigorates; it freshens while it warms. The genial disposition is bright, warm, and pleasant, and has pleasure in the pleasure of others. Originally, genial meant natural, or inborn; "genial pride" was the pride of a person's nature.

"For me kind nature wakes her genial power." POPE.

AUSTERITY. SEVERITY. RIGOUR. STERNNESS. STRICTNESS.

The primary meaning of AUSTERE (Lat. austerus) is harsh, like the flavour of inferior or unripe fruit; and in this sense English writers have sometimes used it, as Bishop Harley:

"The sweetness of the ripened fruit is not the less delicious for the austerity of its eruder state."

Austerity is the result sometimes of constitutional disposition; sometimes of a stern view of the nature of life; sometimes of both combined. When austere is applied to looks, manners, and the like, what is meant is, that they are the looks, manners, and the like, of an austere person-of one who takes a somewhat sour view of the enjoyments and relaxations, and dwells habitually upon the duties and denials of existence. The austere man is accordingly exacting upon himself as well as upon others. An austere master speaks but to command, and commands so as to be obeyed. The countenance of the austere seldom relaxes into a smile. Those views, doctrines, principles, precepts, habits, persons, which are painful to the moral taste and unpalatable to human nature are austere. Austerity shuns luxury and social enjoyment, and courts self-mortification, and preaches this to others.

"Such was the life the frugal Sabines led; So Remus and his brother God were bred, From whom th'austere Etrurian virtue rose; And this rude life our homely fathers chose." DRYDEN.

SEVERITY (Lat. severitatem) is the constitutional tendency to enforce the rigour of discipline or retribution, without being deterred by pity froni the execution of punishment; or to insist on such things as might be hard

ing, not habitual, but on the occasion, of the person commanding. An imperious person is selfish and overbearing. We may be imperative, or speak imperatively, from a sense of necessity, and even circumstances may render a thing imperatively necessary. The imperious character manifests itself especially under contradiction, and with some degree of temper.

"The snits of kings are imperative."— BISHOP HALL.

"Oh, that my tongue had every grace of speech,

Great and commanding as the breath of kings." ROWE.

"His bold, contemptuous, and imperious spirit soon made him conspicuous."MACAULAY.

AUTHENTIC.

GENUINE.

The distinction drawn by Bishop Watson is as follows, between the AUTHENTIC (alevrixós, warranted) and GENUINE (Lat. genuinus) :—

"A genuine book is that which was written by the person whose name it bears as the author of it. An authentic book is that which relates matters of fact as they really happened. A book may be genuine without being authentic, and a book may be authentic without being genuine. The books written by Richardson and Fielding are genuine books, though the histories of Clarissa and Tom Jones are fal les. The history of the island of Famosa is a genuine book. It was written by Psalmanazar, but it is not an authentic book, though it was long esteemed as such, and translated into different languages; for the author in the latter part of his life took shame to himself for having imposed upon the world, and confessed that it was a mere romance. Anson's Voyages may be considered an authentic book. It probably contains a true narrative of the principal events recorded in it; but it is not a genuine book, having not been written by Walter, to whom it is ascribed by Robins."

In reference to this, Archbishop Trench says ("Select Glossary," under AUTHENTIC) :—

"Of authentic,' he has certainly not seized the true force, neither do the uses of it by good writers bear him out. The true opposite to αυθεντικός in Greek is ἀδέσποτος (.e. not owned, anonymous) and authentic is properly having an author, and thus coming with authority, authoritative; the connexion of author and authority in our own language, giving us the key to its successive meanings. Then an authentic document is in its årst meaning a document written by

the proper hand of him from whom it professes to proceed. In all the passages

which follow it will be observed that the word might be exchanged for authoritative."

I venture to suggest, as a reconciliation of these conflicting authorities, that Bishop Watson's view exactly coincides with the force of the French authentique as also the word genuine in English is opposed not only to what is adulterated or fictitious, but also to what is spurious in origin.

:

According to the French use of the term, that is an authentic act which has formality, legality, proof, and so inherent validity. An authentic copy is one which may be used for the purposes of the original. That is authentic to which our credence is incontestably due. An authentic report of facts is relied upon not simply on the authority of the person who drew it up. The following remarks, extracted from Webster's "Synonyms," are much to the purpose:-

"We call a document genuine when it can be traced back ultimately to the author or authors from whom it professes to emanate. We call a document authentic in the primary sense of the term, when, on the ground of its being thus traced back, it may be relied on as true and authoritative; and in this sense the term is used in respect to legal instruments. But in general literature it has obtained a wider signification. We can often rely upon statements as true without knowing the name of the person with whom they originated. Their claims to be believed may rest on collateral evidence of the most unquestionable nature, and such statements are accordingly spoken of as authentic. This secondary use of the term is the one now most in use. Thus we speak of an authentic report of facts, authentic history, &c. Hence writers on the evidences of our religion speak of the genuineness and the authenticity of the sacred Scriptures, meaning by the former that the books have come down to us uncorrupt from their original sources; and by the latter that they may be relied upon as true and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice."

AUTHORITY (Lat. auctōrĭtātem)_is the right of exercising PowER (Fr. pouvoir), no matter what the character of the power may be. It is based upon the grounds of some relationship, so that it is natural, moral, domestic, social, political, and the like. Under moral authority might be included that which comes

from superior knowledge generally, or better specific information. Authority is based either upon conventional or natural right, otherwise it becomes usurpation. As political authority is limited by right, so parental authority is limited by age. It is in their moral significance that AUTнORITY and POWER are here regarded as synonyms. Authority leaves more liberty of choice, power has the greater force. Superiority of mind and stature gives authority. Attachment to persons contributes much to the power which they exercise over

us.

the

Such power lives by entreaty or persuasion, inducing us to yield ourselves to what others desire of us; or it gains its ends by art. The art of finding out weak points, and seizing the advantage to be derived from them, gives a great amount of power. The authority which we have over others is always honourable. It comes of some degree of merit or excellence. Power comes of some binding influence of the heart or interests. To the good and wise friend we ought to accord an authority in matters of opinion, and a certain power over us for practical guidance, so long as we do not part with our discretion, or render an unreasonable compliance or submission. In their political aspects, too, authority and power differ. In this relation, authority is the right of civil or political administration. It is the principle of which power is the action. Authority is derived from the laws, and power is derived from authority. Of God alone it can be said that His authority is unlimited or His power absolute. Strictly speaking, the only natural authority is that of the parent over the child. Every other authority comes of law or positive enact

ment. Power is no more than the possession of means to compel to an action or condition.

"For that which obtaineth universally must either have some forse in itself to command acceptation or else must be imposed by some over-ruling authority."BISHOP HALL.

"Power gradually extirpates from the mind every humane and gentle virtue."BURKE.

Politically, AUTHORITY is the active right of administration. POWER is the faculty of carrying into execution such orders as come from a superior authority. Authority is derived from the laws. Power lies in those whose office it is to execute the laws. Hence power is subordinate to authority. Authority which is excessive militates against divine and natural law, as power which is excessive transgresses the limits of right jurisdiction.

JURISDICTION (Lat. jurisdictionem) is the possession or exercise of political authority within limits legally de fined-that is, over certain persons or within certain localities, or on certain subjects and in certain cases. In its widest sense, JURISDICTION is the administration of justice by means and under conditions furnished by the

laws.

"But at present, by the long uniform usage of many ages, our kings have dele gated their own judicial power to the judges of their several courts, which are the grand depositories of the fundamental laws of the kingdom, and have gained a known and stated jurisdiction regulated by certain and established rules, which the Crown itself cannot now alter, but by Act of Parliament."-BLACKSTONE.

DOMINION (L. Lat. dominionem, dòminus, lord) is a term of general, rather than technical or exact import. It means lordship or the exercise of it; and, politically, a territory within which it is exercised. Like POWER and unlike AUTHORITY, it implies nothing necessarily as to lawfulness. Man has dominion over the inferior animals. The dominion is in itself given him by God, but as man exercises it, it is sometimes a merciful, sometimes a merciless dominion. DOMINION is as vague as JURISDICTION is definite and exact, and is used in a great variety of analogous cases. The

dominions of a Sovereign are the territories under his crown, regarded irrespectively of the local modifications of his authority. So India and Canada, though in very different forms, are included in the British dominions.

"Though for a while the pleasure of sin may captivate, and unlawful gain may bring its present advantage, yet we may depend upon it a time will come when sin will assert his dominion."-GILPIN.

AUTHORIZE. EMPOWER. EN

ABLE.

The idea common to these terms is that of imparted, delegated, or transmitted power.

ENABLE (see ABLE) is the widest. It may denote the giving of physical, moral, mental, or official competency. To enable a person is to put him into a position to do a thing, and by an extended application to do it rightly, or with propriety. He who is enabled is made intrinsically stronger.

"Temperance gives nature her full play, and enables her to exert herself in all her force and vigour."-ADDISON.

He who is EMPOWERED (pref. en, in; and power, Fr. pouvoir) receives an external accession of strength. A document empowers a man to act officially; food enables him to bear fatigue. AUTHORIZE belongs exclusively to the exercise of active rights. EMPOWER belongs also to the bestowing a capacity, or conferring passive qualifications. I authorize an agent to make a demand for money, and empower him to receive it. EMPOWER has a force more strongly technical, or legal; AuTHORIZE more general and moral. I am authorized to conclude a fact when I do so upon authentic and sufficient evidence. To such a case, implying the rightful exercise of my own powers of mind, the word EMPOWER does not apply. Persons or the state of circumstances authorize; the State or the law empowers. The law authorizes the magistrate to impose a certain penalty-that is, would bear him out if any question of his right to do it were to arise. But it also empowers him to do it-that is, invests him with liberty to act for himself in the matter,

conferring upon him a jurisdiction which in his private capacity he does not possess.

"For let a vicious person be in never so high a command, yet still he will be looked upon but as one great vice empowered to correct and chastise others."-SOUTH.

"Since God evidently designed the regular course of nature for the support and comfort of man, we seem authorized to conclade that He will apply its irregularities and disorder to his punishment, correction, and admonition."-BISHOP PORTEUS.

AUXILIARY. SUBSIDIARY. AN

CILLARY.

That which is AUXILIARY (Lat. auxiliarius) operates in conjunction with that which it aids, so as to produce a result. That which is SUBSIDIARY (Lat. subsidiarius, subsidium, support, being originally the troops stationed in the third line of battle as a reserve, from subsidere, to settle down) is in the relation of means available for the purpose of producing that result. That which is auxiliary is directly promotive, that which is subsidiary is subserviently applicable. That which is auxiliary is already in action, that which is subsidiary may remain in reserve: the former is of use, the latter may be. Auxiliary testimony increases the evidence. Subsidiary testimony has this property. Hence there is an equality implied in the auxiliary, an inferiority in the subsidiary. ANCILLARY (Lat. ancilla, a handmaid) is a term formed to express a more marked inferiority or subserviency of co-operation. Being a purely metaphorical term, it is commonly employed of abstract rather than material operations, in the sense of subordinately promoting intellectual, scientific, literary, or political ends. That which is ancillary contributes to the work, that which is subsidiary contributes to the means, that which is auxiliary contributes to the end.

AVERAGE. MEAN. MEDIUM.

AVERAGE (L. Lat. averagium, orig. a portion of work done by cattle; pl. averia) is a mean proportion, a medial sum or quantity made out of several unequal sums or quantities, or, in a