CH1002

of starch. See AMIDINE. An, art . [A.S. ane; Ger. ein.] The indefinite article used before nouns of the singular number, beginning with a vowel or an h mute. It is used also for one , but with le emphasis; as, "There stands a harp."-Any, or some; as, " An elephant might swim in the water." A'na, a Latin termination of the neuter plural form of the nouns in anus . In modern times this termination has been used to denote collections, either of remarks made by celebrated individuals in conversation, or of extracts from their note-books, letters, or even published works, or generally, of particulars respecting them. The most celebrated of such collections are the colloquial remarks of Scaliger, known under the name of Scali gerana secund a . -A prefix, in words of Greek origin, implying repetition, upward motion, inversion, distribution, parallelism, or proportion. -In medical prescriptions, it denotes that an equal quantity of each of the ingredients is to be taken; as," wine and honey, a ā , or a , or ana zij.," i.e. of wine and honey, each, two ounces. -A. is also used as a noun, applied to collections of remarks and anecdotes. Such works had an extraordinary succe during the last century, principally in France. We have in English, Selections from the French Anas, translated, 2 vols., Oxford, 1797. There is a well-known little poem, by La Monnoye, in which he enumerates the names of the most celebrated A., concluding with the couplet, Me ieurs, nul de to us ces ana Ne vaut l'Ypecacuanha." Anabaptism, n. See ANABAPTISTS. Anabaptists, n. pl. (Eccl. Hist .) A name applied to all Christians who for any reason re-baptize those who join their communion. The term denotes a great variety of religious beliefs. The Novations and Donatists were Anabaptists, because they claimed to be the true church, and held that the sacraments of the Catholic Church were null and void. The med iæval Anabaptists held a different principle, viz., that faith in Christ should precede baptism or it was meaningle . Hence, they re-baptized those who had been baptized as infants, without faith. There were several cla es of these med iæval Anabaptists: First, the evangelical-the Swi Anabaptists and those of South Germany--whose leaders were Conrad Grebel, Balthazar Hübmaier and John Denck. These held a theology substantially like that of Calvin, and were peaceable, law-abiding citizens, though bitterly persecuted. Many of them denied that a Christian may use the sword in any case, even in self defense or to enforce law. Second, the mystical and fanatical, of whom Melchior Hofmann was the teacher. His disciple, Jan Matthys, a baker of Haarlem, applied his master's teachings regarding the speedy coming of the kingdom of Christ, by attempting to set up that kingdom in the city of Münster. After his death in a sortie, John Bockhold, a tailor of Leyden, was hailed as prophet, made king of the new Zion, proclaimed polygamy, and the wildest exce es followed. Münster was taken by its bishop in 1535, and most of the Anabaptists were put to death, horrible tortures being inflicted on the leaders. Third, the Men no nites, or followers of Menno Simons, who were merely Anabaptists under this new name. Simons was a priest in the Roman church, who became an Anabaptist in 1536 and gathered you sands of disciples before his death in 1559. The Men no nites spread through most of the countries of Northern Europe, and formed a considerable colony in Ru ia, but were most numerous in Holland where they still survive. Many have emigrated to the United States, where the census of 1890 enumerates twelve branches of them, with an aggregate membership of 41,541. The name Anabaptist was also applied in England to the body since known as Baptists. See BAPTISTS. Anaba'ra, a river in Siberia, in the government of Tobolsk. It rises in Lat. 66° N., and after a course of 400 m. falls into the Arctic ocean, at Lat. 72° N., and Lon. 112° E. An'abas, n. [Gr. anabaino, to ascend.] ( Zool.) A genus of fishes. See ANABAS IDE. Anabas'idæ, n . pl . A family of fresh-water fishes, belonging to the ord. Acanthopterygii . The species generally resemble in form the perches, but their respiratory organs are so constructed as to enable them to sustain life for a space of time out of water, by having small apertures or some receptacle, where they can preserve sufficient water to moisten their gills. In cold or temperate regions this is not required, but in tropical countries it often happens that many of the rivers and ponds are dried up. At such times no fish, but such as, like the Anabas, are furnished with the nece ary pharyngeal apparatus for keeping the gills moist, could exist. The naturalist Daldorf claims to have seen the climbing perch ( Anabas scan der us) in the act of ascending palm-trees, which it did by means of its fins and tail, and the spines of its gill-covers; but this fact has not been confirmed by other naturalists. Anabasis. [Gr., an advance, an expedition.] The name of two ancient historical works. 1. The Anabasis of Cyrus, by Xenophon, giving an account of the unfortunate expedition of the younger Cyrus against his brother, the Persian king Artaxerxes, and of the retreat of the Ten You sand Greeks under Xenophon. 2. The Anabasis of Alexander, by Arrian, giving an account of the campaign of Alexander the Great. Anabro's is, n. [From Gr. anabrosko, to devour.] ( Med. ) A corrosion of the solid parts, by sharp and biting humors.