sense the word is used to denote the ceremony of laying on of hands for the conveyance of the Holy Ghost. Among the primitive Christians it was conferred upon adults immediately after their baptism; and was esteemed, in some measure, to be a part thereof: whence it was called the accomplishment of baptism. It was considered that baptism only prepared persons for the reception of the graces of the Holy Spirit, which were actually conferred in confirmation.

Confiscate.

CUM.

Conflagration.-Conflict.-Confluence.-See

Conflux, from the same origin as CONFLUENCE. Conform. See CUM. Conformist. One that complies with the worship of the church of England. Confound. See CUM. In a figurative sense, it means, to compare or mention without due distinction. "They who strip not ideas of the marks men use for them, but confound them with words, must have endless disputes." Locke.

Confuse, from the same origin as CONFOUND. "The Confusion of Languages," is a memorable event which happened in the one hundred and first year after the flood, and 2247 years before Christ, at the overthrow of Babel. Until this period there had been one common language, which formed a boud of union, that prevented the separation of mankind into distinct nations; and some have supposed, that the tower of Babel was erected as a kind of fortress, by which people intended to defend themselves against that separation which Noah had projected.

Confute. See CUM.

"He could, on either side, dispute,
Confute, change hands, and still confute."

Hudibras.

Congeal. Congenial.-Congeries.--Congest. See CUM. Congratulate. See CUM. To express joy for the good

of another. To compliment upon any happy event.

"I congratulate our English tongue, that it has been enriched with words from all our neighbours." Watts. Congregate.-Congress.-Congruity. See CUM.

Conjecture. See CUм. "When we look upon such things as equally may or may not be, human reason can then, at the best, but conjecture what will be." South. Conjoin. See CUM. "Let that which is taught next be nearly conjoined with what is known already." Locke. Conjugal, conjugate, and conjunction have the same origin as CONJOIN.-Conjugation, in grammar, a regular distribution of the several inflexions of verbs in their different voices, moods, tenses, and persons, so as to distinguish them from one another.-Conjunction. A particle which expresses a relation or dependence between words and phrases; thus called, because it serves to join or connect the parts or members of a discourse, which is its common use; and also to connect words, so as to show the relations which those words so united have to other parts of the sentence. Conjunctions are of various kinds.-1. "Copulative, or conjunctive," are those which express a relation of union or comparison between things; and serve to connect or continue a sentence; as, and, only.-2. "Adversative," those which express a restriction, or contrariety; as, but, nevertheless.-3. Causal," those which show that the cause of something is alleged; as, for, because.-4. "Conclusive," those which denote a consequence drawn; as, so that, but then.-5. " Conditional," are those which import a condition; as, if, provided that.-6. "Continuative," those which express a succession or continuation of the discourse; as, even, in effect.-7. "Disjunctive," those which express a relation of separation or division, or which serve not only to connect or continue the sentence, but also to express opposition of meaning in different degrees; as, neither, yet.-8. "Dubitative," those which express some doubt, or suspension of opinion; as, if. -9. "Exceptive," as, unless that. These distinctions are considered useless by some writers, more es

pecially by H. Tooke; see "Diversions of Purley." Vol. I. p. 110.

Conjure. Connate.-Connect. See CUM.

Connexion, has the same origin as CONNECT.-Connexion. The act of uniting; the state of being joined together. Just relation to something precedent or subsequent. "There must be a future state, where the eternal and inseparable connexion between virtue and happiness shall be manifested." Atterbury." Contemplation of human nature doth, by a necessary connexion and chain of causes, carry us up to the Deity." Hall.

Connive. See CUM.
Consanguinity. See CUM.

Relation by descent from one common progenitor. It is distinguished from affinity, or relation by marriage.

Conscience. See CUM. "Conscience signifies that knowledge which a man hath of his own thoughts and actions; and because, if a man judgeth fairly of his actions by comparing them with the laws of God, his mind will approve or condemn him, this knowledge or conscience may be both an accuser and a judge." Swift. -Conscientious. Regulated by conscience.--Conscious. Endowed with the power of knowing one's own thoughts and actions. "Matter hath no life nor perception, and is not conscious of its own existence.' -Consciousness. An internal sense of guilt or innocence. The perception of what passes in a man's own mind. "If spirit be without thinking, I have no idea of any thing left; therefore, consciousness must be its essential attribute." Watts. Consecration. See CUM. The act of setting apart any profane or common thing to a pious purpose. Conse

cration is the reverse of desecration and profanation, which consist in perverting a thing set apart for a pious use to a profane and popular one.

Consent.

See CUM.

Consequence. See CUM. "That which follows from any cause or principle."

"Shun the bitter consequence, for know,
"The day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die."
Paradise Lost.

Consequence is frequently employed as synonimous with importance. "The anger of Achilles was of such consequence that it embroiled the kings of Greece." Addison.-Consequentially. With just deduction of consequences. In a regular series. "Were a man a

king in his dreams, and a beggar awake, and dreamt consequentially, and in continued unbroken schemes, would he be in reality a king or a beggar?" Addison. Conserve. Consider.-Consign.-Consist. See CUM. Console. See CUM. Consolation. Alleviation of misery; such alleviation as is produced by partial remedies. "Let the righteous persevere with patience, supported by this consolation-that their labour shall not be in vain."

Consolidate. See CUM.

Consonant. See CUM. A letter that cannot be sounded without some vowel before it. Consonants are first divided into single and double, the double are x and z, the rest are all single; and these are again divided into mutes and semi-vowels. The mutes are such as cannot be sounded at all without a vowel, and all of which begin their sound with a consonant: as, b, c, d, g, k, p, q, t, and v, being expressed be, ce, de, &c. The semi-vowels have of themselves an imperfect sound, and all begin with a vowel; as, f, l, m, n, r, s, being sounded ef, el, em, &c.; four of these, l, m, n, r, are distinguished by the name of liquids, from their readily uniting with other consonants. Consonants are also divided into five classes, with regard to the five principal organs of the voice. Though all of these act conjointly in producing the various modifications of sound, yet one or other of them contributes more notably than the rest. These organs are the throat, (guttur,) palate, (palatum,) tongue, (lingua,) teeth, (dentes,)

lips, (labia); whence the five classes of consonants are denominated guttural, h; palatal, c, g, j, k, q; lingual, d, 1, n, t; dental, r, s, x, z; labial, b, f, m, p.

Conspicuous. See CUM.

Conspiracy. See CUM. An agreement of men to do any thing, always used in a bad sense.

Constant. See Cuм. Constancy. Unalterable continuance. "Incredible, that constancy in such a variety, such a multiplicity, should be the result of chance!" Ray on the Creation.

Constellation.

See CUM. The ancients portioned out the firmament into several parts or constellations, reducing a certain number of stars under the representation of certain images, in order to aid the imagination and memory to conceive and retain their numbers and disposition.

Constituent.-Constitute.-Constitution. See CUM. Construct.-Construe. See CUM. Construction. The act of piling together in a regular method. The putting words together in such a manner as is proper to convey a complete sense. The meaning. "He that would live at ease, should always put the best construction on business and conversation.' Collier. Consult. Consume and consumption.-Contact.-Contagion-Contain.-Contaminate. See CUM.

Contemplate. See CUM.

"Contemplation, is keeping the idea, which is brought into the mind, for some time actually in view." Locke.

Contemporary. See CUM. "The active part of mankind, as they who do most good for their contempora ries, very deservedly gain the greatest share in their applauses." Addison.

Contempt. See CUM.

"There is no action in the behaviour of one man towards another, of which human nature is more impatient than of contempt; it being an undervaluing of a man, upon a belief of his utter uselessness and inability, and a spiteful endeavour to engage the rest of mankind in the same slight esteem of