1

you drive them out of one form, they assume ano- 2. Unseasonably; improperly. The constitutions thr; and are so importunately troublesome, as that the apostles made concerning deacons and makes many think it impossible to be freed from widows, are, with much importunity, but very theñ. Duppa's Rules of Devotion.

importunely, urged by the disciplinarians. Sander). * IMPORTUNATENESS. n. f. [from impor. *IMPORTUNITY. n. S. [importuntas, Latin; tunate.] Incefiant folicitation.-She with more and importunité, Fr. from importunate.) Inceffant folimore isnportunateness craved, which, in all good citation.-Overcome with the importunity of his manners, was either of us to be desired, or not wife, a woman of a haughty spirit, he altered bis granted. Sidney.

former purpose. Knolles. * IMPORTUNE, adj. (importunus, Latin. It Thrice I deluded her, and turn'd to sport was anciently pronounced with the accent on the Her importunity.

Milton's Agonistes. second syllable.] 1. Constantly recurring ; trou. * IMPOSE. n. f. [from the verb.] Command; blesome by frequency.

injunction. Not in use. All that charge did fervently apply, According to your ladyship’s impose, With greedy malice and importune toil;

I am thus early come.

Sbak. And planted there their huge artillery, * To IMPOSE. v. a. (imposer, French; impofitum, With which they daily made most dreadful bat- Latin.] 1. To lay on as a burthen or penalty.tery

Spenser. It shall not be lawful to impose toll upon them. - Hent, king of England, needed not to have Ezra vii.-If a fon do fall into a lewd a&ion, the bestowed such great sums, nor so to have busied imputation, by your rule, should be imposed upon himself with importune and incessant labour, to his father. Shakespeare.compass my death and ruin, if I had been a feign- To tyrants others have their country sold, ed person. Bacon. 2. Troublesome ; vexatious. Imposing foreign lords for foreign gold. Dryd.

And th’armies of their creatures all, and some On impious realms and barb'rous kings impose Do serve to them, and with importune might Thy plagues, and curse them with such ills as War against us, the vassals of their will. Spens. those.

Pope. -If the upper soul can check what is confented 2. To enjoin as a duty or law.-What good or evil to by the will, in compliance with the Aesh, and is there under the sun, what action correspondent can then bope, that after a few years of sensuali- or repugnant unto the law which God hath inty, that importune rebellious servant shall be eter- posed upon his creatures, but in or upon it God nally cast off, this would be some colour for that doth work, according to the law which himself novel persuasion. Ham.---The fame airs, which hath eternally purposed to keep? Hooker. There fome entertain with most delightful transports, to was a thorough way made by the sword for the others are importune. Glanv. 3. Unfeasonable'; imposing of the laws upon them. Spenser on Ireland. coming, asking, or happening at a wrong time Thou on the deep imposeft nobler laws, No fair to thine

And by that justice haft remov’d the cause. Equivalent, or second! which compellid

Waller. Me thus, though importune perhaps, to come -Christianity hath hardly imposed any other laws And gaze and worship thee.

Milton. upon us, but what are enacted in our natures, or * To IMPORTUNE. v. a. (importuner, Fr. im- are agreeable to the prime and fundamental laws portunus, Lat. Accented anciently on the second of it. Tillotson.-syllable.) To teaze ; to harass with Night vexation

Impose but your commands, perpetually recurring ; to moleft.-

This hour shall bring you twenty thousand Against all sense you do importune her. Shak. hands.

Drydes. If he espied any lewd gaiety in his fellow-fer- - It was neither imposed on me, nor so much as vants, his master should straightways know it, and the subject given me by any man. Dryden. 3. To not rest free from importuning, until the fellow had fix on; to impute 10.—This cannot be allowed, put away his fault. Carew. The highest faint in except we impute that unto the first cause which the celestial hierarchy began to be so impertinently we impose not on the second; or what we deny unimportuned, that a great part of the liturgy was to nature, we impute unto nativity itself. Brown. addressed solely to her. Howells Focal Fores. 4. To obtrude fallaciousy:The bloom of beauty other years demands,

Our poet thinks fit Nor will be gather'd by such wither?d hands: T'impose upon you wbạt he writes for wit. You importune it with a false desire. Dryden.

Dryden. -Every one hath experimented this troublesome S. TO IMPOSE on. To put a cheat on; to deceive. intrusion of some frisking ideas, which thus im- - Physicians and philosophers have suffered themportune the understanding, and hinder it from be- selves to be so far imposed upon as to publish chy: ing employed. Locke.—We have been obliged to mical experiments, which they neyer tried. Bogle

. bire troops from several princes of the empire, -He that thinks the name centaur ftands for some whose ministers and residents here have perpetu- real being, imposes on himself, and miftakes words ally importuned the court with unreasonable de. for things. Locke. 6. (Among printers.) To put mands. Swift.

the pages on the stone, and fit on the chases, in * IMPORTUNELY. adv. (from importune.] order to carry the forms to press. 1. Troublesomely; incessantly.

*IMPOSÉABLE. adj: (from impose.] To be laid The palmer bent his ear unto the noise, as obligatory on any body. They were not fim. To weet who cail'd so importunely :

ply imposeable on any particular man, farther than Again hệ heard a more efforced voice, he was a member of some church. Hammond. That bade him come in balte. Fairy Queen. IMPOSER. Di S. (from impose.} One who ek

joins as a law; one who lays any thing on another as a hardship. The univerfities fufferings might be manifefted to all nations, and the impofers of thefe oaths might repent. Walton.

(1.)*IMPOSITION. n. f. \impofition, French; impofitus, Lat.] 1. The act of laying any thing on another. The fecond part of confirmation is the prayer and benediction of the bishop, made more folemn by the impofition of hands. Hammond. 2. The act of annexing.-The firft impofition of names was grounded, among all nations, upon future good hope conceived of children. Camden.-The impofition of the name is grounded only upon the predominancy of that element, whofe name is afcribed to it. Bogle. 3. Injunction of any thing as a law or duty. Their determination is to trouble you with no more fuit, unless you may be won by fome other fort than your father's impofition, depending on the cafkets. Shakes.

From impofition of ftrict laws, to free
Acceptance of large grace; from fervile fear
To filial; works of law, to works of faith. Milt.
4. Contraine; oppreffion.-The conftraint of re-
ceiving and holding opinions by authority was
rightly called impofition. Locke.-A greater load
has been laid on us than we have been able to
bear, and the groffeft impofitions have been sub-
mitted to, in order to forward the dangerous de-
gns of a faction. Seift.-Let it not be made,
contrary to its own nature, the occafion of ftrife,
narrow fpirit, and unreasonable impofitions on
the mind and practice. Watts. 5. Cheat; fallacy;
impofture. 6. A fupernumerary exercife enjoin-
ed fcholars as a punishment.-

Thefe impofitions were supply'd,
To light my pipe, or please my pride.

(I.)* IMPOSSIBILITY. n. f. [impoffibilité, Fr. from impoffible.] 1. Impracticability; the ftate of being not feasible.-Simple Philoclea, it is the impoffibility that doth torment me; for unlawful defires are punished after the effect of enjoying, but impoffible defires in the defire itself. Sidney.-Admit all these impoffibilities and great abfurdities to be poffible and convenient. Whitgift.

Let the mutinous winds

Strike the proud cedars 'gainst the fiery sun,
Murdering impoffibility, to make

What cannot be, flight work. Shak. Coriolanus. -They confound difficulty with impossibility. South. -Thofe who affert the impoffibility of space exifting without matter, muft make body infinite. Locke-When we fee a man of like paffions and weakness with ourselves going before us in the paths of duty, it confutes all lazy pretences of impoffibility. Rogers. 2. That which cannot be done. -Though men do, without offence, with daily that the affairs, which with evil fuccefs are past, might have fallen out much better; yet to pray that they may have been any other than they are, this being a manifest impossibility in itself, the rules of religion do not permit. Hooker.

Impoffibilities! oh no, there's none,

Could I bring thy heart captive home. Cowley. (II.) IMPOSSIBILITY is either physical or moral, I. IMPOSSIBILITY, MORAL, is when any thing, in its own nature, is poffible, but yet is attended with fuch difficulties, as that, all things confidered, it appears impoffible. Thus it is morally impoffible that all men should be virtuous; or that a man fhould throw the fame number with three dice 100 times fucceffively.

2. IMPOSSIBILITY, PHYSICAL, is that which is contrary to the law of nature.

Progress of Difcontent. (2) IMPOSITION OF HANDS, a religious ceremony, by which a bishop lays his hand or hands on the head of a perfon, in ordination, confirmation, or in uttering a bleffing. This practice is alfo frequent by obferved by the diffenters at the ordination of their minifters, when all the minifters prefent place their hands on the head of him whom they are orcaining, while one of them prays for a bleffing on him and his future labours. This fome of them retain as an ancient practice, juftified by the example of the apoftles, when no extraordinary gifts are conveyed. However, they are not agreed as to the propriety of this ceremony; nor do they confider it as an effential part of ordination. Im pofition of hands was a Jewish ceremony, introduced not by any divine authority, but by custom; it being the practice among thofe people, whenever they prayed to God, for any perfon to lay their hands on his head. Our Saviour obferved the same cuftom, both when he conferred his bleffing on children, and when he cured the fick; adding yer to the ceremony. The apoftles likewife laid hands on thofe upon whom they beftowed the Holy Ghoft.-The priests obferved the fame custom when any one was received into their body--And the apoftles themfelves underwent the impofition of hands afresh every time they ensered upon any new defign. In the ancient church, impofition of hands was even practifed on perfons (1.) * IMPOST. n.f. {impost, impôt, Fr. impofithey married, which cuftom the Abyffinians. tum, Lat.] A tax; a toll; cuftom paid.—Taxes and impofts upon merchants do feldom good to

(1.) * IMPOSSIBLE. adj. {impossible, Fr. in and poffible.] Not to be done; not to be attained; im practicable. It was impoffible that the state fhould continue quiet. 2 Mac.-With men this is impoffible; but with God all things are poffible. Matt. xix. 26.-'Twere impoffible for any enterprise to be lawful, if that which thould legitimate it is fubfequent to it. Decay of Piety.-Difficult it is, but not impoffible. Chillingworth. It is imposible the mind fhould be ftopped any where in its progrefs in this fpace, how far foever it extends its thoughts. Locke. We cannot believe it impossible to God to make a creature with more ways to convey into the understanding the notice of carporal things than five. Locke.

obferve,

I my thought's deceive

With hope of things impoffible to find. Walsh. (2.) IMPOSSIBLE. A propofition is faid to be impoflible, when it contains two ideas which mutually deftroy each other, and which can neither be conceived nor united together. Thus it is impoffible that a circle should be a fquare; because we conceive clearly that fquareness and roundness deftroy each other by the contrariety of their fi gure. A thing which is impoffible in law, is the fame with a thing impoffible in nature: and if any thing in a bond or deed be impoffible to be done, fuch deed, &c. is void. 21 Car. I.

the

he was presently deferted, and never able to crown his ufurped greatnefs with that title. SouthForm new legends,

the king's revenue: for that that he wins in the
hundred, he lofeth in the fhire. Bacon's Elfags.
(2.) IMPOST, in law, is particularly applied to
that tax which the crown receives for merchandifes
imported into any port or haven.

(3.) IMPOSTS. n. f. [impofte, Fr.] In architecture, that part of a pillar, in vaults and arches, on which the weight of the whole building lieth. Ainsworth.

1

And fill the world with follies and impostures.

Irene.

(1.) * IMPOTENCE. IMPOTENCY. n, f. [impetentia, Lat.] 1. Want of power; inability; imbecility; weakness. Some were poor by impotency of nature; as young fatherless children, old decrepit perfons, ideots, and cripples. Sir J. Hays. -Weakness, or the impotence of exercifing animal motion, attends fevers. Arbuth-God is a friend and a father, whofe care fupplies our wants, and defends our impotence, and from whose compaffion in Christ we hope for eternal glory hereafter. Rogers.-This is not a restraint or impotency, but the royal prerogative of the most abfolute king of kings; that he wills to do nothing but what he can; and that he can do nothing which is repug nant to his divine goodness. Bentley. 2. Ungovernableness of paflion. A Latin fignification : aniimpotentia.

(1.)* To IMPOSTHUMATE. v. a. [from impofthume.] To afflict with an impofthume.-They would not fly that furgeon, whofe lancet threatens none but the impofthumated parts. Dec. of Piety. (2.) To IMPOSTHUMATE. v. n. To form an abfcefs; to gather; to form a cyft or bag containing matter. The bruife impofthumated, and afterwards turned to a ftinking ulcer, which made every body shy to come near her. Arbuthnot. *IMPOSTHUMATION. n. f. [from impofthumate.] The act of forming an impofthume; the ftate in which an impoftume is formed. He that maketh the wound bleed inwards, endangereth_mi malign ulcers and pernicious impofthumations. Bacon's Effays.

(1.)* IMPOSTHUME. n. f. (This feems to have been formed by corruption from impostem, as South writes it; and impoflem to have been written erroneously for apoftem, axosna, an abfcefs.] A collection of purulent matter in a bag or cyst.Now rotten difeafes, ruptures, catarrhs, and bladders full of impofthumes, make prepofterous difcoveries. Shak. An error in the judgment is like an impoftem in the head, which is always noifome, and frequently mortal. South.-Fumes cannot tranfude through the bag of an impoflbume. Harvey. (2.) An IMPOSTHUME, or ABSCESS, in any part of the body, is either owing to an obftruction of the fluids in that part which makes them change into fuch matter, or to a tranflation of it from fome other part where it was generated. See SURGERY, Index, under the word Abiceffes.

(1.) IMPOSTOR. n.f. [impofleur, Fr. from impofe; impofitor, Lat.] One who cheats by a fictitious character. Shame and pain, poverty and fickness, yea death and hell itfelf, are but the trophies of thofe fatal conquefts got by that grand impoftor, the devil, over the deluded sons of men. South.

(2.) IMPOSTORS, RELIGIOUS, are fuch as falfely pretend to an extraordinary commiflion from heaven; and who terrify and abuse the people with falfe denunciations of judgments. Thefe are punishable in the temporal courts with fine, imprifonment, and infamous corporal punishment.

*IMPOSTURE. n. f. (impofture, Fr. impoftura, Lat] Cheat; fraud; fuppofitioufnefs; cheat committed by giving to perfons or things a falfe character. That the foul and angels have nothing to do with groffer locality, is generally opinioned; but who is it that retains not a great part of the imposture, by allowing them a definitive ubi, which is itill but imagination? Glanville's Scephs-Open to them fo many of the interior fecrets of this myfterious art, without impeture or invidious referve. Evelyn We know how fuccefsful the late ufurper was, while his army believed him real in his zeal against kingihip; but when they found out the peare, upon his afpiring to the fame himself,

Will he, fo wife, let loofe at once his ire,
Belike through impotence, or unaware,
To give his enemies their wish, and end
Them in his anger, whom his anger faves
To punish endless?

Milton.

Yet all combin'd, Your beauty and my impotence of mind. Dryd. 3. Incapacity of propagation.

Pope.

Dulnels with obscenity muft prove As hateful, fure, as impotence in love. (2.) IMPOTENCE, in moral agency. Divines and philofophers diftinguish two forts of impotency; natural and moral. The first is a want of fome phyfical principle, neceffary to an action; or where a being is abfolutely defective, or not free and at liberty to act: The fecond only imports a great difficulty; as a strong habit to the contrary, a violent paffion, or the like.

(3.) IMPOTENCE, (§ 1, def. 3.) is a canonical difability, to avoid marriage in the fpiritual court. The marriage is not void ab initio, but viodable only by fentence of feparation during the life of the parties.

(4) IMPOTENCE, (§ 1, def. 3.) in men, is the fame as fterility in women.

(5.) IMPOTENCE, CAUSES OF. There are many caufes of impotence; as, a natural defect in the organs of generation, which feldom admits of a cure: accidents or diseases; and in fuch cafes the impotence may or may not be remedied, according as these are curable or otherwife.-The most common caufes are, early and immoderate venery, or the venereal difeafe. We have inftances, however, of unfitnefs for generation in men, by an im pediment to the ejection of the femen in coition, from a wrong direction which the orifice at the verymontanum got, whereby the feed was thrown up into the bladder. M. Petit cured one patient under fuch a difficulty of emiffion, by making an incifion like to that commonly made in the great operation for the ftone. The late Mr J. HUNTER, in his Treatise on the Venereal Disease, (p. 201, &c.) confiders impotency as depending upon two caufes. One he refers to the mind; the other to the organs:

I. IMPOTENCY DEPENDING UPON THE MIND.
Mr

Mr Hunter obferves, that as the " parts of gene- it may very often happen, that the state of mind ration are not necessary for the existence or sup- will be such as not to allow the animal to exert port of the individual, but have a reference to its natural powers; and every failure increases the something else in which the mind has a principal evil. We must also fee from this state of the case, concern; fo a complete action in those parts can- that this act must be often interrupted ; and the not take place without a perfect harmony of body true cause of this interruption not being known, and of mind : that is, there must be both a power it will be laid to the charge of the body or want of body and disposition of mind; for the mind is of powers. As these cases do not arise from real subject to a thousand caprices, which affect the inability, they are to be carefully diftinguished actions of these parts. Copulation is an act of the from such as do; and perhaps the only way to body, the spring of which is in the mind; but it diftinguish them is, to examine into the state of is not volition: and according to the state of the mind respecting this act. So triling often is the mind, so is the act performed. To perform this circumstance which shall produce this inability act well, the body thould be in health, and the depending on the mind, that the very defire to mind should be perfeâly confident of the powers please fhall have that effect, as in making the woof the body: the mind should be in a state entire- man the role object to be gratified. Cales of this ly disengaged from every thing else: it hould have kind we see every day; one of which I shall reno difficulties, no fears, no apprehensions, not late, as an illustration of this subject, and also of even an anxiety to perform the act well; for even the method of cure. A gentleman told me, that this aoxiety is a state of mind different from what he had lost his virility. After above an hour's inhould prevail; there should not be even a fear vestigation of the cafe, I made out the following that the mind itself may find a difficulty at the facts: that he had at unnecessary times strong time the act should be performed. Perhaps no erections, which showed that he had naturally this function of the machine depends so much upon power; that the erections were accompanied with the fate of the mind as this. The will and rea- defire, which are all the natural powers wanted ; foning faculty have nothing to do with this but that there was still a defect somewhere, which power; they are only employed in the act, fo I supposed to be from the mind. I inquired if all far as voluntary parts are made use of: and if women were alike to him? bis answer was, No; they ever interfere, which they sometimes do; some women he could bave connection with as it often produces another state of mind, which well as ever. This brought the defect, whatever destroys that which is proper for the perfor- it was, into a smaller compass: and it appeared mance of the act ; it produces a desire, å with, there was but one woman that produced this inaa hope, which are all only diffidence and uncer. bility, and that it arose from a defire to perform tainty, and create in the mind the idea of a poffi. the act with this woman well; which defire probility of the want of success, which destroys the duced in the mind a doubt or fear of the want of proper state of mind or necessary confidence.- success, which was the cause of the inability of There is perhaps no act in which a man feels him. performing the act. As this arose entirely from self more interested, or is more anxious to perform the state of the mind produced by a particular well; his pride being engaged in some degree, circumstance, the mind was to be applied to for which if within certain bounds would produce a the cure; and I told him that he might be cured, degree of perfection in an act depending upon the if he could perfectly rely on his own power of will, or an act in voluntary parts; but when it self-denial. When I explained what I meant, he produces a state of mind contrary to that state on told nie that he could depend upon every ad of which the perfection of the act depends, a failure his will or resolution. I then told bim, that, if he muft be the consequence. The body is not only had a perfect confidence in himself in that respect, rendered incapable of performing this act by the he was to go to bed to this woman, but first pro. mind being under the above influence, but also by mise to himself that he would not have any conthe mind being, though perfectly confident of it's nection with her for fix nights, let his inclinations power, yet conscious of an impropriety in per- and powers be what they would; which he en. forming it; this, in many cases, produces a ftate gaged to do, and also to let me know the result, of mind which shall take away all power. The About a fortnight after, he told me, that this res state of a man's mind refpe&ting his fifter takes solution had produced such a total alteration in away all power. A conscientious man has been the state of his mind, that the power soon took known to lofe his powers, on finding the woman place; for instead of going to bed with the fear he was going to be connected with unexpectedly of inability, he went with fears that he should be a virgin. Shedding tears arises entirely from the poffeffed with too much defire, too much power, ftate of the mind, although not so much a com. To as to become uneasy to him : which really happound action as the act in question ; for none are pened; for he would have been happy to have To weak in body that they cannot shed tears: it is shortened the time; and when he had once broke not so much a compound action of the mind and the spell, the mind and powers went on together, strength of body joined, as the other act is; yet and his mind never returned to its former state.” if we are afraid of shedding tears, or are defirous II. IMPOTENCY FROM A WANT OF PROPER of doing it, and that anxiety is kept up through CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE ACTIONS OF the whole of an affe&ing scene, we certainly thall THE DIFFERENT ORGANS. Mr Hunter, in a fornot shed tears, or at least not fo freely as would mer part of his Treatise, when considering the have happened from our natural feelings. From diseases of the urethra and blacler, had remarkthis account of the neceffity of having the mind ed, that every organ in an animal body, without independent respecting the act, we must fee that exception, was

made up of different parts, whose

"It is to be confidered, that the conftitution is commonly affected by the fpafms only, and in proportion to their violence, independent of the fecretion and evacuation of the femen. But in fom cafes, even the erection going off without the spasms on the emission, shall produce the fame debility as if they had taken place."