(Notarius),** signifies a person, usually some scrivener, who takes notes, or frames short draughts of contracts, obligations, charter parties, or other writings. At present we call him a notary public, who publicly attests deeds or writings, in order to make them authentic in another nation: but he is principally employed in business concerning merchants; as making protests of bills of exchange, &c. And noting a bill, is where he goes to take notice of a merchant's refusal to accept or pay the same.

**NOTATION,** in Arithmetic and Algebra, the method of expressing numbers or quantities by signs or characters appropriated for that purpose. See Arithmetic and Algebra.

**NOTES,** in Music, characters which mark the sounds, i.e. the elevations and fallings of the voice, and the swiftnesses and slownesses of its motions.

**NOTE** is likewise used for a mark made in a book or writing, where there occurs something remarkable and worthy of particular notice: as also for an observation or explication of some passage in an author added in the margin, at the bottom of the page, or elsewhere; in which sense it stands contradistinguished to text.

**NOTE,** is also a minute, or short writing, containing some article of business; in which sense we say, promissory note, note of hand, bank note, &c.

**NOTUS,** signifies furious, or boisterous; whence it is figuratively applied by physicians to such diseases as, though in respect of a multitude of symptoms, &c. they have the same denomination as some others, yet are of a different origin, seat, or the like, from the same.

**NOTUS,** a Persian prince, and grandfather to Darius Codomannus. He is worthy of being mentioned only as he was progenitor to that sovereign whose overthrow conferred upon Alexander the title of Great.

**NOTION,** a word which in common language is considered as of the same import with idea. This, however, is improper. Notion comprehends the meaning of idea, but it denotes much more. We have a notion of spirit, of power, of solidity; but of these things we can have no ideas. Ideas are relics of sensation; but there are objects of knowledge which fall under the cognizance of no sense; of these objects, however, we may have very distinct notions either direct or relative. See Metaphysics, No. 11.

**NOTITIA,** in literary history, a book that gives an account of a particular country, city, or other place: such is the Notitia Imperii Romani, Notitia Romae Antiquae, &c.

**NOTO,** an ancient, large, and handsome town of Sicily, and capital of the Val-di-Noto. It was entirely ruined by an earthquake in 1693; but the inhabitants built another town at some distance from it, which they call Noto Nuovo. E. Long. 14. o. N. Lat. 36. 50.