one who practises the art of pharmacy. In London, the apothecaries are one of the city companies. They were incorporated by a charter from King James I. procured at the solicitation of Dr Mayerne and Dr Aikens; till that time they only made a part of the grocers company; plums, sugar, spice, Venice treacle, mithridate, &c. were sold in the same shop and by the same person. The reason of separating them was, that medicines might be better prepared, and in opposition to divers persons who imposed unwholesome remedies on the people. By an act, which was made perpetual in the ninth year of George I. they are exempted from serving upon juries, or in ward and parish offices. They are obliged to make up their medicines according to the formulas prescribed in the college dispensatory; and are liable to have their shops visited by the censors of the college, who are empowered to destroy such medicines as they think not good.

They have a hall in Black Friars, where there are two fine laboratories, out of which all the surgeons chiefs are supplied with medicines for the British royal navy.

To his majesty belong two apothecaries: the salary to the first, £20l.; to the second, £27l.—To the household belong also two.

The charitable dispensation of medicines by the Chinese is well deserving notice. They have a stone which is ten cubits high, erected in the public squares of their cities; on this stone are engraven the names of all sorts of medicines, with the price of each; and when the poor stand in need of any relief from physic, they go to the treasury, where they receive the price each medicine is rated at.

Apothecarius, in writers of the middle age, denotes a shop-keeper or warehouse-keeper.

APOTHECARIES is also used to denote a store-keeper, or officer appointed to have the direction of a magazine, granary, &c. In which sense apothecarii is sometimes rendered by horariorii and rationarii.