a species of fanatics, so called because they were continually rambling round the houses in the country. They took their rise among the Donatists in the reign of the emperor Constantine. It is incredible what ravages and cruelties these vagabonds committed in Africa during a long series of years. They were illiterate savage peasants, who understood only the Punic language. Intoxicated with a barbarous zeal, they renounced agriculture, professed continence, and assumed the title of Vindicators of Justice, and Protectors of the Oppressed. To accomplish their mission, they enfranchised slaves, scoured the roads, forced masters to aight from their chariots and run before their slaves, whom they obliged to mount in their place; and discharged debtors, killing the creditors if they refused to cancel the bonds. But the chief objects of their cruelty were the Catholics, especially those who had renounced Donatism. At first they used no swords, because God had forbidden the use of one to Peter; but they were armed with clubs, which they called the Clubs of Israel, and which they handled in such a manner as to break a man's bones without killing him immediately, so that he languished a long time and then died. When they took away a man's life at once, they looked upon it as a favour. They became less scrupulous afterwards, and made use of all sorts of arms. Their shout was "Praise be to God." These words in their mouths were the signal of slaughter more terrible than the roaring of a lion. They had invented an unheard of punishment, which was, to cover with lime diluted with vinegar the eyes of those unhappy wretches whom they had crushed with blows and wounds, and to abandon them in that condition. Never was there a stronger proof of the horrors which superstition can engender in minds destitute of knowledge and humanity. These brutes, who had made a vow of chastity, gave themselves up to wine and all sorts of impurities, running about with women and young girls as drunk as themselves, whom they called sacred virgins, and who often carried about with them proofs of their incontinence. Their chiefs took the name of "Chiefs of the Saints."

After having glutted themselves with blood, they turned their rage upon themselves, and sought death with the same fury with which they gave it to others. Some scrambled up to the tops of rocks, and cast themselves down headlong in multitudes; others burned themselves, or threw themselves into the sea. Those who proposed to acquire the title of martyrs published it long before, upon which they were feasted and fattened like oxen for the slaughter; and after these preparations they set out to be destroyed. Sometimes they gave money to those whom they met, and threatened to murder them if they did not make them martyrs. Theodoret gives an account of a stout young man, who, meeting with a troop of these fanatics, consented to kill them, provided he might bind them first; and having by this means put it out of their power to defend themselves, whipped them as long as he was able, and then left them tied in that manner. Their bishops pretended to blame them, but in reality made use of them to intimidate such as might be tempted to forsake their sect, and even honoured them as saints. They were not, however, able to govern these furious monsters, and more than once found themselves under the necessity of abandoning them, and even of imploring the assistance of the secular power against them. The Counts Ursacius and Taurinus were employed to quell them, and destroyed a great number, of whom the Donatists made as many martyrs. Ursacius, who was a good Catholic and a religious man, having lost his life in an engagement with the barbarians, the Donatists did not fail to triumph in his death, as an effect of the vengeance of heaven. Africa was the theatre of these bloody scenes during a great part of Constantine's life.

**Circuit**, in Law, signifies the journey or progress which the judges take twice every year, through the several counties of England and Wales, to hold courts and administer justice, where recourse cannot be had to the king's court at Westminster; and hence England is divided into six circuits, viz. the home circuit, Norfolk circuit, Midland circuit, Oxford circuit, Western circuit, and Northern circuit. In Wales there are but two circuits, those of North and South Wales. Two judges are assigned by the king's commission to every circuit.

In Scotland the judges of the supreme criminal court, or court of justiciary, are divided into three separate courts, consisting of two judges each; and the kingdom into as many districts. In certain burghs of every district, each of these courts by rotation is obliged to hold two courts in the year, in spring and autumn; which are called Circuit Courts. One more is now held at Glasgow during the Christmas recess.

**Circular**, in a general sense, any thing that is described, or moved round; as the circumference of a circle, or surface of a globe.

**Circular Numbers**, called also spherical ones, according to some, are such whose powers terminate in the roots themselves. Thus, for instance, 5 and 6, all whose powers end in 5 and 6; as the square of 5 is 25, the square of 6 is 36, &c.

**Circular Sailing** is the method of sailing by the arch of a great circle. See Navigation.

**Circumcelliones**. See Circoncilliones.

**Circumcision**, the act of cutting off the prepuce; a ceremony of the Jewish and Mahommedan religions, in which is cut off the foreskin of the males, who are to profess the one or the other law.

Circumcision commenced in the time of Abraham, and was the seal of a covenant stipulated between God and him. It was in the year of the world 2178 that Abraham, by divine appointment, circumcised himself and all the males of his family; from which time it became an hereditary practice among his descendants.

The ceremony, however, was not confined to the Jews. Herodotus and Philo Judaeus observe, that it obtained also among the Egyptians and Ethiopians. Herodotus says, that the custom was very ancient among each people; so that it was impossible to determine which of them borrowed it from the other. The same historian relates, that the inhabitants of Colchis also used circumcision; and hence he concludes that they were originally Egyptians. He adds, that the Phoenicians and Syrians were likewise circumcised; that they borrowed the practice from the Egyptians; and, lastly, that a little before the time when he wrote, circumcision had passed from Colchis to the people living near Thermodon and Parthenius.

Marsham is of opinion that the Hebrews borrowed circumcision from the Egyptians, and that God was not the first author of the practice; citing Diodorus Siculus and Herodotus as evidences on his side. This latter proposition seems directly contrary to the testimony of Moses, who assures us that Abraham, though ninety-nine years of age, was not circumcised till he had received the express command of God for the performance of the rite. But as to the former position of Marsham, it will admit of more debate. The arguments on both sides may be seen in one view in Spencer de Legibus Hebræorum.

Among the Jews, the time for performing this rite was the eighth day, that is, six full days after the child was born. The law of Moses ordained nothing with respect to the person by whom, the instrument with which, or the manner how, the ceremony was to be performed; the instrument however was generally a knife of stone. The child was usually circumcised at home, where the father or godfather held him in his arms, while the operator taking hold of the prepuce with one hand, cut it off with the other; a third person held a porringer, with sand in it, to catch the blood; then the operator applied his mouth to the part, and, having sucked the blood, spat it into a bowl of wine, and threw a styptic powder upon the wound. This ceremony was usually accompanied with great rejoicings and feasting; and at this time the child was named in presence of the company. The Jews invented several superstitious customs at this ceremony, one of which consisted in placing three stools; one for the circumcisor, the second for the person who held the child, and the third for Elijah, who, as they supposed, assisted invisibly at the ceremony.

The Jews distinguished their proselytes into two sorts, according as they were circumcised or not; those who submitted to this rite were looked upon as children of Abraham, and obliged to keep the laws of Moses; the uncircumcised were only bound to observe the precepts of Noah, and were called Noachides.

CIRCUMFLEX, in a general sense, denotes the line or lines bounding a plane figure. However, it is generally used in a more limited sense for the curve line which bounds a circle, otherwise called a periphery; the boundary of a right-lined figure being expressed by the term perimeter.