in the eastern countries, a kind of fanatics supposed to be inspired to a degree of madness. The word is perhaps derived from the Arabic, Abdallah, the servant of God. Hurried on by excess of zeal, especially in the Indies, they often run about the streets, and kill all they meet who are of a different religion. The English sailors call this running a snuck, from the name of the instrument, a sort of poniard, which they employ on those desperate occasions. If they are killed, as it commonly happens before they have done much mischief; they reckon it highly meritorious; and are esteemed, by the vulgar, martyrs for their faith.

ABDERA, in Ancient Geography, a maritime town of Thrace, not far from the mouth of the river Nessus, on the east side. The Abderites, or Abderitani, were very much derided for their want of wit and judgment: yet their city has given birth to several eminent persons; as Protagoras, Democritus, Anaxarchus, Hecataeus the historian, Nicenetus the poet, and many others, who were mentioned among the illustrious men. In the reign of Lysimachus, Abdera was afflicted for some months with a most extraordinary disease: this was a burning fever, whose crisis was always on the seventh day, and then it let them; but it so distracted their imaginations, that they fancied themselves players. After this, they were ever repeating verses from some tragic poetry, and particularly from the 'Andromeda' of Euripides, as if they had been upon the stage; so that many of these pale meagre actors were pouring forth their tragic exclamations in every street. This delirium continued till the following winter, which was a very cold one, and therefore fitter to remove it. Lucian, who has described this disease, endeavours to account for it in this manner: Archelaus, an excellent player, acted the 'Andromeda' of Euripides before the Abderites, in the height of a very hot summer. Several fell into a fever on coming out of the theatre; and as their imaginations were full of the tragedy, the delirium which the fever raised perpetually presented Andromeda, Perseus with the Medusa, and the several dramatic incidents, calling up the ideas of those objects, and the pleasure of the representation, so strongly, that they could not forbear imi-