as the third son of David, Amnon and Chileab being his elder brothers. But he alone was of royal descent by the side of his mother; and royal or noble descent by the mother is even now (as we see by the recent instance of Abbas Meerza in Persia) of itself a sufficient ground of preference over an elder brother whose maternal descent is less distinguished. This circumstance may suggest that he early entertained a design upon the succession to the throne, and that the removal of Amnon was quite as much an act of policy as of revenge. His position must have been greatly strengthened when, on his return from exile, he found himself the eldest surviving son, and according to the ordinary laws of primogeniture, the heir apparent of the crown; and there is every reason to think that David, if left to himself, would have been glad to have seen the rule of succession take its ordinary course in favour of his best loved son. But then, under the peculiar theocratical institutions of the Hebrews, the Divine king reserved and exercised a power of dispensation, over which the human king, or viceroy, had no control. The house of David was established as a reigning dynasty; and although the law of primogeniture was allowed eventually to take in general its due course, the Divine king reserved the power of appointing any member of that house whom he might prefer. David had known many years before that his dynasty was to be established in a son not yet born (2 Sam. vii. 12); and when Solomon was born, he could not be ignorant, even if not specially instructed, that he was the destined heir. This fact must have been known to many others as the child grew up, and probably the mass of the nation was cognizant of it. In this we find a clear motive for the rebellion of Absalom—to secure the throne which he deemed to be his right by the laws of primogeniture, during the lifetime of his father; lest delay, while awaiting the natural term of his days, should so strengthen the cause of Solomon with his years, as to place his succession beyond all contest.

Four years after his return from Geshur, he repaired to Hebron and there proclaimed himself king. The great body When Absalom heard of this, he proceeded to Jerusalem and took possession of the throne without opposition. The king soon raised a large force, which he properly organised and separated into three divisions, commanded severally by Joab, Abishai, and Ittai of Gath. A battle took place in the borders of the forest of Ephraim; and the tactics of Joab, in drawing the enemy into the wood, and there hemming them in, so that they were destroyed with ease, eventually decided the action against Absalom. Twenty thousand of his troops were slain, and the rest fled to their homes. Absalom himself fled on a swift mule; but as he went, the boughs of a terebinth tree caught the long hair in which he gloried, and he was left suspended there. The charge which David had given to the troops to respect the life of Absalom prevented any one from slaying him; but when Joab heard of it, he hastened to the spot, and pierced him with three darts. His body was then taken down and cast into a pit in the forest, and a heap of stones was raised upon it.

**Absalom's Tomb**, a remarkable monument in the valley of Jehoshaphat, near Jerusalem, and close by the lower bridge over the Kedron. The identity of this monument with that mentioned in 2 Sam. xviii. 18, insisted on by some, is disproved by the character of the architectural ornaments; and neither this nor the adjoining monument called that of Zecharias, have any connection with the era of the persons whose names they bear.

**Absalom**, archbishop of Lund in Denmark, an eminent statesman and warrior, a patron of learning, and the counselor and friend of Waldemar, his sovereign. By the vigour of his administration, and his successes in the field, he gave a lustre to the Danish name, and he is said to have been the founder of the city of Copenhagen. He was born A.D. 1128, and died in 1191.

**Abscess**, in Surgery; from *abcedo*, to separate; a cavity containing pus, or a collection of puriform matter in a part: so called, because the parts which were joined are now separated; one part recedes from another, to make way for the collected matter.

**Abscisse**, in Conics, a part of the diameter or transverse axis of a conic section, intercepted between the vertex or some other fixed point and a semiordinate. See Conic Sections.

**Absconsa**, a dark lantern used by the monks at the ceremony of burying their dead.

**Absentee** is a term applicable to those landlords who reside in another country than that from which they draw their rents. The discussions which have taken place on this subject have generally had a reference to Ireland.

Mr M'Culloch maintains that, in so far as the question of expenditure is concerned, absenteeism is not injurious to a country. On the contrary, that it is in the majority of cases advantageous, as its tendency is to turn industry into those channels into which it is most for the public advantage that it should be turned, and eventually to increase the national capital. He allows that a resident landed proprietor has the means of doing a vast deal of good, by setting an example of good order, virtue, and piety, and protecting his tenants and dependents. But, in the case of Ireland, the superiority of resident over absentee landlords must be tried, not by what they ought to have been, but by their actual conduct. And he maintains that nine-tenths of the proprietors of Ireland being the lineal descendants of those who purchased or received grants of the property confiscated during the 17th century, and being almost all Englishmen and Protestants,—intruders on their soil, and enemies of their religion,—the residence of such landlords was more likely to produce discord than good-will. And by a comparison of the actual condition of the baronies where absenteeism prevailed, he has brought forward evidence to show that the estates are better managed, and the inhabitants have been more contented and tranquil in these, than in the districts most thickly occupied by resident landlords.

The opposite side of this question has been ably argued by writers in the Quarterly Review. *M'Culloch's Treatises and Essays on Economical Policy; Quarterly Review*, vol. xxxiii., p. 455.

**Absinthiated**, any thing tinged or impregnated with absinthusium or wormwood. Bartholin mentions a woman whose milk was become absinthiated, and rendered as bitter as gall, by the too liberal use of wormwood.

*Visum absinthites, or poculum absinthiatum*, "wormwood wine," is much spoken of among the ancients as a wholesome drink, and even an antidote against drunkenness. Its medical virtues depend on its aromatic and bitter qualities. Infused in wine or spirits, it may prove beneficial in cases of indigestion or debility of the stomach.

**Absolute** (*ab* and *soleo*, I loose), in a general sense, something that stands free or independent.