ssus, and was slain by
Apollo, who founded the Pythian Games in commemoration of his victory,
and was in consequence called Pythius.

PYTHONESS, the priestess of APOLLO AT DELPHI (q. v.), so
called from the PYTHON (q. v.), the dragon slain by the god.

PYX, the name of a cup-shaped, gold-lined vessel, with lid, used in
the Roman Catholic churches for containing the eucharistic elements after
their consecration either for adoration in the churches or for conveying
to sick-rooms. Pyx means "box." Hence TRIAL OF THE PYX is the annual
test of the British coinage, for which purpose one coin in every 15 lbs.
of gold and one in every 60 lbs. of silver coined is set aside in a pyx
or box.

Q

QUADRAGESIMA (i. e. fortieth), a name given to Lent because it
lasts forty days, and assigned also to the first Sunday in Lent, the
three Sundays which precede it being called respectively Septuagesima,
Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima.

QUADRANT, an instrument for taking altitudes, consisting of the
graduated arc of a circle of ninety degrees.

QUADRATIC EQUATION, an equation involving the square of the unknown
quantity.

QUADRIGA, a two-wheeled chariot drawn by four horses abreast, used
in the ancient chariot races.

QUADRILATERAL, THE, the name given to a combination of four
fortresses, or the space enclosed by them, in North Italy, at Mantua,
Legnago, Verona, and Peschiera.

QUADROON, the name given to a person quarter-blooded, in particular
the offspring of a mulatto and a white person.

QUADRUPLE ALLIANCE, an alliance formed in 1719 between England,
France, Austria, and Holland to secure the thrones of France and England
to the reigning families, and to defeat the schemes of Alberoni to the
aggrandisement of Spain.

QUAESTORS, the name given in Roman history to the officers entrusted
with the care of the public treasury, originally two in number, one of
them to see to the corn supply in Rome, but eventually, as the empire
extended, increased, till in Caesar's time they amounted to forty. Under
the kings they were the public prosecutors in cases of murder.

QUAIGH, a name formerly given to a wooden drinking-cup in Scotland.

QUAIN, JONES, anatomist, born at Mallow, Ireland; was professor of
Anatomy and Physiology in London University; was author of "Elements of
Anatomy," of which the first edition was published in 1828, and the tenth
in 1800 (1796-1865).

QUAIN, RICHARD, anatomist, born