The great historical, geographical and poetical dictionary being a curious miscellany of sacred and prophane history : containing, in short, the lives and most remarkable actions of the patriarchs, judges, ... heresiarchs, ... emperors, ... and all those who have recommended themselves to the world ... together with the establishment and progress both of religious and military orders ... ; [with] The genealogy of several illustrious families in Europe ; The fabulous history of the heathen gods and heroes ; The description of empires, kingdoms ... / collected from the best historians, chronologers, and lexicographers ... but more especially out of Lewis Morery ... his sixth edition corrected and enlarged by Monsieur Le Clark ... now done into English ; to which are added by way of supplement ... the lives ... and writings of the illustrious families of our English, Scotch and Irish nobility ... clergy ; as also an exact description of these kingdoms ... by several learned men ; wherein are inserted the last five years historical and geographical collections of Edmond Bohun ... never extant till in this work.

• Obdora, a large Province of the Northern Moscovy, on the Frozen-sea, between the River Obi to the E. from whence it is named, and the Province of Petzora to the W. There is never a City in it, but only some Forts, the Moscovites have lately built there on the Sea-shore, the Hollanders, who lately disco∣vered the most Northern Coasts of it, having given it the Name of New-West-Friezlandt. * This Province derives its Name from the River Obb, on both sides of whose banks it lieth. It was won to the Obedience of the Russians in the Reign of Theodore, the Son of John, great Duke of Moscovy, at which time the Peo∣ple had no Cities, lived in Hords or Companies, ate the Beasts they took, knew no Corn nor Bread. They were very good Archers, sharpning their Arrows with Fish-bones, with which Bones and the Sinews of Beasts they sewed Furrs together for their Cloathing, which they wore inward in the Winter, and outward in the Summer, covering their Houses with Elk-skins. By this Theodore were some Castles built on the River's side, to which he sent condemned Persons, and brought it into the form of a petty Kingdom. Notwithstanding this Subjection to the Moscovite, they continue still in their old Idolatry, wor∣shipping an ancient Idol in form of an old Woman, holding in each Arm a Child, and a third at her Feet, called by them Zlatu Bahu••, or, The Golden old Wife, to which they offer precious

• Furrs, sacrifice Harts, and therewith consult touching things to come.
• Obed, one of the Fore-fathers of Jesus Christ according to the Flesh; he was the Son of Booz and Ruth, and the Father of Jesse, the Father of David. Obed was born about An. Mun. 2759, his Father then being about 95 years of Age. Ruth. 4. St. Mat∣thew 1.
• Obed-Edom, an Israelite of the Tribe of Levi, who had the happiness to lodge the Ark of God for three Months together, for which God blessed his Family and all his Concerns. II Sam. ch. 6. v. 10, 11, 12.
• Obelisks, these are a sort of square Pillars terminating in a Point, like little Pyramids, and engraven on all sides with Hieroglyphicks, or mysterious Characters. The Arabians call them Messalets Pharaon, that is to say, Pharaoh's Needles, because they were erected by the first Kings of Egypt, who all of them bore that Name, as the Roman Emperours that of Caesar. The Egyptian Priests call'd them The Fingers of the Sun, because they were consecrated to that Planet. The first Obelisk was raised by King Manuftar, who introduced the use of them about An. Mun. 2604. His Son Sothis erected 12 of them at Heliopolis. Simar∣res, or Simannes, set up more of them about the time of David, An. Mun. 2986. King Marres, or Afres, caused one to be made without Emblems or Characters, An. Mun. 3021, which the Em∣peror Claudius caused to be transported to Rome. King Psam∣mitichus erected one at Heliopolis, with many Hieroglyphicks, 807 years before the Birth of Christ. Nectabanus, or according to others Necho, 740 years before Christ, caused a great Obelisk to be set up at Memphis. Many of these Obelisks were by order of the Roman Emperors transported from Egypt to Alexandria, and from thence to Rome, where some of them are still to be seen. And more would be, but that Cambyses, King of Persia, An. Mund. 3528, having conquered Egypt, destroyed all the O∣belisks he could meet with any where, and banish'd, or put to death, all the Egyptian Priests, who were the only Men that understood the dumb Language of their Hieroglyphical Chara∣cters. These Emblems generally contained Great Secrets, and Divine Mysteries, known to very few. The Obelisks differed much as to their Costliness, Magnitude and Magnificence, for they were not all of them erected by Kings, but some by the Priests also, and Persons of Quality. The lesser sort of them were not above 15 foot high, whereas the others were from 50 to 100 and 140. And to the end that these Hieroglyphicks might endure a long time, they made them of a very hard Stone which the Latins call Stone of Thebes, and the Italians, Granito Rosso, a sort of speckled Marble, as hard as Porphyry, which they dug out of a Quarry South of Thebes, towards the Cataracts of Nile. And notwithstanding that Egypt abounds with other Marble, yet it is observ'd, that all the Obelisks are only of this sort, which it is supposed the Egyptians did not without some Mystery; for all their Obelisks being dedicated to the Sun, as by their pointed Figure they represented the piercing Beams of that Planet, so they also made choice of a Matter that was solar. For this Marble being spotted with a bright red, a Violet co∣lour, with little Specks of Chrystal, of blue, ash-colour and black; the Egyptians fansied it to represent the Sun's action on the four Elements; the red and violet Colour expressing the Fire, the Cry∣stal the Air, the Blue the Water, and the Ash-colour and Black the Earth. So that we may well conclude, that the Obelisks that are found of any other Marble, were not made by the Priests of Egypt, but erected by the Egyptians, after the Banish∣ment of their Priests by Cambyses, or by other Nations. Such a-like Obelisk was that which the Phoenicians dedicated to the Sun, whose Top was spherical, and its Matter very different from those of Egypt, and such likewise was that which the Em∣peror Heliogabalus caused to be transported from Syria to Rome. Dapper's Description of Africa.
• Obengir, Lat. Ochus, a River which rises near the Mogul's Country, watereth many Provinces, falls into the Oxus above Bichend, and is the N. E. boundary of Persia towards Tartary.
• * Oberwesd, a small City of Germany, in the Lower Circle of the Rhine and Archbishoprick of Triers. It was once Imperial, but is now subject to the Elector. It stands on the Rhine, 4 m. N. of Bacharach, and 20 S. of Coblentz. Lon. 27. 7. Lat. 50. 3.
• * Ober-Wesel, Lat. Ficelia, Vesalia, a City in Germany upon the Rhine, Imperial and Free, until in 1312 it fell into the hands of the Elector of Triers. It's situate between Bacharach to the South, and Boppore to the North; memorable for St. Wer∣ner's Death, slain here by the Jews in 1287. The Mother of Alexander, the Roman Emperor, is also said to have been assassi∣nated here.
• Obi, or Obb, Lat. Obius, a vast River on the East of Moscovy, formerly called Karambuc, which rising out of the Lake of Ka∣taysco, and running Northwards, separates Europe from Asia; and being swollen with the Waters of several Rivers, it falls with a great Current into the Frozen-Sea, between the Province of Obdora to the W. and Samojeda to the E. * This River falls into the Frozen-Sea by 6 mouths. Near which it is 16 Polish miles over, and more than two days Sailing. It abounds with Fish, and those who live upon it pay Tribute to the Russians. It is thought that from the mouth of this River the N.E. passage into China might best be discovered, if the Voyage were under∣taken in the Spring.
• Observatoire, a sumptuous Edifice built by the present King of France in Faubourg St. Jacques, or suburb of St. James, at Paris, to observe the Stars and Planets, and make other Mathematical Experiments. This Building is four square, answering the 4 Cardinal Points of the World, raised 80 Foot from the ground, and its Foundation sunk as deep. The Top whence one can discover the whole Horizon, is flat and even; the Stair-case is of a very curious Contrivance, being after the manner of a Screw or winding Stairs, and ordered so, that from the Bot∣tom there is a full sight of the Stars that pass the Zenith. This Observatory is well furnished with Astronomical Instruments for Observations by Day and Night. Mr. Cassini, a Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, makes several New Discove∣ries, and instructs Beginners, to send them into foreign Coun∣tries, to make Observations conformable to those done at Paris, and learn the Longitude and Latitude exactly, to perfect Geography. Le Maire Paris ancient & noveau.