Chapter Agamarshana to Agist of A by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Hesiod names five ages, viz.: -

The Golden or patriarchal, under the care of Saturn.
The Silver or voluptuous, under the care of Jupiter.
The Brazen or warlike, under the care of Neptune.
The Heroic or renaissant, under the care of Mars.
The Iron or present, under the care of Pluto.

The present is sometimes called the wire age, from its telegraphs, by means of which well-nigh the whole earth is in intercommunication.

Fichte names five ages also: the ante-diluvian, post-diluvian, Christian, satanic, and millennian.

Agelasta The stone on which Ceres rested when worn down by fatigue in searching for her daughter. (Greek, joyless.)

Agenorides (5 syl.) Cadmos, who was the son of Agenor.

Agent Is man a free agent ? This is a question of theology, which has long been mooted. The point is this: If God fore-ordains all our actions, they must take place as he fore-ordains them, and man acts as a watch or clock; but if, on the other hand, man is responsible for his actions, he must be free to act as his inclination leads him. Those who hold the former view are called necessitarians; those who hold the latter, libertarians.

Agglutinate Languages The Turanian family of languages are so called because every syllable is a word, and these are glued together to form other words, and may be unglued so as to leave the roots distinct, as "inkstand."

Aghast Frightened, as by a ghost; from Anglo-Saxon gást, a ghost.

Agio The percentage of charge made for the exchange of paper money into cash. (Italian).

"The profit is called by the Italians aggio."-Scarlett.

Agis King of Sparta, who tried to deliver Greece from the Macedonian yoke, and was slain in the attempt.

"To save a rotten state, Agis, who saw
E'en Sparta's self to servile avarice sink."
Thompson: Winter, 488-- 9.

Agist To take the cattle of another to graze at a certain sum. The feeding of these beasts is called agistment. The words are from the Norman agiser (to be levant and couchant, rise up and lie down), because, says Coke, beasts are levant and couchant whilst they are on the land.