TEREUS.  See PHILOMELA.

TERMINUS, in Roman mythology a deity who presided over boundaries, the worship of whom was instituted by Numa (q. v.).

TERPSICHORE, the Muse of choral song and dancing.

TERRA-COTTA, a composition of fine clay and fine colourless sand moulded into shapes and baked to hardness.

TERRAY, ABBE, “dissolute financier” of Louis XV.; “paying eightpence in the shilling, so that wits exclaim in some press at the play-house, ‘Where is Abbe Terray that he might reduce it to two-thirds!’”; lived a scandalous life, and ingratiated himself with Madame Pompadour; he held his post till the accession of Louis XVI., and fell with his iniquitous colleagues (1715-1778).

TERRE-HAUTE (37), capital of Vigo County, Indiana, stands on a plateau overlooking the Wabash, 178 m.  S. of Chicago; is situated in a rich coal district, and has numerous foundries and various factories; is well equipped with schools and other public institutions.

TERRY, ELLEN (Mrs. Charles Kelly), the most celebrated of living English actresses, born at Coventry; made her debut at the early age of eight, appearing as Mamilius in “The Winter’s Tale,” at the Princess Theatre, then under the management of Charles Kean; during 1864—­74 she lived in retirement, but returning to the stage in 1875 achieved her first great success in the character of Portia; played for some time with the Bancrofts and at the Court Theatre; in December 1878 made her first appearance at the Lyceum Theatre, then under the management of HENRY IRVING (q. v.), with whose subsequent successful career her own is inseparably associated, sharing with him the honours of a long list of memorable Shakespearian and other performances; b. 1848.

TERSANCTUS, the ascription of praise, Holy, Holy, Holy, preliminary to the consecrating prayer in Holy Communion.

TERTULLIAN, QUINTUS SEPTIMIUS FLORENS, one of the Latin Fathers, born at Carthage, the son of a Roman centurion; was well educated; bred a rhetorician; was converted to Christianity, became presbyter of Carthage, and embraced MONTANIST VIEWS (q. v.); wrote numerous works, apologetical, polemical, doctrinal, and practical, the last of an ascetic tendency (150-230).

TEST ACT, act of date 1673, now repealed, requiring all officials under the crown to take the oath of allegiance and supremacy, &c.; directed equally against Dissenters, Roman Catholics, &c.

TESTUDO (tortoise-shell), in ancient Roman warfare a covering of the shields of the soldiers held over their heads as protection against missiles thrown from the walls when besieging a city.

TETANUS or LOCK-JAW, a nervous affection of a most painful and fatal character, which usually begins with intensely painful and persistent cramp of the muscles of the throat and jaws, spreading down to the larger muscles of the body.  As the disease progresses the muscles become more and more rigid, while the paroxysms of pain increase in violence and frequency.  Death as a rule results from either sheer exhaustion or failure of breath through the spasmodic closure of the glottis.  The cause of the disease is now ascertained to be due to the action of a microbe, which may find an entrance through any wound or abrasion of the skin, not necessarily of the thumb as is the popular belief.