DRA
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DRE
The fame may be faid of any other Beaft as well as the Lyon.
DRAGOON, in War, a Kind of Soldier who marches on Horfe-back, but without Boots ; and fights on Foot, tho' fometimes, too, on Horfe-back. See Guards.
The Dragoons are ufually polled in theFront of the Camp, and march firft to the Charge, like a Kind of Enfans Perdus.
They are ufually reputed as belonging to the Infantry, and in that Quality have Colonels, and Serjeants ; but they have Cornets, too, like Cavalry.
Their Arms are a Sword, Fire-Lock, and Bagonet. When they march on Foot, their Officers bear the Pike, and the Serjeants the Halbert.
Menage derives the Word Dragoon from the Latin Dra- conarius : which in Vegetius is us'd to fignify Soldiers. But it is more probably derived from the German T'ragen, or Draghen, which fignifics to carry; as being Infantry carried on Horfe-back.
DRAMS. See Cordials.
DRAMA, in Poetry, a Piece compofed for the Theatre; Or a Piece of Dramatic Poetry. See Theatre.
A Drama, or as we popularly call it, a Play, is a Com- petition either in Profe, or Verfe, confifting, not in the fim- ple Recitation, but in the actual Reprefentation of an Act ion.
Our Drama's, arc Tragedies, Comedies, and Farces : For thofe Grotefque Entertainments, lately introduced upon the Stage, fcarce deferve the Appellation. See Tragedy, Co- medy, Farce, £5?c.
Some Criticks take the Book of Canticles for a Drama, See Canticles.
The Word is Greek, <fpa'jU tt > which literally -fignifics^?c?/o/?; by reafon, mDrarna's, or Dramatic Poems, they ad, or repre- fent Actions, as if they really paffed.
Some fcrupulous Authors would reftrain Drama to ferious Pieces; as Tragedies: But with refpect to the Etymology, a Comedy is as much a Drama, as a Tragedy.
DRAMATIC, in Poetry, is an Epithet given to Pieces wrote for the Stage. See Stage, and Drama.
For the Laws otDramaticPoetry. See Unity, Action, Character, Fable, &c.
DRAPERY, in Painting, and Sculpture, the Reprefenta- tion of the Garments, or Cloa thing of human Figures. See Figure.
In the general Scnfe, Drafery includes not only the Gar- ments, but alfo the Tapiitry, Linings, and moll other Things that are not Carnations, nor Landfkips. See Painting.
The Art of Drapery confills chiefly in three Points, viz. The Order of the Folds, or Plates : The different Quality of the Stufts : And the Variety of their Colours.
As to the Folds, they fhould be fo manag'd, that you may cafily perceive what it is that they cover, and diftin- guilh it from any 7'hing elfc. For Inftance, that you fee 'tis an Arm that is under the Drapery, and not a Leg, &c. The Folds, again, muft be large, as breaking, and dividing the Sight the lefs. There fhould likewife be a Contreaft be- tween 'em, otherwife the Drapery will be ftiff.
The §>itality of the Stuffs fhould likewife be well confi- der'd ; ibme making their Folds abrupt, and harfli, and others more foft, and eafy. The Suiface of fome, again, has a Luftre, others are dead : Some are fine, and tranfpa- rent, others firm, and folid.
The Variety of Colours, when well manag'd, makes the great Beauty of a Painting ; all being not equally amicable, and friendly, with refpect to each other ; and fome never to be placed near certain others. See Colouring.
Mr. de 'Piles gives Abundance of good Obfervations, as to Drapery. Their firft Effect, he obferves, and that which the Painter ought to have principally in View, is, that they cxprefs the Thing they are fuppofed to cover : They muft never be made to adhere, and flick to the Parts of the Body: A great Lightnefs, and Motion of the Drapery, are only proper for Figures in great Agitation, or expofed to the Mind. The Nudities of the Figures fhould always be de- fign'd, 'ere the Painter proceed to the Draperies. 'Paolo Veronese excell'd in Draperies.
The Word is French, Drapperie, form'd from Draf, Cloth.
DRASTIC, from ffdsixK, aftivus, brifk ; a purgative Medicine that works with Speed, and Vigour; as Jalap, Scam- mony, and the ftrongcr Catharticks. See Purgative.
DRAUGHT, in Medicine. See Potion.
Draught, in Trade, is an Allowance made in the weigh- ing of Commodities ; «ie -fame as Clough. See Clough.
Draught, in Painting, iSc. See Design.
Draught, or, as 'tis pronounced, Draft, in Architec- ture, the Figure of an intended Building defcribed on Paper ; wherein is laid down, by Scale, and Compafs, rhe feveral Divifions, and Partitions of the Apartments, Rooms, Doors Paffages, Conveniencies, Sic. in their due Proportion. See Building.
Tis ufual, and even exceedingly convenient, 'ere a Build- iag is begun to be rais'd, to have Draughts of the Ichno- graphy, or Ground-plot of each Floor, or Story ; As alfo
of the Form and Fafhion of eachFront, with the Windows Doors, Ornaments, &c. in an Orthography, or Upright! See Iconography, and Orthography.
Sometimes the feveral Fronts, iSc. are taken, and rem-e fented in the fame Draught, to fliew the Effeft of the whole Building, call'd a Scenography, or Perjpeclive. See Scenography.
DRAW. A Ship is faid to drain fo much Water ac- cording to the Number of Feet fhe finks into it.
Thus, if fifteen Foot from the Bottom of her be under Water, or if fhe finks into the Water fifteen Foot perpen- dicularly, fire is faid to draw fifteen Foot Water ; according as fhe drains more, or lefs, fhe is faid to be of more, or lefs Draught.
Dr Aw-back, in Commerce, 3. Rebate, mDifcount, upon the Price of Commodities, purchafed on certain Conditions. See Rebate, and Discount.
DRAW-Sridge, a Bridge made after the manner of it Floor, to be draimi up, or let down, as Occafion ferves be- fore the Gate of a Town, or Caltle. See Bridge.
Drawing Medicines, or Drawers. See EpispAsticks and Ripeners.
Drawing of Gold, or Silver, is the paffing it throuoh a Number of Holes in an Iron, each lefs than other to brin<* it into a Wiar. See Wiar drawing.
Drawing of a Sill of Exchange, is the Writing, fign- ing, and giving it to the Perfon who has already pay'd the Value, or Content thereof, to receive it in another Place. A Perfon fhould never draw a Bill of Exchange, unlefs lie be well affured, it will be accepted, and pay'd. See Bill of Exchange.
Drawing, in Painting, iSc. See Designing.
Drawing, among Hunters, is when they beat the Bulh.cs after a Fox.
Drawing amifs, is when the Hounds, or Beaples hit the Scent of their Chace contrary, fo as ro hit it up' the Wind whereas they fhould have done it down the Wind.
Drawing on the Slot, is when the Hounds touch the Scent, and draw on till they hit on the fame Scent.
DRENCH, among Farriers, a Phyfical Draught, or Po- tion given a Horfe, by Way of Purge. See Potion
DRENCHES, or DRENGES, in our old Cuftoms, a Term about which the Lawyers and Antiquaries are a little divided.
Drenges, fays an ancient Manufcript, were Tenentes in Capite. Spelman fays, they were e Genere Vafi'allorum n%n Jgnobilimn, cum finguli qui in Domes-day nomiuanturfin- gula poffiderent Maueria. Such, as at the coming in of the Conqueror, being put out oft" their Eftates, were afterwards upon Complaint reftored thereto ; for that, they, being be- fore Owners thereof, were neither in Auxilio, nor Concilia againft him.
DRESSING of Meats, the preparing 'em for Food, by means of Culinary Fire. See Meat, and Food.
The Defign of Dreffing, is to loofen the Compagcs, or Tex- ture of the Flefh, and difpofc it for Diffolution, 'and Di- geftion in the Stomach. Flefh not being a proper Food without Dreftfing, is alledg'd as an Argument, that Man was not intended by Nature for a Carnivorous Animal. See Carnivorous.
The ufual Operations are Roafting, Soiling, and Stewing.
In Roafting, it is obferved, Meat'will bear a much greater and longer Heat than either in Soiling, or Stewing; 'and in Soiling, greater, and longer than in Stewing. The reafon is, that Roafting being perform 'd in the open Air, as the Parts be- gin externally to warm, they extend, and dilate, and fo Gradu- ally let out Part of the rarified included Air, by which means the internal Succuffions, on which the Diffolution depends, are much weaken'd, and abated; ■Boiling being performed in Water, the Preffure is greater, and confequently, the Succuf- fions to lift up the Weight, are proportionably ftrong ; by which means the Codtion is haften'd : And even in this Way there are great Differences ; for the greater the Weight of Water, the fboner is the Bufinefs done.
In Stewing, tho' the Heat be infinitely fliort of what is employ'd in the other Ways, the Operation is much more quick, becaufe perform'd in a clofeVeffel, and full, by which means the Succuffions are more often repeated, and more ftrongly reverberated. Hence tie Force afPapm'sDigeJlor; and hence an Illuftration of the Operation of Digefiion. See Digestor, and Digestion.
Soiling, Dr. Cheyne obferves, draws more of the Rank, ftrong Juices from Meat, and leaves it lefs nutritive, more di- luted, lighter, and eafier of Digefiion : Roafting, on the other hand, leaves it fuller of the ftrong, nutritive Juices, harder to digeft, and needing more Dilution. Strong, grown, and adult Animal Food, therefore, fhould be boil'd ; and the younger, and tenderer, roafted.
DRIE Exchange, Cambium Siccum, a foft Appellation, anciently usd to difguifeUfury under; intimating fomething to pafs on both Sides, whereas, in Truth, nothing pafs'3
but
