FED
Thefe Fenejlro, with the whole labyrinth, arc com- prehended in that Part of the Os temporum, properly call'd f to tn its Hardnefs fetrofim. See Labyrinth, Jtfc.
pFNNEL, or Fennel-feed, in Commerce, %$£. a longifh, filiated Seed, flat on one Side, and roundifh on the other ; f a fweetifh Tafle, not unlike that of Anis-feed ; being the produce of an umbelliferous Plant of the fame Name, -well known as a Pot-herb.
fennel makes part of the Commerce of the Druggifts and Apothecaries. "Tis efteem'd a Carminative, and'us'd like Anis-feed, to difpell Winds in the Body ; and correct Senna, an d the reft of the vegetable Purgatives.
There is alfo a ftrong Water, or Brandy made of the Seeds of 'Fennel, andcalrd Fennel-Water. The Ingredients are Fennel Seed, Liquorice, Brandy, and white Wine, which arediftill'd together; and to the Effence thereof are added Spirit of Wine, Sugar, and fweet Almonds : The whole itrain'd, tgc.
FENUGREE, Fonum Grocum, or Fennigreek, a me- dicinal Plant, thus call'd, becaufe antiently brought from Greece, tho' now cultivated in feveral Parts of Europe.
Its Stem is about a Foot high : Its Leaves fmall, and dif- pos'd fomewhat like thofe of Trefoil. It yields a little white Flower, from whence arifes a long, pointed Pod, fhap'd not unlike a Bullocks Horn.
The Grain, or Seed is inclos'd in this Pod, which bears the Name of the Plant it felf, is lefs than Muftard Seed, very hard, and folid, of a triangular Form, and a ftrong dif- agreeable Smell : When new, 'tis of a yellow, gold Colour- but when kept, ruddy, or brown.
The Farina, or Flower of thefe Seeds is efteem'd good to ripen and digeft ; and as fuch, is ufed in Cataplafms of thofe Intentions; as alfo in emollient Clyfters, Decoctions, and Cataplafms.
It yieids a Mucilage ufed in Inflammations of the Eyes and on other Occasions.
FEODARY, Feudary, or Fetjdatary, was an Of- ficer, antiently made and authorized by the Mafter of the Court of Wards. See Ward.
His Office was, to be prefent with the Efcheator, at the finding any Office ; and to give Evidence for the King, concerning the Tenure and the Value thereof: To furvey the Land of the Ward after the Office found, and rate it. He alfo affign'd the Rings Widows their Dowers, and re- ceived the Rents of Wards Lands. This Office is taken away by Stat. 12 Car. 2.
FEODER, a Capital Meafure for Liquids, ufed throughout Germany. See Measure.
FEODUM, or Feudum, the fame with Fief, or Fee. See Fee.
FEOFFMENT, in Common Law, fignifies any Gift, or Grant of any Honours, Caftles, Manors, Mefluages, Lands, or other corporeal or immoveable Things of like nature, unto another in Fee Ample ; that is, to him, and to his Heirs for ever, by the Delivery of Seifin, and the Poffeffion of the Thing given; whether the Gift be made by Deed, or Writing.
When it is in Writing, it is called the Deed of Feoff- ment.
In every Feoffment, the Giver is called the Feoffer, or Feojfator.
The proper Difference between a Feoffer, and a Donor, is, that the Feoffer gives in Fee Ample ; and the Donor in Fee-tail. See Donor, and Fee.
FERALIA, in Antiquity, a Feafi held by the Romans, on the 2i ft of February, in honour of the Dead. See Feast.
Macrobius, Saturn. L. I. c. 13. refers the Origin of the Ceremony to Numa <Pompilius. Ovid, in his Fajli, goes hack as far as Eneas, for its Inftitution. He adds, that on the fame Day, a Sacrifice was perform'd to the Goddefs Mllta, or Dumb ; and that the Perfons who officiated, were an old Woman, attended with a Number of young Girls.
Varro derives the Word from inferi, or from fero ; on account of a Repair, carried to the Sepulchers of fuch, as •he laft Offices were that Day render'd to.
Fejius derives it from ferio, on account of the Victims facrificed. Vofjius obferves, that the Romans called Death fera, cruel, and that the Word Fcralia might arife thence.
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FER de Fourcbette, in Heraldry. Croix a Fcr de Fourcbette is a Crofs, having a forked Iron at each End, like that formerly us'd by Soldiers, to reft their Mufkets ; by which it is diitinguifh'd from the Crofs Four- cbee ; the Ends whereof turn forked, whereas in this, the Fork is fix'd on the fquare End ; as in the adjoining Figure.
FER
l<«I& EER de Moulin, q. d. Iron of the Mill, is i Bearing in Heraldry of the Figure adjoining.
It reprcfents the Iron-Ink, or Ink of a Mill, ■which fufiains the moving Mill-ftone.
There are divers ways of bearing it : The moft ufual is that here reprefented. , It i s born by the Name of Seveatbam, and alfo by the Name of Turner.
FERD-tozV, in our antient Cufioms, A Formulary, by which the King pardoned Manflaughter, committed in the Army.
The Word is form'd of the Saxon Fird, Army, and Wite j Puniftiment.
FERENTARII, or Ferenearii, a Term in Hiftory. The Ferentarii among the Romans, were auxiliary Troops, lightly arm'd ; their Arms being a Sword, Arrows, and a Sling ; which are much lefs cumberfome, than a Buckler, Battle-ax, Pike, £i?c.
The Name Ferentarii was derived a ferendo auxilio ; thefe being auxiliary Forces: Tho' Varro thinks, they might be fo called, by reafon, theSling and Stones fcruntur, non tenentur.
We have alfo Mention of another fort of Ferentarii, whofe Bufinefs was, to carry Arms after the Armies, and to be ready to fupply the Soldiers therewith in Battle.
Lydius ufes the fame Ferentarii for the CatapbraBi E- quites, i. e. Cavaliers, arm'd Cap-a-pee.
FERINE, among the Romans, were Holidays ; or Days wherein they abftain'd from Work.
The Ferine, at Dies feriati, were obferv'd and diftinguifti'd chiefly, by Reft ; whereas the Feafis, or Dies fefti, befide a Ceflation from Labour, were celebrated with Sacrifices and Games; fo that there were Ferio 1 , which were no* Faft-days. Tho' Authors frequently confound the Ferio, and Fefti. See Feast, and Festi Dies.
Others confound the Ferio with the Dies Ne-fajli, or Non-Court-Days. See Fasti Dies.
The Latin Feria, amounts to the Sabbatb of the Hebrews. See Sarbath.
The Romans had divers kinds of Ferio : Their Names, at leaft the principal thereof, are, The JEjlivalcs, Summer- Fcrio; Anniverfario, Armiverfary FeritS; "Compitalitioi Ferio of the Streets, and Compita, or Crofs-ways; Concep- tivo, Votive Ferio, which the Magiftrates nromis'd every Year: Denicales, for the Expiation of a Family polluted by the Death of any one ; Imperativo, or IndiSivo, thofe de- creed by the Magiftrate; Latino, the Latin Ferie, infti- tuted by Tarquin the Proud, for all the Latin People, a- mounting to above fifty Nations ; being celebrated on //.' Alba, in Memory of the Peace, concluded by T"arquin, with the People of Latium ; MeJJis Ferio, the Ferio of Harveft; 'Paganales Ferio, or 'Paganalia, an Account of which is given in its Place; Procidaneo, which were, what we properly call, the Vigils, ot Eves of the Feafts ; 'Private, or \Pro- prio, thofe peculiar to the feveral Families; as the F'.mi- lio Clavdio, JEmilio, Julio, &c. "Publico, thofe obfcrv'cl by all in general, or for the Publick Weal ; Sementi- 110, thofe held in Seed-time; Stativo, thofe kept cohftantly to the fame Day of the Year ; Saturnales, whereof we fhall fpeak in their Places; Stultorum Ferio, or guirinaiid, the Ferio of Fools, held on the 17 th of February ; ViBorio Ferio, thofe of Victory, in the Month of Auguffl ; Vinde- miales, thofe of the Vintage, from the 20 th of Auguji, to the 1 5 th of OBober ; Vukani Ferio, thofe of Vulcan, which fell on the 22 d of May.
Ferije was alfo ufed among the Romans for Fair Days 5 by reafon it was the Cuftom to hold their Fairs, on Dies feriati, or Holidays. Struvius Synt. Antiqq. Rom. C. IX. p. 425. 44.3. &c. SeeNuNDiNA.
The Word Ferio, is ufually deriv'd a feriendis ViBimis^ Martinius fays, that Ferio diBo Jimt velut is&f, t&&i4 dies facri, holy Days. Others obferve, that all Days in ge- neral, tho' they -were not Feaft-days, were antiently call'd Fe- fto ; or as Vofjius reads it, Fefio ; whence, according to that Author, is form'd the Word Ferio.
Feria is ftill retain'd in the Romijh Breviary, tho' in a Senfe fomewhat different from the Ferio of the Antients.
It is applied to the feveral Days of the Week, beginning with Sunday ; provided none of thofe Days be a Feaft, or Faft Day. Thus, Monday is the fecond Feria ; Tiiefday the third, (fc.
Thefe are the ordinary Ferio ; befide which they have' extraordinary, or greater Ferio, viz. the three laft Days of Paffion Week ; the two Days following Eafter Day, and Whitfunday ; and the fecond Feria of Rogation.
The Word Feria, in this Senfe, is doubtlcft borrowed from the antient Feria, a Day of Reft. Accordingly, Sun- day is the firft Feria : For antiently, all the Days of Eafter Week were accounted Feftival Days, by a Decree of Con- ftantine • whence thofe feven Days were called Ftrio : Sun-
- F day
