FIR
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FIS
whereof is now loft. They threw it out of a kind of Mor- tar; and fometimes fhot it with an odd fort of Crofs Bow, which was ilrongly bent by means of a Handle, or Winch, of much greater Force than the bare Arm. That thrown with the Mortar, fometimes appear'd in the Air of the Size of a Tun, with a long Tail, and a Noife like that of Thun- der. The French by Degrees got the Secret of extinguifti- ingit; in which they fucceeded feveral times.
Fire, in the Military Language, is fometimes ufed for the Fires lighted in an Army in the Night time.
Thus, the Enemy's Fires were feen on the Top of the Mountains.
But, the Term Fire is more frequently ufed for the Dif- charge of the Fire Arms; or the Shot made on the Enemy from the Artillery, £f?c.
The Horfe fufFercd extremely from the Fire of the Foot, which took them in Flank: The Trench was expofed to the Fire of the Place : In this Aflault the Courtin was all in Fire.
In Fortification, the Fire of the Place is the Flank, or that Part of the Courtin where the Line of Defence ter- minates; from whence they fire, to defend the oppofite Face of the Baftion.
The beft way of fortifying is that which gives the moft Fire. See Fortification.
Fire Arms are thofe charged with Gunpowder: Such are Canons, Mortars, and other Ordnance; Aluftjuets, Ca- rnitines, Piftols, and even Bombs, Granada's, Carcases, &c. See Canon, Mortar, Ordnance, &c.
For the Rebound or Reflation of Fire Arms, fee Re boun d : See alfo Gunpowder, Bullet, Shot, &c.
In the Hiftory of the Royal Academy for the Year 1707, we have an Account of fome Experiments made with Fire Arms, differently charged, by Mr. Caput.
That Author, among other Things obferves, that by loa- ding the Piece with a Ball which is fomewhat lefs than Caliber; and only laying a little Gunpowder below the Ball, and a good deal above it, it will yield a vehement Noife, but have no fenfible Effect or Impulle on the Ball.
This he takes to have been all the Secret of thofe People who pretended to fell the Art of rendering ones felf invul- nerable, or Shot proof. — — .
FIREBOTE, t. e. Fuel for neceffary Occafions, which by the Common Law any Man may take out of the Lands granted to him. ( See Haybote, Estovers, and Ligna- gium.
FIRKIN", an Engliflo Meafure of Capacity, for Things li- quid. See Measure.
The Firkin of Ale contains eight Gallons; and that of Beer, nine : Two Firkins of Beer make the Kilderkin; two Kilderkins the Barrel; and two Barrels the Hogshead. See Kilderkin, Gallon, Barrel, and Hoghsiiead.
The Firkins of Soap and Butter are on the footing of the Firkin of Ale, viz, a Gallon per Firkin lei's than that of Ale.
FIRMAMENT, in the antient Aftronomy, the eighth Heaven, or Sphere; being that wherein the fix'd Stars are fuppofed to be placed. See Sphere.
'Tis called the Eighth, with refpect to the feven Heavens or Spheres of the Planets, which it furrounds.
It is fuppofed to have two Motions : A Diurnal Motion, given it by the Primum Mobile, from Eaft to Weft, about the Poles of the Ecliptick : and another oppofite Motion from Weft to Eaft; which laft it finifhes, according to T'ycho, in 25412 Years; according to "Ptolemy, in 56000; and according to Copernicus, in 258000 : In which Time the fixed Stars return to the fame prccife Points wherein they were at the Beginning. This Period is commonly called 'Plato's Year, or the Great Year. See Prjecession of the Equinox.
In divers Places of Scripture the Word Firmament is ufed for the middle Region of the Air. Many of the An- tients allowed, with the Moderns, that the Firmament is a fluid-Matter; t.ho' they, who gave it the Denomination of Firmament, mult have taken it for a folid One.
FIRMAN, in the Eaft Indies, and particularly in the Territories of the Great Mogul, is the Paffport, or Permit, granted to foreign Veflels, to trade within their Jurifdic- tion.
FIRMNESS, or Fip.mity, in Philo r ophy, a Confiftence °f a Body; or that State, wherein its fenfible Parts cohere, or arc united together, lb that the Motion of one Part in- duces a Motion of the reft : In which Senle, Firmity Hands oppofed to Fluidity. See Fluidity.
Some Authors confound Firmnefs with tDenfity; as think- ing the fame State or Property of Body, implied by both; or atleaft, that Firmnefs follows Denfity : But this is aMiltake: For Mercury, the denfeft Body in Nature, excepting Gold, is yet one of the moft fluid : And even Gold it felf, with all its IDcnfity, when fufed, wants Firmnefs, or Cohefion. See Density.
Many of the Cartefians, and others, hold Firmnefs to coti-
fift in the mere Quiet of the Particles of the Body, and their mutual immediate Contact; urging, that a Separation of Parts can only atife from fome Matter interptfed between them, which is excluded, by the Notion of Contiguity.
But the Infufficiency ot this Hypothefis is evident : For mere fimple Quiet has no Force, either to act, or refill; confequcnt- ly two Particles only join'd by Reft and Contiguity, would ne- ver cohere fo as that a Motion of the one fnould induce a Motion of the other. This is obvious in the Cafe of two Grains of Sand, which however contiguous, and at reft, will never conftitute a firm, coherent Body.
The Firmnefs of Bodies, then, depends on the Connection or Cohefion of their Particles. Now, the Caufe of Cohe- fion, Sir I.Neivton and his Followers, hold to be an attrac- tive Force, inherent in Bodies, which binds the fmall Par- ticles thereof together; exerting it felf only at, or extreme- ly near, the Points of Contact, and vanifhing at greater Di- ttances. See Attraction.
The Firmnefs of Bodies, therefore, follows the Laws of the Cohefion of Bodies; which fee under Cohesion.
Hence, Firmnefs in all Bodies muft be as the Surfaces, and Contacts of the component Parts: Thus a Body, whole Parts are by their peculiar Shapes capable of the greateft Contacts, is moft firm; and that, whole Parts are capable of the leaft Contact, will be moft foft.
In the former, the greateft Requifite is to be as near Cubes as poflible, and in the latter to Spheres. And in the fame manner are to be accounted for, not only all the intermediate Degrees between the moft firm, and the moft foft Bodies, but thofe different Confiftences, which are di- ftinguilh'd by other Names, as friable, tenacious, glutinous, and the like : for the greater are the Solidities ot' the component Parts of any Body, in Proportion to their Surfaces, though that Body by the Aptitude of the Con- tacts, may be what we call very hard; yet it will be molt friable or brittle. And where the Surfaces of the com- pounding Particles are much extended upon a lmali Quan- tity of Matter, the Bodies they compofe, though they may be light and foft, yet they will be tenacious or glutinous : For although the Flexibility of their compounding Parts admits of their eafy Changing of Figure by any external Force, yet by their touching one another in io many Points, they are very diificultly feparated.
The former is the Cafe in cryftalized Salts, Reims, and the like; the latter in Turpentines, Gums, and all of that Sort. See Solidity, &c.
FIRST Fruits, Annates, or Primitive, are the Profits of every Benefice for one Year. See Primitijl, &c.
The Firft Fruits were originally intended for the Pope's Benefit, and were accordingly, before the Rcfotmation, paid to him: But King Henry YII1. by a Statute in the twenty fixth Year of his Reign, tranflatcd them to the Crown.
Queen Anne, in the third Year of her Reign, made a Grant of the whole Revenue of Firft Fruits and Tenths, to fettle a Fund for the Augmentation of the Maintenance of the poor Clergy. See Augmentation.
By the Act 26 Hen. 8. he, who enters on any fpiritual Living, before he pays, or compounds font, on Conviction, forfeits double the Value thereof.
Every Clerk therefore, before bis Induction (or foon af- ter^) fliould go himfelf with one Friend, or lend two Friends for him to the Firft Fruits Office, and there enter into Bond to pay the Firft Fruits of his Benefice within two Years next enfuing, at four equal half-yearly Payments. Only one Tenth of the whole yearly Sum, eutcr'd in the King s Books, is to be deducted; becaufe that muft be paid by it felf the firih Year.
Formerly four Bonds were given for the four feveral Pay- ments; but by Statute 2 and 3 of Queen Anne, one Bond only is appointed to be given; and the Rates of all Bene- fices, accotding to the King's Books, arc declared unalter- able. The Succeffor is chargeable with Arrears of Tenths, due from his PredecefTor; and confequently, by 27 H. 8. c.8. is impowcr'd todiftrainhis Predeceffor's Goods, being upon the Benefice; and hath likewife a good Action at Law a- gainft him or his Executors.
FISC, Fiscus, in the Civil Law, the Treafury of a Prince, or State; or that, to which all Things due to the Publick, do fall.
By the Civil Law, none but a Soveteign Prince has a Right to have a Fife, or publick Treafury. At Rome, un- der the Emperors, the Term JErarinm was ufed for the Revenues deftin'd for the Support of the Charges of the: Empire; and Fifcum for thofe of the Emperor's own Fa- mily.
The Treafury, in efteS, bclong'd to the People, and the Fife to the Prince. See Treasury.
The Word is derived from the Greek?«"©-, a great Balket.
FISCAL, fomcthing relating to the pecuniary Interefts of the King, the Publick, or a private Perfon.
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