FLA
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FLA
In the Middle of the XIV th Century the Sc$ of the Flagcllantes was rcfioredj.on occafion of a great Mortality 5 and fpread it felf into all Parts of Europe.
The Bifhops and Magiftratcs at length found it ncceffary to put a Stop to their Excels. The Waiters and Preachers difputed againft it 5 but the Flag Hants remained unfhaken againft all they could lay : So that of a Number of perhaps innocent, well-meaning Zealots, Pride, Obftinacyand Schifin converted them into a dangerous Seel 1 . They held, that the Blood they thus fpilt, was mix'd with that of Jefus Chrift ; and that by a Flagellation of twenty four Days they gain'd the Pardon of all their Sins.
Clement VI th forbad all publick Flagellations. Gerfon wrote an exprefs Treatifc againft publick Flagellations,
FLAGELLATION, a Term appropriated to the Suf- fering of Jesus Chr ist, when whipp'd and fcourged by the Jews ; from the Latin Plagcllum, a Scourge, or J-Vhip.
Thus we fay, A Painting of the Flagellation ; orfimply, a Flagellation, to denote a Painting, or Print, reprefenting this Torment inflicted on the Saviour of the World. In this Senfe we fay, the Flagellation of fuch a Painter,^.
Flagellation, Whipping, is alio ufed for a voluntary Difcipline, or Penance, frequently pra&ifed by the antient Penitents.
The Parliament of "Paris prohibited all publick Flagel- lations, by an Arret of 16*01. See Flagellants.
FLAGEOLET, orFLAjOLET, a kind of little Flute, or mufical Inftrument of the Flute kind- ufed chiefly by the Shepherds and Country-People. See Flute.
'Tis ulually made of Box, or other hard Wood ; fome- times of Ivory. It has fix Holes, or Stops, bcfide that at Bottom, the Mouth-piece, and that behind the Neck. FLAIL, fee Thrashing.
FLAMBEAU, or Flamboy, a Luminary, made of an Affemblage of feveral thick Wicks, cover'd over with Wax • fervlng to burn a-nights in the Streets ; as alfo at funeral Proccrtions, Illuminations, &c. See Luminary.
Flambeaux differ from Links, Torches, and Papers. See Torch, and Taper.
They are made fquare ; fometimes of white Wax, and fomctimes of yellow. They ulually confift of four Wicks, or Branches, near an Inch thick, and about three Foot long 5 made of a fort of coarfe hempen Thread, half twifted.
They are made with the Ladle, much as Torches, or Tapers are ; viz. by firft pouring the melted Wax on the
- Top of the feveral fufpended Wicks, and letting it run down
to the Bottom : This they repeat twicer After each Wick has thus got its feveral Cover of Wax, they lay them to dry; then roll them on a Table, and fo join four of them together, by foldering theirl with a red hot Iron.
When join'd, they pour on more Wax, till the Flamboy is brought to the Size required 5 which is ufually a Pound, and half, or two Pounds.
The laft Thing is to finifh their Form, or Out-fide ; which they do with a kind of poliftiing Inftrument of Wood, by running it along all the Angles, form'd by the Union of the Branches. See ^.vCandde.
The Flambeaux of the Antients were different from ours. They were made of Woods, dried in Furnaces, or other- wile. They ufed divers kinds of Wood for this Purpofe : The molt ufual was Pine. 'Pliny fays, that in his Time they frequently alfo burnt Oke, Elm, and Hazle. In the VII th Book of the JEneid, Mention is made of a Flambeau of Pine : And Scrvitis on that Paffage remarks, that they alfo made them of the Cornel Tree.
FLAME, the brighteft and fubtile'ft Part of a Fire, af- cending above the Fcwclin a pyramidal or conical Figure. Sec Fire.
Flame feems to be the Smoak, i, e. the Fumes, or vola- tile Parts of the Fcwel, greatly rarified, and at laft kindled, or heated red hot. By the great Rarifacfion, the Matter becomes lb light, as to be rais'd with great Velocity in the Air : And by the Preflure of the incumbent atmofphcrical Fluid, it is kept for fomc time together 5 the Air forming a fort of Arch, or Sphere around it, that prevents its immediate Pif- fufion and Diflipation, and by its Contiguity and Fixation fuf- tains and feeds the Fire of the Flame ; the aqueous and ear- thy Parts of the Fume being naturally incapable of being ignited, are only rarified, and fo impelled upwards, without flaming. See Smoak.
Flame is defined by Sir I. Newton, in his little Treatife 'De Acido, to be Fumus Candcns, red hot Smoak. The fame Author argues, Is not Flame a Vapour, Fume, or Ex- halation heated red hot, that is, fb hot as to fhinc ? For Bo- dies do not fame without emitting a copious Fume; and this Fume bums in the Flame. The Jgms Fatmis is a Va- pour, {Kining without Heat; and is there not the fame Dif- ference between this Vapour, and Flame, as between rotten Wood, Ihining wirhout Heat, and burning Coals of Fire? In diftilling hot Spirits, if the Head of the Still be taken off, the Vapour which afcends, will take Fire at the Flame of a
Candle, and turn into Flame. Some Bodies, heated by Mo- tion or Fermentation, if the Heat grow intenfe, fume co- pioufly- and if the Heat be great enough, the Fumes will mine, and become Flame. Metals in Fufion do not flame* for want of a copious Fume. All flaming Bodies, as Oil* Tallow, Wax, Wood, foffil Coal, Pitch, Sulphur, f$c. by burn- ing, wade in Smoak, which at firft is lucid ; but at a little Diftancc from the Body, ceafes to be fo, and only continues hot. When the Flame is put our, the Smoak is thick, an4 frequently fmells ftrongly; but in the Flame it loies its Smell, and according to the Nature ot the Fewel, the Flame is of divers Colours. That of Sulphur, c. gr. is blue - that of Copper open'd with fublimate, green ; that of Tallow, yel- low; of Camphire, white, &c. We find that when Gun- powder takes Fire, it goes off in a flaming Smoak. The manner we conceive to be this: The Charcoal and Sulphur eafily take Fire, and fet Fire to the Nitre ; by which the Spirit of the Nitre being rarified into Vapour, rufties out, the like Vapour of Water out of an ./Eolipile. Then the acid Spirit of the Sulphur entering violently into the fiVd Body of the Nitre, fets loofc the Spirit of the Nitre, and excites a greater Fermentation, whereby the Heat is in- creafed, and the fix'd Body of the Nitre rarified into Fume; and thus is a vehement Explofion effected. The Flame of Gun-powder ariles from a violent Action, whereby the mixt being quickly and vehemently heated, is rarified and con- verted into Fume and Vapour : Which Vapour by the Vio- lence of the Action becoming fo hot as to fhine, appears in the Form of Flame. Ne-ivt. Opticks, p. 31S.
'Tis a remarkable Phenomenon of the Flame of a Can- dle, Torch, or the like, that in the dark it appears bigger at a Diftance, than near at hand. The reafon is, that at a Diftance, e. gr. of fix Feet, the Eye can readily diuinguifii between the Flame, and the> contiguous Air illumined by it ; and fees precilely where the Flame terminates : But at the Diftance, e. gr. of thirty Foot, tho' the Angle fubtended by the Flame be much fmaller than before; yet the Eye not being able to diftinguifti the precife Bound of the Flame, takes part of the Sphere of Air illuminated by it, for the Flame it felf. See Vision.
We have feveral Inftanccs of actual Flames' s being produe'd by the Mixture of two cold Liquors, Dr. Slare gives us a Lift of the Oils which burft into F'lame, upon mixing them with compound Spirit of Nitre : Such are thofe of Carro- ways, Goves, Saftafras, Guaicum, Box, Camphor, Pep- per, Hartmorn, Blood, Igc. 'Phil. Tranjaft. N° 215.
Vital Flame, Flamma, or Flammula Vitalis, a fine, warm, kindled, but mild Subftance, fuppofed by many both of the Antients and Moderns, to refide in the Hearts of A- nimals, as neceffary to Life, or rather, as that which con- ftitutes Life it felf.
To the Prefervation of this Flame, they fuppofe Air as neceffary, as it is to the Confervation of common Flame ; And hence refer the Neceffity of Refpiration to animal Life. See Life.
Mr. Soyle, by Experiments in an exhaufted Receiver found, that the Vital Flame of Animals, if Life may be fo called, furvives, or outlafts the Flame of Spirit of Wine, or of a Wax or Tallow Candle, &c. Some Animals would re- main alive and well in Vacuo, for three or four Minutes, whereas no common p'tamc would laft there one Minute. The Light of Gloworms he found would prefently be de- ftroy'd by cxhaufting the Air; and retriev'd again upon its Re admiftion.
Dr. J^uincy can find nothing more in the Nation of Vi- tal Flame, than the natural Warmth, which is the EffecT: of a circulating Blood ; and which is always as its Velocity. See Calidum Innatum.
FLAMEN, among the antient Romans, was a Pried:, or Minifter of Sacrifice.
There were as many kinds of Flamens at Rome, as there were Gods who had Priefts, and Sacrifices,
Numa, at firft, only inftituted three : One for Jupiter, called Flamen c Dialis ; another for Mars, called Flamen. Martialis- 7 and a third for Romulus ot J$hiirinus,c&\Vd Fla- men. Quirinalis. See Diahs, ike.
In After-times twelve more were added; which made the Number of Flamens fifteen.
The three firft were taken from among the Patricians; and were held of a Rank and Diftinction fupcrior to the reft. They were called Greater Flamens, Flammes majores ; in Contra-diftin&ion to the other twelve, who were chofe from among the Plebeians, and were called Le/Jer Flamens* F'lami?zes minores.
The Flamen of Jupiter was the firft inftituted, and held in the greateft Repute. He bore a peculiar Ornament on his Head, called Albogalerus, white Cap,_orHat; which was made of a white Victim, facrificed to 'Jupiter.
The Cap wore by the reft, was called Flamineum, or Ga- lerium. It was made of a Sheens Skin, with the Wool on :
To
