FOR
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FOR
a\i Orillon, and tripled ; and a Ravelin* Curtain and Baftions built on the Outfide the Rampart.
This Method was receiv'd with great Applaufe, and muft be allow'd greatly preferable to the Dutch Method.
But it has its Defers 5 for befides that the fortifying of Places by it is very expensive 5 its triple Flanks are too clofe, fo as to lie expos 'd to the Violence of the Bombs ; the Orillon is fo large as to prejudice the Length of the Flanks; the outer Rampart of the Baftion is too big, ££?c.
Fortification, according to Monf. Blondel'i Method $ has a great Affinity with that of the Count de Pagan, only that the Quantity of the Lines and Angles are differently determined.
Thus, a Right Angle being fubtracted from the Angle of the Polygon, and to a third part of the Remainder, 15 added ; the Sum gives the diminifh'd Angle. In the greater Fortifications, the outer Polygon is 100, in the fmaller 85. The external Polygon being divided into ten parts, feven of them give the Lines of Defence ; and the Faces are half thofe of the Tenaille.
• This Method is very well calculated for the Purpofes of Architecture 3 only, being fo me what expenfive, 'tis but little
us'd.
Fortification, according to Motif. Vauban's Method, fuppofes the outer Polygon in the larger Fortifications to be 100 5 in the fmaller, 80 5 and in the middle Size 90: The Faces are made | of the fame; the Perpendicular, in a fquare, |, in a Pentagon i, in the other Polygons £ of the fame. The Complement of the Face to the Line of Defence, he makes equal to the Diftance of the Epaule : He ufes re- entering and crooked Flanks j and places alow Tenaille be- fore the Curtain ; and the 'Dutch Ravelin with Lunettes.
This Method of fortifying pleafes moft People ; both as it increafes the Strength, without much Expence; and as it is perfectly well accomodated to the Principles of military Architecture, above laid down.
Yetit teems defective in this, that the Faces are too much expos'd to the View of the Enemy $ and that the Lunettes are a little too long to be defended.
Monf. Vauban's newer Method of Fop.tifying, is that which builds large Baftions before fmall ones, and covers the Courtin with a double Ravelin; drawing a low Tenaille before the fame Curtain.
Detached Baftions are perfectly fuitable to what we have delivcr'd in the former Method 5 excepting that the Flanks are rectilinear, and deftitute of an Orillon.
Fortification, according to the Method of Scheiter, fuppofes the external Polygon, in the larger Fortifications to be 100 Perches; in the leffer 80; in the middle Size 90 : The Flanks perpendicular to the Lines of Defence ; and the Lines of Defence in the greater Fortifications 70 Perches, in the leffer 60, and the middle Size tfj.
It detaches Baftions from the Curtain, and forms a kind of inner Recefs behind the Curtain: It affumes the Angle of the Baftion, in a Square, to be ^Degrees; to this ad- ding 8, the Product is the Angle in a Pentagon ; to which adding fix Degrees, the Sum is the Angle of the Baftion in a Hexagon ; and adding 5 to this, the Sum is the fame An- gle in a Heptagon.
FORTIN, a Diminutive of the Word Fort, importing a little Fort-, or Sconce, call'd alfo Field Fort., built inHafte, for defence of a Pafs, or Poft ; but particularly to defend a Camp, in the time of a Siege, where the principal Quar- ters are join'd, or made to communicate with each other by Lines defended by Fortius and Redoubts.
Fortius being very fmall, their flank'd Angles are gener- ally 120 Fathom diftant from each other; but their Figure and Extent is various, according to the Place and Occafion ; fome having whole Baftions, and others only half Baftions. See Redoubt.
■Star-FoRTiN, is that whofe Sides flank each other, &c. See Star Fort.
FORTUNA, in our anticnt law Books, is the fame with what we call Treafure-T'rove. See Treasure-Ttow.
(thefaurum ducente Fortuna invenire inquirendum ejl per 12 Juratcres fro Rcge, &c. qucd fideliter pr<£fentabu.nt,&.t. omnes Fortunas, abjurationes, appella, &c.
Spelman tells us, it alfo fignifies Fortuito cccijos 3 but this feems to be very fanciful. See Sacrobarra.
FORTUNATE Iflands, in the antient Geography, an Appellation which has given the Criticks and Antiquaries a world of Perplexity; being a Denomination of a Place fa- mous for Golden Apples, which grew therein : Or, as Varro fays, for Sheep, with Golden Fleeces.
The Antients defcribe them as fituate without the Straights of Gibraltar, in the Atlantic Ocean.
The common Opinion of the Moderns takes them for the Canary Iflands ; grounded principally on the Situation and Temperature of thofe Iflands, which renders the ufe of Cloaths unneceffary ; and the Abundance of Oranges, Le- mons, Grapes and other delicious Fruit growing therein. See Golden Fleece.
01. Rudbccks has found a very different Place for them. That.learned Author, who makes his native Country Swe- den the Scene of all that is great, and extraordinary in an- tient Tradition and Fable; will have the Fortunate lilands to be Sweden.
The delicious Fruits, talk'd off by the Antients, his Ima- gination fuggefts, were nothing but the Virtue, and good Manners, which antiently flourifh'd in that cold Hyperborean Nation.
FORTUNE, fee Providence, Fate, &c.
The Name Fortune, ivyj\, was unknown in the earlier Ages; and does not occur either in Homer, or Hejiod ; as not being yet invented.
In After-days, it was introdue'd as a Machine ; and made to ferve divers Purpofes in Natural Philofophy, and Theo- logy.
Men obferving a world of Evils, and Diforders to fall out; and not daring directly to complain of Providence ; and be- ing 'willing withal to excufe themfelves from being the Oc- casions of their own Misfortunes, had recourfe to the Notion of Fortune : Againft whom they might vent all their Refent- ments imfune.
'Plutarch, in an exprefs Treatife of the Fortune of the Ro- mans, accounts for the Practice of the antient Poets, who feem to make Jupiter the Author of all the Evils of Life. Mankind, he obferves, before the Name of Fortune had got into the World, perceiving a certain arbitrary Caufe, difpof- ing of things in an irrefiftible manner, call'd it God; but the fame Caufe being often obferv'd to act at random, and without any Rule or Order at all ; the fupreme Being came to be diverted of the Attribute ; and Fortune, or 1)efli?zy ac- knowledge in his ftead. See Destiny.
It is not eafy to unravel, what the Antients meant by the Name Fortune.
The Romans understood by it, I know not what Principle of Fortuity, whereby things came to pafs, without being ne- ceflitated thereto; but what, and whence that Principle is, they do not feem to have ever precilcly thought: Whence their Philofophers are often intimating, that Men only fram'd the phantom Fortune to hide their Ignorance; and that they call Fortune whatever befalls a Man, without his knowing why.
Juvenal affirms, it was Men who made a Deity of For- tune.
Nullum Numen abeji fi fit frudentia 5 fed te, nos fa- cimus, Fortuna, SDeam, Cccloqtte locamus.
According to the Sentiment of the Heathens, therefore, Fortune, at Bottom, was only the Arrival of Things in a fud- den and unexpected Manner, without any apparent Caufe, orReafon: So that the Philofophical Scnfe of the Word, coincides with what is vulgarly call'd Chance. See Chance.
But in Religion it had a further Force : Altars and Tem- ples in great Numbers were confecrated to this Fortune, as a Deity.
This intimates, that the Heathens had perfonify'd, and even deify 'd their Chance ; and conceiv'd her as a fort of God- defs, who difpos'd of the Fate of Men at her pleafure. Hence that Invocation of Horace, O (Diva gratum qua re- gis Antium ; in the 3 5 t!:i Ode of the firft Book, where he recommends Auguflus, then preparing for a Vifit to Britain, to her Protection. — —•
From thefe different Sentiments it may be infer'd, that the Antients at one time took Fortune for a peremptory Caufe, bent upon doing good to fome, and perfecuting others: And fometimes for a blind, inconftant Caufe, without any View or Determination at all.
If then the Word Fortune had no certain Idea in the Mouth of thofe who erected Altars to her ; much lefs can it be afcertain'd what it denotes in the Mind of thofe who ufe the Word in their Writings.
They who would fubfthute the Name 'Providence in lieu of that of Fortune, cannot give any tolerable Senfe to half the Phrafes wherein the Word occurs.
To thefe, e.gr. we muft always diftruft Fortune, but efpe- cially when fhe feems to flatter us moft : The Contempt of Riches, in the Philofophers, is a fecret Defire of revenging their Merit againft the Injuftice of Fortune, by a Contempt of thofe very Benefits flie deprives them off: For-tune is lb blind, that amidft a Croud, wherein there is but one wife Man, we muft not imagin flie will trace him out, to accu- mulate him with her Favours. — ■ — ■
On thefe and the like Occafions, the Word 'Providence cannot be fubftituted in lieu of Fortune: The Idea anfwer- ing to the Expreffion, is Pagan, as well as the Expreflion it felt! Add, that it is a Fault, even in point of Accuracy, to ufe a Term that fignifies nothing ; as much as it is in point of Religion, to affociate Fortune with Providence, in the Di- rection of the Univcrfe.
Horac e
