Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/861

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GAL

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GAL

GABIONS, in Fortification, g&; large Eaftets, made of Oiler Twig?, wove of a cylindrical Form, fix Foot high, and fourwide ; which being fill'd with Earth, ferve asaDefence, or Shelter from the Enemy's Fire.

They arc commonly ufed in Batteries, to fcrecn the En- gineers, Sfo In order to which one is placed on either Side each Gun, only leaving room for the Muzzle to appear thro'. See Battery.

There are alfo a fmallcr fort of Gabions, us'd on Parapets, in Trenches, &c. to cover the Mufqueteers; being placed fo near as that a Mufquet can but juft peep thro*.

They alfo ferve as a Parapet on Lines, Lodgments, SJc. where the Ground proves too hard to dig into.SeePARAPET.

To render the Gabions ufelefs, they endeavour to fet them on fire, by throwing pitched Faggots among them.

GABLE, or Gabxe-.£W of a Houfe, is the upright triangular End ; from the Cornice, or Eaves, to the Top of its Roof. See House.

GAGE, in our antient Cutloms, fignifies a Pledge, or Pawn, given by way of Security.

The Word is only properly us'd for Moveables; for Im- moveables, Hyfiotheca is us'd. If the Gage perifh, the Per- fon who received it is not to anfwer for it, but only for ex- treme Negligence, &C. See Pledge.

The Word Gage is particularly us'd for a Challenge, to Combat ; in which Senfe it was a Pledge, which the Accufer, or Challenger call on the Ground, and the other took up, as accepting the Challenge : It was ufuallya Glove, Gander, Chaperoon, or the like. See Combat, and Duel.

The Grand Cuftomary mentions Gages ^Pleiges de Duel. Thefe were Gentlemen, of their Rela ions or Friends: If he who had given the Gages 'Pleiges, was overcome, he was ro pay a Mulct agreed on.

The Word Gage is only retain'd as a Subftantive : As a Verb, the G is chang'd into W; and of Gage is Formed Wage ; as, to wage Law; to wage Deliverance, q.d.to give Security a thing /hall be deliver'd. See Wage.

Thus, it a Perfbn who has diP.rain'd be lued for nol hav- ing deliver'd what he had took by DHtrefs, he all wage or gage Deliverance; that is, put in Sureiy that lie will deliver them. See Law; fee alio Alert gage.

Mcrt-G&cTi, it that which is left in the Hands of the Proprietor, fo that he reaps the Fruits thereof; in opposi- tion to Vif-gage, where the Fruits or Revenues are reap'd by the Creditor, and reckon'd on the Foot of the Debt, which diminifh.es in proportion thereto.

The fecond, acquits, or difcharges it felf ; the flril does not.

tPomey alfo ufes Mort-gage for the Pofleffion of any Ef- fects, on condition of furrendring them up at the good piea- fure of the Perfon who gave them. See Mortcage.

Gage, in the Sea Language. When one Ship is to wind- ward of another, /he is faid to have the Weather-gage of her-

The Seamen alfo call trying how much Water a Ship draws, gaging, or rather gauging of her 5 and it is done thus:

They drive^ a Nail into a Pike, near the End, and then put down this Pike by the Rudder, till the Nail catch hold under it ; for then as many Feet as the Pike is under Water, is the Ship's Gage, or Depth of Water fhe draws.

Gage, in Joinery, is an Instrument made to ftrike aLine truly parallel to the freight Side of any Board or Piece of Stuff.

Its chief Ufe is for gaging of Tenants true, to fit into Mortifies? and for gaging Stuff of an equal Thicknefs.

It is made of an oval piece of Wood, fitted on upon a fquare Stick, to Hide up and down ftrfly thereon, and with a Tooth in the End of a Staff, to fcore, or ftrike a Line upon the Stuff at any Diftance, according to the Diftance of the Oval from it.

GAGER del Ley ; fee Wage, and Wager of Law.

G\g c p., and- /-. I r TGauger.

GAGING, '"Geometry^ fee 1gaug1nc ,

GAiANITES, Gaianitje, or Gainites, a Sect of an- tient Hereticks, fpruhg from the Eutychians.

This Sect was of i;n older Standing than Gaian, or Gain, a Rifliop of Alexandria, in the VI th Century, from whom they took their Name. They adhered to the Opinions of Julian Hdlicamatjkns, the Chiefof the Ineorruftibiles and

  • Pbantaftici$ and came at length to be denominated Gaia-

niies, upon Gaian & putting him felf at their Head. They denied that Jefus Chrift, after the Hypoftatical Union was fubject to any of the Infirmities of human Nature. SccPhan-

TASTICI. '

GAIN, theProfir, or Lucre a Peifon reaps from his Trade, Employment, or Induftry.

There are legal and reputable Gains, as well as fordid and infamous ones, What is gair/d by Gaming, is all liable to berettored again, if the Lof:r will take the Benefit of the Law. Menage derives the Word from the GeimauG^-

win\ whereof the Italians have made Gtudagno ; the French, and Englijh, Gain.

Gain, in Architecture, is the Workmens Term for the Bevelling Shoulder of the Joift, or other Timber.

It is us'd alfo for the lapping of the End of the Joift,^ upon a Trimmer, or Girder- and then the Thicknefs of the Shoulder is cut into the Trimmer alfo bevelling upwards, that it may juft receive the Gain ; and fo the Joiit and Trimmer lie even and level with their Surface. This way of working is us'd in Floois and Hearths,

GA1NAGE, in our antient Wrircrs, iignines the Draught- oxen, Horfes, Wain, Plough, and Furniture for carrying on the Work of Tillage by the baler fort of Sokemen and Vil- lains; and fometimes the Land it feif,or the Profit rais'd by cultivating it.

Sraclon, lib, 1. cap. 9. fpeaking of Lords and Servants, fays, Ut fi eoS dejiruant, qiiod Jalvttm non peffit eis ejje Wainagium ficum. And agr.in, Lib. 3. 1'raU. 2. cap. r. Villanus non amcrciabititr, nifi falvo Wainagio jiio. Fcr amiently, as it appears both by Mag. Char, and other Books, the Villain, when amerced, had his Wainage freej to the end his Plough might not fraud flill : And the Law, for the fame Reafon, does ftill allow a like Privilege to the Husbandman, that is, his Draught-horfes are not, in many Cafes, diftrain able. See Distress.

GALACTITES, in Natural Hiftory, a Stone, thus called by reafon when broke or ground, it tefolvcs into a white Liquor, like Milk, which the Greek* call^etAct.

The Stone is of an Afh Colour, and pretty foft, and fwect to the Tafte. 'Tis found in 'Tufcany, Saxony, and other Parts. Authors recommend it as good in Defluxions of the Eyes, and for Ulcers: Itisfuppofed to make theMnk more copious in Hfttfiss ; and when hung to the Necks of Children, promotes Salivation.

GALA( .'l OPHAGI, and Galactopotje, in Antiquity, Eerfons who lived wholly en Milk, without Corn, or the uie oi any .otbtr Food.

Certain Nations, in Scythia A r iatica, a? the Get<e, Nor.'a- des, &c. are famous in antient Hiftory, in quality oi Galatlo- fhagiy f." : :';r.-eaters. Homer makes their Eipge, Iliad, lib. III. Ttolonty , in his Geognphy, places the GalaBophagi between the _- r ,j<eau Mountains, on one Side 5 and the Hircanian Sea Oi. the cr'-:cr.

The Words are compounded of y^a., yaK^nl©-, Milk 5 (payout, I eat and *6th& of Trim I drink. — •

GALACTOP11KROUS 2)u8s, arc fuch Vetfcls as ferve to convey Milk. c~e Mile..

Such are the I adteals, and Mamillary VefTels. See La- cteaes, and Mammje.

GALACTOS1S, the changing into lilk ; or the Produ- aionofMilk. See Milk.

The Term prepmy denotes the Action whereby the Food, or Chyle, is converted into Milk.

GALANGA, or Galangal, a Medicinal Root, brought from the Eaft Indies , the Produce of a Tree of the fame Name.

There are two kinds of Galangas; the fmall, and the great : The fmall is a rough, kr.otty Root, of a ruddy Co- lour both within, and without, and of a very pungent aro- matic Tafte, and Smell. It is brought from China, and is ufed with good Succe:s in all Dilorders of the Stomach, Bowels, and Womb, ariling from the W'eaknefs of the Nerves.

The greater Galanga, growing chiefly in Java and Ma- labar inclines more to an Afh Colour. Its Qualities are of the fame kind with thofe of the other; only lefs efficacious, and much lefs ufed. The Vinegar-makers uie both. See Acorus.

GALAXY, in Aftronomy, That long, white, luminous Track, which feems to incompafs the Heavens like a Swath, Scarf, or Girdle; and which is eafiiy perceiveable in a clear Night, efpecially when the Moon does uol appear.

It paffes between Sagittary, and Gemini, and divides the Sphere into two Parts: It is unequally broad, and in fome Parts is fingle, in others double.

The Greeks call it Tf.x&tid.s, Galaxy, of Ta,hd, yeiKd-/]©-. Milk-? on account of its Colour, and Appearance : The La- tins, for the fame reafon, call it Via La&ca, and we, the Milky Way.—

The antient Poets, and even Philofophers, fpeak of the Galaxy, as the Road, or Way, by which the Hero's went to Heaven.

Ariftotle makes it a kind of Meteor, form'd of a Croud of Vapours, drawn into that Part by certain large Stars dif- pofed in the Region of the Heavens anfwering hereto.

Others, finding that the Galaxy was fcen all over the Globe , that it always correfponded to the fame hVd Stars ; and that it tranlcended the Height of the higheft Planets; fet alide Arijlotles\ Opinion, and placed the Galaxy in the Firmament, or Region of the fixed Stars, and concluded it to be nothing but an Affcmblage of an infinite Number ot minute Stars,

Since