this is a wooden Plank, cemented thereto; and upon this are proper Weights applied to promote the Triture: The Plank or Table, being fasten'd to a Wheel, which gives it a Motion.—This Wheel, which is at least 5 or 6 Inches Diameter, is made of very hard but light Wood, and is wrought by two Workmen placed against each other, who push and pull it alternately; and sometimes, when the Work requires it, turn it round. By such means, a constant mutual Attrition is produced between the two Glasses, which is favour'd by Water and Sands of several Kinds bestowed between; Sand still finer and finer being applied, as the grinding is more advanced: At last Emery is used. We need not add, that as the upper or incumbent Glass polishes and grows smoother, it must be shifted from time to time, and others put in its Place.
It is to be noted, that only the largest Size Glasses are thus ground with a Mill; for the middling and smaller Sorts are wrought by the Hand, to which End there are four wooden Handles at the four Corners of the upper Stone, or Carriage, for the Workmen to take hold of, and give it Motion. What remains to the Perfection of Glass, comes under the Denomination of Polishing. See Polishing.
Grip, or Gripe, is a small Ditch cut a-cross a Meadow, or ploughed Land; in order to drain it: It also signifies an Handful; as, a Gripe of Corn.
Gripe of a Ship, is the Compass or Sharpness of her Stem under Water; chiefly towards the bottom of her Stem. See Ship.
The Design of sharping her so, is to make her gripe the more, or keep a good Wind, for which purpose sometimes a false Stem is put on upon the true one.
Gripe is also a Sea-Phrase for a Ship's being apt to run her Head or Nose too much into the Wind: In such Case they say, she gripes; of which there are two Causes, either over-loading her a-head, the Weight of which presses her Head so down, that it is not apt to fall off from the Wind; or the staying or setting her Masts too much aft; which will always be a Fault in a small Ship that draws much Water, and will cause her to be continually running into the Wind.
In floaty Ships, if the Madts be not flayed very far aft, they will never keep a good Wind.
GRIPES, tormina Ventris, in Medicine, a fort of Colick, or painful Didorder of the Lower Belly, occadioned by some sharp pungent Matters vellicating the Parts, or by Winds pent up in the Intestines. See Colick.
The Gripes are a very common Symptom in young Children, and may be caused by the Aliment they use, which is considerably different from what they had been accustom'd to in the Uterus. See Children.
The Retention of a Part of the Meconium may also give occasion hereto, as being somewhat acrimonious. See Meconimum.
This Disorder sometimes proves so violent, as to throw the Child into universal Convulsions, or to cause what is vulgarly called Convulsions of the Bowels.
Grist is Corn ground, or fit for grinding. See Flower, Meal.
GROANING, in Heraldry, a Term used for the Cry or Noise of a Buck. See Hunting.
GROAT, an English Money of Account, equal to Four-Pence. See Penny.
Other Nations, as the Dutch, Polanders, Saxons, Bohemians, French, &c. have likewise their Groats, Groots, Groches, Gros, &c. See Money and Coin.
We had no Silver Money in the Saxon Times bigger than a Penny; nor after the Conquest, till Edward III. who about the Year 1351, coin'd Grosses, i. e. Groats, or great Pieces, which went for 4 d. a-piece; and so the Matter stood till the Reign of Henry VII. who, in 1504, first coined Shillings. See Shilling.
Grocers, by the Stat. 57 Ed. II. cap. 5. were used for those who engrossed Merchandize. See Engrossing.
GROGRAM, in the Manufactories, a fort of Stuff, all Silk; being in Reality no more than a Taffety, coarser and thicker than ordinary. See Tafety.
GROOM, properly denotes a Servant appointed to attend on Horses, the Word being formed of the German Grom, Boy, Youth. See Equerry.
Groom is also the Denomination of several Officers and Servants in the King's Houshold. See Houshold.
There are Grooms of the Almonry, Grooms in the Compting House, Grooms of the Chamber, the Privy-Chamber, Grooms of the Robes, of the Wardrobe, &c. See Almonry, Chamber, Wardrobe, &c.
Groom of the Stole. See Stole.
Groom-Porter is an Officer of the Houshold, whose Business is to see the King's Lodging furnished with Tables, Chairs, Stools, and Firing; to provide Cards, Dice, &c. and to decide Disputes arising at Cards, Dice, Bowling, &c.
GROS, a foreign Money, in divers Countries, answering to our Groat. See Groat.
A Pound Gros, Livre de Gros See Pound and Livre.
GROSS is the Quantity of twelve Dozen. See Dozen
GROSSA, a Groat—Concessa est Regi una Grossa quæe continet quatuor denarios de quolibet viro & muliere. Knighton. Anno 1378.
Grosse-Bois, in our antient Law-Books, signifies such Wood as hath been, or is, either by the Common Law, or Custom of the Country, reputed Timber. See Timber.
GROSSUS, in our antient Writers, denotes a thing entire, and not depending on another.
Thus, Villanus in Grosso, was a Servant, who did not belong to the Land, but immediately to the Person of the Lord: So, an Advowson in Gross, is a Right of Patronage not annexed to the Fee or Manor, but belonging to the Patron himself, distinct from the Manor. See Advoson, Villian, &c.
Gross-Weight is the Weight of Merchandizes, and Goods with their Dust and Dross, as also of the Bag, Cask, Chest, &c. wherein they are contained; out of which Gross-Weight, Allowance is to be made for Tare and Tret. See Taré and Tret.
GROTESQUE, or Grotesk, or Grottesuqe, a wild whimsical Figure of a Painter, or Engraver; having something ridiculous, extravagant, and even monstrous in it.
The Name arises hence, that Figures of this kind were antiently much used to adorn the Grotto's wherein the Tombs of eminent Persons, or Families were inclosed. Such was that of Ovid, whole Grotto was discover'd near Rome about 50 Years ago. See Grotto.
Calot a celebrated Engraver of Lorrain, had a wonderful Genius for designing Grotesques: the (illegible text) of Leonardo da Vinci.
We also extend the Word to any Thing whimsical, or wildly pleasant, in a Person's Dress, Discourse, c.—Malsuerade Habits are the more valued, the more Grotesque they are: Our Theatres present us with Entertainments in Grotesque Characters, i. e. Persons quaintly dress'd; as Harlequins, Scaramouches, &c.
Planudes has given us a very Grotesk Picture of Æsop: Ariosto and the Italian Poets are full of Grotesque Descriptions.
Grotesque-Work, Grotesk-Work, or Grottesco, is a Work or Composition in Painting, and Sculpture, in the Grotesque Manner or Taste; consisting either of Things which are merely imaginary, and have no Existence in Nature, or of Things turn'd and distorted out of the way of Nature,so as to raise Surprize and Ridicule.
Grotefque-Work is the same with what we sometimes call Antique. See Antique. See also Moresque.
Grotesques, or Ggrotesks, are particularly used for little fanciful Ornaments, of Animals, compounded with Foliages, Fruit, &c, Such are those painted by Raphael in the Apartments of the Vatican; and those carved by Michael Angelo in the Ceilings of the Portico of the Capitol.
Vitruvius calls Compartments of this kind Harpagenituli.
GROTTO, or Grotta, in natural Hifsory, a large deep Cavern or Den in a Mountain or Rock. See Stone.
The antient Anchorites retired into Dens, and Grotto's, to apply themselves the more attentively to Meditation, &c. See Anchorite, Hermit, &c.
In Grottos are frequently found Crystals of the Rock, Stalactites, and other natural Conglaciations; see Crystal, Stalactites, Petrifaction, &c.
The Word is Italian, Grotta, form'd according to Menage, &c. from the Latin Crypta. Du Cange oblerves, that Grota was used in the corrupt Latin.
M. Homberg conjectures, from several Circumstances,that the Marble Pillars in the Grotto of Antiparos, vegitate or grow.
That Author looks on this Grotto as a Garden, whereof the Pieces of Marble are the Plants; and endeavours to shew that they could only be produced by some vegetative Principles. Memdel. Acad. Anno 1702.
At Foligno in Italy, is another Grotto, consisting of Pillars and Orders of Architecture of Marble, with their Ornanaments, &c. scarce inferior to those of Art, but they all grow downwards: So that if this too be a Garden, the Plants are turn'd upside down. Memdel. Acad. Anno 1711.
The Zirchnitzer-Sea, or Lake, in Carniola, famous for being full of Water, Fish, &c. the best part of the Year, and quite dry, and bearing Grass, Corn, &c. the rest; proceeds from some subterraneous Grotto or Lake; as is made highly probable by Mr. Valvajer; Philosoph. Trans. No 191.
We have several Grotto's famous in Natural History; as, Grotta dei Cane, a little Cavern near Puzzuoli, four Leagues from Naples, the Steams whereof are of a mephitical or noxious Quality; whence also it is called Bocca Venenosa, the poisonous Mouth. See Mephites.
Two Miles from Naples, days Dr. Mead, just by the Lago d'Agnano is a celebrated Mofeta, commonly called La Grottade
