SER
ManvfaSure of London Serges.
t&l
SER
For Wooll, the longeft is chofen for the Warp; and the fhorteft for the Woof. E'er either Kind is ufed 'tis firft fcour'd, by putting it in a Copper of Liquor, iome- ivhat more than luke-warm, compofed of three Quarters ot fair Water, and one of Urme. After having ftay'd long enough therein to diffolve, and take off the Greale, Ejfa 'tis llirred briskly about with a Wooden Feel ; taken out of the Liquor ; drain'd, and walh'd in a running Water; dried in the Shade; beaten with Sticks on a Wooden Rack, to drive out the coarfer Duft and Filth ; and then picked clean with the Hands Thus far prepared, 'tis greafed with Oil of Olives, and the longeft Part, deftined for the Warp, combed with large Combs, heated in a little Furnace for the Purpofe. To clear off the Oil again, the Wooll is put in a Liquor com- pofed of hot Water, with Soap melted therein : Whence being taken out, wrung, and dried, 'tis fpun on the Wheel. As to the fhorter Wooll, intended for the Woof, 'tis only carded on the Knee, with finall fine Cards, then fpun on the Wheel, without being Icoured of its Oil. Note, The Thread for the Warp is always to be fpun much finer, and better twifted, than that of the Woof.
The Wooll, both for the Warp, and the Woof, being fpun, and the Thread divided into Skains ; that of the Woof isput on SpooIs(unlels it have been fpun upon them) fit for the Cavity or Eye of the Shuttle ; and that for the Warp wound on a Kind of Wooden Bobins, to fit it for Warping: When warp'd, 'tis ftiffen'd with a Kind of Size, whereof, that made of the Shreds of Parchment is held the bell ; and when dry, is put on the Loom.
When mounted on the Loom ; the Workman raifing and falling the Threads (which are pafs'd through a Reed) by means of four Steps placed underneath the Loom, which he makes to ail tranfverfly, equally, and alternately, one after another, with his Feet, in Propor- tion as the Threads are railed and lowered, throws the Shuttle acrofs from one Side to the other; and each Time that the. Shuttle is thrown, and the Thread of the Woof crofs'd between thofe of the Warp, ftrikes ir with the Frame to which the Reed is fattened through whofe Teeth the Threads of the Warp pals ; and this Stroke he repeats twice, or thrice, or even more, till he judges the Croffing of the Serge fufficientiy clofe : Thus he pro- ceeds, till the Warp is all filled with Woof. . The Serge now taken off the Loom is carried to the Fuller, who fulls, or fcours it, in the Trough of his Mill, with a Kind of fat Earth, for the Purpofe, firft purged of all Stones and Filth. After three or four Hours lcour- ing, the Fuller's Earth is warned out in fair Water, brought, by little and little, into the Trough, out of which it is taken when all the Eatth is cleared : Then, with a Kind of Iron Pinchers, or Plyers, they pull off all the Knots, Ends, Straws, Fjc. flicking out on the Surface, on either Side : Then return it into the Fulling Trough, where 'tis work'd with Water fomewhat more than luke- warm, with Soap diffolved therein ; for near two Hours. 'Tis then wafh'd out, till fuch Time as the Water be- comes quite clear, and there be no Signs of Soap left : Then 'tis taken out of the Trough, the Knots, {£c. pull'd off, and then put on the Tenter to dry, taking Care, as faft as it dries, to ftretch it out both in Length and Breadth, till it be brought to its juft Dimenfions. When well dried, 'tis taken off the Tenter, Died, Shorn, andPreffed. See Dying, Presssing, and Sheering.
SERGEANT, a Term in our Law, applied to fundty Offices. As a Sergeant at La:v, or of the Coif is the greateft Degree taken in that Profeffion ; as that of a Doftor is in the Civil Law. As they arc the moft Learned and Experienced, there is one Court appropriated to plead in by themfelves, which is the Common-Pleas, where the Common Law of England is moft ftrialy oMerv'd; but they are not prohibited pleading in other Courts, where the Judges (who mult firft be Sergeants') «ll them Brothers. They are called by the King's Man- date, or Writ, direfled to them; commanding them, under a great Penalty, to take upon them that Degree, °y a Day affigned. Out of thefe, one is made the £'"g s Sergeant (more may be) to plead for him in all La "&s, efpecially Treafon.
The Sergeants were anciently call»d Seriiientes ad, Le- &>*, and Servientes Narratores : Mr. Selden adds, That
ney „ ere al( - caned 2)o£fcres Legis ; though others are Opinion, t hat the Tudaes are, more properly, the
- r .... u „, ma. mc Judges are, more properly, the
f'fres Legis, and the Sergeants^ Batchelors of Law.
rich l obft " es ' That however a Sergeant may be
. »« than all the Doctors of the Commons, yet a Doftor
"Perior in Degree to a Sergeant; for the very Name
when they plead; but the Se^ntsll d ^STS the Bar, excepting for their Coif.
Traitors ■#. and !^ofc&*&&^°£% attend the Lord High-Stewatd, when he fite m Jud* ment on any Traitor There are now Eight at Courf. at too I. fer Ann. Salary each : They a?e called the Kings Sergeants at Arms, to diftinguifh them from others: They are created w .th great Ceremony ; the Per- fon kneeling beiore the King, his Majelty lays the Mace °lt„ R'g"' Shoulder and fays, gifi \p, Sergeant at Arms, and Efamre, for ever. They have, befides, a Patent for the Office, which they hold for Life. They have their Attendance in the Prefence-Chamber, where the Band ot Gentlemen Penfioners wait, and receiving
^Vk"VA ¥°%', a "y thc Maces before him to
theChapel-Door, whilft the Band of Penfioners {land fore- moft, and make a Lane for the King, as they alfo do when the King goes to fhefioufe of Lords. There are likewile Four others created in the fame Manner ; One, who attends the Lord Chancellor; a Second, the Lord Treafurer; a Third, the Speaker of the Houfe of Commons, and a Fourth attending the City of London. They have a conflderable Share of the Fees of Honour, and travelling Charges allowed them, when in waiting, viz. Five Shillings fer Day, when the Court is within I en Miles of London, and Ten Shillings when Twenty Miles off London : They are in the Lord Chamberlain's
Sergeant, in War, an inferior Officer of Foot, in each Company, arm'd with a Hallbard, and appointed "■uporSfe 1 ^' '° form R anks, and Files, Sfc.
SERGEANTY a Service antiently due to the King for the Tenure or Ho d,ng of Lands ; and which could not be due to any other Lord. 'Tis divided into Grand and -Petty Sergeanty. Grand Sergeant); is where one holds Land of the King by Service which he ought to do in his owri Ferion ; as to bear the King's Banner, Spear, £<?« Petty Sergeanty is where a Man holds Land of the King, to yield him yearly tome fmall Thing toward his Wars; as a Sword, Dagger, Bow, Spurs, (gc.
Coke, on Littleton, tells us. That Sir Richard, Rockejly held Lands at Seaton, by Sergeanty-, to be Vantrarius Regis, i. e. The King's Fore-footman, when he went into Gajcoign, till he had worn out a Pair of Shooes of the Price of Four-Pence. By the Statute, i 2 Car. II. all Tenutes of any Honours, Manors, Lands, fjc. are turn'd into Free and Common Soccage ; but the Honorary Ser- vices of Grand Sergeanty are thereby continued ' _ SERIES, a continued Rank or Succeflion of" Things, in the lame Order, and which have fome Relation or Con- nexion with each other. Medals are formed into
Series, both witn Regard to the Metal, and to the Sub- je3. The different Metals of Medals, form three diffe- rent 5iTOS, in the Cabinets of the Curious; we mean, as to the Order, and Arrangement, of the feveral Medals. The Gold Series, forlnftance, of Imperials, amounts to about iooo or 1200; that of Silver may amount to qo oo ; and that ot Copper, in all the three Sizes, Great, Mean, and Little, to 6 or 7000. Of thefe, the Series ; of Mid- dle Copper is the moft compleat and eafily found as it may be brought down to the Fall of the Empire in the Well, and the Time of the Paleogi in the Eaft. As to the Antique, the Series of Medals are ufually formed from the Side called the Head. In the Firft Clafs, is d.fpoled the Series of Kings ; in the Second, that of Greek and Latin Cities; in the Third, the Roman Conlular Families ; in the Fourth, the Imperial ; in the Fifth, the Deities : To which may be added a Sixth Series, confiding of Medals of illuftrious Perfons. There are alfo Series of Modern Medals ; That of the Popes only commences from Martin V. in 1430. From that Time we have a Series of Papal Medals, tolerably corn- pleat to the Number of s or 600. One might like- wile have a Series of Emperors from Charle main ; pro- vided one took in the current Coins : But, in Strictnefs, we commonly commence with Frederick II. in 1463. The Series of the Kings of France is the moft nume- rous and moft confiderable of all the Modern Kings.
Series, in Algebra, a Rank or Progreffion of Quanti- ties increafing or decreafing in fome confta'nt Ratio $ which, in its Progrefs, approaching ftill nearer and nearer fome fought Value, is called a Converfmg Series, and if infinitely continued, becomes equal to that Quan- tity; whence its ufual Appellation of Infinite Series: Thus r } J r, I, $ 4i fjc. make a Series, which al- ways converges, or approaches, to the Value of 1, anl infinitely continued, becomes equal thereto. See Is-
flNITE.
Th.s
