LAM
(428 )
LAN
it fpends, and Co clears the Paftage of that little Aperture. This Kind of Lamp has become much in Ufe within thefe twenty or thirty Years ; but it has feveral Inconve- niences, as that the Air gets into it by Starrs and Gluts ; and that when the Air in the Cavity comes to be much rarefied by Heat, it drives out too much Oil, fo as fome- times to extinguish the Lamp. Dr. Hook and Mr. Boyle have invented other Lamps that have all the Conveni- ences of Cardan's, without the Inconveniences. See fome Improvements in the Doctrine of Lamps under "Mirror,
LAMPADARY, an Officer in the antient Church of Cenfiantittople. His Bufinefs was to fee the Church well lighted, and he bore a Taper before the Emperor, the Emprefs, and the Patriarch, when they went to Church, or in Prcceffion. The Taper born before the Emperor was incompaffed with various Circles of Gold in manner of Crowns, thofe held before the Emprefs and Patriarch had but one. It feems they were of emblematical Ufe, and were intended io keep thofe great Perfons in mind, that their Light was to illumine thofe underneath them. See the Greek Euchology, Balfamon, &c.
There were alfo Lampadaries in the Emperor's Palaces ; at firft the Privilege was only granted to the Great Officers of rhe Crown, and the Chief Magistrates, but afterwards the Emperor allowed it toother inferior Officers, as Que- ftors,Treafurers, &c. Together with the Taper, they bore before the Magistrates the Emperor's Image, &c. On which account, 'tis probable, they were firft permitted to have a Lampadary. The word is formed from the Latin, Lam/waLamp.
LAMPADIAS is a kind of bearded Comet, refembling a burning Lamp, tho' of feveral Shapes; for fome- times its Flame or Blaze runs tapering upward like a Sword, and fometimes is double or triple pointed.
LAMPERS, is a kind of Swelling in the Mouth of an Horfe, fo called becaufe it is cured by burning with a Lamp, or an hot Iron : it proceeds from abundance of Blood reforring to the fir 11 Furrow of the Mouth, near the Fore-teeth, that caufes the faid Furrow to fwell as high as his Gathers, which will hinder his feeding, and makes him let his Meat fall half chewed out of his Mouth again. It is a natural Infirmity which every Horfe has firft or laft, and every common Smith can cure.
LAMPETlANS.a Sect of antient Hereticks who fell in with fome of the Opinions of the Arians. Their Foun- der Lampet'ms is faid to have been one of the Chiefs of the Jvlarcionites. They condemn'd all Kind of Vows, parti- cularly that of Obedience, as inconiillent with the Liberty of the Sons of God.
LAMPROPHORUS, a Name antiently given to the Neophytes during the feven Days that fucceeded their Bap- tifm. In the Ceremony of Baptifm the new Chriftian was cloath'd with a white Robe, which he wore for the Week following, and was thence call'd Lamfrophorus, which fignifies a Perfon wearing a fhining Garment, from AetfATT^f and p4?(u, I carry. The Greeks alfo give this Name to the Day of the Refurreclion, in regard their Houfes were adorned and illumined on this Day with an infinite Number of Torches as a Symbol of the Light which that Myftery diffufed in the World.
LANAR. Sec Lamer,
LANCE, an offenfive Weapon, bore by the ancient Cavaliers in form of a half Pike. It confided of three Parts, the Handle, the Wings, and the Dart. Tl'my at- tributes the Invention of Lances to the Etolians. Varro and Aldus Gellius fay ■, the Word Lance is Spaniff ; whenceothers conclude the Ufe of this Weapon was borrow 'd by the People of Italy from the Spaniards. Viodorus Siculus derives it from the Gauhfi, and Fefius from the Greek Xov^n ; Tczron from the Celtic, and fiorell from the Hebrew.
LANCETI, a Name given by the antient Laws of Eng- land to a kind ofVaffalswho were obliged to work for their Lord one Day in a Week from Michaelmas to Autumn, cither with Fork, Spade, or Flail, at the Option of the Lord.
LANCETTE, is a Chirurgeon's little Knife, ftreight- pointed, two edged, ufed in opening Veins, £j?c,
LANDAU, a Tree in the Molucca's, whereof the Na- tives make their Bread. When it is fell'd they cleave it into two in the Middle, and dig out the Pith, which is even eatable when it comes frefh out of the Tree. They chop it very fmalt, nil fu;h time as it is reduced into a kind of Powder fomewhat like Meal. This done, they put it in a Scarce made of the Bark of the fame Tree, and place rhe Scarce over a Ciftern made of its Leaves, pouring Water upon it, and by this means feparating the pure Part of the Powder from the Veins of Wood where- with the Pirh abounds. The Flower thus filtrated, they call Sagu ; they make it into Pafie, and bake it in earthen Furnaces ; and this they do with fo much Expedition, that in three or four hours a Man makes as much Bread
as will feed an hundred Perfons a day. From the fame Tree they draw a Liquor as agreeable to drink as our Wines. The Leaves, when they are young, are cover'd with a kind of Cotton, whereof they make their Cloth, and as they grow older they ferve them to tile their Houfes. The larger Veins of thefe Leaves ferve 'em for Stakes in building ; and of the fmaller they make a kind of Hemp, wherewith they make very good Ropes.
LAND-CHEAP, is an antient cuftomary Fine paid ei- ther in Cattle or Money, upon the alienating or Idling of Land in fome particular Mannor, or within the Liberty of fome Borough ; as at Maiden in Lffex, a Payment is ltill made of 15^. in every Mark of the Purchafe- Money, for certain Lands and Houfes fold in that Town.
LAND- FALL, is a Sea-Term, fignifying to fall in with the Land. Thus when a Ship out at Sea expects to fee Land in a little time, and it fo happens that /he doth, they fay they have made a good Land-fall.
LAND-GABLE, an antient Term for a Tax or Rent iffuing out of Land.
LAND-LOCKED. A Ship is faid to ride Land-locked, when /he is at Anchor in fuch a Place where there is no Point open to the Sea, fo that /he is fafe from rhe Vio- lence of Winds and Tides.
LANDSKIP, or Landfcbape, the View or Profpect of a Country, extended as tar as the Eye will carry. Land- skips in Painting, are Pieces reprefenting fome Champaign or Rural Subject, as Hills, Vales, Rivers, Country Hou- fes, ££c. where human Figures are only introduced as Accidents or Circumilances. This is efleemed one of the loweft Branches of Painting.
LANGREL SHOT, is a fort of Shot ufed at Sea; it is made of two Bars of Iron, with a Joint in the Middle, by which means it can be /hortened, and fo put the better into the Gun ; and at each End there is an half Bullet either of Lead or Iron. When it is difcharged, it flies out at length, and is of ufe to cut the Enemies Rigging, &c.
LANGUAGE, a Set of Words which any People have agreed upon, in order to communicate their Thoughts to each other. The firft Principles of all La?tguages, F, Buffer obferves, may be reduced to Expreffions fignifying, i/f, The Subject fpoke of. utfy, The Thing affirmed of it. %dly. The Circumftances of the one and the other : But as each Language has its particular Ways of expreffing each of thefe; Languages art only to be looked on as an AfTemblage of Expreffions, which Chance or Caprice has eftabli/hed among a certain People, juft as we look on the Mode of Drefting, &c. 'Tis Ufe and Cuftom is the Rule of a Language, and thefe hold their Empire inde- pendent of Reafon or any other Caufe : Nor has Rcafon any thing to do in Language, unlefs to ftudy or teach it, fuch as it is : Here then commences Grammar; ajuft Plan of which, fuppofes a Language already introduced by Ufe, and without pretending to alter or amend a tittle, only furni/hes Reflections, call'd Rules, to which the Man- ners of fpeaking ufed in that Language can be redu- ced ; which AfTemblage of Reflections is what we call the Grammar of that Language. This Remark may obviate an Abufe introduced among Grammarians, who are ever crying out, Ufe is in this Fvint oppojite to Grammar, or the Language here frees itfelf from the Rules of Grammar,
'Tis Chance then to which we owe Ufage and Ufage that makes the Rules and Meafures of a Language. Ufe in- deed is fomewhat dubious, and may be divided into good and bad : If 'tis ask'd wherein the difference between thefe lies ; 'tis in this, that the one is better eftabli/hed or authorized than the other: And if it be ask'd wherein that Difference of Authority confifts, 'tis anfwer'd, that in dead Languages, that which makes the good Ufe is the Writings of the beft Authors in that Language .- And if it be further queftioned, which are the beft; thofe are allow'd fuch who wrote when that Srate was in its greateft Glory. Thus the Age ofAugttflus being the moft diftingui/hed by great Men who then fiouriih'd, we call that good Latin which is conformable to the Manners of Speaking ufed by Au- thors who wrote fifty Years before, and fifty after the Reign of that Emperor. As to the living Languages, their good Ufe, or their Mode, is derived from the Ex- preffions ufed by the moft eminent Perfons among that People ; whether as to Quality and Authority, or as to Learning and the Reputation of writing well. With this View M. Vaugelas defines the Ufe of a Language, The Manner of Speaking ufed by the beft Part of the Court, conformably to the Manner of Writing among the beft Part of the Authors of the Time. But this Definition, how judicious foever, may occafion Infinite doubt ; for which is to be deem'd the beft Part of rhe Court and of the Writers? Each Party doubtlefs thinks itfelf the beft. F. Buffer, therefore, very juftly, in- ftead of the beft Part fubftitutes the greateft Part, which brings the Matter to a Certainty; the moft nume- rous
