T A L
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T A L
Kinds of Talifman!. The Aftronomical, which are known by the Signs, or Conftellarions of the Heavens engraven thereon, w?th other Figures, and fome unintelligible Cha- raflers. The Magical, which bear very extraordinary Figures, with fupcrftitious" Words and Names of Angels unheard of. And the Mixr, which confifl of Signs and barbarous Words, but have no fuperftitious ones, or Names of Angels.
Some Rabbins have maintained, that the Brazen Serpent, rais'd by Mofes in the Wildemefi, for the Deftruaion of the Serpents that annoy'd the Ifraelite!, was a Talifman.
All the miraculous Things wrought by ApMomin Tyeinem, are attributed to the Virtue and Influence of Talifman! : That Wizard is even faid to have been the Inventor of Talifman!.
Some Authors take feveral Runic Medals, at leafl Medals whc-fe Infcriptions are in Runic Charafters, tor Talifman! ; jt being notorious, that the Northern Nations, in their heathen State, were much devoted thereto.
M. Keder, however, has fhewn, that the Medals hete fpoke ot are quite otherguife Things than Talifman!. See Runic. .
The Word Is ym-e Arabic ; though Menage thinks it may come from the Greek T.ki<riuL, Confervation : 'Morel fays, 'tis Terfian, and fignifies, literally an engraven Conflellation. 2)u Cange derives it a Talamacis Uteri!, which are myftcrious Characters, or Cyphers ufed by Sorcerers ; thus call'd from Talamafca, a Fantom, or Illufion.
TALKING. See Speaking, Speech and Voice.
TALLAGE, a certain Rate, according to which, Barons and Knights were anciently tax'd by the King towards the Expences of the State ; and inferior Tenants by their Lords, on certain Occasions. See Tax.
This latter Tallage of the cuftomaty Tenants, was fome- times fix'd, and certain; and fometimes at the Pleafure of the Lord ; and was alio fometimes compounded for. See Subsidy.
Tallage! were anciently call'd Cutting!; which Name is Hill rctain'd in Ireland, tho' in a different Significa- tion.
Tallage, fays Sir Ed. Coke, is a general Name including all Taxes. See Tax.
TALLY, or TAIL, (from the French, tailler, to cut,) a Piece of Wood, whereon retail Traders ufe to fcnre or mark, by Notches or Incifions, the feveral Quantities of Goods they deliver out on Credit ; to lave the Trouble of Writing down lb many little Articles in Books. See Tail.
Each Score confifls of two Pieces of Wood, or rather of a fingle Piece cleft length-wife, the Parts whereof falling in with' one another, the Things deliver'd are fcored on both at the lame time ; the Seller keeping one, and the Buyer the other. Tallie! are taken as Evidences in Courts of Juftice, as much as Books.
The ancient Way of keeping all Accounts was by Talhe! ; the Debtor ilili keeping one Part, and the Creditor the other.
There are three Kinds of Tallie!, mehtion'd in our Sta- tutes, and long ufed in the Exchequer.
The firft, Tallies of Loam; one Part whereof is kept in the Exchequer, and the other Part given to particular Per- fons, in lieu of an Obligation for the Monies they have lent to the Government on Acts of Parliament. See Loan.
This laft Parr is call'd the Stock, and the former the Counter-flock, or Counter-tail.
The Tallie! are number'd, bear the Perfon's Name, and the Sum lent : Thus we fay, The Tallie!, N° have been paid, difcharg'd : Tallie! are rifen, fallen 4, 5, SfJr.
The fecond are, Tallies, or Tailes of T)ebt ; which are a kind of Acquittances for Debts paid the King.
E.gr. the Univerfity of Cambridge pays yearly 10 Lib. for iu'ch Things as are by Charter granted them in Fee-Farm. He that pays this, receives a Tail, or Tally for his Dif- . charge, with which, or a Note of it, he repairs to the Clerk of the Pipe; and there for the Tally receives a full Difcharge on Parchment.
The other are, Tallies of Reward, or Allowance, made to Sheriffs, for f'uch Matters as (to their Charge) they have performed in their Office, or fuch Money as is by Courfe caft on them in their Accounts, but which they cannot levy.
TALLOW, a Sort of Fat of Animals, melted down, and darity'd. See Fat.
There are fcarce any Animals, but a Sort of Tallow may be prepar'd from ; but thole which yield the molt, and whereof the molt Ufe is made, are the Florfe, Bullock, Sheep, Hog, Goat, Deer, Bear, and Viper. Some of which Tallows, or Fats, are only ufed in Medicine. See Axunoia. .
Moft of the reft are ufed in the making of Soap ; the dreffing of Leather ; but chiefly in the making of Candles. See Soap, Currying, tSe.
For Candles, the bell Competition is half Sheeps Tallow, and half Cows or Bullocks Tallow, without any Mixture of other kinds of Fat, which only ferve to turn rhe Candles yellow, make them run, and fpoil the Cleaniefs of their Light. See Candle.
TALtow-rW, in China, is a Tree growing in great Plen- ty in that Country, which produces a Subftance like our Tallow, and ferving for the fame Purpofe.
'Tis about the Height of a Cherry-Tree ; its Leaves in Form of a Heart, of a deep, filming, red Colour, and its Bark very fmooth. Its Fruir is inclos'd in a kind of Pod, or Cover, like a Chefnut, and confifls of three round white Grains, of the Size and Form of a fmall Nut, each having its peculiar Capfula, and within, a little Stone.
This Stone is encompats'd with a white Pulp, which has all the Properties of true Tallow, both as to Confiftence, Colour, and even Smell : And accordingly the Chinefe make their Candles of it ; which would, doubtlefs, be as good* as thofe in Europe, if they knew how to purify their Vegeta- ble Tallow, as well as we do our Animal Tallow.
All the Preparation they give it, is to mix a little Oil with it, to make it fbfter, and more pliant. 'Tis true their Candles made of it yield a thicker Smoak, and a dimmer Light, than ours ; but thofe Defects are owing, in great meature, to the Wicks, which are not of Cotton, but only a little Rod, or Switch of dry light Wood, cover'd with the Pith of a Rufli, wound round it ; which being very porous, ferves to filtrate the infenfible Parts of the Tallow, at- tracted by the burning Stick, which by this Means is kept alive.
TALMUD, or, rather, THALMUD, a Book, wherein the Jew! have collected what relates to the Explication of their Law.
The Thalmui, is the Body of the Hebrew Law, and of Expofitions of the Duties impos'd on that People, either in Scripture, or by Tradition, or by Authority of their Docfcws, or by Cuflom, or even by Superftition ; and, to fpeak more plainly ftill, the Courfe of Cafes of Confidence, or of mo- ral Theology, wherein the Duties are explain'd, and the Doubts ckar'd, not by Reafoning, but generally by Autho- rity, by the Cuflom of the Nation, and by the Decifions of the moft approv'd of ancient Doctors.
This Thalmud confifls of two general Parts ; the one call'd the Mifchna, the other the Gemara; which fecond Part is alfo frequently call'd abfolutely the Thalmud, the general Name of the whole Work. See Mischna and Gemara.
The 7e«'5 divide their Law into Written, which is that contain'd in the Books of Mofe! ; and Unwritten, which is that convey'd by Tradition. This latter is, in Effect, no other than a Glofs or Interpretation of the former, given by the ancient Rabbins. See Tradition and Rabbin.
The Thalmud, then, contains the Traditions of the Jew!, their Polity, their Doctrine, and their Ceremonies; which they obferve as religioufly as the Law of God itfelf: They would never put it in Writing till the^t were compell'd to it by the Deftrucf ion of Jerufalem, and till they faw them- felves difpers'd throughout the World.
They had two famous Schools-; the one at 'Babylon, and the other at Jerufalem : In thefe they made two feveral Collections of 'thofe Traditions, the firlt at Jerufalem, the latter at "Babylon ; but both call'd Thalmud, and both ex- ceedingly reverenc'd, efpecially the Babylonian, tho' full of Extravagances.
It was compiled by the Jews of Mefofotamia, about joo Tears after Chrift.
The Thalmud of Jerufalem is the lead efteem'd. It was compiled by the Jew! of that City 300 Years after Chrift.
The Babylonian Thalmud confifls of two Parts, the one the Text, the othet the Comment : The Comment, call'd the Gemara, contains the Decifions of the Jewifi Doctors, and rheir Expofitions of the Text. This we find fluffed with Dreams and Chima!ra's ; a deal of Ignorance, and a world ot impertinent Deputations : The Stile very coarfe. On the contrary, the Text, call'd the Mifchna, is wrote in a pretty pure Style, and the Reafonings generally much more folid.
The Jew! pretend it was compos'd by Rabbi Juda, fur- nam'd the Saint ; and that God reveal'd ro him the Doit rine and the chief Myfleries thereof. But this is only to be underftood of the Mifchna, not of the Gemara, the Compi- lation whereof was not begun till the Vlth Century after the Deftruaion of the fecond Temple.
Rabbi Juda is faid to have compos'd the Mifchna under the Empire of Antoninus, in the lid Century ; but they don't all agree about this Antiquity, fbme carrying it back niuch further.
'Tis the Thalmud of Babylon that is ufually read, and that is the moft confulted among the Jew!; fo that when they fay fimply the Thalmud, they always mean this ; never quoting the other without the Addition of Jerufalem.
Rabbi Mofe!, Son of Maiemon, has made an Abridgement of the Thalmud, which Scaliger prefers to rhe Thalmui itfelf- as being purp'd of many of the Fables wherewirh the other is full. 'Tis a Svflem of the Laws and Cuftoms of the Jews, both their Civil and rheir Canon Law, and the belt of their Traditions,
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