Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/340

 BLO

i C D is move peculiarly ufed by the akhemiits for the tincture of a thing.

In which fenfe we meet with blood of mercury, denoting the tincture of it; dragons blood, denoting the tindure of anti- mony. Blood of ihe philofphers, in the hermetic art, denotes a mercu- rial fpirit, inherent in all metals, but chiefly in gold andfilver. Cofi. loc cit.

Salamanders Blood, fignifies the rednefs remaining in the re- ceiver, after diftilhng the fpirit of nitre.

Blood, or fangnis v.ri rujfi, denotes the fulphur ofmarcafite. Cajl. loc. cit.

Proas of the Blood, in France, are thofe defcended from the blood royal. The antient heroes were all fuppofed to be iftued from the blood of the gods. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 4. p. i486.

Avenger of Blood, among the Jews, was the next of kin to the perfon murdered, who was to purfue the murderer. Calm. Diet. Hibl. T. 1. p. 314.

EcclefiafUcal judges retire, when judgment is to be given in cafes of blood, by reafon the church is fuppofed to abhor blood : it condemns no perfon to deatli ; and its members become ir- regular, or difablcd from their functions, by the effufion of blood. Vid. Bwgh. Orig. Ecclef. 1. 2. c. 7. §. 4. Item, 1. 17. c. 5. §. 34.

Blood is alfo ufed in middle- age writers for fupreme jurifdic- tion, excrcifed by the lord of the fee, hi cafes where blood is fpilt.

This is alfo called judgment of blood, jujlicc of blood, fomctimes cognizance of blood. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. T. 4. p. 69ft. voc. fanguis.

Blood, in farriery, denotes a diftemper in cattle*s backs, which makes them in going draw their heads afide, or after them: the cure is by flitting the length of two joints under the tail, and thus letting the beaft bleed plentifully. If he bleed too much, they knit his tail next the body, and then bind fait and nettles bruifed on the part. Diet. Ruft. T. 1. in voc.

Blood running-itch, is a fpecies of itch in a horfe, proceeding from an inflammation of the blood by over heating, hard riding, or other fore labour; which, getting between the fkin and fh'fh, makes the beaft rub and bite himfelf; and, if let alone, fometimes turns to a grievous mange, highly infectious to all nighhim. Diet. Ruft. T. 1. mxot.

Precious Blood, a denomination given 'to a reformed congre- gation of Bernardin nuns at Paris, firft eftablifhed under that name in 1661. Helyot. Hift. Ord. Monaft. P. 4. c. 43. T. 5. p. 447. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 1. p. 1487.

field of Blood, «^©- a^oCfSh, in Syrlac accldama, was afield pur- chafed by the Jews, with the thirty pieces of filver, which had been given to Judas for betraying his mafter, and which he had reftored.

It ftill ferves for a burial-ground, in which all pilgrims, who die in their pilgrimage at Jerufdem, are interred. Heder. SchuJ. Lex. p. 560. voc. bhtt-a~ker.

Blood Jlonc, among naturalifts, the lapis hecmatites. See He- matites.

Blood veffch, in anatomy, ufually include only the veins and arteries ; tho', in a larger fenfe, all the veffels in the body, as the nerves, lymphatics, &c. to the very hair, may be com- prehended under the denomination.

Mr. Boyle obferved an actual blood vefl'el, and full of red blood in the middle of a nerve. Vid. 'Boyle, Phil. Work. abr. T. 1. p. 173 Sec Nervt-, Cycl. and Suppl.

in the plica polonica, each hair is fcnfibly a blood veftel ; and, when cut, will bleed like a fmall vein. Id. ibid. p. 449. See Plica, Cycl.

J]*. ou u-jhaL'. See H.-emorrhus.

Blood-wIIc, in antient law writers, fignifics blood, and a cufto- mary amercement paid as a compofition for the (bedding or drawingof blood. ' Vid. Leg. Hen I. c. 39. Du Cange, GIoiT. Lat. T. T. P- 573. Kcnn. GlofT. ad Parcch. Antiq in voc. Spe.'m. Glofl" p. 38. Skene de Verb. Signif. p. 21. Skim. Etym. voc. forexs. Cowd Interpr. in voc. The word is alfo written blodwitc, blodwiia, blodwyta^ blood- wit, blochvit and bloudwit, bluidweii.

It is formed from the antient Saxon blucl, blood, and vite, or write, a fine or penalty.

BhOO'D-wzte alfo denotes a privilege or exemption from this pe- nalty, granted by the king to certain perfens and communi- ties, as a fpecial favour. Fleta. 1. 1. c. 47. Du Cange, loc. cit. Kcnn. loc. cit. Sfetm. ubi fupr.

King Henry II. granted to all tenants within the honour of Wallingford— Ut qmetijint de hidagio & blodwite C5" bredivite. Kent?. Paroch. Antiq p. 114.

Bhooo-ivort, in botany. See Sangtjinaria.

BLOODY (Cycl.) — Bloody crime, fangidneum crimen^ in writers of the middle and barbarous age, that which is punifhed with the blood, or life of the offender. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. T. 4. p. 698. \Qc._fanguinsum.

Bloody flux — Boccone tells us, that the plant called fephia chirurgoruni, and by us Jtise weed, that is, flux herb, is a cer- tain cure for this difeafe. He fays, however, that it muft only be given in an infufion in wine from the whole plant ; for that if it be bruifed, or beaten to powder, it does not fuc- cecd.

BLO

BLOOM, (Cycl.) in the iron-works, a term ufed by the miners for a four fquare mafs of hammered iron, of about two foot long, and three quarters of a hundred weight, made from part of a fow of caft iron. The bloom, however, is notyet become iron fit for the fmith's ufe, hut muft undergo many hammer- ings firft, and be firft made what they call the ancony. Rays Englifh Words, p. 128. See the article Ancony.

BLOSSOM, in a general fenfe, denotes the flower of any plant. See the article Flower.

Blossom, in a more proper fenfe, is reftrained to the flowers of trees, which they put forth in the fpring, as the forerunners of their fruit, otherwife called their bloom. Bradl. Lex. Bot. in voc.

The office of the bhffom is partly to protect', and partly to draw nourishment to the embryo fruit, or feed. Hales's Veget. Stat. c.j. Phil. Tranf. N° 399. p. 329.

As eflential as bloffoms may fecm to be to fruits, being, ac- cording to Malpighi, both the uterus, and the egg, or fcetus of the plant ° ; yet we are told of trees bearing fruit without blof foms b, as was done by the mapple-tree in New England, mentioned by Mr. Dudley, and is always done by the polo- nic tree in China, which, according to Kircher's relation, produces its fruit immediately from the flock, without the in- tervention of any bloffoms c. — [ a Phil. Tranf. N° 117. p. 405. b Phil. Tranf. *N» 385. p. 199. c Kirch. Chin. Illuftr. ap. Phil. Tranf. N* 26. p. 486.]

In fome plants the male and female parts of generation are re- mote from each other ; e. gr. in the gourd pumpkin, melon, cucumber, and all of that race ; to which may be added the nut bearing, and perhaps moft .bearing trees, which have all bloffoms distinctly, male and female, on the fame plant. The male bloffoms^ called alfo catkins, may be diiringuifhed from the others, in that they have not any piftil, or rudiment of fruit about then, but have only a large thrum, covered with dull in their middle. See Catkins, Cycl. The female bloljom has a piftil within the petala, or flower leaves, and the rudiments of their fruit is always apparent at the bottom of the flower before it opens.

Some forts of willows appear to change their fex every year, and produce only male bloffoms, or catkins, one year j and the year following firings of female bloffoms, which, if they bap- pen to be near enough fome flowering male, will produce feed, not much unlike thofe of an apocinum. Bradl. New Improv. Gard. P. 1. p. j6. feq.

Blossom is alfo ufed in the manege for the colour of a horfe, which has his hair white, but intermixed all over with forrel and bay hairs, called alfo peach-coloured.

Horfes of this colour generally are hard and infenfible, both in the mouth and the flanks j fo that they are little valued; he- fides, they are apt to turn blind. Guill. Gent. Diet. P, I. in voc.

Blossom, in refpect of fheep. See Blissom.

BLOSSOMING of plants, the act of blowing, or putting forth flowers or bloffoms, called alfo flowering. See Blowing, The blofjhning of the fpina acuta, or Glaftenbury thorn, pi- oufly on chriftmafs day morning, is a vulgar error, owing to this, that the plant, befides its ufual biojfoming in the fpring, fometimes puts forth a few white tranfient bloffoms in the middle of winter a. For the bloffoming of the rofe of Jericho on the fame day, as it is commonly held in England y or in the time of midnight mafs, as it is held in France, is fomewhat more than an error, being really a fraud on one fide, and a fuperfli- tion on the other. This rofe, whofe leaves are only clofed and fhrivelled up in winter, will, at any time, upon fettin^; itj pedicle in water, expand and bloffom a-new ; for that the pedicle being fpongy imbibes the fluid apace, and thus fills and fwells out the flirivelled leaves; which property fome monks have turned to good account b. — [ a Mille*, Gard. Diet, in voc. mefpilus. b Grew, Muf. Reg. Soc'tet. P. 2. fee. 2. c. r. p. 219. Brown, Vulg. Err. 1. 2. c. 6. p. 79. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 2. p. 1394. voc. epanouir.]

BLOTTED china ware, a name given by fome to a fort of china that is loaded with colours in an irregular manner. This, pleafes fome people, but it is a defective fort of ware, the large blotches of colours having been only laid on to cover the blemifhes or faults in the firft baking,

BLOTTING paper, a fpecies of paper made without fize or ftifrening, ferving to imbibe the wet ink in books of accounts, and prevent its fetting off", or blotting the oppofite page, Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 1. p. 1259. voc. brouillard.

Blotting book, a fort of minute book, or memorandum book, ufed by fome merchants, for making imperfect entries in a prefent hurry, which are to be copied out fairer and fuller at night into the journal. Conip. Engl. Tradefru. T. 1. Supp. p. 42. and p. 115. Savar. Diet. Com. T. 1, p. 491. voc. brouillard.

BLOW, in a general fenfe, denotes a ftroke given either with the hand, a weapon or inftrument.

In fencing, blows differ from thrufts, as the former are given by ftriking,. the latter by pufhing. Hope, New Meth. of Fenc. c. 1. p. 10.

We fay to give, to return, to parrv a bloxv. See Parrying, Cycl. x

Blows