Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/355

 BOO

BOO

or configned wholly to them. The ifland Pou-to, near Chu- fan, is a famous feat of bonzes, being wholly inhabited by them, to the number of 3000, all of the feet of Hofhang, or unmarried bonzes.

They live a kind of Pythagorean life* and have not lefs than 400 Pagods, or temples in this little ifland. They have alfo female bonzes, a fort of nuns. Phil. Tranf. N° 280. p. 1204. The Japaneze bonzes are divided into feveral fefts, which however different among themfelves, are agreed in denying the providence of God, and immortality of the foul ; doctrines which they however only teach in private to the grandees, having other matters to entertain the populace withal, viz. heaven, hell, and the punifhmerits of another life. They are under a fovereign bcrrza, or high prieft; and have feveral univerfities, the chief whereof is that of Frenoiama, near Meaco, which is laid to have antiently contained no lefs than 3800 temples and convents of bonzes ; the direction whereof was only truftcd to the neareft relations of the emperor. The bonzes belonging to it were m afters of a third part of the king- dom of Voma. In time the number of the temples was redu- ced to 800 ; and the bonzes quitting ftudy for arms, entered Meaco in 1535, burnt the city, and continued other violences till the year 1551, when the emperor attacked their mountain, put a number of them to the fword, and demolished half their temples. Vojf. de Idol. 1. r. c. 25.- Mireei Polit. Ecclef. 1. 2. c. 29. Trev. Diet. Univerf T. 1. p. 11 18. feq. Corn. Diet, des Arts, T. 1. p. 121. feq. BOOBY, in natural hiftory, the name of a bird common about Jamaica, and in feveral other parts of the world. It is defcribed by fir Hans Sloan in his h iftory of Jamaica under the name of ' avis fufca anferi baffano affnis. It feeds upon fifh, and dives under water after them, but is often robbed of its prey by another voracious bird, called the albitrojj'e, or the Man of War bird. The frequent contefts between thefe two birds are very diverting, the one being as unwilling to part with the prey it has fo dearly earned, as the other refolute to have it; but the albitroffe generally fucceeds. BOOKS (CycL) — The importation of booh firft printed in this kingdom, and reprinted abroad, is prohibited. Vid. Stat. 12 Gcorg. 2. c. 36. Sec"t. r.

There was a claufe in the ftatute of the 8th of Q. Anne, ch. 19. impowering the chancellor, and fome other great officers of ftate, to fet the price of books ; but this is now repealed by 12 Georg. 2. ch. 36. Sect. 2. Evcrlajfmg-BooK. — Wc find in fignior Caftaguo's account of the afbeftus, a fcheme for the making a book, which from its imperifhable nature, he is for calling the book of eternity. The leaves of this book were to be of the afbeftus paper, the covers of a thicker fort of work of the fame matter, and the whole fewed together with thread fpun from the fame fubftance. The things to be commemorated in this book were to be written in letters of gold, fo that the whole matter of the book being in- combuftible and everlaftingly permanent againft the force of all the elements, and fubject to no changes from fire, water, or air, muft remain for ever, and always preferve the writing committed to it.

He carried this project fo far towards execution, as to find a ■ way of making a fort of paper from the afbeftus, which was 'fo tractable and foft, that it very well refembled a thin parch- ment ; this, by the fame procefs, was capable of being thick- ened or- thined at pleafure, and in either ftate equally refifted the fire. The covering of the thineft paper of this kind only makes it red hot and very clear, the fire feemmg only to pafs thro' it without wafting or altering any part of it. Cop- per, iron, or any other metal, except gold or filver, expofed to the fame degree of fire, in the fame thin plates, would be found not to bear it in this manner, but to fcale and burn into fcoria; at the furface, tho' this ftone does not. Vid. Phil. Tranf. N 71. BOOM (CycL) is ufed to denote a cable ftretched a-thwart the mouth of a river, or harbour, with yards, top-mafts, bat- tling or fpars of wood, lafhed to it, to prevent an enemy's entering. Such a boom M. Chateau Renault had with diligence and art prepared at Vigo, for the defence of the plate fleet lying there in 1702 ; but how ftrong foever, it was forced by fir Thomas Hobfon. Guill. Gent. Diet. P. 3. in voc. BOOMING, in the fea-language, the application of a boom to the fails.

Booming of the fails is never ufed but in quarter winds, or be- fore a wind. By a wind, ftudding fails, and booming the fails is not proper.

When a fhip is faid to come homing towards us, it imports ns much, as that fhe comes with all the fail fhe can make. Manw. Seam. Diet, in voc: BOOM1TES, a term ufed by fome authors to exprefs a kind of agate, of a very remarkable brightnefs and tranfparence, which reprefents tile figures of fhrabs, trees, movies, &c. in the manner of the Dendrachates, a common mocoa-ftone. This is however very different' in the degree of tranfparence and brightnefs. BOOPHTHALMUS, Oxeye-Jlone, in natural hiftory, a name given by Scheuchzcr to a peculiar agate, in which there fre- quently appear circles of confiderable fize, refembling fome large animals eyes. The ground colour of the ftbne is grey, and the circles of a deep bluifh black. See Acate.

BOOPS, In zoology, the name of a fifh caught m the Medl* terrancan, and fold at Naples, Mefnna, and Genoa. It is a fmall fifh, feldom exceeding five inches in length, and.very remarkable for the largencfs of its eyes. It is of a rounded, not flat fliape, and its fcales are large. Its back is of a change- able colour, appearing olive-coloured, if viewed from above; and yellow if viewed fideways. Its fide-lines are dotted, and are nearer the back than the belly ; and below thefe there are four or five other flender yellow lines on each fide. Its belly is white, its mouth is of a moderate fize, its teeth are but fmall, and its back-fin has feveral of its anterior rays rigid, but not prickly, the hinder ones are all foft. Gefner, de Pifc. p. 147. See Tab. of fifties, N° 56.

Belide this, which is the common fpecies of the Boops, there are two other kinds, the one commonly called bouge-ravel. See Boi:cE-raveI.

The other a fmall kind, not above three inches in length, and without fcales. Its mouth is fmall, and its eyes extremely large. lis tail is broad and thick. This in the tafte and con- iiftence of its flefh no way differs from the common boops. BOQR-fform, in natural hiftory, a name given by Rumphius to the folen Ugnorum, a fea-worm, which bores the bottoms of fhips. BOOT, (CycL) a leathern cover or defence for the leg, ufed on horfe-back, both to keep the body more firm, and defend the part from the injuries of the weather. Boots feem to have been called thus, from their refemblance to a fort of jacks, or leathern bottles, formerly in ufe, and called botta a, in the old French bouts b. Borel derives the name from the antient French word bot, a ftump, by reafon the boot gives the leg this appearance c, — •[* Menag. Orig. Franc. b Kenn. Gloff. ad Paroch. Antiq. in voc. Bothagium. c Trev. Di£t. Univ. T. 1. p. n 32.]

It is not long that the boots ufed on horfe-back have been called by this name. In the reign of Charles VII. of France, they were called boufes, hofe. Monjirel. T. 3. Cafen. Orig. Franc, p. 26. FiJbing-BooTS are a thick flrong fort ufed in dragging ponds,

and the like. Hunting-Boors, a thinner kind, ufed by fportfmen. "Jack-Boots, a kind of very ftrong boots ufed by the troopers. The antient monks ufually wore boots, that is, the denomi- nation bottee, or botti, was given to their bufkins. Du Cange Gloff. Lat. T. 1. p. 594. in voc. botta. The Chinefe have a kind of boots made of filk, or fine fluff, lined with cotton, a full inch thick, which they always wear at home. This people are always booted; and when a vifit is made them, if they happen to be without their boots, their gueft muft wait while they put them on. They never ftir out of doors without boots on ; and their fcrupuloufnefs in this point is the more remarkable, as they are always carried in their chairs. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 1. p. 1132. feq. There are alfo chirurgical boots, for the cure of van & valgi, or crooked and diftorted legs. Paraus, Chirurg. 1. 22. c. 11. Caji. Lex. Med. p. 535. voc. Ocrea.

The boot was much ufed among the antients, by the foot, as well as horfmen. Vid. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. Rom. T. 2. p. 309. in voc. Ocrea.

The boot is the fame with what was called by the antient Ro- mans Ocrea, in middle-age writers, gre-va *, gamberia b , bainberga % bembarga, or lenberga. — [ a Du Cange, Gioff. Lat. T. 2. p. 654. voc. Grcva. b Id. ibid. p. 579. voc. Gamberia. c Id. ibid. T. 1. p. 433. voc. Bainberga.] The boot is faid to have been the invention of the Carians 3 : it was at firft made of leather, afterwards of brafs and iron, and was proof both againft cuts and thrufts. It was from this that Homer calls the Greeks brazen-booted *>. — [ a Plin. Hift. Nat. 1. 7. c. 56. b Horn. II. 7. ver. 41.] The boot only covered half the leg; fome fay only the right leg a ; which was more expofed than the left, it being advanced forwards in an attack with the fword ; but in reality it ap- pears to have been ufed on either leg, and fometimes on both. Thofe who fought with darts, or miflive weapons, advanced the left leg foremoft ; fo that this only was booted b. — [ a Veget. 1. 1. c. 20. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T. 2. p. 309. feq. h Vid. Aauin. Lex. Milit. T. 2. p. 102. voc. Ocrea.] BOOTES (CycL)— This conftellation is called by divers other names, as ArcJophylax* Bubulcus, Bnbulus, Tbcgnis, Cla?nator, Vociferator, Plorans, Plaujlri-Cuftos, Philometus, Areas, Ica- rus, Lycaon, and Arc! ur us- Minor ; by others, Septentrio, Lan- ceator, Ceginus; by Hefychius, Orion; by others, Canis-La- trans ; by the Arabs, Aramech, or Arcamech. Schiller, inftead of bootes, makes the figure of St. Sylvefter; Schickhard, that ofNimrod; and Weigelius, the three Swedifh crowns. Vid. TVolf Lex. Math. p. 266. BOOTH, Botha. See the article Botha. BOOTY, the moveables taken from an enemy in war.

Among the Greeks, the booty was divided in common among the army, the general only claiming a larger fhare. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. r. p. 1294. voc. Butin.

By the military difcipline of the Romans, fpoils taken from the enemy belonged to the republic, particular perfons had no right to them. The generals who piqued themfelves on their probity, carried it wholly to the public treafury. Sometimes,

indeed;