Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/364

 BOX

BOY

though it go much beyond it ; bowling through, or a yard over, is done in order to move the block; an over-bow/, that which goes beyond it ; a bowl laid at hand, is that put down within the gamefter's reach, to be in the way of the next bowler, and hinder his having the advantage of tilt heft ground; boivl- ing at length, neither bowling through nor fhort ; a dead length, ajuft or exacl one ; throwing or fingin;, is difcharging a bowl with a ftrength purpofely too great for a length, in order to carry off either the block or fome near bowl ; bowl-room, or mifmg-wood, is when a bowl has free paffage, without ftriking on any other; get off, is when a bowl being narrow, is want- ed to be wider ; bowl beji at block, that ncareft the block; draw- ing a cajl or bowl, is to win it by bowling nearer, without ftir- ring either the bowl or block ; a bowl is faid to rub, when it meets with fome obftacle in the ground, which retards it mo- tion, and weakens its force; it is gone, when far beyond the block.

Bloch, fignifies a little bowl laid for a mark. Mark, is a proper bowling diftance, not under fo many yards; and being at leaft a yard and half from the edge of the green. Ground, \ bag or handkerchief laid down to mark where a bowl is to go.

Lead, the advantage of throwing the block, and bowling firft. Cajl, is one beft bowl at an end. End, a hit, or when all the bowls are out. The game, or up, is five cafts, or belt bowls.

Rov/LixG-Green, in gardening, a kind of parterre in a grove, hid with fine turf, requiring to be frequently mowed, laid out in compartments of divers figures, with dwarf-trees, and other decorations. Theor. & Prat, du Jardin, P. i. c. 7. p. 59, feq. Wolf. Lex. Math. p. 268. voc. Boulin<?rin. Bowling-greens are of Englifh origin, but have been adopted by the French and Itali.ms, who have them only for ornament ; being unacquainted with, or not fancying the exercife, on ac- count of which they were firft. made in England.

Bowling, (Cycl.) in fea-affairs. See Bowline.

BOWSE (Cycl:) is chiefly ufed by the gunners when they hale upon their tackles, to thruft a piece out of a port; in which cafe they cry, bowfe hoa, i. e. pull more upon the tackle ; al- fo when there is occafion to pull more on the tackle than otherwife, they fay, bowfe upon the tackle. Manwayr. Sea. Diet, p. 14.

BOWYERS, artificers whofe bufinefs is to make bows. See the article Bow, Cycl. and Stippl.

In which fenfe, bewyers ftand diftinguifhed from flctchers, who made arrows.

The bowyers company was incorporated in 1622, and confiffs of a matter, two wardens, twelve afliftants, and thirty-two on the livery. New View of Lond. fee. 3. T. 2. p, 598.

BOX, Buxus, in botany. See Buxus.

Box is alfo ufed to denote a cafe for holding things ; of which there are feveral kinds, as a fidve box, pyxis unguentaria, that ufed by furgeons to carry with them. Hildan, in Cift. Milit. p. 1041. Cafl. Lex. Med. p. 622. voc. Pyxis.

Strong Box, a coffer of iron, or of thick wood, fecured with iron plates, and a lock with feveral bolts, difficult either to be opened or forced ; chiefly ufed for putting money in. Trev. Diet Univ: T. 1. p. 1897. voc. Coffre.

Dice-Box, a narrow deep cornet, channelled within, wherein the dice are fhaken and thrown.

This anfwers to what the Romans called fritillus ; whence crepiiantes fritilli, and, in Seneca, rcfonante friiillo. The fame author alfo ufes concutere fritillum, figuratively for playing. V. Hyde, Hilt. Nerdilud. fee. 5. p. 27. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T. r. p. 818 voc. Fritillus.

Befides the fritillus, the Romans, for greater fecurity, had an- other kind of dice-box, called pyrgus, irv^y®-, and fometimes turricula. It was placed immoveable in the middle of the ta- ble, beino- perforated or open at both ends, and channelled ah fo within: over the top was put a kind of funnel, into which the dice were caff out of the fritillus ; whence defcending, they fell through the bottom on the table ; by which all practifiug on them with the fingers was effectually prevented a. For want of fome contrivance of this kind, our (harpers have op- portunities of playing divers tricks with the box, as palming, topping, flabbing, iffc. b — [ a Hyde, lib. cit. p. 28, feq. Pi- tifc. T. z. p. 573. voc Pyrgus. b Comp. Gameft. p. 12.]

Box-Money, at hazard, is that which is paid the box-keeper, or him who furnifhes the box and dice. Betters have the advan- tage over cafters, as they have no box-money to pay, which at long run would beggar the moft fortunate player. Hence fome gamefters will never caff, to favc the expence of box-money. Myft. of Mod. Gam. p. 22, and 24.

Coach-Box, a place under the coachman's feat, wherein he puts what may be wanted for the fcrvice of the coach or horfes. Trev. Die!:. Univ. T. 1. p. 1897. voc. Coffre.

Box and Needle, in navigation, is the fame with the compafs. Sec Compass, Needle, csV. Cycl.

Box of a Watch, the outer cafe or cover. See Watgh, Cycl.

Box of a Wheel, the aperture wherein the axis turns. Savar. Die!:. Com. T. 1. p. 378. voc. Boejle.

Box is fometimes alfo ufed for a kind of meafure, though variable according to the commodity. Thus the box of quickfilver contains from one to two hundred weight ; of prunellas, about 4

fourteen hundred ; of rings for keys, two grofs, $$c. Diet. Ruff. T. 1. in voc.

Boxes in a playhoufe, are little apartments behind and afide of the pit. We fay, the front-boxes, the ftage-ta.w, &c.

Box-Iron, a kind of cafe wherein the heaters are Jnclofed for ironing linen.

Box, in zoology, a nr.rne given by fome authors to a fmall fim caught in the Mediterranean, and more ufually known by the name of hoops, from the largcncfs of its eyes, See the article Boops.

Box of a Ploiv, a name by which the farmers call that crofs piece in the head of the plough, through which the fpindle of the two wheels paffes, and to which are fattened the two crow- ffaves, ferving, by their holes, to regulate the height of the beam, the tow-chain below, the flake which fupports the bridle-chain above, and the gallows behind, into which are fix- ed the wilds with the crooks of ironj for the drawing the whole plough along. This part of the plough is placed crofs- wife with the beam, and Hands much below it, and not far from the ground. Tull's Husbandry. See the article Plough, Cycl. and Suppl.

Box-Galls. See Galls of the box.

Box-Puccron. See Grub of the box.

BOXERS, a kind of athlete, who combat or contend for vic- tory with their fifts.

Boxers amount to the fame with what, among the Romans, were called pugiles. Vojf. de Quat. Art. Popul. c. 3. n. So. Pollux, p. 30.

The antient boxers battled with great force and fury, infomuch as to dafh out each other's teeth, break bones, and often kill each other. Aquin. Lex. Milit. T. 2. p 209. voc. Pugil. Vojf. de Quat. Art. Popul. c. 3. n. 83. p. 31. Tcurv.ef. Voy. du Levant, T. 2. 1. 15. p. 70.

The ftrange disfigurements thefe boxers underwent were fuch, that frequently they could not be known, and rendered them the object of many railleries. In the Greek anthology, there are four epigrams of the poet Lucilius, and one of Lucian ; wherein their disfigurements are pleafantly enough expoled. Anthol. Grsec. 1. 2. ep. 1, 2, 3, 10, 14. Mem. Acad. Infer. T. 4. p. 361, feq.

BOXING, the exercife of fighting with the fiffs, either naked, or with affone or leaden ball grafped in them. In which fenfe, boxing coincides with the wypix-n of the Greeks, the pugillatus of the Romans, and what, on our am- phitheatres, is fometimes called trial cf manhood. When the champions had <7?>«i f «i, or balls, whether of lead or ftone, it was properly denominated c^aip^^a. Potter, Arctaeol. Gr. ]. 2. c. 2i. vol. r. p. 443.

The antient hexing differed from the pugna c&jluum, in winch the combatants had leathern thongs on their hands, and balls to offend their antagonists a ; though this diftinclion is frequently overlooked, and fighting with the cffiftus ranked as a part of the bufinefs of pugiles: in which view ,we may diftinguifh three fpecies of boxing ; the firft, where both the hands and the head were abfolutely naked, as is practifed among us ; the fecond, where the hands were armed with fpheras, hut the head naked ; the third, where the head was armed with a kind of cap or co- ver, called amphotide-, chiefly to defend the ears and temples, and the hands alfo furnifhed with CKilufes b. — [ a Aquin. Lex. Milit. T. 2. p. 209. voc. Pugil. b Voff de Quat. Art. Popul. c. 3. n. 81, feq. p. 31. Mem. Acad. Infer. 'I". 4. p. 366.] Boxing is an antient exercife, having been in ufe in the heroic times, before the invention of iron or weapons. Tournef. Voy. T. 2. Lett. 15. p. 70.

Thofe who prepared thcmfelves for it, ufed all the means that could be contrived to render themfelves fat and flefhy, that they might be better able to endure blows ; whence corpulent men or women were ufually called pugiles, according to Te- rence; Sirjua ejl habitior pauh, pugileni efje aismt. Pott. I.e. Aquin. ubi fupra, p. 210.

M. Burette has given the hiftcry of the antient pugilate, or boxing, with great exac~tneis. V. Mem. Acad. Infer. T. 4.

P- 353> fcc l-

Boxing, among failors, is ufed to denote the rehearfing the fe- veral points of the compafs in their proper order.

Boxing is alfo ufed for the tapping of a tree, to make it yield its juice. See Bleeding, Sap, &c.

The boxing of maple is performed by making a hole with an ax or chiflel into the fide of the tree, about a foot from the ground ; out of it flows a liquor from which fugar is made. V. Phil. Tranfaa. ^364. p. 27. See Sue a a..

BOXUS, in natural hiffory, a name given by fome authors to the common milktoe. See the article Misletoe.

BOYER, in navigation, a kind of Flemifh floop, or fmall veffel of burden, having a boltfprit, a caftle at each end, and a tall maft ; chiefly fit for the navigation of rivers, and, in many of its parts, refembling a fmack. Vid. Aubin,Dict. Mar. p. 120, feq.

The boyer has a double bottom, and a forked maft, that it may run the better with the bowling-line, without driving. Fafch. Lex. Milit. p. 116. Ozan. Di£t Math. p. 2-4.

BOYES, an order of American priefts, or magicians, ufed by the favages for calling up their gods, either to be revenged on thofe who have done them any injury, or to be cured of fome

difeafe,