Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/290

 PRiE

P R A

for if the flatten Taw any one at work, the fervice of the gods could not be performed. Danet. in voc. PR.fcCLAVlUM, among the Romans, was ufed to fignify the

pratexta. See Pr/et£XTA, Cycl. PR./ECO, among the Romans, the public crier, an officer whofe bufmefs it was in the aflemblies of the people to call the claffes and centuries according to their order, and to order filence to be kept in the temples during the time of facrificing. The aSHftance of the pra.o or public crier, was ufed on many other occafions, as at public fales or auctions, funerals, games, in courts of juStice, to publifh things loft, &c. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. in voc. See Ceryx. FR/ECOCIA mala, apricochs. The method of cultivating and propagating the feveral forts of this fruit, is this: They are all to be propagated by grafting them on plumb-ftocks, and will readily take with almoft any fpecies of plumb, provided that the ftock be in a thriving condition. See Grafting. The Breda and Bruflels aprizochs, are beft tobe made Standard trees, all the reft are to be propagated againft walls, and fhould have an eaft or weft afpecL The borders under thefe walls Should be four feet wide at leaft, and fhould be two feet deep in earth. If the place where they are planted be a loamy foil, the beds are to be raifed pretty high above the level of the ground, and if chalk or gravel, it mull be removed to a con- siderable width, to make room for frefh foil to be put in, but it need not be dug more than two feet deep. The beft foil for them is frefh earth from a pafture ground, taken to ten inches deep, and laid with the turf among it to rot together, for a twelvemonth before it is ufed.

Such trees fhould be chofen for planting as are but of one year's growth from the budding, and where the foil is dry or moderately fo, October is the beft feafon for planting. For the manner of planting, fee the article AppLE-?r^. No part of the head fhould be cut off at this time, unlefs there are fome foreright fhoots which will not come near the wall. Jn a good ftrong foil, or againft alow wall, thefe trees fhould be planted at eighteen feet afunder j the ftem is to be placed four inches from the wall, and the head inclined to- ward the wall, the branches fhould be then nailed up to the wall, and the furface over the earth muft be covered with rotten dung, to keep out the frofts. In February the dung is to be removed, and the tree being held very fteady the top is to be cut off to about three eyes above the bud, leaving the Hoping fide toward the wall. If the weather proves dry after this, they muft be gently watered, and fome turf or mulch laid round the root to keep off the fun's heat ; and what bran- ches are produced muft be nailed up, except fuch as are pro- duced foreright, which muft be cut off. At Michaelmas, when the trees have done growing, the bran- ches muft be again unnailed and cut off to a proper length, the ftronger fhoots being left of nine or ten inches long, the weaker five or fix inches. After they are thus Shortened, they muft be again nailed up, and that as much in an horizontal direction as polTible. 1 he fecond and third fummer the fame rules muft be obferved, all the foreright fhoots muft be L iif- placed as they are produced, nailing in the others horizontally to the wall ; fo that the middle of the tree may be kept open : and never Shorten any of the fhoots in fummer, unlefs to fur- nifh branches to fome vacant fpaces on the wall j and thi: fhould never be done later than April. Therapricock produces its blofibm buds not only on the laft year's wood, but alfo on the curfons or fpurs from the two year old wood ; great care muft therefore be taken not to injure or difplace thefe. The Bruffels and Breda apricocki being planted for Standards, require very little management, only in autumn or fpring cut away all the dead wood, and fuch branches as crofs one an- other. The Bruffels apricock is the fineft of all the kinds : it is ripe In the middle of Auguft. Milter's Gardner's Di&.

PR./ECONISSLJ3, in natural hiftory, the name given by Lu- dovicus Dulcis, and other writers of his time, to a gem fa- mous for its imaginary virtues: it is defcribed to have been of the nature of the fapphire, but fomewhat approaching to the colour of the chalcedony : this feems to make it the leu- cofapphirus of other authors.

PR^FECTUR^E, among the Romans, towns in Italy, which were neither municipal, nor had the privilege of choofing magiftrates of their own, like the colonies ; but were o- vern- cd by a magiftrate fent from Rome, who was called pnfeflus and his government a prafeSiura. Pitifc. in voc.

PR/EFERICULUM, among the Romans, a vafe with a large prominent mouth ufed in the facrifices of Ops. Pitifc. in voc.

VKJEFICJE, among the Romans, were mourning women hired to attend funeral folemnities ^ where they praifed the deceafed made a lamentation, beat their breafts, and diftorted their fa- ces, to excite others to mourn. Danet.znd Pitifc. in voc.

PR./EFINE, in law, that fine which upon fuing out the writ of covenant on levying fines vf lands, is paid before the time is pafied. 22 and 23 Car 2. Blount.

PR^FURNIUM, a word ufed by chemical writers to exprefs tl e anterior part of a furnace, by which the coals, or fuel are rutin, and the afhes taken out.

PPiE'ViORSUM/oW, among botanifts. See Leaf.

PR/ENOTION is ufed by Lord Bacon for breaking of an end- "l»fs fearch, which he obferves to be one of the principal parts

of the art of memory. For when one endeavours to call any thing to mind, without fome previous notion or perception of what is fought for, the mind exerts itfelf and Strives in an end- lefs manner : but if it hath any Short notion before hand, the infinity of the fearch is prefently cut off, and the mind hunts nearer hom°, as in an inclofure. Thus verfe is eafier re- membered than profe ; becaufe if we ftick at any word in a verfe, we have a previous nethn that it is fuch a word as muft ftand in a verfe. Hence alfo, order is a manifeft help to me- mory ; for here is a previous notion that the thing fought for muft be agreeable to order. Bacon's Works, abrid. Vol. L p. 136. and Vol. II. p. 474. See Pr^notion, Cycl.

PROPOSITUS facri cubkuli, among the Romans, an officer who was to take care of the emperor's bed-chamber. His of- fice was the fame with that of our lord chamberlain, and he had the privilege of marching next to the captain of the horfe-guards. Danet. in voc.

PROSALTOR, among the Romans, an appellation given to the chief direaorof the falii. Pitifc. in voc. See Salii.

PROSEPIA, a word ufed by authors to exprefs the fod.ets of the teeth.

PR/ESICIA, in antiquity, thofe parts of the intrails of facri- fices which were cut off, and offered to the gods. Hefm. Lex. Univ. in voc.

PROSUL, among the Romans, the name of the chief of the falii or priefts of Mars. He was fo called a pra:filiendo ; t. e. dancing at the head of the falii. Hofm. Lex. Univ. in voc. See Salii, Cycl.

PRAMNION, in natural hiftory, the name of one of the fe- mipellucid gems, fo diftina from all the others as to make properly a peculiar genus of foffils. It is called by many of the anticnts worio or worm* and by our lapidaries the black agate.

It is a ftone of a very great concealed beauty. Our lapida- ries, who know it by the name of the black agate, are very indeterminate in the application of that name, calling by it not only this, but every black ftorie capable of a good polifh by the fame name, and never looking for its great charaaer, its hidden colour. It is found in the Shape of our common flints and pebbles, but feldom larger than an egg; it appears on a Slight infpeaion, to be of a fine d^ep black, but held up againft the fun, or the light of a candle, it difcovers itfelf to be of a fine ftrong red, without the leaft admixture of any other colour. It is moft frequently of a purpliSh tinge, like the amethyft, but is at times found of all the degrees of red, from the pale flower colour of the hyacinth to the deep red of the carbuncle. It is of great hardnefs, and capable of an. elegant polifh.

It is produced only in the Eaft Indies ; and we fometimes have it thence among other ftones, but it is not much regarded with us. The Romans were fond of it for engraving on, as we find by Pliny, and by a much more undeniable proof, many of the valuable antiques being cut on it. Hill's Hift. of Foff. p. 47 1.

PRAMNOS, a name given by the antients to a fort of auftere wine which looked of a black colour till held up ao-ainft the light, and then appeared of a deep purple : it is recommended by Hippocrates in haemorrhages.

PRASINUM viride, a word ufed by the antients for verdi- greafe.

PRASION. The antient Greek writers have exprefTed three very different plants by this name.

The moft common fignification of the word is the common tnarrubium or horebound. It is in many places ufed alfo to fignify the leek, and often for that fort of marjoram which we call origanum onitis, or pot-marjoram. ■ Pliny defcribes this plant, and fays that it was called onitis and prafms, and had the appearance of hyflbp. This is but a bad defcription of the plant, and much inferior to the Greek epithet, which calls it the capitated, or cor^mbous praftum, for it bears its flowers in a fort of heads or corymbi.

Hefychius tells us, that the fea-weeds of the fucus and alga kinds, the fea-oaks, and fea-wracks, are called, by fome of the Greek writers prof a; and Theophraftus in one part of his works feems to have given this name to thofe plants. The antients having ufed the word prafion in this fenfe, ex- plains a paftage in Galen which cannot otherwife be well un- derftood, that is, where he calls the empctrum mari.num, pva- f.oidet, like the prafion.

Diofcorides had called it fucoides, like the fea-fucus, and he was very well underftood ; but Galen coming after him, and exprefling his fenfe by the word prafvAdes, which was fuppofed to fignify refembling leeks, or horehound, or origanum, his readers were perplexed to find out what alliance the epithet he had chofen to ufe could have, either to the plant, or to the epithet of Diofcorides ; but when it is found that prafion fig- nifies the fame as fucus, the whole is very intelligible. °

PRASIS, a word ufed by fome authors to exprefs w r hat they call green chalk, an earth ufed by the painters, and known amon? us by the name of terre verte.

PRASIUM, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, thecha- raacrs of which are thefe: the perianthium confifts of one leaf, and is of a turbinated bell-like Shape, and divided at the end into two lips j thefe ftand erea, and are permanent ; the

upper