Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/286

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in Bufio ; yet it is not properly call'd a Sufi, that Word being confined to things in Relievo. The Bufi is the fame with what the Latins call'd Herma, from the Greek Hermes, Mercury; the Image of that God being frequently repre- fented in this manner among the Athenians.

Bust, is alfo us'd, efpecially by the Italians, for the Trunk of an human Body, from the Neck to the Hips. Some derive the Word from the German Brufi, Stomach : Menage fetches it from Bufaue, a piece of Wood, Ivory, Whalebone, or the like, which the Women apply to that Part of the Body ; call'd by the Italians Bufio to keep themfelves fireight.

Bust, orBusToM, in Antiquity, a Pyramid or Pile of Wood, whereon were antientiy plac'd the Bodies of the Deceas'd, in order to be burnt. The Romans borrow'd the Cuftom of burning their Dead from the Greeks. The Deceas'd, crown'd with Flowers, and drefs'd in his richeft Habits, was laid on the Bufium. The neareft Relations lighted it with Torches ; turning their Faces from it, to ihew that it was with Reluctance that they did this laft Office. After the Bufium was confum'd, the Women ap- pointed to collect the Afh.es, cnclos'd 'em in an Urn, which was dcpofited in the Tomb. Some Authors fay, it was only call'd Bufium after the burning, quaji Bene ufium : before the Burning it was call'd Tyra ; during it, Rogus ; and afterwards Bitfium.

BUSTUARII, a kind of Gladiators, among the antient Romans, who fought about the Bufium, or Pile of a de- ceas'd Perfon, in the Ceremony of his Obfequies. The Practice at firft was, to facrifice Captives on the Tomb, or at the Bufium of their Warriors : Inftances of which we have in Homer, at the Obfequies of "Pctroclus, and among the Greek Tragedians. Their Blood was fuppos'd to ap- peafe the Infernal Gods ; and render 'em propitious to the Manes of the Deceas'd. In after Ages, this Cuflom appear'd too barbarous ; and in lieu of thefe Victims, they appointed Gladiators to fight 5 whofe Blood, 'twas fup- pos'd, might have the fame Effect. According to Val. Maximus and Floras, Marcus and "Deems, Sons of Brutus, were the firft, at Rome, who honour'd the Funerals of their Father with thefe kind of Spec! acles, in the Year of Rome 489. Some fay, the Romans borrow'd this Cuftom from the Hctrurians ; and they from the Greeks. The Word comes from Bufium, which fee.

BUTCHERY, a Place fet apart, either for the Slaugh- ter of Cattel, or for the expofing their Flefh to fale ; otherwife call'd Shambles. Nero built 3 noble one at Rome ; on which Occafion was ftruck that Medal, whofe Reverfe is a Building fupported by Columns, and enter'd by a Perron of four Steps ; the Legend, MAC. AUG. S. C. Macellum Augufii Scnatus-Confulto.

Among the antient Romans there were three Kinds of Eftablifh'd Butchers ; viz. two Colleges, or Companies, compos'd each of a certain number of Citizens, whofe Of- fice was to furnifh the City with the neceffary Cattel, and to take care of preparing and vending the Flefh. One of thefe Communities, was at firft confin'd to the providing of Hogs, whence they were call'd Suarii; and the other were charg'd with Cattel, efpecially Oxen ; whence they wete call 'Pecuarii, or Boarii. Under each of thefe was a fubordinate Clafs, whofe Office was to kill, prepare, &c. call'd Lauii, and fometimes Carnifices. Briffon, Modius, and others, mention a pleafant way of felling Meat, us'd for fome Ages among this People : The Buyer was to fhut his Eyes, and the Seller to hold up fome of his Fingers ; if the Buyer guefs'd aright, how many it was the other held up, he was to fix the Price ; if he miflook, the Seller to fix it. This Cuftom was abolifh'd by Apronius, Prefect of Rome ; who in lieu thereof introdue'd the Method of fel- ling by Weight.

Menage, after Turnebius, derives the Word from Buc- carius, of Bucca ; becaufe the Butcher cuts Meat for the Mouth : Thus alfo we find, leccarius from leccus. Lan- celot, derives it from the Word Mint, Killer of Cattel ; Labbe, a Bovinafeu Bubula came.

BUTLERAGE of Wines, the Impofition upon Sale Wine, brought into the Land ; which the King's Butler, by virtue of his Office, may take of every Ship, vim. two Shillings of every Tonn imported by Strangers.

BUTMENTS, in Architecture, thofe Supporters or Props, on, or againft which the Feet of Arches reft : Alfo little Places taken out of the Yard, or the Giound-plot of an Houfe, for a Buttery, Scullery, & c. are fometimes cal- led Butments. The Word comes from the French Bouter, to abut or terminate on any thing.

BUTT, in the Sea Language, the End of any Plank, which joins to another on the Outfide of a Ship, under Water : Hence when a Plank is loofe at one end, they call it fpringing a Butt ; to prevent which, Ships are ufually bolted at the Butt-Heads, that is, at the Plank's End.

Butt, or "Pipe of Wine; a Meafure containing two Hogflieads, or one hundted twenty fix Gallons,

A Butt «f Currants, is from fifteen to twenty two hundred Weight. '

BUTTER, a fat, unctuous Subftance, prepared, orfepa- rated from Milk ; which is an Affemblage of three different Subftances, Butter, Cheefe, anda&«/»,orWhey.See Milk. The Word comes from the Greek (3sTt/fw ; as fuppofing it prepar'd only from Cow's Milk. It was late e'er the Greeks appear to have had any Notion of Butter ; Homer, Theo- critus, Euripides, and the other Poets, make no mention of it ; and yet are frequently (peaking of Milk and Cheefe: And Arifiotle, who has collected abundance of Curiofhies relating to the other two, is perfectly filenton this. "Pliny tells us, that Butter was a delicate Difh among the bar- barous Nations ; and was that which diftinguifh'd the Rich from the Poor : The Romans us'd Butter no otherwife than as a Medicine, never as a Food. Schookius obferves, that 'tis owing to the Induftry of the "Dutch, that there is any fuch thing as Butter in the Eaft Indies : that, in Spam, Butter is only us'd Medicinally, for Ulcers ; and adds, that the belt Opiate for making the Teeth white, is the rubbing 'em with Butter. CI. Alexandrinns obferves, that the antient Chriftians of Egypt burnt Butter in the Lamps at their Altars, inftead of Oil ; and the Abyffians, according to Godignus, ftill retain a Practice much like it : Clemens finds a Religious Myftery in it. In the Roman Churches, it was antientiy allow'd, during Chriftmafs time, to ufe Butter inftead of Oil 5 by reafon of the great Con- fumption thereof other ways. Schookius has a juft Vo- lume, De Butyro (g Averjione Cafei ; where the Origin and Phainomena of Butter are handled in form : He enquires whether Butter was known in Abraham's Days, and whether it was the Difh. he entertain'd the An- gels withal : He examines how it was prepar'd among the Scythians ; whence arife its different Colours ; teaches how to give it its natural Colour ; how to churn it, fait it, keep it, £i»c.

Butter, in Chymiftry, is us'd to exprefs feveral Prepa- rations in Chymiftry, as Butter of Antimony, of Arfenic, of Wax, of Saturn, Sec. fo call'd from their Form, Confif- tence, &c. See Antimony, Arsenic, Wax, (S>c.

BUTTOCK of a Ship, is her fall Breadth right aftern from the Jack upwards. According as a Ship is built, broad or narrow at the Tranfom, Hie is laid to have a broad or narrow Buttock.

BUTTONS, an Article in Drefs, whofe Form, and Ufe is too familiar to need a Defcription. The Matter whereof Buttons are made is various ; as Metal, Silk, Mohair, %$c. Metal Buttons, again, are various ; both with regard to the Matter, and Manner of making : Betides thofe caft in Moulds, much in the manner of other fmall Works, (fee Foundery) there are now made great Quantities, with thin Plates, or Leaves of Gold, Silver, and Brafs 3 efpe- cially of the two laft. The Invention of thefe Buttons be- ing very fate, as not having been fet on foot before the Be- ginning of the XVIIIth Century ; and their Structure very Ingenious, tho of ill ufe, we Ihall here fubjoin it.

Manner of making plated Buttons. The Metal to be us'd- being redue'd into thin Plates, or Leaves, of the Thicknefs intended, (either by the Goldfmith or Brafier) is cut into little round Pieces, of a Diameter proportiona- ble to the wooden Mould they are to cover : This cutting is perform'd with a fharp Punch, on a leaden Block or Ta- ble. Each piece of Metal thus cut, and taken off from the Plate, is redue'd to the Form *f a Button, by beating it fucceffively in feveral fpherical Cavities, with a round Piece of Iron in form of a Punchion ; ftill beginning with the flatteft Cavity, and proceeding to the more Spherical, till the Plate have got all the Relievo requir'd : And the better to manage fo thin a Plate, they form 10 or 1% to the Cavities at once ; and alfo boil the Metal to make it more ductile. The Infide thus form'd, they give an Im- preffion to the Outfide, by working it with the fame Iron Punchion, in a kind of Mould, like the Minter's Coins, en- graven en creux, or indentedly 5 and faften'd to a Block ot Bench. The Cavity of this Mould, wherein the Impref- fion is to be made, is of a Diameter and Depth fuitable to the fort of Button to be ftruck in it ; each Kind requiring a particular Mould. Between the Punchion and the Plate is plac'd fome Lead, which contributes to the better taking off all the Stroaks of the Graving ; the Lead, by reafon of its Softnefs, eafily giving way to the Parts that have Re- lievo ; and as eafily infinuating it felf into the Trace, or Engraving of the Dentures : The Plate thus prepared, makes the Upper-part, or Shell of the Button. The low- er Part is form'd of another Plate, made after the fame manner, but flatter, and without any Impreffion. To this laft, is folder'd a little Eye made of Wire of the fame Me- tal ; for the Button to be faften'd by. The two Piates are folder'd together, with a wooden Mold, cover'd with Wax, or other Cement, between ; in order to render the Button firm and folid : For the Wax entering all the Cavities form'd by the Relievo of the other fide, fuftains it, pre- vent*