Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/802

 FLO

fir)

FLO

For boarded Floors, it is obfervable, that the Carpenters never floor their Rooms with Boards, till the Carcafs is let up, and alfo inclos'd with Walls, left the Weather fhould wrong the Flooring ; yet they generally rough-plane their Boards for the Flooring, before they begin any thing elfe about the Building, that they may fet them by to dry and feafon ; which is done in the molt careful manner.

Floor of a Sbip t ftri&ly taken, is only fo much of her Bottom, as me refts on, when a-ground; fo that fuch Ships as have long, and withal broad Floors, lye on the Ground with moft Security, and are not apt to feel, or tilt on one Side ; whereas others, which are narrow in the Floor, or in the Sea-Phrafc, CrancKd by the Ground, cannot be grounded without Danger of being overthrown.

FLORALESZ:^/, or Floral Games, in Antiquity, were Games held in Honour of Flora, the Goddefs of Flowers. See Floralia.

They were celebrated with horrible Debaucheries. The moft licentious Difcourles were not enough ; but the Cour- tifans were called together by the Sound of a Trumpet, made their Appearance naked, and entertain'd the People with abominable Shews and Poftures : The Comedians ap- pear'd after the fame manner on the Stage. Val. Maximus relates, that Cato being once prcfent in the Theater on this occafion, the People were afiiam'd to aflc for the infimous Pleafure, in his Prefence ; till Cato, appriz'd of the Refcr- vednefs and Refpecl he infpir'd them withal, withdrew, that the People might not be balk'd of their accuftomed Diver- sion.

There were divers other forts of Shews exhibited on this occafion ; and if we may believe Suetonius, in Galba, C- 6. and Vopifcus in Carimis, thefe Princes presented Elephants dancing on Ropes.

The Ludi Florales, according to 'Pliny, L. XVIII. C. 29. were inftituted by order of an Oracle of the Sibyls, on the 28 th of -April ; not in the Year of Rome 13 XVI. as we com- conly read it in the antient Editions of that Author- nor in I^)XIV. as Fr. Hardouin has corrected it; but as VoJJius reads it, in 513. They were chiefly held in the Nighttime, in the Patrician-Street : Some will have it there was a Cir- cus for the purpofe on the Hill calPd Hortulorum.

Some will have the Goddefs Flora to be the fame with the Cbloris of the Greeks.

Others hold, that this fame Flora was a famous Courtifan at Rome, who having enrich'd her felf by Proftiturion, made the People of Rome her Heir, on condition that they fhould celebrate the Annivcrfary of her Birth-day, by the Games and Feafts above-mentioned. Some time afterward, the Se- nate judging fuch a Foundation unworthy the Majefty of the Roman People ; to ennoble the Ceremony, converted Flora into a Goddefs, whom they fuppos'd to prefide over Flowers; and fo made it a piece of Religion to render her propitious, that it might be well with their Gardens, Vineyards,^.

This is the common Account: But Voffius de Idol. L.I. C. 12. can by no means allow the Goddefs Flora to have been the Courtifan above-mention'd : He will rather have her a Sabine Deity ; and thinks her Worfhip might have com- mcncM under Romzdus. His Reafon is, that Varro in his Fourth 'Book of the Latin Tongue, ranks Flora among the Deities, to whom TaiiflS, King of the Sab'ms, oftcr'd up Vows, before he join'd Battle with the Romans. Add, that from another Paffage in Varro it appears, that there were Priefts of Flora, with Sacrifices, &c. as early as Romulus and Numa.

FLORAL Games. There are a kind of Floral Games ob- ferv'd at this day in France. They were firft inftituted in

1324- -

The Defign and Eftabliflimcnt is owing to feven Pcr- fons of Condition, Lovers of Poetry, who about Jill-Saints 2)ay, in 132;. fent a Circular Letter to all the Provincial Poets, called troubadours, to meet at 'Tboloufc on May-day following, there to rehearfe their Poems ; promifing a Vio- let of Gold to the Perfon whofe Piece fhou'd be judg'd the beft.

The Capitouls found the Defign fo good, that it was af- terwards relolv'd at a Council of the City, to continue it at the City Charge ; which is {fill done, in a manner that docs Honour to the Place:

In 1325 a Chancellor, and Secretary of the New Aca- demy werechofc; and the feven Inftitutors took the Qua- lity of Maintained thereof. Two other Prizes wercafter- wards added to the Violet, viz. an Eglantine for the lecond Prize; and a Panfy for the third. It was alfo decreed, that the Perfon who bore away the firft Prize, might demand to be made Batchelor; and that whoever bore away all three, fhould be created Doctor in the Gaye Science^ that is, in Poetry.

There is a Regifter of thefe Games kept at 1'holoufc, which gives this Account of their Origin : Tho' others give the thing another turn. It was an antient Cuftom, they fay, for the Poets of Provence, to meet yearly at tboloufc, to confer together, rehearfe their Verfes, and receive a Prize

allotted to the heft Performance. This held till about this- Year 1540, when a Lady of Quality left the beft part of her Fortune, to eternize the Cuftom, and bear the Expehce of Prizes; the Number of which fhe increas'd, ordering ari Eglantine, a Panfy, a Violet, and a Pink : The three firft i Cubit high; worth fifteen Piftoles a-piecc.

The Ceremony begins on May-day, with a folemh Mafs, Mufick, $£c. The Corporation attend ; and Poems are re- hearfed every day : The third Day a magnificent Treat \i given the Magiftracy, 0$c. and that day the Prizes are ad- judged. The three Prizes are the Rewards of three dif- ferent, kinds of Compofitions, viz. a Poem, an Eclogue, and an Ode.

FLORALIA, in Antiquity, a general Name for the Feafts, Games, and other Ceremonies, held in honour of the Goddefs Flora.

The Floralia were alfo called Antbiflefes : They were held at the latter end of the Month of April, as Ovid witneflesj

Exit, & in Majas fejlum Florale Calendas.

In effecT:, the Floralia began on the 28 th of April, and laftcd fix Days.

They who afltfted at the Ceremony, were crown'd with Ivy, and committed a world of undecent things ; which in- deed was no extraordinary thins; in the Heathen Feafts.

Some apply the Word Floralia indifferently to the Feafts, and Games of this Goddefs ; but others reftrain it to the Feafts alone ; calling the Games Ludi Florales, See Flora- les Ludi.

FLORID Style, is that enrich'd and heighten'd with Figures r*nd Flowers of Rhetorick. L^onginus ufesthe Terms florid and ajfetltd Style indifferently, and lays them down as quite contrary to the true fublime. See Style, and Sublime.

FLORILEGIUM, Florilege, a Namethe Latins have given, to what the Greeks call dvSoAbyiov. Anthology ; viz. a Collection of choice Pieces, containing the fineft and moft: florid Things in their kind. See Anthology.

The Term is particularly ufed in the Eaftern Church, for a kind of Breviary, compiled by Arcadius, for the Conve- niency of the Greek Priefts and Monks, who cannot carry with them in their Travels and Pilgrimages all the Volumes wherein their Office is difpers'd.

The Flori leg! urn contains the General Rubricks, Pfaltcr, Canticles, the Horologium, Office of the Feriat, ££c.

FLORIN, is fometimes us'd for a Coin, or real Money ; and fometimes for an imaginary Money, or Money of Account. Sec Coin, and Money.

As a Coin, Florin is of divers Values, according to the divers Metals, and divers Countries where it is ftruck.

Florins were antiently very frequent in Commerce ; at prcfent they arc lefs common, though there were abundance of them ftruck in Holland, oiEnglijb Silver, during the War which was terminated by the Treaty of Ryfzvick.

In all appearance they took their Name from the Place where they were firft ftruck, viz. the City of Florence. Their ./Era is about the Year 12 51. though others afcribe the Name to a FIower-de-Lis, which was ftruck on one Side.

The Gold Florins are moft of them of a very coarfe Al- loy ; fome of them not exceeding thirteen or fourteen Ca- racas, and none feventcen and a half. They weigh about two Penny-weights, and thirteen Grains.

Villani obferves, that there were Gold Florins in the Year 1067 ; from which time the Names Frank, or Florin became applied to the Gold Coins, which till that time had been called Solidi, Shillings.

As to Silver Florins, thofe of 'Holland are worth about 25 French Sols, or 1 s. icf d. Sterling. Thole of Genoa, Sec. are worth about 8 d. » Sterling.

Pieces of three Florins arc called 2)ucatoons. See Du-

CATOONS.

As a Money of Account, the Florin is us'd by the Italian, 'Dutch, and German Merchants and Bankers, in keeping their Books, and making out their Accounts. But this Fk-r'm is very diverle, and admits of different Divifions. In Holland it is on the foot of the "Dutch Coin of that Name, contain- ing 24 lienicrs Grofch, and divided into Pacards and Penins.

At Francfort, Nuremberg, &c. it is equivalent to three Shillings Stcrl. and is divided into Creutzers and Pfennings. At Liege it is equivalent to 2 s. %d. At Strasbourgb to 1 s. 8 d. In Savoy to 11 d. At Genoa ro S d. s- and ** Geneva to 6 d.%.

Florin was alfo a Gold Coin, ftruck in England in the 18 th ofEdw. 3. of the Value of fix Shillings.

Cambden fays, They were fo called, becaufe made by Florentines : And Fabian fays, they were not of fo fine Gold as the Nobles and Half- Nobles of that Prince.

But what is moft obfervable, is that Fabian calls the Florin a Penny, Val. 6 s. 8i. the half Florin an Half-penny, Val. 35. 4^. the Quarter Florin a Farthing, Val. is. 8 d.

Thefe Words you will often meet with in old Hiftories and Accounts, applied to feveral Coins, as Rials and An- gels,