Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/471

POS TORT- Men, the twelve Burgeffes o$ Jpfwich are thus callM in ihe Stat. 13 Eliz. Cambden adds, that the Name was common to the Inhabitants of all the Cinque-Ports. See Quinque Portus.

POKTMOTE, fignifies a Court kept in Port or Haven- Towns ; as Swain-Mote in the Foreil. It is call'd the Portmote Court. See Port and Court.

Portmotes are alfo held in fome Inland-Towns 5 as at Kntijl in Cbejbire.

The Word is form'd from the Saxon, Forte, Port, and Gemot, Ccnventus, Meeting.

PORT-SOKA, tfce Suburbs of a City, or a Place within the Liberties and Jurifdiclion thereof.

The Word is form'd from the Saxon, Tort, City ; and Soka, Jurifdiftion. Conceffi quod nuilus de Civitate, vel Port- Soka fua caputs, Sec. Somner's Gavelkind.

1'OK.TIU "Dura, and Mollis, in Anatomy, a Partition of the fifth Pair of Nerves of the Brain; which, before its cgrefs out of the Zktra Mater is apparently divided into two Branches ; the one pretty tough and firm, call'd Forth Dura 5 the other foft and lax, call'd Forth Mol- lis. See Nerve.

PORTIO, "Portion, a Part, or Diviiion of any thing. See Part and Division.

Portion, in the Canon-Law, is that Allowance, or Proportion, which a Vicar ordinarily has out of a Rectory or Impropriation, be it certain, oruncertain. See Vicar and

Im PB.OiaiAT.ION.

PORT10NER. Where a Parfonage is ferved fometimes by two, fometimes by three Minilrers, alternately; as Bromyard, Surford, Src. in Shropjbire \ the Vicars or Incumbents are call'd Portioners ; becaufe they have but their Portion, or Proportion of Tythes, or Profits of the Living.

pORTLAND-#072<?, fee Stone.

PORTRAIT, or PORTRAITURE, in Painting, the Representation of a Perfon, and efpecially a Face, done from the Life. See Painting.

In this fenfe we fay, Portrait-Fainting, in oppofition to Hiilory-Painting, where all Refemblance of Perfon is difregarded.

Portraits are ufually painted in Oil-Colours, fometimes in Water ; fometimes in Miniature, with Crayons, Pens, Padels, &c. See Limning, Miniature, &c.

It was faid of a great Painter, who never fucceeded in the Likenefs, (Sir Peter Lely, if we miftake not) that he made a great many fine Pictures, but all poor Portraits.

PORUS Silarius, Silary Fore, or Hepatic Duel, in A- natomy, a Duel, which, with the Cyitic, or Cholcidic, forms the common Canal of the Bile. See Bile.

Fallopus was rmflaken in imagining that the POTUS Bi- larius carried the Bile into the Gall-Bladder. Its Office is to convey it into the Interlines, by the 2)uclus Communis 5 for in blowing into it, that Inreitine is found to fwell. See Bilary and Ductus Communis.

POSE, in Heraldry, denotes a Lion, Horfe, or other Beafi ftanding flill, with all four Feet on the Ground 5 to denote thereby that it is not in a moving Polture.

POSITION, in Phyfics, Site, or Situation; an Affec- tion of Place, which expreffes the Manner of any Body's being therein. See Body, Place, £yc.

Position, in Architecture, the Situation of a Building, with regard to the Points of the Horizon. See Building. . Vitruv'ms directs the ^Pofition of a Building to be fuch, as that the four Corners point dircclly to the four Winds.

Position, in AOronomy. The Pofition of the Sphere is either right, parallel, or oblique; whence arifes the In- equality of our Days, Difference of Seafons, &c. See Sphere- _

Circles of Position, are fix great Circles paffing thro* the Interferon of the Meridian and Horizon, and dividing the Equator into twelve equal Parts. S^e Circle.

The Spaces included between thefe Circles, are what the Aftrologers call the twelve Houfes 5 and which they re- fer to the twelve Triangles mark'd in their Themes. See Theme.

Thefe Circles are reprefented on the Globe by the Semi- circle of Pofition. SeeGLOEE.

Position, in Dancing, the Manner of difpofing the Feet, with regard to each other.

There are four regular Fofitims .- The firft, when the Feet are ioin'd in a Line parallel to the Shoulders : The fecond, when the Heels are perpendicularly under the Shoulders; and of confequence, the width of the Shoulder a-part : The third, when one Foot is before the other, in fuch manner, as that the Heel is in the Cavity form'd by the Rotula and Carpus of the Foot: The fourth, when one Foot is the width of the Shoulders a-part from the o- ihcr ; the Heel ftill anfwering to the Cavity of the former : which is the only regular manner of Walking.

Position, in Arithmetic, a Rule fo call'd, for Suppofi, thn.

Rule of falfe Pofition, or of FalJIiood, confifts in the cal- culating on feveral falfe Numbers, taken at random, as if they were the true ones; and from the Differences found therein, determining the Number fought.

Pofition is cither finglc or double.

Single Position is, when there happens in the Propor- tion, fome Partition of Numbers into Parts proportional 5 in which Cafe, the Queftion may be refolv'd at one Opera- tion by this Rule :.

Imagine a Number at pleafure, and work therewith ac~ cording to the Tenour of the Queition, as if it were the true Number; and what Proportion there is between the falfe Conclufion, and the falfe Pofition; fuch -Proportion the given Number, has to the Number fought.

Therefore, the Number found by Argumentation, ftiall be the firft Term of the Rule of Three; the Number fup- pes'd, the fecond Term j and the given Number, the third. See Golden Rule.

Position Double, is, when there cao be no Partition in the Numbers to make a Proportion.

In this Cafe, therefore, you mult make a Suppofition twice ; proceeding therein according to the Tenour of the Queftion.

If neither of the fuppos'd Numbers folve the Propoii^ tion, obferve the Errors, and whether they be greater or leffer than the Refolution requireth ; and mark the Errors accordingly, with the Signs + and —.

Multiply, contrariwife, the one Pofition by the other Error; and if the Errors be both too great, or both too little, fubftracl the one Product from the other, and divide the Difference of the Products by the Difference of the Errors.

If the Errors be unlike, as the one +, and the other—, add the Produces, and divide the Sum thereof, by the Sum of the Errors added together. For the Proportion of the Errors, is the fame with the Proportion of the Exceffes or Defects of the Numbers fuppoVd, to the Numbers fought.

Position, In Geometry, S?£. a Term ufed in contradiftinclion to Magnitude, &c. Thus, a Line is faid to be given in Pofition, Pcfitione data, when its Situation, Bear- ing, or Direction, with regard to fome other Line, is given ; On the contrary, a Line is given in Magnitude, when its Length is given, but not its Situation.

Sir Ifaac Newton /hews how to find a Point, from which three Lines, perpendicularly let fall to three other Lines given in Fofition, have any given Ratio, &c.

Position, is alfo ufed for aThefis, or Propofition, main- tain'd in the Schools. See Thesis.

POSITIVE, a Term of Relation; fometimes oppos'd to Negative.

Thus, we fay, the Commandments are fome of them Fo- fitive, others Negative. See Negative.

Fofitive is alfo ufed in oppofition to Relative, or Arbi- trary.

Thus, we fay, Beauty is no fofitive Thing, but depends on the different Tafies of the People. See Relative.

Pofitive is alfo ufed in oppofition to Natural: Thus we fay, a Thing is of pofitive Right; meaning, it is founded on a Law, which depends abfolutely on the Authority of him who gave it.

Thus, e. gr. the Prohibition of eating certain Beads, un- der the Old Law, was of Fofitive Right ; the Command to honour Father, and Mother, of Natural Right. See Right.

Positive fgiimitity, in Algebra, a real, or affirmative Quantity j or a Quantity greater than nothing: thus cal- led, in oppofition to a privative or negative Quantity, which is lefs than nothing. See Quantity.

Pofitive Quantities are defign'd by the Character -f-, prcfix'd to them, or fuppos'd to be prefix'd. See Cha- racter.

Positive ^Degree, in Grammar, is the Adjective in its fimple Signification ; without any Companion. See De- cree.

Or, Pofitive 1)egree, is that Termination of an Adjec- tive, which exprefles its Subject {imply, and abfolutely ; without comparing it with any other. Thus, good, bonus, fair, pulcloer, $$c. are in the pofitive ^Degree ; better, fairer, in the Comparative. See Comparative.

Positive "Theology, is that which confifls in the fimple underitanding, or expounding of the Dogma's, and Articles of Faith ; as contain'd in the Holy Scriptures, or explain'd by the Fathers and Councils ; clear of all Difputes and Con- troverfies. See Theology.

In this fenfe, Fofitive Theology (lands oppos'd ta.Scbo- lafiic, and Polemical Theology. See Scholastic and Polemical,