Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/472

 POS

CM )

POS

Positive, in Mufic, the little Organ ufually behind, or

the fo°t of the Organifl, play'd with the fame Wind,

nd the fame Bellows, and confining of the fame Number


 * f pipes with the large one ; tho, thofe much fmaller, and

in a certain Proportion. See Organ. In the Organs of the Jefuits, the Tofitive is in the grand

Body.

Positive Zevity. See Levity.

Positive Cold. See Cold.

POSSE Comitatus, Tower of the County, a Phrafe in Law, fignifying the Aid, and Attendance of all Knights, Gentlemen, Yeomen, Labourers, Servants, Apprentices, Villains and others, above the Age of fifteen Years, within the County ; becaufe all above that Age are bound to have Harnefs by the Statute of Winchefier : Only Women, Ec- defiaftical Pcrfons, and fuch as are decrepid, and infirm, are excus'd. For the Statute of 2 Hen. 5. fays, That Fer- rous able to travel, pall be affifiant to this Service. See Service.

It is ufed, where a Poffeffion is kept upon a forcible En- try, or any Force of Refcue ufed, contrary to the Com- mand of the King's Writ, or in oppofition to the Execution of Juftice.

POSSESSION, in Law, quafi pedis pofitio; an Action whereby we hold, or occupy, any thing, either de Jure, or de Fatlo. See Occupancy.

Toffeffion de Fatlo, is when there is an aflual, and effec- tual Enjoyment of the Thing, See De Facto.

So 1 thai Poffikkty does not imply any thing in the tiling poffible, butis a mere cxtrinfic Denomination taken from the Power of the Caufe, and principally of God.

In .effect .f a creditable thing had any intrinfic Paffili- hty, it would follow that fuch thing mail exift even with- out the Caufc.

enjoy

Fcfcffion de Jure, or in Law, is the Title a Man has to

joy a thing, tho' it be fometimes ufurp'd, and in the ac-

al Poffeffion of another. See De Jure.

Unity of Poffeffion, is what the Civilians call Confolida- tion. JS.gr. If a Lord purchafe a Tenancy, held of him- felf by Herriot-Service; the Service becomes extinct, by Unity of Poffeffion, i. e, by the Scignory and Tenancy's coming to the fame hand. See Consolidation.

A Poffeffion of three Years, in Matters perianal, begets a Rioht; and in real Eftares, a Poffeffion of ten Years, a- mong Perfons living near the Premifes, and twenty Years among thofe that live elfewhere. See Prescription.

Possession, is fometimes alfo ufed for the Act of taking Pofieflou; which is perform'd with certain Formalities, whereby a Perfon is juiiify'd to be in the Enjoyment of any thing.

Antiently, upon buying an Efiate, Toffeffion was taken with a deal of Ceremony : In fome places, by a Stick, a Branch, or a Straw, put in the hands of the Buyer by the Seller. See Investiture.

Toffeffion of a 'Benefice, in fome Cuftoms, is taken, by entring the Church, kneeling down, kiffing the Altar, and ringing the Kell.

In fome Cafes, Toffeffion is taken by the Sight of the Steeple.

The Emperors antiently put Prelates in Toffeffion, by gi- ving them a Ring and a Staff.

Posession is alfo ufed for the Title, or Prefcription, that gives a Right to hold any thing : Annual Toffeffion is the Ufitcaptio, which gives a Right to Moveables : A triennial and peaceable Toffeffion of a Benefice, is fufficient to maintain it ; provided it be founded on a plaufible Title.

A Toffeffion of an Efiate for ten Years by a Perfon pre- fent, and of twenty Years by one abfent, with a Title ; or of thirty Years, without any ; gives a full Right. See Pre- scription.

Centenary Toffeffion, conftitutes Toffeffion Immemorial ; the bell and moil indifputable of all Titles.

Possession, is alfo ufed for the State of a Perfon fef- feffed by the Devil.

It differs from Obfeffion; in that in the former, the De- vil afls inwardly 5 and in the latter, outwardly. See OB- SESSION.

POSSESSIVE, in Grammar, a Term apply'd to Pro- nouns, which denote the Enjoyment or Poffeffion of any thing, either in particular, er in common. See Pronoun.

Thus, mine, thine, his, ours, &c. are Pronouns Foffef- fwe.

POSSIBILITAS, in our old Law-Books, is ufed for a thing done wilfully, or wittingly 5 in oppofition to Impof-

J&ilitas, a thing done againft the will. Si autcm Ocu-

los afnaffet reddat iieram ejus, ££ Impofiibilitatis accufetur

in eo facia. Leg. Alfred. Again, Si quis ggat impof-

fibiliter, non eft crmiino fimile ac fi voluntarie faciat. Leg. Sax. Ed. Senior.

POSSIBILITY, Possibilitas, a Non-Repugnance to Exifling, in a thing that does not any way exift. See Pos- sible.

This Non-Repugnance of Exifling is no other than the Producib'dity of any thing ; which confifts in this, that there are fufficient Caufes actually exifling, or at leaft poffible, whereby the thing may be produced, or be brought to ex- ill ; principally as there is a God, or an Almighty Caufe.

■t t J^rr ™ y al i° W an m " m{ic T °F»Mty of a thing ; if by Toffiblhty, we do not underfknd its Froducibility or its Non-Repugnance to exift; but only the Non-Repug- nance of the Attributes contain'd in its Idea. But fuch Toffiblhty is merely Logical.

POSSIBLE, Possieile, is fometimes oppos'd to real Exiftence, and underftood, in the Schools, of a Thing which tho' it does not aftually exift, yet may exift; a« a new Star, another World, &c. which are particularly faid to be phyfically poffible.

It is alfo oppos'd to Impoffible; in which fenfe it is appli- cable to any thing that does not contradict itfelf, or involve contradictory Predicates ; whether it aflually exift or not: As^Man, Fire; thefe are alfo faid to \x Logically poffible.

'Tis a great Point of Controverfy among the School Phi- lofophers, whether, and how far Things mav be faid to have any Entity, while only in a State of Foffibiliiy. See Possibility.

Toffibles are ordinarily conceiv'd to be three- fold ; future. potential, and merely poffible.

Future, is that of a 1'hing, whofe Produaion is decreed, and afcertain'd ■. V.gr. the Futurition of all thofe Events, fix'd by the Immutable Decree of the Immutable Will of the Almighty.

_ Potential, or in potentia, is that which is contain'd, or lies hid in its Caufes ; as the Tree in the Seed, the Fruit in the Tree, &c.

A mere Poffible, is that which might exift, tho' it never ihall.

Others diftinguifh Pojfibies into Metaphyfical, Phyficah and Poffible.

Metafhyfical, is that which may at leaft be brought to Being by fome fupernatural and divine Power ; as the Re- furrection of the Dead : In which fenfe the Word is op- pos'd to an Impoffible even to God himfelf ; as a crooked Straitncfs, a fquare Circle, an infinitely perfect Creature, a mortal God.

Phyfical, or Natural, is that which may be effected by a natural Power ; as to overturn the Tarhifb Empire. In oppofition to fuch Things as cannot be produe'd by any finite Power ; as, to reftore the Dead, (yc.

Ethical, or Moral, is that which may be done by pru- dent Perfons ; ufing all the proper means they have for the fame : And again, it is ufed lor any thing done according to right Reafon, and confidently with the Laws. In the firft fenfe, it is poffible for the Venetians to beat the Turks at Sea : In the fecond, whatever is right and juft, is pof- fible. _ POST, in the Military Art, any Ground, or Place, for- tify'd or not, where a Body of Men make a Stand, fortify themfelves, or remain in a Condition to fight an Enemy.

Hence they fay, the Pcfi was reliev'd, the Poft was quit- ted, the Tofi was taken Sword in hand, &c.

A Spot of Ground feiz'd by a Party to fecure the Front of an Army, and to cover the Tofis, that are behind, they call an advane'd Tofi : And the Advance Guard, or the Right of the two Lines of an Army, iSc. they call the Toll of Honour.

The Word is form'd from the Latinpofitus, placed 5 fome derive it from Totcfias, Power.

Posts, in Building, pretty big Pieces of Timber, plac'd upright in Houfes, ££c.

The corner Tofis are call'd the principal Tofis ; and the Tofis framed into Brcfiummers between principal Tofis for ftrengthening the Carcafs of the Houfe, are call'd the Trick-Tofts.

An excellent Method to preferve Tofis from rotting, is to burn the Ends that are to be fet in the Ground; the Out- fide to a very Coal.

Post, the Difpatch a Coutier, or Letter-Carrier, makes, by changing Horfes from time to time. See Courier.

The Word is alfo apply'd to the Perfon himfelf; the Houfes where he takes up, and lays down his Charge ; and the Stages or Diftances between Houfe and Houfe.

The Name is borrow'd hence, that the Horfes ixtpofiti, placed, or difpofed from diflance to diilance.

We find mention made of Poyr-Horfes in the Theodofiaa Code, de Curfu publico; but thefe were very different from the prefenr Eltablifhment, and were only public Horfes, firft appointed by Tra]an ; till whofe Time, the Meffen- gers feiz'd any Horfes that came in their way.

Louis Homigk has an exprefs Treatife on Tofis, whereof he makes four kinds ; viz. on Horfeback, in Chariots, in Soats, and on Foot; which Lift kind is in ufe in Italy, Tur- key, and Tern.

10 G Hen-