Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/988

 VOU from with the lefs Force. Accordingly, if they be lefs denſe, they muft give way to the greater Force, whereby the Parts nearer the Centre endeavour to rife. Thus, the more denfe will rife, and the leſs denfe defcend; and thus there will be a change of places, till the whole fluid Matter of the Vortex be fo adjusted, as it may reft in equilibrio. Thus will the greateft part of the Vortex without the Earth's Orbit, have a Degree of Denfity and Inactivity not leſs than that of the Earth itfelf-Whence the Comets muft meet with a very great refiftance; contrary to all Appear- ances. Cotef. pref. ad Newt. princip. See COMET, RE- SISTANCE, MEDIUM, &C. The Doctrine of Vortices, Sir I. Newton obferves, labours under many Difficulties: For a Planet to defcribe Areas pro- portional to the Times, the periodical Times of the Vortex fhould be in a duplicate Ratio of their Diſtances from the Sun; and for the periodical Times of the Planets to be in a fefquiplicate Proportion of their Diſtances from the Sun, the periodical Times of the Parts of the Vortex fhould be in the fame Proportion of their Diſtances; and, laftly, for the leffer Vortices about Jupiter, Saturn, and the other Planets, to be preſerved and fwim fecurely in the Sun's Vortex, the pe- riodical Times of the Parts of the Sun's Vortex fhould be equal. None of which Proportions are found to obtain in the Revolutions of the Sun and Planets a-round their Axes. Phil. Nat. prin. Math. apud Schol. Gen. in Calce. Befides, the Planets, according to this Hypothefis, being carried about the Sun in Ellipſes, and having the Sun in the Umbilicus of each Figure, by Lines drawn from themſelves to the Sun, do always deſcribe Areas proportionable Times of their Revolutions; which thar Author fhcws the Parts of no Vortex can do. Schol. Prop. ult. lib. 2. Princip. the Again, Dr. Kell proves in his Examination of Burnet's Theory, That if the Earth were carried in a Vortex, it would move faſter in the Proportion of 3 to 2, when it is in Virgo, than when it is in Pifces; which all Experience proves to be falſe. [ 33 ] VOTE, or Voice. See SUFFRAGE, and Voice. In the Houſe of Peers they give their Votes or Suffrages, beginning at the Puifne or lowelt Baron, and fo to the reft feriatim, every one anfwering, a part, Content or not Con- tent; and if the Affirmatives and Negatives are equal, fem- per præfumitur pro negante; the Speaker having no cafting Vote unleſs he be a Peer. In the Houſe of Commons they Vote by Tea's and No's, promiſcuoufly. See PARLIAMENT. VOTUM, in our antient Law-books, is ufed for Nuptie; fo Dies votorum, is the Wedding-day, Fleta, lib. 4. cap. 2. par. 16. Si donatorius ad alia vota convolaverit, &c. VOTUM, or Vow. See Vow. VOUCH, A Perfon is ſaid to Vouch for another, when he undertakes to maintain or warrant him in a thing, or paffes his Word in his behalf. In Law, to Vouch, is to call fuch Perſon or Vouchee into Court, to make good his Warrant. See WARRANT. VOUCHEE, a Perfon who is to warranty, or Vouch for another, who in refpect hercof is call'd Voucher. See VOUCHER. VOUCHER, in Law, the Tenant who calls another Perfon into Court, bound to warranty him, and either to de- fend the Right againſt the Demandant, or to yield him o- ther Lands, &c. to the value. See WARRANT. This ſeems in fome meaſure to agree to the Contract, in Civil Law, whereby the Vendee binds the Vendor, fome- times in the Simple Value of the Things bought, fometimes in the Double; to warrant the fecure enjoying of the Thing bought. Yet there is this Difference between the Civil and Com- mon Law in this Point, That the Civil Law binds every Man to warrant the Security of that which he felleth; which the Common Law doth not, unleſs it be fpecially covenanted. The Proceſs whereby the Vouchee is call'd, is a Summo- neas ad Warrantifandum; and if the Sheriff return upon that Writ, that the Party hath nothing whereby he may be fummon'd, then goes out anothor Writ call'd, Sequentur fub fuo periculo. A Recovery with a ſingle Voucher, is when there is but one Voucher; and with a double Voucher, is when the Vou- chec voucheth over; and fo a treble Voucher. See RECOVERY. There is alſo a foreign Voucher, when the Tenant is im- pleaded in a particular Jurifdiction of that Court; more per- tinently call'd a Voucher of a Foreigner. VOUCHER, alfo fignifies a Leiger-book, or Book of Ac- compts, wherein are enter'd the Warrants for the Ac- comptant's Diſcharge. See BooK-KEEPING. VOUSSOIR, Vault-ftone, in Architecture, a Stone pro- per to form the ſweep of an Arch, being cut fomewhat in manner of a truncated Cone, whoſe Sides, were they pro- long'd, would terminate in a Centre, to which all the Stones of the Vault are directed. See VAULT. VOW, VOTUM, a folemn Promife or Offering of a Man's felf to God. See OATH. 2 VOW A Perfon is conftituted a Religious by taking three Vows, that of Poverty, that of Chaſtity, and that of Obedience. See RELIGIOUS. Authors are divided as to the Antiquity of thefe Vows. -Tis agreed, the antient Anchorites, and Hermits of the Thebaide made none; they did nor confecrate them- felves to God by an indiffolv ble Obligation, but were at liberty to quit their Retirement, and return into the World, whenever the Fervor that drove 'em out of it, came to a- bate. See ANCHORITE, &c. Vows were not introduced till long after; and that, to fix the too frequent Inconftancy of fuch as, after retiring from the World, repented themſelves too foon, or too flightly; and by that means fcandaliz'd the Church, and difturb'd the Quiet of Families by their Return. Erafinus will have it, that folemn Vows were not intro- duced till the thirteenth Century, under the Pontificate of Boniface VIII.- -Others hold 'em as antient as the Coun- cil of Chalcedon: But the Truth is, before Boniface VIII. there were none but fimple Vows, and fuch as might be difpenfed withal.- -Their Vows, till that time, were not deem'd eternal Chains; they were not indiffoluble. "Tis true, they were obligatory Promifes, as to Conſcience, and the Inconftancy of fuch as violated them was held an odious Defertion: But as to Law, the Perfons were not held to be civilly dead, fo as, upon their Return, to render 'em incapa- ble of all Acts of civil Society. The moſt common Vow was that of Poverty, but this only regarded the Convent, on account of which every Perfon divefted himſelf of all Property, but the making of Vows did not at all exclude 'em from the Rights of Blood, or ren- der 'em incapable of Inheriting. No Religious, 'tis true, acquired the Property of the Ef- fects that fell to him, they all belong'd to the Monaftery, in favour of which he had divelled himself of every thing and the Monaſtery only left him the Ufufruit and Direction of them. The Popes have frequently confirm'd this Privi- lege to divers Orders, and permitted the Monks to inherit as much as if they were Seculars, and had made no Vows. At preſent, the civil Death of a Religious is dated from the Day he makes the Vows; and trom that time he is utterly incapable of inheriting.-A Religious may reclaim, or proteſt againſt his Vows within five Years; bur, after that, 'tis no longer admitred.-The Failures in the Profeffi- on are efteem'd to be purged by his Silence and Perleverance for five years. Indeed, to be reliev'd from his ows, 'tis not enough the Party reclaim within the five Years; but he mutt likewife prove, he was forced to take the Habit. Vows, Vota, among the Romans, fignify the Sacrifices, Offerings, Prefents, and Prayers, made for the Emperors and Cefars, particularly for their Profperity, and the Latting- nefs of their Empire. Thefe were, at firſt, made every five Years, then every fifteen, and then every thirty, call'd Quinquennalia, Decen- nalia, and Vicennalia. In divers antique Medals and Infcriptions, we read, Vot. X. Vot. XX. Vot. mult. fignifying Votis Decennalibus, Vice- nalibus, Multis, &c. VOTIVE Medals, are thofe whereon the Vows of the People for the Emperors or Empereffes are exprefs'd. See MEDAL. The Public Vows, made every five, ten, or twenty Years, are more often found round the Edges of the Medal, than on the Faces thereof, at leaſt in the Weſtern Empire; for in the Eaſtern the Cafe is different; witnefs the Medal of M. Aurelius the younger, where the Reverfe repreſents the Vows made at the time of his Marriage, VOTA PUBLICA. And on Greek Medals, AHMOT ETXAI, which they fome- times expreſs by the two initial Letters, A. E. according to F. Hardouin's Conjecture, which may be admitted, in cer- tain Medals, where the AEM. E that is, AEMAPXIKHE EZOTEIAE, does not well agree. Witneſs alſo the Medal of Antoninus, VOTA SUSCEPTA DECENNALIA. The Origin of Vows, and Votive Medals, is given by M. du Cange, thus:-Auguftus feigning himſelf willing to quit the Empire, and having twice, at the Prayers of the Senate, condefcended to hold it for ten Years longer, it grew into a Cuftom, to make frefh Public Prayers, Sacrifices, and Games, for his continuing it, at the ten Years end; and thefe they call Decennalia, or Vota Decennalia. Under the Eaſtern Emperors, theſe Vows were repeated every five Years: Hence it is that, after Dioclefian's Time, we find on Medals VOTIS V. XV. c. which Practice con- tinued till the Time of Theodofius, when Chriftianity being well eſtabliſh'd, a Ceremony that had fome Remains of Heathenifm in it, was fet afide. So that the VOTIS MULTIS, on a Medal of Majorianus, muſt be a very dif- ferent Thing; and no other, doubtleſs, than a kind of Ac- clamation, like that, PLURA NATALIA FAELICITER. VOWEL, in Grammar, a Letter which affords a complete Sound of it felf; or a Letter fo fimple as only to need a bare opening