is supposed by Mr. Twiss to contain 40,000, by others 60,000, and by some 120,000. But in September and October, 1800, they were almost totally extirpated by the plague. They abound in Italy, and are scattered through France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Russia. For nearly four centuries they have wandered through the world; and in every region, and among every people, whether barbarous or civilised, they have continued unchanged. Their origin has been generally believed to be from Egypt. Thomasius, Salmon, and Sig. Griselini, have endeavoured to prove it. M. Grellman, however, traces it from Hindostan, and the cause of their emigration from the bloody wars of Timur Beg in India, in 1408-9. GYPSUM, selenite, or plaster-stone. The properties of gypsum, according to Cronstedt, are, 1. It is looser and more friable than calcareous earth. 2. It does not effervesce with acids, or at most in a very slight degree. 3. It falls into powder in the fire very readily. 4. When burnt, without being made red-hot, its powder readily concretes with water into a mass which soon hardens; but without any sensible heat being excited in the operation. 5. It is nearly as difficult of fusion as limestone; and shows almost the same effects upon other bodies with limestone, though sulphuric acid seems to promote the vitrification. Magellan, however, says that most of the gypsa, particularly the fibrous, melt in the fire pretty easily by themselves. 6. When melted with borax it puffs and bubbles very much, and for a long time during the fusion. Magellan says, when a small quantity of gypsum is melted with borax the glass becomes colorless and transparent; but some sorts of sparry gypsa, melted with borax, yield a fine yellow transparent glass, resembling the topaz; but, if too much of the gypsum is used in proportion to the borax, the glass becomes opaque. 7. When burnt with any inflammable matter, it emits a sulphureous smell, and may thus be decompounded, as well as by either of the fixed alkaline salts: in this last method there ought to be five or six times as much salt as gypsum. 8. The residuum shows some signs of iron. The spécies are, 1. Friable gypseous earth, white, found in Saxony. 2. Indurated gypsum, of a solid texture, or alabaster, the particles of which are not visible. This is sometimes found unsa turated with vitriolic acid. It is easily cut, and takes a dull polish. It is of several kinds. Fabroni tells us, that various fine alabasters are met with in Italy twenty-four quarries of them, each of a different color, being worked out at Volterra. 3. Gypsum of a scaly texture, or common plaster of Paris. See PLASTER. 4. Fibrous gypsum, or plaster-stone, has two varieties, viz. with coarse or with fine fibres. It is white. 5. Selenites, or spar-like gypsum, by some also called glacies manæ, and confounded with the clear and transparent mica. It is of two kinds : clear and transparent, or yellowish and opaque; and abounds every where. 6. Crystallised gypsum, or gypseous drusen. This is found composed of wedge-shaped, and sometimes of capillary crystals; sometimes white and sometimes yellowish. 7. Stalactitical gypsum is of many different forms and colors. In large pieces it commonly varies between white and yellow, and likewise in its transparency. It is used as alabaster in several works. England abounds with gypseous substances. There are plenty in Derby, Nottingham, and Somerset sh res, so fine as to take a polish like alabaster. A very fine semipellucid alabaster is found in Derbyshire. Fine fibrous tales are also found in many other places. Very fine gypseous drusen is found in Sheppey Isle, and some exceedingly beautiful, large, and clear as crystal, in the salt-works at Nantwich in Cheshire. The selenites rhomboidalis abounds in England, particularly in Shotoverhill, in Oxford, though rare in other counties. Sheppey affords spar-like gypsa, of a fibrous nature, and accreting like the radiations of a star on the septaria, and thence called stella septarii. GYRATION, n. s. GYRE, N. s. GYRED, adj. GYRE FUL, adj. by any thing moving changeable. Lat. gyrus, gyro; Fr. girer. The act of turning any thing about: gyre is a circle described in an orbit: gyreful is GYRINUS, in zoology, a genus of insects of the coleoptera order. The antennæ are cylindrical, stiff, and shorter than the head: the eyes are four, two on the upper, and two on the under part of the head. See ENTOMOLOGY. G. natator, the common water flea, is one-third of an inch long; of a bright black color; the feet yellow, flat, and large. It runs with great celerity in circles on the surface of the water, and is very difficult to catch. GYRON, in heraldry, an ordinary of two straight lines, issuing from divers parts of the esutcheon, and meeting in the Fesse point. GYVES, n. s. GYVE, v. u. shackle, or ensnare. Fetters; Welsh, gevyn. chains for the legs: to fetter, The poor prisoners, boldly starting up, break off Knolles. their chains and gyves. With as little a web as this, will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. Ay, smile upon her, do. I will gyve thee in thine own courtship. Shakspeare. The villains march wide betwixt the legs, as if they had gyves on. 1 Id. And, knowing this, should I yet stay, Ben Jonson, H. H is in English, as in other languages, a note of aspiration, sounded only by a strong emission of the breath, without any conformation of the organs of speech, and is therefore by many grammarians accounted no letter. The h in English is scarcely ever mute at the beginning of a word, or where it immediately precedes a vowel; as house, behaviour; where it is followed by a consonant it has no sound, according to the present pronunciation; but anciently it made the syllable guttural. 'The strong emission of the breath, however,' as Mr. Todd observes, 'is usually withheld from heir, herb, hostler, honest, honor, humor, and by some from humble.' It is pronounced by a strong expiration of the breath between the lips, closing, as it were, by a gentle motion of the lower jaw to the upper, and the tongue nearly approaching the palate. It seems to be agreed, that our H, which is the same with that of the Romans, derived its figure from the Hebrew. The Phoenicians, and most ancient Greeks and Romans, used the same figure with our H, which in the series of all these alphabets keeps its primitive place, being the eighth letter; though the 0 afterwards occupied its place in the Greek alphabet, and its form was changed to X'; while its former figure, H, was used for the seventh letter, Eta, or long e. But in the beginning this H was only used for an aspiration, wherefore they wrote HEPOAO instead of nowdov, HOAOI instead of odw, HEKATON, instead of EKATOV, centum; from whence it comes, that the II formerly denoted 100. H was also joined with weak consonants instead of an aspiration; they 'using to write THEOX instead of ecoç, and the like. Anciently the h was put for ch; thus Chlodovaus was formed Hludovicus, as it is read on all the coins of the ninth and tenth centuries; and it was on this account that they wrote Hludovicus with an h. In course of time, the sound of the h being much weakened, or entirely suppressed, the h was dropt, and the word was written Ludovicus. In like manner we read Hlotaire, Hlovis, &c. H subjoined to c sometimes gives it the sound of sh, as in Charlotte; but more frequently that of tsh, as in charity, chitchat, church, &c.; and not seldom that of k, as in character, Achilles, &c.; though the latter and all other Greek proper names ought rather to have the guttural sound, agreeably to their original pronunciation. H subjoined to pand t, also alters the sound of these letters; giving the former the sound of f, as in philosophy, &c. and the latter that of the Greek e, as in theology, truth, &c.; and in some English words, as the, that, these, &c., a still harder sound. As an abbreviation, H was used by the ancients to denote homo, hæres, hora, &c. Thus H. B. stood for hares honorum, and H. S. corruptly for LLS. sesterce; and HA. for Hadrianus. As a numeral, H denotes 200; and with a dash over it, F, 200,000. He saith among the trumpets, ha, ha, and he smell. And out at the dores sterten they anon; Chaucer. The Nonnes Preestes Tale. Shakspeare. Ha, ha, 'tis what so long I wished and vowed; Our plots and delusions Dryden. Have wrought such confusions, HAAK, n. s. A fish. HAARLEM. See HARLEM. HABAKKUK, pipan, Heb. i. e. a wrestler, one of the twelve minor prophets, whose prophecies are taken into the canon of the Old Testament. There is no precise time mentioned in Scripture when he lived; but, from his predicting the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, it is evident that he prophesied before Zedekiah, probably about the time of Manasseh. He is reported to have been the author of several prophecies which are not extant: but all that are indisputably his are contained in three chapters. HABEAS CORPUS is the great remedy in English law in cases of false imprisonment." See IMPRISONMENT. HABERDASHER, n. s. According to Minsheu from Germ. habt ihr dass, have you this; the expression of a shopkeeper offering his wares to sale. Mr. Thomson says, from Teut. haabvertauscher, from haab, have. One who sells small wares; a pedlar. Because these cunning men are like haberdashers of small wares, it is not amiss to set forth their shop. Bacon A haberdasher, who was the oracle of the coffeehouse, declared his opinion. Addison. HABERE FACIAS POSSESSIONEM. A judicial writ that lies where one hath recovered a term for years in action of ejectione firma, to put him into possession; and one may have a new writ, if a former be not well executed. If the sheriff deliver possession of more than is contained in the writ of habere facias possessionem, an action on the case will lie against him, or an assize for the lands. The sheriff cannot return upon this writ that another is tenant of the land by right, but must execute the writ, for that will not come in issue between the demandant and him. HABERE FACIAS SEISINAM. A writ directed to the sheriff, to give seisin of a freehold estate recovered in the king's courts, by ejectione firmæ, or other action. The sheriff may raise the posse comitatus in his assistance, to execute these writs; and may break open the doors to deliver possession and seisin thereof; but he ought to signify the cause of his coming, and request that the doors may be opened. This writ also issues sometimes out of the records of a fine, to give the cognisee seisin of the land whereof the fine is levied. There is also a writ called habere facias seisinam, ubi rex habuit annum, diem, et vastum; for the delivery of lands to the lord of the fee, after the king hath had the year, day, and waste in the lands of a person convicted of felony. HABER'GEON, n. s. Fr. haubergeon; low Lat. halbergium. Armour to cover the neck and breast; breast-plate; neck-piece; gorget. And over that an habergeon For percing of his herte. Chaucer. Rime of Sire Thopas. With him ther wenten knightes many on;Some wol ben armed in an habergeon, And in a brest plate and in a gipon. Id. The Knightes Tale. -She resolved, unweeting to her syre, Advent'rous knighthood on herselfe to don; And counseld with her nourse her maides attyre To turne into a massy habergeon; And bade her all thinges put in readiness anon. Spenser. Faerie Queene. And halbert some, and some a habergion; So every one in arms was quickly dight. Fairfax. Then put on all thy gorgeous arms, thy helmet And brigandine of brass, thy broad habergeon. Milton. Samson Agonistes. The shot let fly, and grazing Hudibras. HABERGEON, HABERGETUM. From Fr. haut, high, and berg, armour, was a coat of mail; an ancient piece of defensive armour, in form of a coat, descending from the neck to the middle, and formed of little iron rings or meshes, linked into each other. HABERT, a French family of talent of the seventeenth century: Germain Habert was abbot of Notre Dame de Cerisi, and one of the first members of the French Academy. He died in 1653, leaving several poems, the best of which is entitled Metamorphose des Yeux d'Iris, changés en Astres, 1639, 8vo. He also wrote the Life of Cardinal de Berulle, 1646, 4to, and paraphrased some of the Psalms.-Philip Habert, his brother, killed at the siege of Emmerich, in 1637, was also one of the first members of the Academy, and wrote The Temple of Death, a poem. There was also a celebrated doctor of the Sorbonne, Isaac Habert, who distinguished himself by several controversial works on Grace, in confutation of Jansenius, and by his Latin poetry. He was bishop of Vabres in 1645, and died in 1668.-Lewis Habert, another French ecclesiastic of note, and a doctor of the Sorbonne, was born in 1637, and died in 1718. He was author of a Complete Body of Divinity, in Latin, 7 vols. 12mo, 1700. HABICOT (Nicholas), a celebrated French surgeon, born at Bonny, in Gatinois, who acquired great reputation by his skill, and by his writings. He wrote a Treatise on the Plague, and several other curious works. He died in 1624. HABIL'IMENT, n. s. 】 French, habiliment, HABILITATE, v.a. & adj. ] habiliter, habilitè, ha-、 HABILITATION, n. s. bitable, habiteur, haHABILITY, n. s. bitude; Lat. habitus, HABIT, n. s. & v. a. habitabilis, habitatio, HABITABLE, adj. habitudo. A habit is HABITABLENESS, n. s. the state of having, HABITANCE, n. s. or being, and appliHABITANT, n. s. cable to appearance, HABITATION, n. s. as dress, clothes, garHABITATOR, n. s. ments, which are HABITUAL, adj. habiliments; to mind, HABITUALLY, adv. as qualifications; faHABITUATE, v. a. culty or ability acHABITUDE, n. s. Jquired by frequently doing the same thing, as habitude: to the capacity of being dwelt in, as habitable: a habitation is a place of abode; habitator is an inhabitant of such dwelling: habitual is customary; established by repetition; used both in a good and evil sense. And eke remembre thine habilitee And, eke, in eche of the pinacles In whiche stoden, all withouten Id. House of Fame. He was out cast of mannes compagnie ; With asses was his habitation. Chaucer. The Monkes Tale. In many places nightingales, Id. Romaunt of the Rose. Where art thou, man, if man at all thou art, That here in desart hast thine habitance, And these rich heaps of wealth do'st hide apart From the world's eye, and from her right usance? Spenser's Faerie Queene. 1 "Tis impossible to become an able artist, withou making your art habitual to you. I His knowledge in the noblest useful arts, Was such dead authors could not give; But habitudes with those who live. To write well, one must have frequent habitude with the best company. 14. Those ancient problems of the spherical roundaess of the earth, the being of antipodes, and of the habi tableness of the torrid zone, are abundantly demostrated. Bay. As by the objective part of perfect happiness we understand that which is best and last, and to which all other things are to be referred; so by the formal part must be understood the best and last habitude of man toward that best object. Norr It results from the very nature of things, as they stand in such a certain habitude, or relation to one another. South HABINGTON (William), an English poet and historian, was the son of Thomas Habington, esq. He was born in 1605, at Hendlip, n Worcestershire; and educated at St. Omer's. He died in 1654, and left several MSS. in the under the title of Castura. 2. The Queen of hands of his son. His printed works are, 1. Poems Arragon, a tragi-comedy. 3. Observations upon History. 4. The History of Edward IV. king of England, written in a very florid style, and pub lished at the desire of Charles I. HABIT is particularly used for the uniform garments of the religious, conformable to the rule and order whereof they make profession: as the habit of St. Benedict, of St. Augustine, &c. In this sense we say absolutely, such a person has taken the habit; meaning he has entered upon a noviciate in a certain order. So he is said to quit the habit, when he renounces the order. See Vow. The habits of the several religious are not supposed to have been calculated for singularity or novelty: the founders of the orders, who were at first inhabitants of deserts and solitudes, gave their monks the habits usual among the country people. Accordingly the primitive habits of St. Anthony, St. Hilarion, St. Benedict, &c., are described by the ancient writers as consisting chiefly of sheep skins, the common dress of the peasants of that time. The orders established in and about cities and inhabited places took the habit worn by other ecclesiastics at the time of their institution. What makes them differ so much from each other, as well as from the ecclesiastical habit of the present times, is, that they have always kept invariably to the same form; whereas the ecclesiastics and laics have been changing their mode on every occasion. HA'BNAB, adv. Hap ne hap, or nap; as would nould, or ne would: will, nill, or ne will; that is, let it happen or not. At random; at the mercy of chance; without any rule or certainty of effect. He circles draws and squares, Hudibras. It HACHA, a town, province, and river of Granada, South America. The province was formerly of considerable extent, but is now much reduced, being only eight leagues in length from north to south, and four wide east and west. has the Atlantic Ocean on the north, and Lake Maracaibo on the east. The river, which runs from south to north, was once famous for its pearl fisheries. It enters the Atlantic Ocean in lat. 11° 31′ 30′′ N., and at the mouth stands the town of this name. HACK, v. a. Sax. paccan; Dut. hacken; Fr. To cut into hacher, from Sax. acare an axe. small pieces; to chop; to cut slightly with frequent blows; to mangle with unskilful blows. It bears commonly some notion of contempt or malignity; to speak with hesitation. It nedeth not you more to tellen (To maken you to long to dwellen) Chaucer. House of Fame. Richard the Second here was hacked to death. Id. I'll fight 'till from my bones my flesh be hackt. Id. Disarm them, and let them question; let them Id. keep their limbs whole, and hack our English. One flourishing branch of his most royal root Is hackt down, and his summer leaves all faded, By Envy's hand, and Murder's bloody axe. Id. He put on that armour, whereof there was no one piece wanting, though hackt in some places, bewraying Sidney. some fight not long since passed. Burn me, hack me, hew me into pieces. Dryden. HACKNEY, n. s. & v. a. Southern's Loyal Brothers. Welsh, hacknai; ·Teut. hacheneye; Fr. Shaquenee; old Fr. haquat. To hackney; to become common; to His hakeney, which that was al pomeleegris, Chaucer. The Chanones Yemannes. Id. The Rime of Sire Thopas. You may see the very fashion of the Irish horseman in his long hose, riding shoes of costly cordwain, his hacqueton, and his habergeon. Spenser. Shakspeare. He is long hackneyed in the ways of men. Light and lewed persons were as easily suborned to make an affidavit for money, as post-horses and hackneys are taken to hire. Bacon. These notions young students in physick derive from Harvey. their hackney authors. That is no more than every lover Who, mounted on a broom, the nag Hudibras. With his accumulative and hackney tongue. Id. Roscommon. Shall each spurgalled hackney of the day, Pope. A wit can study in the streets; Thy coach of hackney, whisky, one horse chair. HACKET (John), bishop of Litchfield and In |