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company apart, by the laws of which they are obliged to bind only perfeft books j not to Tow above two quires or gatherings together; and' to indorfe with parchment only, not paper. Sa- vor. Dift. Coram. T. 2, p. 137c, feq. voc. relleur.
Binder-mw, the weakeft kind of tan-ooze. Vid. Nought. Coll- T.i. p. 319- See Tanning, Cyd.
BINDING," ( Cyd. ) the aft of fattening or joining two things to- gether by fome bond, or vinculum.
Bales are bound with cords ; {heaves of corn with ftraw ; fag- gots with brufh-wood ; malls with iron-bands ; cafks with hoops, Esfc.
Binding is alfo ufed in fpeaking of different matters joined to gether by fomething which incorporates them together. In this fenfe, glue, fize, and pafte, are ufed for binding paper, leather, wood, &c.
Binding, in the art of defence, a method of fecuring orcroffing the adverfary's fword with a preflure, accompanied with a fpring from the wrift.
Binding is a method of purfuit more fafe and certain, as well as mafterly, than taking of time.
How binding, by thus fpringing crofs on die adverfary's fword. differs from beating, is fhewn under the article beating. See Beating.
Unlefs a man, by fome kind of crofs, fecure, as it were, or render his adverfary's fword incapable to offend him during the time of his performing a leflbn upon him, it is impoflible for him to be certain but that he may receive from his adverfary, either a fortuitous contretemps, or an exchanged thruft, before the recovery of his body, or going off after a thruft. Hopt Compl. Fenc p. 1 12.
The great objection made by fome people, particularly thofe time-catchers, againft the frequent ufe of binding, is, that whe." a man, in performing it, cleaves too much to his adverfary 1 fword, he is liable to his adverfary's flipping of him, and con - fequently of receiving either a plain thruft, or one from a feint. Hope, Compl. Fenc. ubi fupra.
Binding is a term in falconry, which implies tiring, or when a hawk feizes. Dift Ruft. in voc.
Binding is alfo ufed in a figurative and fpiritual fenfe: thus Chrift is faid to have given his church a power of binding and loofing, i. e. of retaining or remitting fins. Vid. Calm. Diet. Bibl. T. 1. p. 309. The power of binding end loafing is otherwife called the power of the keys. See Key, Cyd.
BIND-wf^, in botany. See Convolvulus:
BINN, b'mna, a fort of cheft or cupboard, wherein to lock up bread, meat, or other provifions. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. T.
1. p. 557-
The word is alfo ufed for a place boarded up to put corn in.
Dift Ruft. in voc.
B1NOMIUS, in middle-age writers, denotes a perfon with two names.
Moft Chriflians antiently were binomii, as having had other names in their heathen ftate, which they changed at their con- verfton. Befides, it was an anticnt cuftomfor parents to give names to their children immediately after they were born, and jfometimes other different ones afterwards at their baptifm one of which frequently became a cognomen, or furname. In reality, it was a conftant praftice to afl'ume a new name at baptifm, as the religious ftill do in the Romifh church, on their reception into the monaftic ftate; or the Jewifh profe- lytes at their circumcifion. Du Cange, Gloff, Lat. T. 1. p. 557, feq.
BIOCOLYT/E, |3i**»?M3«t in the Bizantine empire, an order of officers appointed to prevent the violences frequently commit- ted by the foldiers. Calv. Lex. Jur. p. 117. Du Cange, GlofT Lat. T. 1. p. 201. Trev. Dift. Univ. T. r. p. 1047. The word is Greek, compounded of $m» vis, violence, and xuhva, I binder ; and fhould rather be written biacolyta. The btocolyta appear to have been much the fame with thi
The-
fupprefled by
French archers of the marfhalfea. the emperor Juftmian
BIOGR.APHY, gioj-popia, the art of defcribing or writing lives. Biography is a branch or fpecies of hiftory more entertaining, as well as ufeful in many refpefts, than general hiftory, as it rcprefents great men more diftinftly, unincumbered with a croud of other actors, and, descending into the detail of a man's aftions and characters, gives more light into human na-
. ture, as well as excites us more to imitation.
Holftenius makes Homer's odyflee the firft pattern of biography, though he feems inclined to carry the invention up higher to Mofes, the author, or at leaft tranflator, of the life of Job. Vid. Holjien. de Vit. & Script. Porphyr. c. 1. Fabric. Bibl. Grrec, T. 4. p. 207, feq. Few have fucceeded in this province : of all the moderns, fome
. will not allow that glory to more than two, viz. Cammera- rius and GafTendus, whofe lives of Melanfton and De Peiresk are mafter-pieces in biography. Vid. Struv. Bibl. Philof. c. 1. p. 12, feq. Stoli. Introd. Hift. Liter. P. 1. §. 71. p. 66.
BIOLYCHNIUM, 0«>z.vx?m, a fubftantial fire, flame, or heat, which fome phyfickns fuppofe aftually lodged, or inherent in the heart, and remaining there as long as life lafts. Burggr. Lex. Med. p. 1582. Brim. p. 173. See Heat. The word biolychnium is compounded of the Greek $&* life, and jwpc*© 3 , lamp) or light.
B IP
Biolychnium frequently occurs in Charlton, and fome other
modern writers, where it fignifies the fame with what is otherwife exprehed in Englifh by the lamp of life, vital flame, innate heat ; by the Latins, calidum innatum, calor imiatus, ignis infiius ; by the Greeks, to ip$vlav 0tpfto», iptyvln wve, &c. Hippocrates and the antients have frequent recourfe to the fyftem of biolychnifm, though under other names. It firft gave way to the difcovery of the circulation of the blood. This flame was fuppofed to be generated by the ingrefs of the air into the blood ; but befides that fuch ingrefs is ftill con- tefted, the blood feems unfit to kindle, or take fire. Some will have it to have been the human foul, others the animal fpirits, and others the Deity, that did the office of a biolychnium, and was the fpring of all the aftions and motions of the body. See Rlood, Esfa.
Cafp. Hoffman and Coniingius have written treatifes exprefs on the antient doctrine of the lamp of light, or innate heat.
Biolychnium is alfo a denomination of a peculiar kind of vital balfam, prepared from human blood j the procefs of which is defcribed by Beguinus*. J. Ern. Burggravius has a treat ife exprefs on it b .— [* Bcguin. Tyron. 1. 3. c. 1. Bnrggrav. Lex. Med. p. 1584. b "J. E. Burggra-v. Biolychnium feu Lucerna cum Vita ejus, cui accenfa eft, Myftice viveus jugi- ter, &c. Franck. 1611.]
BIOTHANATI, j3»8«m1ei, in fome medicinal writers, denotes thofe who die a violent death. Forejl. ob. 1. in Schol. ii. ap. Brim. p. 173.
The word is alfo written, and with more propriety, liatha- ?mti ; fometimes biceoihanati.
It was a common opinion, refuted by St. Chryfoftom, that the fouls of bioihanati became daemons, or goblins, and wan- dered in the air, without finding a place of reft % at leaft, for the fpace of an hundred years ; and hence the notion of fpeftres and apparitions feen about the places where perfons were put to death ; unlefs we rather fuppofe the former notion to have taken its rife from this latter. Be this as it will, the appella- tion bioihanati appears to have been hence alfo given to fpeftres or goblins themfelves : fo thst, in the form of blefling the wa- ter in the eve of the epiphany, as prefcribed in an antient ri- tual written by the abbot of Miletus, we find the following words ; fcdexpcllas omnem nmbram, omnes machinationes diaboli, five fpirituum i?nmundorum, Jive biathanatorum, five erra>tuim b . — [ * Suic. Thef. Ecclef. b Chryfoji. Homil. 36. Opp. T. 5. Suic. loc. cit. Magri. Voc. Ecclef. p. 36.]
Biothanati, in a more particular fenfe, denote thofe who kill themfelves, more properly called aulcthanaii, See Murder, Cyd. and SuppL
In this fenfe it is that the word is ufed both by Greek and Latin writers. Bioihanati, by the antient difcipline of the church, were punifhed by denying them burial, and refufing all com- memoration of them in the prayers and offices of the church. Bingh. Orig. Ecclef. 1. 16. c. 10. §. 6.
Dr. Donn, dean of St. Paul's, has publifned a book under the title of biathanatos, or a declaration of that paradox, that felf- homicide is not fo naturally fin, as that it may never be other -
j wife. The occafion of the book, as affigned by the author, was, that he had often had a fickly inclination to deftroy him- felf, caufed probably by his having had his firft breeding and convcrfation among men of a fupprefled and affiifted religion, accuftomed to the defpite of death, and hungry of an imagined martyrdom. Hence he goes on: whenever any aflfiftion af- failetb me, methinks I have the keys of my prifdn in mine own hand, and no remedy prefents itfelf fo foon to my heart as my own fword. Often meditating on tilts has won me to a cha- ritable interpretation of their action, who die fo, and provoked me to inquire into their reafons, who pronounce fo perempto- rily againft them. Pref. p. 1 7.
Biothanati was alfo a name of reproach given by the heathens to the primitive Chriftians, for their conftancy, and forward- nefs to lay down their lives in martyrdom. Some will rather have the word biothanctos, here compounded of &&, life, and e«K«7©-, death ; as alluding to the belief of a refurreftion, or future life after death, which was the real incentive to martyrdom. Suic. Thef. Ecclef. T. 1. p. 690.
VOC. f3lG$eus8&,
Biothanatos is alfo ufed in fome writers of the barbarous age for wicked, damnable, or accurfed. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. T. 1. p 559-
BIOUAC, Bivouac, orBiovAC, in the military art, a night- ly guard performed by the whole army, when there is an ap- prehenfion of danger from the enemy. GuilL Gent. Dift. P. 2. in voc. Biovac.
The word is formed, by corruption, from the German <wcy~ vjacht, a double watch or guard. Trev. Dift. Univ. T. 1. p. 1056. in voc. Bivouac.
BIPENNIS, a two-edged ax, ufed antiently by the Amazons in fight ; as alfo by the feamen, to cut aiunder the ropes and cordage of the enemy's veftels. Scbeffer. deMil. Nav. I. 2. c. 7. Bitifc. Lex. Antiq. T. 1. p. 27*, feq. The bipennis was a weapon chiefly of the oriental nations, made like a double ax, or two axes, joined back to back, with a fhort handle. Some compare it to the figure of a pen, and fuppofe it hence to have acquired the name bipennis ; the tube or barrel of Che pen reprefenting the handle, and the point or
t nib
