B I T
B I T
and growing to about a foot hi£h, with deep gr?en leaves, and very beautiful flefh-coloured flowers, in fhort, but thick fpikes, The root is often an inch thick, and is oddly con- torted and twilled ; it is of a blackifh brown without, and of a beautiful pale red within. It mould be chofen plump, full, and well dried, not eafy to be broken, and of an aftringent, but not difagreeable tatte.
The roots of the common biflort are a {landing medicine in the fhops ; they are given m decoclion, and fometimes in powder, as an aftringent, and generally in conjunction with the tormentil root. They give a bright red colour to the common hartfhorn drink, and add confiderably to its virtue. It is good in diarrhoeas, and haemorrhages of all kinds. Somealfo commend it as an alexipharmic, and fudorific. Shiinc. Difpenf. P. 2. Seel. 2. §. 164. p. 103. Ray, Synopf. p. 59, feq. Burrgr; p. 1593. Savar. T. 1. p. 352. Bijhrt is fuppofed to be the fame with the antient *«Wyx>i ; others fay, with the nrlx$vjAov, and others with the Q^M-wr.. Gorr. Def. Med. p. 80. 214, in voc. KolarayKr,, & c , SeeBRi-
TAKNICA.
BISTOURY {Cyd.)~ We have the defcription of a bijioury, and furrowed director, fomewhat different from the common, by Mr. Monro, in the Medic. Eff. Edinb.vol. 5. art. 41. M. Ie Draw defcribes a bijioury cache, for more fafely perform- ing the operation for herniae. The point of the bijioury Aides in the furrow of the director, to keep down the guts, and thereby prevent their being cut. Le Bran, Tom. 2. Obf. 80. BISTRE, a compafition made of the moft glofly and higheft burnt foot pulverized, and paffed thro' a fine fieve, then baked in a little gum water, and made into cakes. Savar. Diet. Comm. T. r. p. 353. BIT (Cyd. )— To Bit a borfe, is to give him fuch a bridle as is moll proper for gaining his confent to thofe actions, which are required of him. Diet. Ruff. T. 1. in voc. All Bits ought to be proportioned to the mouth of the horfe, according as it is more or lefs cloven or wide ; or more or lefs fenfible and tender : Alfo according as the tongue and lips are higher and flatter ; and as the palate is more or lefs nefhy. Guill. Gent. Diet. P. 1. in voc. Bit is alfo ufed for a little tool, fitted to a flock, or handle to bore withal.
In this fenfe we fay, the bit of a piercer, an auo-re, or the like; meaning that iron part of thofe tools, wherewith the holes are bored. SeeAuGRE, Cycl. Bit of a Key is that part fitted at right angles to the fhank of the key, wherein the wards are made. Moxon, Median. Ex- erc. P. 1. p. 94. See Key, Lock, &c. Cycl. Bit is alfo ufed in commerce, for a piece of coin current in Ja- maica, and valued at 7 d. {. Lex. Mercat. p. 386. Bits, or bitts, in a fhip, are two great pieces of timber ufually placed abaft the manger 'in the {hip's Ioof, thorough which the crofs piece goes, their lower parts being faftned to the rud- ders ; and their middle parts, in great mips, bolted to two large beams, crofs the bows. Their ufe is to belay the cable to, when the fhip rides at anchor. Guill. Gent. Diet. P. 3. Marxvvr. Seaman's Direct, p. 9.
The word feems formed from the French bittes, which figni- fies the fame a ; unlefs we will fuppofe the French word formed from ours b .— [» Aubin, Diet. Marin, p. 84, voc. bittes. b Skin. Etym. in voc]
In great fforms, to ffrcngthen the bitts, and fecure the bows, the cable is fattened to the main matt. Guill. loc. cit. Fore-jeer-Birs, thofe to which the fore-jeer is fattened and
belayed. Guill. loc. cit- Forc-top-Jail-J/jcet-'BiTS, thofe to which the fore-top-fail-fhcet
is belayed. Guill- loc. cit. BITE [Cycl.) is defined to be a folution of the continuity of a foft part, caufed by the impreftion of an animal's teetii. Cajl. Lex. Med. p. 5 1 o. in voc. mmfas.
For the poifonous, or venomous bites of vipers, tho rattle- fnake, mad-dogs, the Tarantula, C5Y. See Viper, Rattle- Snake, fisfr.
Snake-ftone, fnake-wecd, terra inelitenfis, &rc. are reputed fpecifics againft poilbnous bites. Grew, Muf. Reg. Societ. P. 1. §. 3. p. 52. and p. 227, and 347. See Ss ake-JIo??c, Snake-zuW, &c.
The bites of fpiders, at leaff fome fpecies, alfo appear to be poifonous ; which has perhaps been the occafion of the com- mon error, that this infect is poifonous, when eaten. See the article Spider.
Mr. Robie, a phyfician in New England, gives the hittory of a perfon bitten in the leg by a fmall fpider, accidentally in- clofed in his flocking; it was followed by an acute, erratic pain ; firft in the leg, then in the groin, and fucceflively paf- fing into the fmall of the back, the thigh, and the head, at- tended with a numbnefs, &c. It was cured with fp. cor. eery, and fal. vol. corn. cerv. with vinum viperimnn, and onions or garlic externally applied to the wound. Vid. Phil. Tranf. N° 382. p 69. feq.
Sig. Redi attributes the malignity of the lite of a viper, to a yellow juice lodged in a bag behind the gum, which is inlHlled thro' a flit in the teeth, into the wound. M. Bourdelot, and Charas, afcribe it to the irritated bilious fpirits, and breath of the enraged animal. Vid Phil. Tranf. N" 83. p. 4074 feq. Suppl. Vol. I,
from the gall- means of which, a quicker, and
Infupportofwhichit is alledged, that the viper's Ws are full of bilious fpirits, which exhale with its breath ; and that there is an immediate duel in this creature bladder to the throat; by 1
more copious infufion of the bile, is made into the wound. But much of this may bejuttly doubted of. Phil. Tranf N b 77- P-30'5-
T he beft remedy for it is fucking the wound ; a kind of cure, for which the antient Marfi and Pfilli are celebrated. Redi, in Phil. Tranf. N° 9. p. 161. See Viper. The beft cure for the bite of the rattle-fnake is an actual cau- tery ; e. gr. a hot burning coal held on the wound. Phil. Tranf. N° 210. p. 127.
The bites of divers creatures, when mad, are poifonous, which at other times are not fo, as, of do«;s, cats, men, &c See Hydrophobia, Mad-*% Madness, Mania, &c.
Bite is alfo applied, in a lefs proper fenfe, to the impreftion of other fharp, or pungent bodies. Thus a file is faid to bite the metal ; aqua fortis bite's, or eats into copper.
BITERLOGH, or Bitherlage, the antient Danifh mili- tary, or camp-law. Sum. Agg. Hift. Daw. p. 144. The word is compounded from lithe, mulct ; and lagh, law' ; q- d. the law of mulffs, or wites.
Among the laws of the Danes, there are two peculiarly emi- nent; viz. the hird-Jlraa, or court-law j and the bitherlage. raett, made by Canute the Great, about the year 1035. Of which an Edition has been given by Reienius. Hafn. 167?. DuCange, Gloff. Lat. T. 1. p. 565, feq.
BITHYNIARCHIA, a fort of fuperior priefthood in the pro- vince of Bithynia, to which belongs the fuper-intendency of the facred games, and which gave an exemption to him pof- feffed of it, called bithyniarcha, from the care of tutorage. Montfauc. Pakeogr. 1. 2. c 6. p. 161. Calu. Lex. Jur. °p. 117. Phifc. Lex. Ant. T. 1. p. 283. DuCange, Glow". Grrec. T. 1. p, 200.
BITTACLE, a fquare box, or frame of timber, placed in the fteerage of a fhip, wherein the compafs is placed. Botel. Sea Dial. 4. p. 121. Guill. Gent. Diet. P. 3. in voe. See Compass, Gr/. and Suppl.
The word is formed, by contraction, from the French habita- cle, which fignifies the fame.
Large veffels have two bittades, a leffer placed before the pilot, and a greater before the ftecrfman. Ozan. Diet. Math. p. 279. Savar. Suppl. p. 869.
In the fmaller veflels, the bittade is divided into three fpaces or apartments ; in large veflels into five. One for the hour- glafles ; another for the lamp, or light ; another for the com- pafs, &c. Aubin, Dia. Marin, p. 478. voc. Habitacle. Great care is to be taken in the difpofitiow, framing, iSc. of the bittade, that it ftand true, and that it be not faftened to- gether with iron nails, but with wooden pins, in regard the former would affect the compafs. Vid. Harris, Treat, of Navigation, c. 4. p. 191.
BITTACUS, in natural hittory, a name given by Ctefias, and fome others of the Greek authors, to the parrot. The word pftttacus is fo near this, that they are plainly only a corruption of one another. The Greeks called this bird indifferently pftttacus and fittacus, as they did the fine ointment favda, in- differently by that name, or pfgda, the ps being only one letter with them ; and that, and the fingle S, very frequently ufed at pleafure for one another.
BITTER [Cycl.) — The qualities of bitter bodies, are fuppofed to be dry, warm, aftringent and earthy. Gcrr. Med. Defin.
p. 373. VOC. OTU^OV.
According to Grew, all plants which are Utter and pungent, either on the tongue, or in the throat, are good cleanfers, e . gr. daify, anagalhs % &c. The fame author adds, that moft purgative and emetic plawts, which have any fenfible tafte, are bitter ; either fimply, as colocynthis ; or bitter and aftringent, as aloes, &c h — [ a Grew, IdeaofPhilof Hift. of plants, §. 30. p. 15. b Grew, I. c. §. 30. p. 14. J Bitter things are generally reputed ftomachic ; yet, according to Abcrcromby, they are naturally the reverfe, and hurtful to the ftomach ; and only become beneficial to it, where their aftringency renders them proper, Philof. Tranf. N° 171, p. 1C26. See Stomachic, Cycl.
Bitter pu r g'mgfa!t, fal cathartic urn amarwn. See Upsom Ja/t.
BlTTEK. place, locus amarus, a poor barren foil, by Pliny called terra amara, five macra. Plin. Hift. Nat. 1. 17. c. 5. Du Cange, Gloff. Lat. T. I. p. 159. voc. amarus.
Bitter, in the fea language, denotes a turn of the cable about the bitts, in order to its being veered out by little and little at pleafure. Botel. Sea Dial. 4. p. 199. Guilt. Gent, Diet. Manwar. lib. cit. P. 3. p. 9. in voc.
A fhip is faid to be brought up to a bitter, when fhe is flopped by her cable. Guill. loc. cit.
Bitt£R-^W, is that part of the cable, which ftays within board, wound about the bitts, when the fhip is at anchor % When they would have that end bent to the anchor, they fay, bend to the b'ltter-end b . — [ a Botel. 1. c. b Manw. p. o.]
BITTERN, in zoology, the name of a bird of the heron kind, called by authors ardea Jle'laris ; and by fome taurus, bo- taurus, butorius, and ocnus. In Englifh, the butterdmnip, and mire-drum.
4 Y It
