B L A
£e Meriton's wi'fe dims fummas bladi. Ketm. Glofl* ad Paroch. Antiq. in vcc. Cafen. Orig. Franc, p. 25. Menag. Orig. Franc, p. ic6. BL^lSUS, 8touw> among medical writers, the fame with balbus. Sigon. de Norn. Rom. ap. Gothofr. Script. Lat. p. 2440. voc. fftMurof. Cah. Lex. Jur. p. 118. Dr. Holder calls the letters F. and Th. Blefe, in regard of the difficulty multitudes find of pronouncing them. Hold. Elem. Speech, p 52.
The word is alfo ufed to denote an irregularity in the figure of the limbs, efpecially the legs, when bent outwards. Gorr. Def. Med. p. 75. Caji. Lex. Med. p. 106.
BLAISE, a military order inftituted bv the kings of Armenia, in honour of St. Blaife, antiently bifhop of Sebafta in that country, the patron faint of that nation.
Juftinian calls them knights of St. Blaife and St. Mary, and places them not only in Armenia, but in Palestine. Giuft. Hift. Ord. Mil. T. 1. c. 24.
They made a particular vow to defend the catholick religion of the church of Rome, and followed the rule of St. Bafil. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 1. p. 1057.
The precife year of the inftitution of the knights of St. Blaife is not known ; but they appear to have commenced about the fame time with the knights templars, and hofpitallers, to the former of which they bore a near affinity ; the regulars being the fame in both.
BLANC. See the article Blank.
Blancs manteaux, a name originally given to the fervites, or fervants of the blefled virgin, on account of their white cloaks ; but fince applied to divers forts of religious, who have fucceffively inhabited the houfe of the fervites, and now to the benedidtins at Paris, though habited in black. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 1. p 1 06 1.
BLANCA, in medicine, denotes a lenitive compofition, formerly much in ufe ; fo called either from its white colour, or be- caufe of its purging white, i. e. phlegmatic humours. There were three forts ; a great, middle, and leaft blanca. Cajl. Lex. Med. p. 106.
JSlanc A mulierzafy among the chemifts, fignifies cerufs. Ridand. Lex Alch. p. 104. SeeCERUss.
Chnrta Blanc a, carta bianca, a fort of white paper figned at the bottom with a perfon's name, and fometimes alfo fcaled with his feal ; giving another power to fuperfcribe what conditions he pleafes. Ftvfch. p. 96.
Much like this is the French blanc figne, a paper without wri- ting, excepting a fignature at the bottom, given by contend- ing parties to arbitrators, or common friends, to fill up with the conditions they judge reafonable, in order to end the quar- rel. Savar. Diet. Com. T. 1. p. 3,6. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 1. p. 1060.
BLANCH ferine, or Bl as K-f arm, a white farm, that is, where the rent was to be paid in filver, not in cattle. Jac. Law Did!:, in voc. Skin. Etym in voc.
In antient times the crown rents were many times rtferved to b^ paid in libr/s albis, called blanch firmes : In which cafe the buyer was holden dealbare firmam ; viz. his bafe money or coin, worfe than ftandard, was melted down in the exche- quer, and reduced to the finenefs of ftandard filver ; or inftead thereof he paid to the king i2d. in the pound, by way of ad- dition. Lownd. EfT. on coin, p. 5.
BLANCHERS, a name given to mechanics employed in blanch- ing. See Rlanching.
BLANCHING, (Cycl.) in gardening, an operation performed on certain fallets, roots, c3V. as of fellery and endives, to render them fairer and fitter for the table. The time for blanching of fellery is about the middle of June, when fome of the firft fowing will be fit to plant out in trenches for this purpofe. Thefe trenches are to be cut by a Hne eight or ten inches wide, and about as many deep j into which they put their plants, after having firft, pruned ofF the tops and roots. As they grow large, they earth them up within four or five inches of their tops, and fo continue to do at feveral times, till whitened fuffidently for ufe; which they will not ordinarily be till fix weeks after earthing them up a . For endive, as foon as it is well grown, they tie up fome of it to whiten ; and continue every fortnight, as long as it larts, to tie up frefh parcels b . [ a Bradl. New Improv. Gard. P. 3. p. 162. b Bradl. I.e. p. 163.]
Blanching is alfo a term ufed by the people, who cover thin rlates of iron with tin, for that part of the work, which con- fifts in dipping the plates into the melted tin, in order to the covering of them. The people who do this part of the bufmefs are hence called blanchers.
BLANK, or Blanc, in a general fenfe, fignifies white.
Blank, Blancus, or Blanca, is more particularly ufed for a kind of white, or filver money, of bafe alloy- coined by Henry the 5 th , in thofe parts of France then fubject to Eng- land, valued at Sd. fterl. *. They were forbidden by his fuccefTor to be current in this realm b . In fome antient charters they are called folidi bland, white Shillings c . — [ a Stew, Ann. p. 586. b Stat. 2. Hen. 6. c. 9. Jac. Law Diet, in voc. Spehn. Glofl'. p, 83. Coiv. Interp. in voc. Skin. Etym. in
B L A
voc. c Dugd. Monaft. T. 1. p. 3^2. Du Cange, Gloff.
Lat. T.i. p. 569. Menag. Orig. Franc, p. 105.] Blank alfo denotes a fmall copper coin, formerly current in
France, at the rate of five denicrs Tournois.
They had alfo great blanks, or pieces of three blanks, and o-
thers of fix, in refpect whereof the fingle fort were called little
blanks j but of late they are all become only monies of account.
Savar, Die!:. Coram. T. I, p. 356. See alfo, Trev. Diet.
Univ. T. 1. p. 1060. Blank, or BhAHK-ticket, in lotteries, that to which no prize
is allotted. See Lottery, Cycl.
The French have a game, under the denomination Manque,
anfwering to our lottery. Savar. Diet. Comm. Supp. in voc.
Trev. Dicl:. Univ. T. 1. p. 1063. Menag. Orig. T. 1. p.
105. voc. blanque. Blank, in coinage, a plate, or piece of gold, or filver. cut and
fhaped for a coin, but not yet ftamped. Vid. Savar. Diet.
Comm. T. 2. p. 184. Blank, in zoology, a name given by authors to a fpecies of the
cod-fifh, called gelbe, kelmulcn, and afellus flavefcens. It comes
the neareft of all the fpecies to the whiting pollack, but its fins
are fmaller ; and thofe under the gills are of a fine clear yellow ;
all the reft cf a dufky brownifh hue, but with fome yellow in-
termixed. Its back and fides are alfo of a brownifh
yellow,
and are variegated with a great number of fanron-culoured marks. The-belly is of a fine filvery whitenefs ; and the line that runs on each fide, from the gills to the tail, is yellow, and is fomewhat arched near the abdomen. IFiliughby's Hift. Pifc. p. 173.
BLANK-bar, inlaw, is ufed for the fame with what we call a conmien bar, and is the name of a plea in bar, which in an ac- tion of trefpafs is put in to oblige the plaintiff" to affign the cer- tain place, where the trefpafs was committed. It is moft in practice in C. B. for in the court of B R. the place is ufually afcertained in the declaration. Blount
BLANKET, in commerce, a warm woolly fort of fluff", light and loofe woven ; chiefly ufed in bedding. The manufacture of blankets is chiefly confined to Witney in Oxfordfnire, where it is advanced to that height, that no other place comes near it. Some attribute a great part of the ex- cellency of the Witney blankets to the abfterfive, nitrous water of the river Windruffi, wherewith they are fcoured ; others rather think they owe it to a peculiar way of loofe fpinning, which the people have thereabouts. Be this as it will, the place has engroffed almoft the whole trade of the nation for this commodity ; infomucb, that the wool fit for it, centers here from the furthermoft parts of the kingdom. There are faid to be at leaft threefcore blanketers in this town, who, amengft them, have at leaft 150 looms, and employ 3000 perfons, from children of eight years old, who work out about a hun- dred packs'of wool per week. Plott, Nat. Hift. Oxford, e.g. §. 169. p- 283.
Blankets are made of felt-wool, i.e. wool from off fheep-fkins, which they divide into feveral forts.
Of the head wool, and bay wool, they make blankets of 12, 11, and 10 quarters broad ; of the ordinary and middle fort, blankets of eight and feven quarters broad ; of the heft tail wool, blankets of fix quarters broad, commonly called cuts, ferving for feamen's hammocks. Plott, lib. cit. §. 170. feq. p. 284, feq.
¥ G jfi n g in a Blanket, a ludicrous kind ofexercife, or rather punifhment, of which we find mention in the antients, under the denominations wXft©-, and fagatio \ Martial defcribes it graphically enough. — Ibis ab excujjo, viiffus ad ajira, fago b .~ [ a Vid. Pitifc. Lex. Antiq. T. 2. p. 672. voc. fag&tio. b Mart. 1. 1. Epig. 4. v. 8.]
A late writer reprefents it as one of Otho's imperial delights, to be toffed in a blanket c : But this is turning the tables ; that emperor's diverfion, as related by Suetonius, was not to be the fubject, but the agent in the affair ; it being his practice to ftrollout in dark nights, and where he met with a helplefs, or drunken man, to give him thedifcipline of theblanket d . — [ c Trev. Diet. Univ. T. r. p. 995. voc. bemer. d Suet, in Othone, §. 2. J
BLANQUILLE, a fmall filver coin, equivalent to about 2d. fterling, current in Morocco, and on the coafts ofBarbary. Savar. Diet. Comm. T. 1. p. 364.
BLAPSIGONIA, B*4*y»i*, a kind of difeafe, or defect in bees, when they neglect, or fail to produce young, being wholly employed in making honey. Plin. Hift, Nat. 1. 11, c. 19. Columell. 1.9. c. 13. p. 335.
The word is Greek, compounded of #*awTft^ I hurt, and yovn, brood or iffue.
BLARE, a fmJl copper coin, containing a little mixture of fil- ver, ftruck at Bern, and valued at much the fame with the ratze hi other places. Savar. Diet Comm. T. 1. p. 364.
BLAS, a novel term, in the Helmontian philofophy, denoting the local, and alterative motion of the ftars ; from whofe in- fluence proceed changes of weather, feafons, ftorms, and the like.
In imitation of this blasjlellarum, the fame author framed an- other in animals, either natural, whereby each vifcus is framed, according to the model of its particular; or voluntary, which is directed to motion by the will. Helmont, Tract, t Bias
