WIT
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of the Juices, and the Delicacy, Coarfenefs, l$c. of the condemn a Bifhop ; which was call'd libra tejlium, a Pound
of Witneffes. Accordingly there were 72 U itnejfes hoard againft rope Marcellinus 5 who, fays the Hiltonan, grant eleBi libra occidua.
Antiently there were Synodal Witnejfes, Teftes Synodales, in each Parifh, chofc by the Bilhnp, to enquire into the He- reiies, and other Crimes of the Parifhioners ; and to make
See Sides-
Object it falls en.
This Theory, we are of opinion, will account for the
general Fha:nomena of Witchcraft 'Tis certain the Eye
has always been eftcem'd the chief Seat, or rather Organ
of Witchcraft ; tho' without knowing why or wherefore: —
The Effect wasapparently owing to the Eye ; but how, was
not dreamt of. Thus, the Phrafe, To have an EvilEye, Oath thereof on the Relicks of the Saint;
imports as much as to be a Witch. And thus Virgil, men.
Among the Romans it was a Guftom to pull or pinch the
Nefcio quit tetter OS ocultts mihi fafcinat agnos. Ears of Witnejfes prefent atany tranfaction ; that they might
remember it when they were call'd to give in their Telti-
Again, old, fanguine Perfons are thofe moft frequently mony.
fuppofed to have the Faculty ; the nervous Juice in them WITTENA-GfJKore, among our Saxon Anceftors, a Term
being depraved and irritated by a vicious Habitude of Body; literally fignifying Council, or JJfembly of 'Sages ; apply'd to
and fa render'd more penetrating and malignant And the Great Council of the Land, now call'd the "ParUame/it.
young Perfons, chiefly Children and Girls are moll affected See Parliament.
by it ; by rcafon their Pores are patent, their Juices incohe- WOAD, or Good, or Gaud, Gitado, Guadum, a Drug
rent, and their Fibres delicate and fufceptible. Accordingly, ufed by the Dyers, to give a blue Colour ; call'd Hl'o'PaJlel.
the Witchcraft mention'd by Virgil, only reaches to the SecBLus.
tender Lambs. Laiily, the Faculty is only exercifed It arifes from a Seed, fown annually in the Spring ; which
when the Perfon isdifpleas'd, provoked, irritated, £?<;. It puts forth a Plant call'd Glciflum Sativum, whofe Leaves re- requiring fome extraordinary Strefs and Emotion of Mind femble thofe of Plantane They have ufually three,
to dart a Quantity of the proper Effluvia, with a fufficient four, or five Crops of Leaves every Year , but only the two
Impetus to produce the Effect at the diflance. or three firft are of any Value ; whereof the firll is bell,
That the Eye has feme very considerable Powers, is pari and the reft in their Order,
difpute. The antient Natutalifts affure us, that the Bali- When the Leaves are ripe, they gather them ; and letting
lisk, and Opoblepa kill other Animals merely by flaring at them lie fome time, put them under the Wheel to bruife or
'em. If this fail of Credit; a late Author affures us to have grind them ; after which they are laid eight or ten days in
feen a Mouii running round a large Toad which flood looking Piles or Heaps ; and at laft reduced into a kind tf Balls
earnestly at it, its Mouth open : Still the Moufe made lels ft hjch are laid in the Shade on Hurdles to dry.
and lefs Circles about it ; crying all the while, as if com pell'd thereto ; and, at laft, with a deal of feeming Re luclance, ran into the gaping Mouth, and was flrait fwal low'd
This done, they grind 'em to Powder ; and when ground, fpread it on a Floor, and water it, which they call Couch- ing.
Here they let it fmokeand heat, till by terrifying it every Who has not obferv'd a Setting- Dog ; and the Effecf of day, it become quite dry, which they cull Silvering. A its Eye on the Partridge? The poor Bird, when once its week after which, it is in a condition to be ufed in dying. Eyes meet thofe of the Dog, Hands as if confounded, re- The antient Britons ufed to dye their Bodies herewith ; gardlefs of itfelf, and eaftly lets the Net be drawn over it. and it was from this Plant that Glafs tookits Denomination. We remember to have read of Squirrels flupefy'd and over- See Glass.
come by a Dog's flaring hard at 'cm, and thus made to drop kWoadblue is a very deep blue, almoft black; and is out of their Trees into his Mouth. the Bale of fo many forts of Colours, that the Dyers have
That Man is not fecurc from the like Affect ions, is matter of eafy Obfetvation. Few People but have again and again felt the Effects of an angry, a fierce, a commanding, a
difdainful, a lafcivious, an intreating Eye, &c- 1 hefe
Effects, no doubt, are owing to the different Ejaculations from the Eye; and are a degree of Witchcraft.
W1TE, Wjta, orWvTE, in antient Cufloms, a Pu- nifhment, Forfeiture, Penalty, Fine or Mulct, antiently of XXX Shillings. See Wyte.
Scale whereby they compofe the divers Calls or Degrees of Woad from the brighten to the deepeft. Sec Dying.
WOLD, fignifies a plain Down, or open Champain- Ground, hilly, and void of Wood — Hence the Names, Sto-zv in the Wold, and Cotfwold in Glocejlerfbire ; whence aifo that part of LeiceJIerfhire, which lies Northward beyond the Wreken, is call'd the Wold of LeiceJIerfhire.
WOLVES 'Teeth of an Uorfe, are over-grown Grinders, the Points of which being higher than the reft, prick the
Hence W ite, or Wittree, one of the Tetms of Privilege Tongue and Gums in feeding, fo as to hinder the Chewing
granted our Portfmen ; fignifying a Freedom or Immunity of the Meat.
from Fines or Amerciaments: Or, as 'tis vulgarly con- They are fcldom met with in young Horfcs ; but if the
cciv'd, from being liable to be begg'd for Fools for lack of Teeth be not daily worn by chewing, they will grow up
even to pierce the Roof of the Mouth. See Teeth.
WOMAN, Fjemina, Mhlier, the Female of Man. See Female and Man.
St. Augnfline calls Women the Devout Sex : at lead this is the common Opinion ; tho' others rather think that in the Prayer ufually attributed to that Father, and Hill rehearfed in the Romifh Church to the holy Vitgin, the Words inter- cede fro devoto Ttemineo fexn, are to be underflood of Women devoted or confecrated to God in Religious Houfes, which had been fufficiently exprefs'd by the Words, Ora fro fo- fulo, interwni pro Clero. See Sex ; feealfo Religious, Ej?c.
'Tis a popular Tradition among the Mahometans, which
Wit.
Wita Tlena, fignify'd a Forfeiture of fifty Shilling s ' Si Tundbreche fiat in Curia Regis Plena Witajfe; alibi quinque MarcdS.
Secundum Witam jurare, was to purge one's felf by the Oaths of fo many Witneffes, as the Nature of the Crime, and the Punimment, or Wite, did require. See Purga- tion.
Jurat fecundum Witam quod nee fuerat furti con-
fcius nee coadjutor in eo. Leg. Ins.
Hence Sicod'jcita, Fintivita, Leger-wita, Ferdwita, Child-jita, Ward-wita, Hsing-wita, i$c. See Bloodwita, Fintwita, Effc.
WITHERNAM Where Goods are taken by colour obtains to this day, that Women lhall not enter Paradife. See
of Diftrefs, and driven to an Hold, or out of the County ; Paradise.
fo that the Sheriff cannot upon the Replevin make delive- An Anonymous Author, about the Clofe of the XVIth ranee thereof to the Party diftrain'd: In this Cafe the Writ Century, publimcd a little Latin Diffettation to prove that of Withernam, or de vetito namio, is direct ed to the Shetiff, Women are not Men ; that is, are not reafonable Creatures : for the taking as many of the Party's Beads as he did thus Dijfertatio per'jucunda qua Jnonyrmts frobare nititur Mu-
unlawfuliy diftrain ; or as much Goods of his, till he has lieres homines non ejfe He alfo endeavours to prove, what
made deliverance of the firft Dillrefs. SeeDisTXESs, R»- naturally follows from his Principle, viz. That Women /hall plevy, &c. not be Paved 5 that there is no future Life or Happinefi for
The Word is compounded of the Saxon Wither, contra, them, againft, and Nam, captio, taking ; q. d. Reprifals. See His Proofs are all taken from Scripture, or founded on
Nam. Scripture Tho', after all, his Aim is not fo much ro
WITHERS of an Horfe, the Juncture of the Shoulder- degrade Women to the condition of Brutes ; as to /hew the
Bones at the bottom of the Neck and Main, toward the up- Ridicule and Weaknefs of that Principle or Method of the
per part of the Shoulder. See Horse. Anabaptifts and fome others, who, in Poinrs of Controverfy,
WITNESS, Teftis, a Perfon who certifies, or afferts the admit of no Proofs or Confiderations but what are taken
Truth of any Fact. See Evidence. from Scripture alone. This appears from the Condufion of
Two Ysjo-Witnejfes, or deVifn, not fufpectcd, are deem'd the Work. 'Probavi, ofinor, TnviBiJJimis SS. Literarum
a conclufive Proof. See Testimony. Teftimoniis, Mulierem non effe hominem, ncc earn fahari :
Falfe Witneffes, Suborners of Witnejfes, &c. are punifh'd ghxd ftnon effeci, ofiendi tamen miverfo Mundo quo modo
with the Pillory ; in feveral other Countries, with Death. hujus temforis Baretici, %$ prefertini Anabaptifle , Sacravi
In a Synod at Rome, under Conflantine, in the "Year 320, foleant explicare Scripturam, Oy qua utantur Methodo ad
it was decreed, that there fhould be 7a Witnejftshsud, to ftabilienda fm execranda Dogmata.
Xet
