OBS
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OBS
Ineffeft, in the old Hiftories and Accounts of Coins, we The Cordeliers denominate themfelves the Relhious of
are to underftand, by the Word Denarius, the whole Coin, the Obfervance ; the great and the leffer Obfervance. See
beit Angel, Rial, &c. by the Obolus its halfj and by Cordeliers. Quadrant its fourth Part. See Money. Among the Bernardino there are Monks of the firiB .
Obolus, in Medicine, is ufed for a Weight of ten Obfervance, who eat nothing but Fifh. See Bernar-
Grains; or half a Scruple. Du Cange fays it weighs three dine.
Carats, or four Grains of Wheat : Others divide the Oho- OBSERVANTINES, Religious Cordeliers of the Ob-
$us into fix Areola; ; and the Areola into feven Minutes, fervance. In Spam, there are bare-footed Obferoam'mes. Others divide it into three SiliquK, each Siliqua into four OBSERVATION, in the Sea-language : The Seamen
Grains, and each Grain into a Lentil and half. See callan Obfervation the taking the Sun's, or any Star's Me-
Grain, %£>c. ridian Altitude, in order thereby to find their Latitude.
Among the Sic/Hans, Obolui was the Weight of a Pound. See M-eriviau- Altitude.
Method of making an Obferv.it ion, fee Lati-
For in
TUBE.
The finding of a Latitude from the Meridian-Altitude
OBREPTITIOUS, a Quality of a Letter Patent, or other Inftrument bearing fome Favour, Title, or Concef- fion j denoting itobtain'd of a Superior by Surprize, or by
concealing from him the Truth, which was neceffary to have obferved, they call working of an Obfervation. been exprefs'd, to render it valid. Observations in Aftronomy, fee Celestial Obfer-
In this fenfe the Word ftands oppofed to Surreptitious, nations. where fomc Falfhood has been exprefs'd, in order to pro- OBSERVATORY, a Place deftined for obferving the
cure it the more eafily. Heavenly Bodies ■> or, a Building ufually in form of a
Obreption annuls the Gran% wherever found. Tower, raifed on fome Eminence, Yur making of Aitrono-
Ky the Canon Law, a Perfon demanding a Benefice, mical Obfervations. without expreffing thofe he is already poffelVd of, forfeits, The more celebrated Obfervatories, are, r. The Greenwich
$$c. by the Obrcptton.^ Obfervatory, built in 1676, by Order of King Charles 11.
OBRINES, an Order of Knights inftituted in the Xlllth Century, by Conrade Duke of Mazovia and Cujavia ; whom fome Authors alfo call Duke of Poland.
He firft gave them the Name of Knights of $efus Chrifi. Their firft Grand Matter was Bruno. Their chief End was to defend the Country from the Prv.jjians, who were yet Idolaters, and committed great Cruelties.
Duke Conrade putting them in poffefiion of Fort Obr'm 5 they hence took a new Name : and it was agreed between them, that whatever Lands they conqucr'd from the Fruf- Jians, fliould be equally divided with him.
the folicitation of Sir jroiias Moor and Sir Chrijxopher Wren y and furnimed with the molt accurate Infiruments by the fame 5 particularly a noble Sextant of 7 Feet Radius, with Telefcope-Sights. ,
The Perfon to whom the Province of Obferving was firft committed, was Mr. J. Flamftead ; a Man, who, as Dr. Halley exprelfes it, feem'd born for the Employment. For the fpace of fourteen Years, with unwearied Pains he watch'd the Motions of the Planets j chiefly thofe of the Moon, as was given him in charge $ that a new Theory of that Planet, exhibiting all her Irregularities, being found,
But the Frt'.jfam blocking up the Fort, fo that none of the Longitude might thence be determined.
the Knights could get out > the Order became ufelefs, and was foon fupprefs'd. Upon this, Conrade call'd in the Teu- tonic Knights. See Teutonic Order*
OBSCURA Camera. See Camera oi/cara. Obscura Clare. See Claro bbjeura. OBSCURE, fomething that is dark, or that only admits a little Light. See Light and Shadow.
Oescure. is alfo ufed in a figurative fenfe, for a thing that is not clear, exprefs, and intelligible j that one does
not fully apprehend 5 or that may he conitrued in divers ufe of the Sextant almoft wholly afide. Thus w; Scnfes.
Clear Notion, or Idea. See Notion and Idea. OBSCURITY, that which denominates a Thing obfeure. Obfcurity is a Fault that may either be in the Percep- tion, or Diclion.
Obfcurity in the Perception, arifes chiefly hence, that we do not conceive Things as they are, or as we find them > but as we judge them to be, e'er we know them : fo that our Judgment precedes our Knowledge, and is made the !Rule, or Standard, of our Conceptions. Whereas Nature and Reafon direct, that Things mould be judged of ac- cording as they are known j and that they arc to be known, rot as they are in themfelves, but only in fuch manner as God was pleas'd to have them known.
Obfcurity in the D'tt'fio7t, may arife, firfl, from the Ambi- guity of the Senfe ■ments of Rhetoric letenefs of the Words.
OBSECRATION, in Rhetoric, a Figure whereby the Orator implores the A fli fiance of fome God, or Man. See Figure,
This Figure Cicero makes admirable ufe of, for K. Deio- tarusj to Cifar Fer Dexteram te if am oro, quam Regi
In the Year 1690, having provided himfelf of a Mural- Arch of 7 feet Diameter, well fix'd in the Planeof the Me- ridian, he began to verify his Catalogue of the fixed Stars, which hitherto depended altogether on the Diitances mea- fured with the Sextant, after a new and very different Manner, was. by taking the Meridian-Altitudes, and the Moments of Culmination, or the right Afcenfion and De- clination.
This Inflrument he was fo pleas'd with, that he laid the
the Aitronomer Royal employ'd for thirty Years ; in the Courfe of which Time, nothing had appear'd in public, worthy fo much Expence and Preparation: So that the Obferver feem'd rather to have been employ'd for his own fake, and that of a few Friends, than for the Public; tho it was notorious, the Obfervations rhat had been made were very numerous, and the Papers iwell'd to a great Bulk.
This occafion'd Prince George of Denmark^ in the Year 1704, to appoint certain Members of the Royal Society ^ viz. the Honourable Fr. Roberts, Sir C. Wren, Sir I. FJcwton, Dr. Gregory, and Dr. Arbuthnot, to infpecT: Flamfleaa"s Papers, and chufe out of them fuch as they mould think fit for the Prefs ; purpofing to print them at his own Expence : But the Patron of the Work dying, e'er the Impreflion was half fecondly, from the Figures or Orna- finifhed, it lay Hill for fome time; till at length it was thirdly, from the Novelty, or Obfo- refum'd by order of Queen Anne ; and the Care of the
Prefs committed to Dr. Arbuthnot 5 and that of Correcting, and fupplying the Copy, to Dr. Halley.
Such was the Rife and Progrefs of the Hijtoria Caleftis 5 the principal Part whereof is the Catalogue of fixed Stars, call'd alfo the Greenwich Catalogue. See Catalogue.
Tho Greenwich Obfervatory is found by very accurate Ob-
Deiotaro hoffes, hofpiti porrexifti : Ifiam inquam dexteram non fervation to lie in 51°, 28', 30", North Latitude
tarn in belUs & in prtthis, quam infromiffu o jidsm fnmorem. -Thus Virgil:
Quod te per Cisli jttcundttm lumen & Aura'. Fer Genttorem oro, per Spem furgentis luli Eripe me his inviBe malis ■ — ■—
iXIV.
OBSEQUIES, Funeral Solemnities, or Ceremonies per- formed at the Burials of eminent Perfonages, See Fu- neral.
The Word is derived from the Latin Obfequium, Obedi- ence ? thefeObfequies being the laft Devoirs we can render to the Deceafed.
OBSERVANCE, literally denotes the Ail of obferving or Scarlet Ijland 5 between the Co a (Is of Schonen and Ze- a Rule, Law, or Ceremony. land, in the Baltic.
Hence the Term is fometimes alfo ufed for a Rule, It was erecled and furni/lied
2. The Parts Ohferoatory built by the late Lo in the FatixbourgSt. Jaques.
It is a very lingular, but withall a very magnificent Building 5 the Defign of M. Ferrault. 'Tis 80 feet high, anda-top is a Terras. 'Tis here M. de la Hire has been employ'd.
The Difference in Longitude between this and the Greenwich Obfervatory is a 9 , 20' Weft.
In it is a Cave, or Cellar, 17c feet defcent, for Experi- ments that are to be made far from the Sun, £5?c. particu- larly fuch as relate to Congelations, Refrigerations, Indu- rations, Confervations, &c.
5. Tycho Brake's Obfervatory was in the little Ifland Ween*
Statute, or Ordonnance to be obfero'd.
OBSERVANCE, Observantia, is particularly un- derfrood, in a Monadic Senfe, of a Community of Reli- gious, who are tied to the perpetual Obfervation of the fame Rule. In which fenfe the Word coincides with Con- gregationiy or Order. See Order, $J?c.
th Inflruments at his own Expence ; and call'd by him Uranibutg.
Here he fpent twenty Years in obferving the Stars. The Refult is his Catalogue. See Catalogue.
Mr. Gordon, in Phil. Trauf. obferves, that this was none of the fitted Places for fome kind of Obfervations, particularly the Rifings and Settings 5 as lying too low, and being land-
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