RAN
(958)
RAP
RANDOM-S&tf, a Shot made when the Muzzle of a Gun is railed above the Horizontal Line, and is not delign'd to moot directly, or Point-blank. See Gunnery.
The utmoft Random of any Piece is about ten times as far as the Bullet will go Point-blank; and the Bullet will go farthetl when the Piece is mounted to about 45 Degrees above the Level- Range. See Range.
The Diftance of the Random is reckoned from the Platform to the Place where the Ball firft grazes.
RAN-FORCE-RING, of a Gun, that which is next before the Touch-Hole. See Ordnance.
RANGE, in Gunnery, the Path of a Bullet, or the Line it defcribes from the Mouth of the Piece, to the Point where it lodges. See Gun, Bullet, &c.
If the Piece be laid in a Line Parallel to the Hotizon, it is called the Right or Level Range. If it be mounted to 45 De- grees, the Ball is faid to have the utmofi Range ; and fo proporti- onably; all others between 00 Degrees, and 45 ", being called the intermediate Ranges. See Gunnery, Projectile, &c.
RANGER, a fworn Officer of a Foreil, or Park, whofe Bu- finefs it is to walk daily through his Charge, to drive back the wild Beafts out of the Purlieu! or disforefted Places, into the foreft Lands; and to prefent all Trefpaffes done in his Baili- wick, at the next Coutt held for the Foreft. See Forest and Purlieu.
The RaJiger is made by the King's Letters, and has a Fee paid yearly out of the Exchequer, and certain Fee-Deer.
In the Charter do Forefta, mention is made of twelve Kind of Rangers.
RANGES, in a Ship, are two Pieces of Timber, going a-crols from Side to Side; one aloft, on the Fore-Cattle, a little abaft the Fore-Maft; and the other in the Beak-head before the Wouldings of the Bow-fprit.
RANGING, in War, thedifpofing of Troops in a Con- dition proper for Engagement, or for Marching. The Army was ranged in Form of Battle to receive the Enemy; ranged in three Columns, for a March, &c.
In Building, the Side of a Work that runs ftraight, without breaking into Angles, is faid to range, or run range.
RANK, a due Order ; or a Place allotted a thing fuitably to its Nature, Quality, or Merit. See Order.
Kings are Perfons of the firft Rank on Earth: In Cavalcades, ProceiTions, &c. every Perfonis to obferve his .£<«&&. See Pre- cedence.
Rank, in military Difcipline, a Series or Row of Soldiers, placed Side by Si .e ; a Number of which Ranks forms the Depth of the Squadton or Battallion, as a Number of Files does the Width. See File.
To Clofi the Ranks, is to bring the Men nearer ; to open, to {et them further a-part : To double the Ranks, is to throw two into the Space of one.
Rank, in refpect of Ships. See Rate.
RANT, in the Drama, an extravagant Flight ot Paffion; o- verfhooting Nature and Probability. See Probability.
Lees Tragedies abound with Rants. The rankeft, 'tis ob- ferv'd, frequently meet with Applaufe on the Stage.
We find [nftances of Rants, even in our fevered: Poets. Such, e. gr. is that in the Beginning of Ben. Johnfin's Catalnte, where the Parricide fpeaking to Rome, fays, Td plough up Rocks, fleet, as the Alps, in Da/?; and lave the Tyrrhene Waters into Clouds; but I vjou'd reach thy Head.
RANSOM, a Sum of Money, paid for the Redemption of a Perfon out of Slavery ; or for the Liberty of a Prifoner of War. Sec Redemption.
In our Law-Books, Ranfim is alio ufed for a Sum paid for the pardoning of fome notorious Crime. Horn makes this dif- ference between Ranfim and Amerciament, that Ranfim is the Re- demption of a Corporal Punifhment. See Amerciament.
When one is to make a Fine, and Ranfim, the Ranfim mall be treble the Fine. Cromp. Ju(l.
RANULA, in Medicine, a Tumour under the Tongue, which like a Ligament hinders a Child from fpeaking or fuck- ing.
The Ranulafib Lingua is the fame with what we otherwife call being Tongue-tied. See Tongue.
The Ranula is ufually caufed by a fhort Frcenum not permit- ing the Tongue to perform its proper Motions : At other Times, though rarely, there is a ftrong Concretion in that Part. Some- times it is /edematous, at others melicerous, fcrrrhous, black, livid; inwhichCafes theOperation of Cutting is dangerous; and it grows to the Magnitude of a Bean or Cheftnut.
If a fhort vinculum be the Caufe, it is to be cut afunder with a Scalpar, and the Part gently touched with Mell. Rofat. and Ti?iS. Myrrh; being very careful not to cut the Arteries, Nerves, or Salival Glands in the Operation. See Ranulares.
RANULARES, or Ranin* Ven^e, i n Anatomy, two Veins under the Tongue, arifing from the external Jugular, and running on either Side the linea Mediana. See Tongue.
Thele Veins are opened with good Succefs in Quinzies.
They take 'their Denomination from a refemblance of their State to that of little Frogs, call'd in Latin, Ranula-, bccaufe ne- ver out of Water.
RAPACIOUS Animals, in the general, are fuch as live upon Prey. See Animal. r
Naturalifts divide Birds into Rapacious, Carnivorous, andFra- givorous. See Bird.
The Chaiacteriftic Notes of Birds of Prey are ; that they have a great Head, and a fhort Neck ; hooked, ftrong, and (harp-point- ed Beak and Talons, fitted for tearing or Flelh; ftrong and braw- ny Thighs, for linking down their Prey ; a broad thick flelhy Tongue like that of a Human Creatures; 12 Feathers in their Train; and 24 Flag Feathers in each Wing. The two Appen- dices, or blind Guts, are always very fhort. See Eagle, Fal- con, Hawk, &c.
They have a membranous Stomach ; and not a mufculous one, or a Gizzard, fuch as Birds have, that live on Grain.
They are very (harp-lighted ; and gather not in Flocks, but generally fpeaking, arefolitary; though Vultures will fly 50 or 60 in a Company,
RAPE, in Law, zRaviJbing; or the having Carnal Know- ledge of a Woman by Force, and againft her Will.
It the Woman conceive the Law eftecms it no Rape; from an Opinion that lire cannot conceive unlefs (lie content. Cote onLitt. lib. 2. cap. n.
This Offence is Felony in the Principal and his Aiders, by fe- veral Statutes; and the Criminal is excluded from the Benefit of his Clergy. See Felony.
By the Civil Law, C. de Raptu Vnginum, Ravifhino is decreed Capital, unlefs the Woman, being a Maid, or Widow, may be married to the Ravifher. In France the Civil Conftitution (till obtains, and allows the Man to marry the Woman with her Con- fent.
By an Ordonnance 1539, the Rape of a Girl or a Boy are put on the fame footing. Fleta obferves, that by our Laws the Complaint muft be made within forty Days, elfe the Woman may not be heard. Lib. 3. Chap. 5.
AH Carnal Knowledge of a Maid before ten Yeats of Age, is deem'd by the Law Felony; Stat. An. 8 Eliz.. cap. &.
In Rralion's Time, the Raptor or Ravi \ber, was punillied with the lofs of his Eyes and Tefticles, guia Colorem fiupri lndtaermt 3 lnH. Fol. 60.
The Civilians make another Kind of Rape, call'd Subornatio, or Rape of Subornation, or SeduSiion; which is when a Perfon fe- duces, or entices a Maid to uncleannefs, or even Marriage, and that by gentle Means ; provided there be a confiderable Difparity in Age or Condition between the Parties.
In this Cafe, the Father and Mother Intent their Afiion reci- procally for the Crimen Raptus, or Subornationis.
The French Laws make no difference between the Rape of Violence, and that of Solicitation, or Subornation; they make both Capital.
This Kind of Rape our Laws callRavifhment. See Ravish- ment.
Rape, of the Foreft, is a Trefpafs committed in the Foreft by Violence. See Forest.
This is mentioned in the Laws of Henry I. as one of the Crimes cognizable alone by the King.
Rape, is alfo a Name given the Wood or Stalks of theClufters of Grapes, when dried and freed from the Fruit.
The Rape is ufed in making Vinegar, ferving to heat and four the Wine : But 'tis firft put into a Place to four itfelf, before it is caft into the Vinegar Veflel; to which End, prefently after the Vintage, it is carefully put up in Barrels, left it take Air, o- therwife it would heat it felf, and be fpotted : There is no other way of keeping Rape, hitherto difcoveie I, but to fill the Veffel, wherein it is contain'd, with Wine or Vinegar. Sec Vi- negar.
Rape, is alfo ufed for Part of a County, fignifying as much as a Hundred. See Hundred.
Though, fometimes Rape is taken for a Divifion containing fe- veral Hundreds; thus Suffix is divided into lix Rapes, viz. thole of Chichejler, Arundel, Br amber, L'viis, Pevency, and H,- ftings; every one of which betides its Hundreds, has a Caftle, River, and Foreft belonging to it.
Thele Parts in other Counties, arc called Tithings, Lathes, or Wapentakes. See Tithing, Lathe, &c.
RAPIER, along, ordinary, old falhion'd cutting Sword, fuch as thofe wore by the common Soldiers See Sword.
Hence, to take the Rapier, is to enter in the Army.
The Word is form'd from the Greek (itrtcjH,, cedere, to finite ftrike.
RAPINE, in Law. To take a thing in private againft the Owner's Will, is properly Theft ; but to take it openly, or by Violence, is Rapine. See Abactio.
RAPSODIST,c Q 7R RAPSODY", i ace JR
HAPSODIST, HAPSODY,
RAPTU hamedis, a Writ laying for the taking away an Heir, holding in Socage ; of which there are two Sorts ; one when the Heir is married, the other when not. See Rape.
RAPTURE, Raptura, an Ecftacy, or Tranfport of Mind. See Extasy, Enthusiasm, Rhapsody, &c.
RARE,
