REL
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REL
RELEGATION, a kind of Exile, or Banifhment, wherein the obnoxious Perfon is commanded to retire to a certain Place prefcribed, and to continue there 'till he be recalled. See Exile.
My Lord Coke calls Relegation a Banifhment for a time only : Courtin more adequately defines Relegation a Banifhment to a cer- tain Place for a certain Term.
In Rome Relegation was 2 lefs fevere Punifhment than Deporta- tion, in that the retagated Perfon did not thereby lofe the Rights of a Roman Citizen, nor thole of his Family, as the Authority of a Father over his Children, &c. See Banishment.
RELICKS, Reliquiae, in the Rowifo Church, certain Re- mains of the Bodies or Cloaths of fome Saint or Martyr, de- voutly preferved in Honoar to his Memory, carried at Procefti- ons, kils'd, rever'd, &c. See Saint, Martyr, Processi- on, &c.
The Abufes in- Points of Relicks are moft flagrant : F. Mabil- Ion, a Benedictine, complains of the great Number of fufpeftcd Relicks expofed on Altars : He owns that were there to be a ftri£t Inquifition into the Relicks, vaft Numbers of fpuvious ones would be found offer'd every where to the Piety and Devotion of the Faithful; And adds, that Bones are frequently confecrated, fo far from belonging to Saints, that in all probability they don't be- long to Christians.
The Catacombs are an inexhauftible Fund of Relicks ; yet 'tis ft ill difputed who were the Perfons interr'd here. See Cata- comb.
In the eleventh Century a Method was introduced of trying fuppofed Relicks by Fire.— Thofe which did not confume in the Fire were reputed genuine; the reft not. Sec Purgation, &e.
Tis an antient Cuftom, which flill obtains, to preferve the Relicks in the Altars whereon Mafs is celebrated.— To this pur- pofe, a fquare Hole is made in the middle of the Altar, big e- nough to receive the Hand ,• and herein is the Rel'tck deposited, wrapp'd in red Silk, and inclofed in a leaden Box. See Al- tar.
The Romanifts alledge a good deal of Antiquity in behalf of their Relicks. — The Manichees, it ieems out of hatred to the Flefh, which they held an evil Principle, are recorded as refuting to ho- nour the Relicks of Saints ; which is eftcemed a kind of Proof that the Catholicks did it in the firft Ages. See Manichee.
Indeed Folly and Superftition got into Religion but too early. — Even the touching of Linnen Cloaths on Relicks, from an Opi- nion of fome extraordinary Virtue derived therefrom, appears to be as antient as the firft Ages ; there being a Hole made in the Coffins of the forty Martyrs at Conjlautinople, exprefly for this Purpofe.
RELICTA Verification^ in Law, is when a Defendant relin- quishes his Proof or Plea," and thereupon Judgement is entered for the Plaintiff" RELICT. See Widow.
RELIEF, Relievjum, Levamen, in Law, a Fine paid to the chief Lord, by a Perfon at his coming to the Inheritance of Land held in Capite, or Military Service. See Fine, Lord, Tenure, &c. Relief is ufually to the value of a Years Rent or Revenue. The Origin of the Cuftom is thus.— A Feudatory or benefici- ary Eftate in Lands, being at firft only granted for Life; after the Death of theVaffal it return'd to the Chief Lord, and was hence call'd Feodum Caducum, q. d. fallen to the Lord by the Death of the Tenant. See Fee.
In Courfe of Time thefe feudatory Eftates being convened into Inheritances by the Connivance and Confent ot the Lord.; when the PoOelTor of fuch Eftate died it was call'd Hereditas Ca- duca, q. d. an Inheritance fallen to the Lord; from whom it was to be recover'd, by the Heirs paying a certain Sum of Mo- ney.
This was faid Relevare hareditatem caducam, and the Money thus paid was call'd Rekvamen, Refeuium, or Relief.
This Relief was eftabliihed after theConqueft. — For 'till that time Heriots were paid the Lord, at the Death of his Tenant; confift- ing of Horfes, Arms, &c. See Heriot.
But upon the Conqueft, the poor People being deprived of all fuch things by the Norwam, a Sum of Money was fubftituted in lieu thereof, which was call'd a Reliefs and continues in fome Places to this Day.— However, 'tis true, Relief and Heriot are frequently confounded in antient Writers.
Relief Reafmable, call'd aifo Lavful, and antient Relief is that enjoined by fome Law, or fix a by antient Cuftom ; and which does not depend on the Will of the Lord.— Thus in a Charter of King John, mentioned by Matt. Paris. — Si quis Comi- tum vel Baro?ium Nofirorum five aliorum tenentium de nobis in Capi- te per firvitium militate, mortuus fuerit ©" cum deccjjerit hares funs plena at aits fuerit, & relevium debeat, habeat hareditatem Jitam per Antiquum Relevium.
What this was may be feen in the Laws of William the Con- queror, &c Bratlon fays, this Fine was call'd a Relief quia he- reditas qua; jaciens fuit per Antecejforis decejfum relevatur in roams haredum, &c. A Relief is alio paid in Spccage Tenure, or petit Serjeanty ;
where a Rent or other thing is paid by rendering as much as the Rent or Payment referred.
By the Cuftom of Normandj, Relief is due for Lands held in Villenage, as well as in Fee — By the Cuftom of Paris, Relief is not due upon Succeffions in the direct Line.
The Quantity of the Relief is very different : There are fugle Reliefs, double Reliefs, &c. The Qualify, too, is diverfe : There are Reliefs of Property, paid by the Heir : Reliefs of Bail, or Tutor- age, paid by a Guardian for his Minor, or by the Husband for the Fiefs of his Wife, &c. Relief of Horfe and Arms, &c.
By the Laws of King Canutus, the Relief of an Earl, paid the King, was eight War-Horics with their Bridles and Saddles, four Loricas, four Helmets, tour Swords, fburHunting-Hories, and a.. Palfrey. — The Relief of a Baron or Thane was four Hurler &c.
Relief, in Chancery, is an Order fued out for the diflblving of Contracts and other Acts, on account of their being unrea- ibnabie, prejudicial, grievous, or from fome other Nullity, ei- ther de Jure) or dcFafto. See Chancery and Equity.
Minors obtain Relief againft Acts pais'd in their Minority. — Majors have Relief in caies of enormous Damage, Deceit, Vio- lence, over-reaching, extravagant Bargains, Qrc.
Among the Romanifts 'tis a Rule, that the Church obtains Re- lief any time, and againft all Ads pafs'd in its Prejudice : No Pre- icription prevailing againft it. See Prescription.
RELIEF, of a Hare, among Hunters, is the Place where me goes to feed in the Evening. See Hunting.
Relief, in Sculpture. See Relievo.
RELIEVE, in the Military Senfe.— To Relieve is to take the Poft cf another Body.
Hence, to Relieve the Guard, to Relieve the Trenches, &c is to bring frefh Men upon the G uard, or the Trenches, and to fend thofe to reft who have been upon Duty before. See Guard, Trench, &c.
They alfo fay, Relieve a Sentinel!, Relieve the Steers-Man, &c.
RELIEVO, or Relief, Imbofsment, in Sculpture, is applied to a Figure which projects, or (lands out, prominent, from the Ground or Plain whereon it is lorm'd ; whether that Figure be cut with the Chiilel, moulded, or caft. There are three Kinds of Relievo ; viz.. Alto, Bafjo, and Demi-Relievo.
The Alto Relievo, Haut Relief, or, high Relievo, is when the Figure is form'd after Nature, and proje&s as much as the Life.
Baffo-R-elievo, Bafs '-Relief or loiu Relievo, is when the Work is but rais'd a little from its Ground ; as we fee in Medals, and in the Frontifpieces of Buildings j particularly the *Hiftories, Fe- ftoons, Foliages, and other Ornaments in Friezes.
De??ii-Rslievois when one half of the Figure rifes from thePlan, i. e. when the Body of the Figure feems cut in two, and one half is clapp'd on a Ground- — When in a BaJJo Relievo there are fome Parts that ftand clear out, detach'd from the reft, the Work u call'd a Vemi-Bojffe.
Relievo, in Architecture, is the Prefecture of any Orna- ment. See Projecture.
This, Da-viler obferves, is always to be proportioned to the Magnitude of the Building it adorns,- and the Diftance at which it is to be viewed. It" the Work be inlblated and terminated on all Sides, it is call'd a Figure in Reltevo, or a round Imboffment, Such are Statues, Acroters, &c.
Relievo, in Painting, is the Degree of Force or Boldnefs wherewith the Figures feem, at a due Diftance, to ftand out from the Ground of the Painting, as if really imbofVd.
The Relievo depends much on the Depth of the Shadow, and the Strength of the Light ; or on the Heightb of the different Colours bordering on one another ; particularly on the difference of the Colour of the Figure from that of the Ground. See Shadow, Colouring, &c.
When the Light is well chofen, to make the neareft Parts or Figures advance ; and well diffufed on the Maffes, ftill diminiih- ing infenfibly, and terminating in a large fpacious Shadow, brought off infenfibly, the Relievo is faid to behold, and thcClair- obfaire, <we# under food. See Clair-Oescure.
They alfo fay Embroderies in Relievo; in oppoiition to thofe that are flat.
RELIGION, that Worftiip or Homage due ro God, confi- dered as Creator, Preferver, Redeemer, &c See God, The- ology, &c.
1 he Foundation of all Religion is, that there is a God, and that he requires ibrne Service at the Hands of his Creatures. — From the different Manners wherein we arrive at the Know- ledge of this Service ; Religion is divided into natural and re- vealed.
Natural Religion is whatever we defcry to be due and meet by the meer Dictates of natural Reafon ; as, to love, and ho- nour God, not to abufe his Creatures, <&c. See Natural, Reason, &c.
Revealed Religion is what we learn to be due from fome fuper- natural Means; as by an expreis Declaration of God himfelf, by the Mouths of Prophets, &c. See Propi-iecy.
The firft flows immediately from the Relation between the Creature and the Creator: The latter does not follow from fuch
a Re-
