S O I
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SOL
The Levitical Laws adjudged thole guilty of this ex- ecrable Evil to the Fire, Jbev. c. 18 and 20. And the Civil Law afiigns the lame Punilhment. Our Laws make it Felony.
SOFA; in the Eaft, is a kind of Alcove, raifed half aFoot above the Fluor ot a Chamber or other Apartment, and eikcm'd the Place of State, where Viiuors of Diftinction are leccived.
Among the Tiirks, the whole Floor of their State-Rooms is cover'd with a kind of Tapiftry, and on the Window-fide is railed a Sofa or Soj>ha, laid with a kind of Matrafs, cover'd with a Tapiilry much richer than the other. On this Tapiilry the Turks are feated, both Men and Women, like the Taylors in England, croisdegg'd, leaning agamft the Wail which is bolfter'd with Velvet, Sattin or other Stuff fuitable to the Sealbn. Here they eat their Meal?, only laying a Skin over the Tapitfry, to ferve as a Table-cloarh, and a round wooden Board over all, cover'd with Plates, &c.
The Embaffadors of France Hood out a long while, and refufed to vifit the Grand Vizier, unlefs he'd receive them on the Sofa : At length he granted them the Sofa.
SOFF1TO or SOFlT, in Architefture, any Plafond or Ceiling, form'd of crofs Beams, or flying Cornices, the fquare Compartiments or Pannels whereof are inrich'd with Sculptures, Painting, or Gilding. Such are thole we fee in the Bafilics and Palaces of Italy, in the Apartments at Ltixem- lourg, afParis, ££c. See Ceiling.
The Word is Italia??, and fignifies the. fame with the Latin, Lacunar and Laquear-, with this Difference, that Lacunar is ufed for any Ceiling, with fquare, hollow Pannels, called Lacus-j and Laqnear for Compartiments interlaced with Plat-bands, after the manner of Knots or Laqitei.
Soffito or Soft, is particularly ufed for the under Side or Face of an Architrave ; and for that of the Corona or Lar- mier, which the Ancients called Lacunar, and we ufually, 'Plafond. See Plafond.
It is enrich'd with Compartiments of Rofes ; and in the
'Doric Order has 18 Drops, dilpofed in three Ranks, Six
in each, placed to the Right ot the Gutrje, at the Bottom
of the Triglyphs, See Gxjttje, Doric, Architrave,^.
SOFI, §?<;. SeeSo?Hi.
SOFTENING, in Painting, the mixing and diluting of Colours with the Brufh or Pencil.
They alfo fay> fofien Defigns in Black and White, made with the Pen, i$c. to weaken the Teint. To foften a Portrait, according to Felilnen, is to change fome of the Stroaks, and give a greater Degree of Sweetnefs and Softnefs to the Air thereof, which before had fbmething rough and harm, in it.
SOIL, in Agriculture, Gardening, $$c. denotes Earth or Ground confider'd, with regard to the Quality of its Mould, for the Production and Growth of Vegetables. See Earth, Mould, Vegetables, &c.
M. Bradley reduces all Soils to three Heads, viz. Sand, Loam or Mother-Earth , and Clay. See Sand, Loam and Clay.
Gravels and all the open Soils, till we come at Loam, are of the fandy Race ; and the binding Earths, from Loam down to the Stiffnef's of Chalk, may be ranged under the C/tfjv-kind.
Loam or Mother-Earth, is the Medium between the Two, and includes all the intermediate Kinds.
Each of thefe Soils tends alike to Vegetation; and each has its Salts proper thereto; but in different Proportions : A Peck of Clay having twice as much Salts in it asthefame Quantity of Loam ; and four Times as much as Sand.
Now, 'tis found to be the Salts or Juices of the Soil, not the Earth itfelf, that Plants are fed and fubfifted by. (For jn many Experiments of Vegetation, where Plants of Fifteen or Twenty pound Weight have been produced, there has been no fenfible Diminution in the Weight of the Earth). See Vegetation.
Hence, at firft Sight, it might feem, that Clay were the moft proper, and Sand the leaft proper Soil to promote the Growth of Plants ; which is contrary to Experience. The Reafbn is, that the Parts of Clay being dole wrought together, do not lb eafily give out their Salts ; nor can the tender Fibres of many Plants make their Way through it, in fearch of their Food. But if its Parts be well open'd, by digging and breaking it into very Imall Pieces, and thofe Parts bekepropenby a Mixture of fome fharp Sand, or other like Matter, that Author adds, we mall fee the Effects of its Vigour. Sand, on the other hand, giving its Salts readily, puts forth its Plants very early, and will make them germinate a full Month fooner than Clay; but as itishafty,'tisfoon fpent. The Sun's Warmth calls up all its Salts early in the Spring, and there is but little left for them to fubiift long on, if the Heat continue. '
Each Kind has its peculiar Plants, which will not grow on the other ; but the peculiar Plants of both the other two will grow in Loam, as partaking equally of the Qualities of both. Loam, then, mull be allowed the beft and null bene-
ficial Soil-, where it can be had : And where it cannot if by a Mixture of other Earths, we can make a Compoit to relemble it ; we have more to expert from it, efpecially in Plantations of durable Trees, than from a Compofition of Dung or other forcing Ingredients, which, like Excels of high intemperate Foods and Liquors, though they r,j ve a hafty Growth, yet make the Thing mort-lived. The Com- pofition or Soil here meant, is equal Quantities of Sand and Clay well mix'd. See Timber ; fee alio Hot-Bed.
Generally, a Mixture of two or three Soils, is better than any Ample Soil ; eipecially where the Hot and Dry are mix'd with the Cold and Moid. Clay laid on Sand or Gravel, or Sand on Clay, is the bell Manure. See Ma- nure.
But 'tis not the Nature of the Soil alone ; but its Depth is alfo to be regarded, and what Soil is underneath. For the beft Soil, if it be not above a Foot deep, and lie on a ftiff Clay, or hard cold Stone, is not lb fertile as a leaner Soil of greater Depth, or lying on a warm Lime-ftone, Sand or Gravel, through which the fuperfluous Moifture may de- fcend, and not Ifagnate on the Clay or Stone, to chill the Roots of Plants.
Indeed, Regard is to be had to the Climate ; for even in England, cold, moift Clays are more fruitful in the South than the North.
Some general Rules with refpecf. to Soils, are as follow. i° All Land that moulders to Dull with Froft, with all forts of warm Lands, black Mould, yellow Clay, (if not too wet) and that turns Black after Rain, are good for Corn. 2 Lands bringing forth large Trees and Weeds, Black-Thorn, Thiftles, rank Grafs, $$c, generally prove fruitful. 3 Straw-berries, Betony, Thyme, %£c. give Indication to Wood, and Camo- mile to a Mould difpofed for Corn. 4° All Land that binds after Froft and Rain, that turns White and full of Worms, that is extremely moift, bears Holly, Yew, Box, Broom, Heath, Mofs, £s?c. is of a cold Temperature. 5° Black, Dun and Yellow Sand, and hot, ftony Gravel, are generally unfruitful. See Garden, Orchard, Bill, Parlia- ment, &c.
SOIT fait comme il eft defire, Be it done as 'tis defired ; a Form uled when the King gives the Royal Alfent to a private Bill preferr'd in Parliament.
SOKA, Soke, Soc, in ancient Cuftoms, the Privilege of Te- nants excufed from cuftomary Impositions, See Soc.
It alfo denotes theTerritory wherein the chief Lord exercifed his Liberty of keeping Courts within his own Domains.
Alio a Quit-Rent, or Payment made to the Lord by his Tenant, for acting in Quality of a Soc-man or Freeholder. See Socage.
The Rent-gatherer in the Soka, was called Soke Reeve. SOL, in Mulic, the Fifth Note of the Gamut: Ut, Re,' Mi, Fa, Sol. See Note and Gamut ; fee alio Music.
Sol or Sou, Shilling, a French Coin, of Billon, /'. e. Cop- per with a little Silver mix'd; equal to Twelve Deniers or Pence; and the 20th Part of the Livre or Pound. See Shilling ; fee alfo Denier and Livre.
The French Sol is rated atone Tenth Part lefs than the Evglijb Penny. See Coin, Penny, £S?c.
The Word is form'd from the Latin Solidus, Shilling. Sodm is miftaken, when he derives it « Sole, by reafbn of the Sun ftruck on it.
The Sol. was firft ftruck on the Foot of 1 2 Deniers Tournois, whence it was alfo called c l)ouz>ain, a Name it flill retains, tho* its ancient Value be changed ; the Sol having been fince augmented by Three Deniers, and ftruck with a Punchion of a -Flower de Lys, to make it Current for ij Deniers. Soon after, the old Sols were coin'd over again, and both Old and New indifferently Current for ij De- niers. In 1709, the Value of the fame Sols was raifed to 18 Deniers. Towards the latter End of the Reign of Louis the Fourteenth, the Sols of 18 Deniers were again lowered to iy, where they now ftand.
The 'Dutch have alio two Kinds of Sols : The one of Silver, called Solsdegros, andlikewik Schelling. See Schelling. The other of Copper, called alfo Stuyver, See Stuyver.
In old Authors we read of Gold Sols, which were different at different Times. In the Time of the Salic Law, the Sol was Forty Deniers ; and thus it continued till the Time of King 'Pepin, when it was reduced to Twelve. Some have imagined, that the French had anciently Silver Sols.
Sol, in Aftrology, &c. fignifies the Sun. Sol in Aries, £J?C. See Sun.
Sol, in the Hermetical Philofbphy fignifies Sulphur. See Sulphur.
Sol, Sun, in Chymiftry, is Gold ; thus called from an Opinion, that this Metal is, in a particular Manner, under the Influence of that Luminary, See Gold.
What fhould have been the principal Inducement of tox ~ turing this Metal, with Co much Violence to obtain from it fbme medicinal Virtues, Dr. J^ttincy ob Terves, is not eafy to beguels'd ; unlefs it was to keep up the Authority of an ill-delerved Regard, and a Jealoufy, that they could not be
