S T A
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S T A
Evidences or Prefumptions, by which a Man is convicted of intending to fleal the King's Deer 5 the other Three being Back-berond, Bloody-hand, and Dog-draw. See Forest.
STACK of Wood, among Husbandmen, is a Pile of Wood three Foot long, as many broad, and twelve Foot high.
STACTE, in Pharmacy, a fatty Matter drawn from frefh Myrrh, -pounded or prefs'd with a little Water. See Myrrh.
This Liquor is very Odoriferous, and held mighty pre- cious ; making, alone, the Perfume, called by tDioJcoftdes, Stafte. and which fmells finely, though very bitter to the Tafte.
We have none of it now, but what is fophifticared 5 and what the Apothecaries call Statle, is no more than liquid Storax. See Stop, ax.
STADHOUDER, STADTHOLDER, STADHOL- DER, or STATHOLDER, a Governor or Lieutenant of a Province, in the United Netherlands $ particularly that of Holland ; where the Word is mofl ufed, t>y reafon of the fu- pcrior Importance of the Government of that Province.
The Stadtholder, i. e. the Stadtholder of Holland, is the firft Member of the Republick : He is chief of all the Courts of Juflice ; and may prefide therein when he pleafes. .All Sentences, Judgments, gfff. are difpatch'd in his Name. When an Office becomes vacant in any of the Courts, the States propofe three Perfons to the Stadtholder, who is to chufe one of them. He can even pardon Criminals, which is a Right of Soveraignty ; and has the Choice of Sheriffs, or chief Magistrates in each City ; to which end the Council of the City prefent him two Perfons, one of which he ap- points.
In feveral Cities, he has the fame Right, with regard to theBourghcr-maiflers and Counfellors 5 as at Rotterdam ^ Z)ort, Z5>c. He has alfo a Right to Cafheer the Magiftrates, and put others in their Room, when he finds it neceffary for the public Good ; upon giving a Reafon for the fame.
By Article VI. of the Union of Utrecht, the States con- flitute him Arbiter of all the Differences that may arife be- tween the States of the feveral Provinces ; or between the Cities and the Members of the States of the Province. To the Dignity of Stadtholder, is infeperably annex'd, that of Captain and Admiral General of the Province ; in which Quality, he names all the OrHcers, and difpofes of all the Military Charges. 'Tis he, takes care of the Execution of the Ordinances of the States ; and his Authority gives him a Right to receive and hear Embaffadors from foreign Princes, and even to fend EmbafTadors on his own private Af- fairs.
The Office of Stadtholder is very Ancient : The Counts not being able to refide in Holland, appointed Stadthclders to command in their Abfence, in the feveral Provinces ; befides a Governor General of all the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands.
William I. Prince of Orange, was Stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland, at the Time when the Dutch fhook oft the SI amp Yoak ; which enabled him to contribute greatly to that happen Event.
In J567, the States thought fit to fupprefs the Office of Stadthdder, by Edict 5 and refolved it fhould never be con- fer'd on any Perfon for the future j but in 167 2, William III. Prince of Orange, afterwards King of England, being elcfted Captain and Admiral General by the States 5 fome" Months afterwards, they revoked the Ediclof SupprefQon in favour of that Prince, who was declared Hereditary Stadtholder 5 an Ho- nour never confer'd before.
Menage derives the Word from Stat, State, and hoitder> holding, q. d. Lieutenant of the States 5 but he is miflaken in the Etymology: The Word being compounded of St ad or Stede, Place, and houder, holding, in regard the Governor held the Place of the Counts, and represented them in their Abfence.
STADIUM, an ancient Greek long Meafure, containing 125 Geometrical Paces, or 625 Feet; correfponding to out- Furlong. See Furlong.
Eight of them make a Geometrical or Italian Mile; and 20., according to M. c J)acier, a French League ; according to others 14 make the League.
Guilletiere computes that the Stadium was only 600 Athe- nian Feet, which amount to 566 French Royal Feet, or 604 Bvg'ifo Feet 5 fo that the Stadium fhould only have been I13 Geometrical Paces.
It mule be observed however, That the Stadium was diffe- rent in different Times and Places. See Measure.
The Word .is form'd from the Greek, saw, Station ; and, 'tis faid, on this Occafion, that Hercules, after running fb far at one Breath, flood flUl.
The Greeks measured all their Diflances by Stadia, which they call'd <raJicL%uv.
Stadium was alfo the Courfe or Career, wherein the Greeks run their Races. See Gymnasium.
Vitmvius defcribes it as an open Space 125 Paces long, terminated at the two Extremes with two Polls, called Career and Me ta.
Along it was an Amphirheatre, where the Spectators were placed to lee the Athlete Exerciie, Running, Wreftljno $$C. **
There were Staia likewife, covered over, and encom- paffed with Colonnades and Porticoes, i'erving for the fame Exercifes in ill Weather. Captive Children ufed to run the Stadnim. Ablanc.
A more natural Derivation of the Word Stadium, from rettr/f, or Statio, than that popular one mentioned in the latt Article, is drawn from the Athlete flopping and refting, when at the End of this Courfe : Whence the Name might be applied to the fame Diftance, meafured in any other Place.
STAFF, an Inflrument ordinarily ufed to reft on, ifi walking.
Cardinal 'Bona obferves, in his Treatile of Liturgies that anciently, thole who uied a Staff in the Church to lean on, were obliged to lay it by, and to fland alone,,. firm and upright, while the Gofpel was a reading; to teflify their reipecl:, by their Poflure, and to mew they were ready to obey jefus Chrifl, and to go wherefoever he fhould command them.
The Staff is alio frequently ufed, as a kind of natural Weapon, both of Offence and Defence. The Laced-emonians never wore any Swords in Time of Peace ; but contented themfelves with a thick, crooked Staff, which was peculiar to them. Among the Romans, Mr. St. Evremond obferves, Blows with a Staff were the gentleft Correction they gave their Slaves 3 inaflnuch as they received them over their Cloaths.
Among the Maflers of Honour and Arms, 'tis held a greater Affront to be beaten with a Staff than with a Sword ; becaufe the Sword is the Inflrument of War, the Staff the Inflrument of Outrage.
Blows with a Staff are very feverefy punifhed by the French Laws: By a Regulation of the Marfhals of France, in 1653, for Reparations and Satisfactions of Honour, 'tis adjudged, That a Perfon who /hall flrike another with a Staff, fliall be Imprifon'd a whole Year ; unlefs Six Months be moderated, upon paying 3000 Livres, applicable to the nearefl Hofpital; Befide which, the Offender is to ask Pardon of the Offended on his Knees, &c. ready to receive a like Number of Blows with a Staff '; which on fome Occa- sions one may oblige him to give ; if he have too much Ge- nerofity, not to do it of himfelf. By another Regulation of the Marfhals in 1679, he who flrikes with a. Staff, after re- ceiving Blows with the Fifl, in the Heat of a Fray, is con- demn'd to Four Years Impriibnment 5 and to Four, if he even Aruckfirft with the Fift.
T aft oral Staff Augural Staff Jacob's Staff
r Crosier. See ^ Lituus.
( Radius AJlrommicus,
Staff, in Mufic, five Lines, on which, with the inter- mediate Spaces, the Notes of any Song or Piece of Mufic are mark'd. See Music.
Guido Aretin, the great Author of the Modern Mufic, is faid to be the firfl: who introduced the Staff; marking his Notes, by letting Points ( . ) up and down them, to denote the Rile and Fall of the Voice 5 and each Line and Space he mark'd at the beginning of the Staff with Gregory's Seven Letters, a, b, c, d, e, f, g. See Note.
But others will have the Artifice of an older Date ; and Kircher particularly affirms, That in the Jefuites Library at Meffina, he found an old Greek MS. Book of Hymns, above 700 Years old j wherein fome Hymns were written on a Staff of eight Lines, mark'd at the beginning with Eight Greek Letters. The Notes or Points were on the Lines, but no u ft made of the Spaces. See Scale, Gamut, Solfa-
ING, ££V.
Staff, in Heraldry. See Battoon.
Staff, inSurveying, a kind of Stand, whereon to mount a Theodolite, Circumferentor, plain Table, or the like, for Ufe. It confifls of Three Legs of Wood, joyned together at one End, whereon the Inflrument is placed 5 and made peeked at the other, to enter the Ground. Its upper End is ufually filled with a Ball and Socket. See BALEand Socket.
STAGE, in the Modern Drama, the Place of Action and Reprefentation • included between the Pit and the Scenes.
The Stage anfwers to the c Profce7!ium or ^Pul-pitum of the ancient Theatre. See Theatre, Pulpitum, Prosce- nium.
Laws of the Stack, are the Rules and Decorums to be oblerved, with regard to the Oeconomy and Conduct of a Dramatic Performance to be exhibited on the Stage. Thefe relate, principally, to the Unities, the Difpofition of the A£ls and Scenes, the Unravelling, £-?c. See Unity, Act, Scene, Catastrophe, £$c
STAGGERS, or Stavers, in the Manage. See Stavees-
STAIRS, in Building, the Steps whereby we afcend ana
defcend, from one Story of a Houft to another. SeeSTOR*.
7 The
