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TENTH, 'Decima. See Tith.
The 'Babylonians and Egyptians gave theit Kings a tenth of their Revenues : See Ariftotle in his Oeconomicks, lib. i. Diodorus Sieving lib. j. and Srrabo, lib. 15-.
Afterwards, the' Romans exacted of the Sicilians a tenth of the Corn they reap'd ; and Appian tells us, that thofe who broke up, or tilld any new Grounds, were obliged to carry a tenth of their Produce to the Treafury.
The Romans offer'd a tenth of all they took from their Enemies to the Gods, whence the Name of Jupiter 'Preda- tor : The Gauls in like Manner, gave a tenth to their God Mars, as we learn in the Commentaries of Cce[ar.
Authors have been itrangely perplex'd, to find the Original of a Cultom, eftablifh'd among fo many People of different Manners and Religion, to give a tenth to their Kings, or their Miniffers of 'Religion. Grotius takes it to arife hence, That the Number Ten is the molt known and the molt com- mon among all Nations ; by reafbn of the Number of Fingers which is Ten. On this Account he thinks it is, that the Commandments of God were reduced to ten, for People to retain them with greater Eafe; that the Philofophers eftablifh'd ten Categories, $$c.
TENURE, in Law, the Manner or Condition wherein a Tenant holds Lands or Tenements of his Lord ; or the Ser- vices perform 'd to the Lord, in Confideration of the Ufe and Occupancy of his Lands. See Tenant, Lord, &c.
The Kinds of Service, and confequently of tenures, are almoft infinite. See Service.
Thofe for Lands held of the King, are either great or fetty Sergeanty, in Capite, Knights-Service, &c. See Ser- geanty, Capite, X$g.
Thofe held of other Lords were very various, Safe, Frank, &c. by Homage, by Soccage, Sfc. But by Stat. 12 Car. II. all tenures, both of the King and other Lords, are turn'd into free and common Soccage. See Soccage.
TERES, in Anatomy, a Name given two Mufcles of the Arms, call'd alfo Rotund i $ diftinguifh'd by major and minor.
The teres, or Rotundus ma]or, arifes from the lower An- gle of the Balis of the Scapula, and afcending obliquely up- wards, in a round fmooth Body, under the Head of the Longus, is inferted with a lhort flat Tendon into the Neck of the Os Humeri.
The teres, or Rotundus minor, call'd alfo tranfverfalis, is frequently wanting, or, at leaf!, fo confounded with the Infrafpinatus, that it is loft therein. It arifes from the infe- rior Angle of the Scapula, and afcending obliquely in a round flefhy Body, paffes over the upper Head ol the Lon- gus, and is inferted by a fhort flat Tendon below the Os Hu- meri.
TERGIFjETOUS 'Plants, are fuch as bear their Seeds on the Backfides of their Leaves. See Plant and Seed.
Such are the Capillaries. See Capillary.
TEREBINTHINA, in Medicine, Natural Hiftory, l$c. See Turpentine.
TERM, terminus, the Extreme of any thing, or that which bounds and limits its Extent. See Extreme.
Term, in Geometry, is fometimes us'd for a Point, fome- times for a Line, (Sc. A Line is the term of a Superficies ; and a Superficies of a Solid.
This is what the Schools call terminus giiantitatis. _
Term, in Law, fignifies a Boundary or Limitation of Time. In this Senfe we fay, A Leafe for Term of Life, For Term of Years, i$c.
Term, Terminus, in Architecture, is a kind of Statue, or Column adorn'd a-top with the Figure of a Man's, Wo- man's, or Satyr's Head, as a Capital 4 and the lower Part ending in a kind of Sheath or Scabbord.
terms are fometimes us'd as Confoles, and fuftain En- tablatures, and fometimes as Statues to adorn Gardens.
Some write the Word thcrmes, from Hermes, a Name the Greeks gave the God Mercury ; whofe Statue, made after this Manner, was placed in feveral of the Crofs-ways in the City of Athens, iSc.
Others bring the Etymology of the Word from the Roman God terminus, the Protector of Land-marks, whofe Statue (made without Hands or Feet, that he might not change his Place) was ufed to be planted at the Bounds of Lands to feparate them.
Of thefe termini, the Architects make great Variety, viz. Angelic, Ruftic, Marine, Double, in Soft, &.
Military Terms, or termini Milhares, amon; the ancient Greeks, were the Heads of certain Divinities, placed on fquare Land-marks of Stone, or on a kind of Sheath, to mark the feveral Stadia, tgc. in the Roads. Thefe are what <Plautus calls Lares Viales. See Lares.
They were ufually dedicated to Mercury, whom the Greeks believed to prefide over the High- ways. Some of them were reprefented with four Heads ; fuch as we flill fee in Rome, at the End of the Fabrician Bridge, which is hence call'd Tonte de quattro Capi.
Mercury was thus reprefented, and alfo call'd by the Latins, Mercurms gttadnfirmis, as being fuppofed the Firfl, who taught Men the Ufe of Letters, Mufic, Wrefllini and Geometry. See Hermes.
Terms are alfo us'd for the feveral Times or Seafons of the Year, wherem the Tribunals, or Courts of Judicature; are open to all who think fit to complain of Wrone or to feek their own by due Courfe of Law or Aflion. See Cour t, Day, Law, Fastus, &c. ,
In Contra-diflinflion to thefe, the reft of the Year is call'd Vacation. See Vacation.
Of theft terms there are four in every Year, during which Time Maiters of Juflice are difpatch'd, via. Hillary term, which, at London, begins the 23d Day of January; or if it be Sunday, the next Day after, and ends the 12th of February following. Eajier term, which begins the Wed- nesday Fortnight after Eafter-Day, and ends the Monday next after Ajcenfion-Day. trinity-term, beginning the Friday next after trinity Sunday, and ending the Wednesday Fortnight after. And Michaelmas term, which begins the 23d of Otlo'jer, and ends the 28th of November following. Each of theft terms have their Returns. See Returns.
Oxford Terms. Hillary or Lent term begins January 14, and ends the Saturday before 'Palm Sunday. --'-- Eajier lerm begins the 10th Day after Eajier, and ends the thurfday before Whitfunday. trinity Lerm begins the Wed- nesday after trinity Suniay, and ends after the Aft, fooner or later, as the Vice Chancellor and Convocation pleafe. Michaelmas 'Lerm begins Otlober the 10th, and ends De- cember the 17 th.
Cambridge Teems. Lent term begins January the 1 3th, and ends the Friday before Palm Sunday. Eajier term begins the Wednefday after Eafter-week, and ends the Week before Whitfunday. trinity term begins the Wednefday after trinity Sunday; and ends the Friday after the Commencement. Michaelmas term begins Otlober the 10th and ends December the 16th.
Irifi and Scotch Terms. In Scotland, Candlemas term begins January the 23 d, and ends February the 12th. Whit- furaide term begins May the 25th, and ends June the 15th. L.ammas term begins July the 20th, and ends Augufi the 8th. Martinmas term begins November the 3d, and ends November the 29th. — In Ireland the terms are the fame as at London, except the Michaelmas term, which begins OSober the 13th, and adjourns to November the 3d, and thence to the 6th.
Term, in Grammar, a particular Word, Dicfion, or Ex- preffion in a Language. See Word.
The Word Term, terminus, is borrow'd, metaphorically, by the Grammarians and Philofophers, from the Meafurers or Surveyors of Lands : As a Field is defin'd and diftin- guifh'd by its termini, or Limits, fo is the Thing or Mat. ter fpoke of by the Word or term it is denoted by.
Some of our Philofophers complain loudly of the great Ufe, or rather Abufe of vague and general Terms, which have no precife, definitive Signification.
To diftinguifh thefe, F. Mallebranch obferves, that every thing that is (whether it have actual Exiftence, or not) and of confequence every thing that is intelligible, is either a Being, or a Mode, or Manner of Being : Where, by Beinp, is meant whatever is abfolute, or which may be conceiv'd alone and without Relation to any other Thing ; and by manner of Being, whatever is relative, or which cannot be conceiv'd alone.
Now, there are two Kinds of Manner of Being ; the one confifting in the Relation of the Parts of a Whole, to fome Part of the fame Whole ; the other in the Relation of one thing to another : Of the firfl Kind is the Roundnefs of a Piece of Wax ; and of the fecond, the Motion or Situation of that fame Wax. If then, every thing that is intelligible, be reducible either to Beings, or Manner of Beings, 'tis evident, every term which does not fignify either of thofe Things, fignifies nothing ; and that every term which does not fig- nify either a Being, or a Manner of Being, is an obfeure and confus'd term.
In Metaphyficks, the Ufe of fuch terms is fometimes ne- ceffary and allowable, as in fpeaking of the Divine Perfecti- ons, &c. But in Phyficks 'tis always mifchievous, and yet nothing more common ; e. gr. when we fay, that Bodies tend to their Centre, that they fall by their Weight, that they rife by their Levity, that they move by their Nature, that they change fucceflively their Forms, that they act by their Virtues, Qualities, Faculties, fjc. we ufe terms which fignify no- thing ; and all thefe Propofitions are abfolutely falfe in the Senfe moft Philofophers underftand them.
There is no Centre in the Senfe commonly meant ; and the terms Weight, Form, Nature, Quality, and the like, don't awaken any Idea either of a Being, or a Manner of Being : They are terms void of Senfe, and which Perfons of Under- ftanding fhould always avoid.
Scieatia
