BRA
BRA
difeafe, wherewith they are infefted, or to drive out fome devil.
The boyes are alfo confulted with regard to the event of their wars; in which view, they are much on the footing of the antient augurs and Pythians. Each boye has its peculiar deity, whom he invokes by certain forms of words, fung in a quaint tone, accompanied with the fumes of tobacco, which is burnt on this occafion as a perfume, whofe (cent will draw the very gods out of their holds.
When the boyes are confulted concerning any diforder which a perfon labour? under, they tell him it is the god of this perfon or that, who has brought it on him : which is the fource of in- finite quarrels for revenge. Corn. DicL des Arts, T. i. p. 134.
J30YEUPECANGA, in zoology, the name of a very large fer- pent, diffinguifhed by this name on account of certain pro- minences on its back. It is a very large and remarkably thick ferpent, and of very fatal poifon. Ray's Syn. An. p. 330.
BOYUNA, in zoology, the name of an American fpecies of ferpent. It is very long and flender, and all over of a black colour. It has exactly the fmell of a fox, but that fo ftrong, that no body can endure to be near it. Ray's Syn. An. p.
BRABANCIONES, in middle age writers, a kind of Nether- land foldiery, infamous for rapine, being little better than cornmiflioned banditti, who hired themfelves to fight for who- ever could pay them heft. Aquin. Lex. Milit. p. 135, feq. Trev. DicL Univ. T. 1. p. 1 1 95. voc. Brabanam. . The word is varioufly written in the hiftoriatis of thofe days ; as Brabancor.ii *, Brabamiones, Brcbantiones, Brebantini, Brcb:~ cioneSy Breben-zones, Brabanceni, and Braibanceni b . Denomina- tions all given them from the country of Brabant, which was the chief nurfery of thofe troops. They are alfo frequently confounded with the Rentiers, Rctur'ters, Ruptarii, Rutarii, Coteraux, &c— [ a Daniel* Hift. de la Mil. Franc. 1. 3. c. 8. Richel. T. 1. p. 233. b Du Gangs, GloiT. Lat. T. r . p.
^99-]
BRABE, an herb mentioned by Oribafius ; the defcription he gives of which is, that it grows a cubit high, (hooting forth branches on each, fide, with leaves refembling thofe of the le- pidium in fhape, but fofter and whiter, and at the top bearing an umbel of flowers like the elder. Oribaf Med. Coll. 1, 1 1 .
BRABEJUM, in the Linnsean fyftem of botany, a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : there is no calyx ; the flower is compofed of four ftrait obtufe petals, in their lower part {banding eredt, and forming together a fort of tube, and in their upper bending back ; thefe all fall before the ripen- ing of the feed ; the ftamina are four capillary filaments, in- serted on the bottoms of the petals fomething fhorter than the flower, and terminated by fmall anthers, which open fideways ; the germen of the piftillum is extremely fmall and hairy ; the ftyle is fiender, of the fame length with the ftamina, and fome- what thicker in its upper than in its lower part; the ftigma is fimple ; the fruit is a dry, oval, hairy drupe ; the feed is an oval nut. Linnai, Gen. Plant, p. 52.
BRABEUTES, or Brabeuta, in antiquity, an officer who prefidcd at the public games, and decreed the prizes to the victors. Suet, in Ner. c. 53. Lipf. de Amphitheat. c. 2c. Fab. Agonifr. I. r. c. 23.
The word is Greek, Bp(3nTir, formed from fyxZw, prize or reward. The Latins called him defgnator and munerarius. Ulp. Lex. Athlet. 4 D. de his qui notantur infamia. Fab. Thef. p. 373. Pitifc. Lex. Antiq. T. 1. p. 292. Aquin. Lex. Mi- lit. T. t. p. 136. Calv. Lex. Juiid. p. 126. Suic. Thef.
Ecclef. T. 1. p. 707. VOC. BftxguOK
The generality of writers confound the Brabeutes with the Agonotheta, between whom there however appears to have been this difference, that the former prefided at the gymnic com- bats, the latter at the facred ones. Pollux, Onomaft. 1. 3. c. ult. Brijf. de Verb. Signif. p 86. See Agonotheta. BRACE, in writing, a term ufed to fignify a certain crooked flroke or figure of a pen, made at the end of two or more lines in an account,' which exprefs two ormore articles charged with one and the fame fum at the end, which is ufually placed at the end, and in the center of the brace, and expreHes that .the fum there fpecified is the joint price of both the articles mentioned in the lines connected by the brace; as in the fol- lowing example.
Debts due to me, fame of which are good, others dubious. Good Debts. Bad Debts.
From Mr. James * 300 \ _ nn From Mr. John * * 4C0 j From Mr. Peter * 200 5 5 From Mr. Nicolas* 500 S ^ uu
Savar. Did:. Comm. Brace {('yd.) is alfo ufed for a meafure taken from the length of the arm, when extended ; and is ufed in divers cities of Italy, in lieu of the foot or yard. Its length is various; the brace of Bergamo, according to Scamozzi, is nineteen Paris roval inches and a half; according to M. Petit, fixteen inches two thirds ; the brace of Boulogna is fourteen inches; that of ErefTe, feventeen inches feven lines and a half, according to Scamozzi ; and according to M. Petit, feventeen inches five lines ; the Mantuan brace is feventeen inches four lines ; that pf Milan, twenty-two inches ; thofe of Parma, twenty inches Suppi. Vol. I.
one third ■, of Sienna, twenty-one inches two thirds ; of Flo- rence, twenty inches two thirds, according to Maggi ; twen- ty-one inches four lines and a half, according to Lorini ; twenty-two inches two thirds, according to Scamozzi, and twenty-one inches one third, according to Picart. Davil. Exphc. Term. Archit. p. 434. voc. Brajfe. Savar. Diet. Comm. T. 1. p. 648. Atd-in. Diet. Mar, p. 123. voc. Brafe BRACELET, an ornament ufually worn around the wrifr. The word is French, bracelet; which Menage derives further froni braceletum, a diminutive of bracile, a word occurring in writers of the Juffinian age ; all formed from the Latin bra- chium, arm. \\&.Menag. Orig. p. 124. Bracelet amounts to the fame with what was called by the an- tients, armilla, brachiale % oaabus, 4-^'°*, xpx©- b , in the mid- dle age, boga, bauga, arm'ifpatha c , f2p»xi«?»wj ^a^fiM a , &c. — [ a Fab. Thef, p. 374. Pitifc. Lex, Antiq. T. j. p. 293. voc. Brachiale. b Mem. Acad. Infer. T. 4. p. 140. c Du Cange, Gloff. Lat. 7". 1. p. 511. voc. Bauga. J Id GlofT. Grjcc. T. 1. p. 225. .Mv^ GlofT Grrec. Barb, p. i2l.] Among the antient Romans, the men as well as the women wore bracelets; but the latter, it is to he obferved, never wore them till they were betrothed. Vid. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T. 1. p. 179. Calv. Lex. Jur. p. 90. voc. Armilla. Bracelets were at firft properly military ornaments or rewards, frequently conferred among the antients, by generals and princes, on thofe who behaved gallantly in fight e , 1 hey be- came afterwards arbitrary decorations, afiumed at pleafure ; and are fometimes faid to have been worn for health as well as ornament f ; and particularly as amulets, to break the force of charms and fafcinations s. — [ c Kenn. Rom. Ant. Not. P. 2. 1. 4. c. 16. p. 2zi. Jquin. Lex. Milit. T. 1. p. 136. voc. Brachialia. It. p. 84. voc. Armilla. f Suet, in Galb. c. 3. Keuch. Not. ad Seren. p. 272. Cafl. Lex. Med. p. 354. voc. Gaibeutn. s Scribon. n, t6. Call. Lex. Med. p. 742. voc. Verua. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. T. 1. p. 337. voc. Armillam.} See the article Amulet.
The northern people ufed alfo to fwear on their bracelets, to render contra6ts more inviolable.
The matter whereof the antients made their bracelets was diffe- rent, as it frill remains ; the moft ufual among the Romanswas gold or lilver, which we fometimes find further enriched with gems h . The antient Danes and Saxons chiefly ufed iron or brafs bracelets l . — [ h Calv. Lex. Jurid. p. 949. voc. Virkla. 1 Plott, Nat. Hift. Oxford, c. 10. §. 107. p. 353, feq.] They were put on divers parts of the garments, moft com- monly from the fhoulder to the fingers, either on the right or left arm, fometimes even about the neck ; though thefe are not
- elets as collars. Cafl. Lex. Med,
fo properly denominated bra p. 41. voc. Amphidion. Capitolinus allures us, that Maximin had a thumb fo large, that he wore Ids wife's bracelet on it as a ring. Among the Romans we meet with divers fpecies and denomi- nations of bracelets ; as the brachiale, which covered the whole length of the arm ; the dexirale, or dextrocherium, only the wrift k , and that only of the right arm ; virtu, or viriola, peculiar to the male fex : ; fpinther, to the women, being worn on the left arm ■" ; verua, ufed as an amulet n ; amphidion, worn either on the arm or about the neck ; calbeum, or galbeum, worn by generals in their triumphs, p fcfe. — [ k Pitifc. loc. cit. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. T. 2. p. 73. voc. Dextrale. It. p. 76. voc. Dextrocherium. l Pitifc. T. 2. p. 1098. voc. Vina. m Id. ibid. p. 829. voc. Spinther, n Cafl. Lex Med. p. 742. voc. Verua. ° Call, p P 41. voc. Amphidion. ? Pitifc. T. r. p. 320. voc. Calbeif]
Bartholin has a treatife exprefs on the bracelets of the antients. Tho. Barthol. Sched. de Armillis Veterum, Arnft. 1675. i2 mD . Bracelets are flill much ufed by the favages of Africa and Ame- rica, made of metal, glafs-beads, fliells, and the like 1. The negroes on thecoaff of Guinea ufe a fort ot bracelets made of fliells called bouges, and in Afia courts j of which they are fo exceffive fond, as not only to give the richeft commodities in exchange for them, but fometimes even their fathers, wives, or children r . — [1 Vid. Grew, Muf. Reg. Societ. P. 4. feet. 3. p. 370, and p. 373. Crouch, Viewof Brit. Cuft. T. 1. p. 122. 1 Savar. Diet. Com. T. 1. p. 464.] Bracelet is alfo ufed in anatomy, to denote the circular liga- ment which invefts the carpus, called alfo ligamentum annu- lare. Bracelets, in fome antient law books, denote beagles, or hounds of the fmaller kind. Pat. Rich. II. p. 2. m. j. Rex conftituit J. L. mag'iftrum can urn fuorum vocatorum bracelets, fac. Law Di£t. in voc. BRACHKRIUM, or Brachfrjolum, a kind of fteel bandage worn about the hips, and ufed for the retention and cure of ruptures. Cafl* Lex. Med p. in. Du Cange, GlofT Lat. T. i. p. 602. voc. Bracheriolum. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. I. p. 1214. voc. Brayer. BRACHITiE, an antient branch of Manichees, who appeared In the third century. PrateoL Elench. Hseref. 1. 2. n. 33. Trev. Die!:. Univ. T. 1 . p. 1 198. See Manichees, Cycl. BRACHL/EUS, [Cycl.) in anatomy, a name given by Spigefius, and others, to a mufcle of the arm, generally known at this time under the name of brachialis internus.
5 K BRA-
