BRE
BRE
■ that they are of a eonfiderable fize. Some fifh are obferved to &-*?«tf indifferently in all fort of waters, and that in confi-j derable plenty; of tins nature are the roach, pike, and' pearch. See the article Fish.
Breeding of borfcs. See the article Horse.
BREEF-Cards, denote a kind of falfe cards, either longer or broader than the reft, whereby they may be known and di- ftinguifhed. Myft. of Mod. Gaming, p. 95. It. p. 103.
BREEZE (CycL) — Breezes differ from defies, or trade-winds, as the former are diurnal, or have their periods each day, and, befides, are only perceived near the fhore or coaft ; whereas the latter are anniverfary, and blow at a diftance from land. Phil. Tranfaa N? 183. p. 158. Caft. Lex.. Med. p. 318. voc. Etefia. SeeTRADE-tffnd, CycL
The fea breezes rule by day, and the land breezes by night ; fo that, dividing their empire, they remain conftant as the fea- fons of the year, or courfe of the fun, on which they feem alone to depend ; not but that they appear fooner or later, ftronger or weaker, in fome places than others, and vary the alternative according to the feveral latitudes, fituations, foils, mountains, valleys, woods, and other circum trances of the countries where they are found. Hallcy, in Phil. Tranf. loc. ctt. BofjiM,'DKc. of Winds, p. 92, feq. Bean. Hift. Orb. Terr. c. 2. §. 9. p. 22.
Defcartcs and his followers hold the fea breezes to be generated from the fea vapours during the prefence of the fun, and the land breezes by the heat which the fun leaves behind him in the earth; arguing, that tho' fluids evaporate moft in the day, yet a folid, as the earth, being once thoroughly heated, retains its warmth the longefh fo that, after fun-fet, the terrcftrial fumes may ftill afford fufficient matter for the land breezes. Cart. Princ. Phil, p- 159. Bobun, lib, ctt. p. 93, feq. In fome countries, the fea breezes appear only to be efforts of the general or trade-wind, as at Barbadoes, and in many places between the tropics, where the general wind, if not impeded by mountains or iflands, blows frefh in the day time, but, after fun-fet, the terrcftrial exhalations becoming precipitated, be- get a new wind, which is not only able to make head againft the trade-wind, but to repel jt from their coafts, The fea breezes do not all come from the fame point of the compafs, but from different points, as the land lies. On the coaft of Carthagena they blow from the eaft ; on the ifiand of Trinidad, from the north ; at Jamaica, on one fide of the ifiand, from the fouth, and on the other from the north. In Guinea, they begin at nine or ten in the morning, and conti- nue till ten, eleven, or twelve at night, blowing a frefh gale, extremely cherifhing to the inhabitants; at ten, eleven, or twelve at night, they ceafe, and give place to the land breezes, which continue till the morning, from the north to the north- weft points. On the coaft of Malabar, from September to April, their fummer, the eafterly breezes blow off the land a- bcut twelve at night, and continue till twelve at noon, reach- ing ten miles into the ocean; then the weftern breezes make to fhore, as if it were the former reflected back again. In Brazil, and many of the Caribee iflands, they have no land breeze, efpecially if the fhores lie low, as at Barbadoes, where the general or eaftern wind blows from one end of the ifle to the other, and ferves inflead of the land breeze. In other places they want the fea breeze, efpecially between the tropics, in coafts which lie wefterly, as in the weftern kingdoms of Africa. If either the eafterly or wefterly winds blow frefh, they binder both the land and fea breezes in the Mediterranean ; of which thofe are always found the weakeft which rife lateft. In Eng- land, in very hot days, and when no other winds are ftirring, the like alternation of land and fea breezes may be obferved on our coafts, tho' with little certitude, anywhere to the north- ward of Portugal.
Breezes are more conftant m fummer than in winter, and more between the tropics than in the temperate zones. Bobun, lib. ctt. p. 103 — no.
Breeze^. See Oestrum.
BREGMA, {CycL) in anatomy, properly denotes the middle and fore-part of the head, fituate over the forehead, and extending on both fides to the temples. Gorr. Med, Defin. p. 80. voc. Bfiypx. Caji. Lex. Med. p. 1 1 2.
The word is Greek, BpiypM, fometimes alfo written Bp^a. Its origin is obfeure, and has been much controverted between Hoffman and Lindenius. Hoffm. Lift. 1. 2. c. 59. §. 2. tin- A*.Phyfiol. 1. 2. c. S. §. 16.
BREHONS, the provincial judges among the antient Irifh, by whom juftice was adminiftred, and controverfies decided. Thefe fages were a d'lftincl: tribe or family, to whom compe- tent lands were allowed in inheritance. In criminal cafes, the brehon had the eleventh part of all fines ; which could not but be conGderable, at a time when murders, rapes, robberies, and the like offences, were only fubje£l to pecuniary commutations. Nichols. Irifh Hift. Libr. c. 7. p. 133, feq.
Brehon-Zczw, Leges Brehonicee, denote the general maxims, or rules of law obferved by the brebons, and having the force of laws throughout all the provinces of Ireland. Several fragments of the leges brebpnha are ftill extant in pub- lic and private libraries. The moft compleat collection is that belonging to the duke of Chandos, containing twenty --two fheets and an half clofe written, full of abbreviated words, and Suppl. Vol.. L
Hot very_ legible. The publication of thefe laws has been much wifhed for. Id. ibid. p. 134..
By the ftatute of Kilkenny, made under Edward III. it is en- acted, that no Englifh fubject ihall fubmit to a trial by the bre- hon law, on the penalty of high-treafon. Notwithftanding which, many were ftill under a neceffity of being concluded by the Irifh laws and cuftoms, till the whole kingdom was fettled on an Englifh bottom under King James I. Id. ibid. p. 135.
BRENNAGEj Brmnagimn, in middle age writers, a kind of tribute paid in lieu of bran, or bran itfelf, which the tenants were obliged to furnifh for fupport of the lord's hounds. Da Conge, GlofT. Lat. T. 1. p. 612.
The word is alfo written brenage, brenagimn, and brenaige, bernagnun, brenaticum, and bremtaticum.
BRENTA, in zoology, the name of a fowl of the goofe-kind, known among us by that of the Brent-goofe, and, by fome, fuppofed to differ from the barnacle no other way than in fex; but this is erroneous. It is fomewhat larger than the barnacle, and is longer bodied ; the head, neck, and upper part of the breaft, are black; the neck, however, is ornamented on each fide with a fort of chan of white. Its back is of a brownifh grey, but fomewhat blackifh toward the tail ; the feathers im- mediately over the tail are white ; it is white alfo on the belly, and of a brownifh grey on the breaft. Ray's Ornith. p. 276. See Tab. of Birds, N° 49. BREPHOTROPHIUM, an hofpital for foundlings, or a place wherein children, expofed by their parents, are brought up at the public charge. Leg. 19. Cod. de Sacrofancl. Ecclef. Fa~ bri Thcf. p. 3,6. Suic. Thef. Ecclef. T. 1. p. 711. Du Cangc, Gloll. Lat. T. 1. p. 613. Ejufdem GlofT. Graze. T.i. p 227. voc. B^?o7|o?fi3v. See the article Foundling. The word is Greek, Bj*foj|>o£«oj> 9 which fignifies the fame.
BRESMA, in ichthyology, a name given by Hildegard, and fe- veral other writers on fifties, to the bream, a fpecies of cypri- nus- See Bream, and Cyprinus. BRET, a name the people on the coafts of Lincolnfhire give to the common turbut, a fifh extremely plentiful with them, and taken in vaft abundance. The way of catching them is in a net, trailed on the ground by two horfes ; the one going up to the middle of his body in the water, the other on the fhore. Willugbby, Hift. Fife. p. 93.
BRETACHI^E, in middle age writers, denote wooden towers or caftles, wherewith towns or camps were defended. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. T. 1. p. 613.
BRETESSE, in heraldry, a term ufed to exprefs a line in fome coats of arms, of the fame nature with what is ufually called the crenelle, or embattled line ; except that this laft is only em- battled on one fide, and the bretcjje or crenelle on both fides. Some authors feem, however, to have underflood the terms breiejfe and crenelle as fynonimous words, and when they would exprefs fuch a line, they call it, if embattled on both fides, contre-breteffe. . Nisbei's Heraldry. See EmrattledZ/W.
BRETOYSE, orBRETOis, the law of the marches of Wales ; in ufe among the antient Britons.
BREVE (CycL) is ufed in the civil law for a fhort note or mi- nute. L. ult. Cod de conveniend. Fife. Debit. 1. 10. Tit. z. Inter chartulas confifcati brevis quidam adfervatur inventus, qui nomina continebat debkorum. Coiuei, Interpret, voc. Brief. Spelm. GlofT p. 87.
In which fenfe, the word is alfo written brevis (fubaude libellus) and in Englifh brief ox breve; amounting to much the fame with what is otherwife called fchedufa and brevlcula. Skin, de verb. Signif. p. 24, feq. See Brief.
Breve more particularly denotes a lift or regiftcr of the names of the foldiers under the command of a general. Jquin. Lex. Milit.T. 1. p. 137. Fab. Thef. p. 376.
Breve is more particularly ufed in common law for a writ or brief. See Writ, and Brief.
Fitzherbert has given a new naiura brevium; thus called by way of diftin&ion from an old r.atura brevium, compofed about the time of Henry ill. Nichols. Engl. Hift. Libr. c. 5. p. 23 1.
BREVET, in the French laws, denotes an ac~t ifiued by a fecre- tary of ftate, importing a grsjit of fome favour or donation from theking. Trev. Die}. Univ. T. 1. p. 1226. The word is formed from the middle age Latin, brevcttttm, of breve, fhort. Vid. Menag. Orig. p. 130. In which fenfe, brevet amounts to much the fame with our warrant. See WarranY, CycL
They fay, a brevet of nomination, a duke by brevet; fuch a perfon had a brevet of a marfhalof France
Brevet more particularly denotes the commiflion of a fubaltern officer, being only written on parchment, and without feal. Aubin. Dia.Mar. p. 125.
Brevet, in the fea language, is fometimes ufed for a bill of loading. Savar. Did:. Comm. T. 1 . p. 480. See the ar- ticle Bill, C)d.
BREVIARE, to abbreviate or reduce a thing into a fhorter com- pafs. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. T. f. p. 619, This is otherwife called abbreviare and inbreviare.
BREVIARY (Cyd.) is an epitome or fhort ftate of a thing. See Abridgement.
The word is Latin, breviarium, though not pure, as appears
from Seneca, who obferves, that the antients, in lieu of it, ufed
fammarium. Senec. Epift. 29. p. 301. in Princ. Reimman.
5 N Bibl,
