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The other way is lefseafy, but it makes a more valuable fcr- retto. It is this ; make a number of Gratifications of plates of copper and powdered vitriol alternately in a crucible, which place on the floor of the glafs furnace near the eye, and let it ftand there three days, then take it out, and make a new Gratification with more frcfli vitriol, and calcine it again as before, repeat this operation fix times, and a nioft valuable fcrretto is produced.
FERRIFIC caufe, a term ufed by fome writers to exprefs that principle, to which what they call the production or genera- tion of iron in burnt bodies, in which no iron could be difco- vered before burning, is owing. It is the general opinion of the prefent philofophers, that this iron thus d (covered in the afiies of plants, and the like burnt fubftances, really exifted there before, and only needed the difunion of the concreted body, to the bringing of its parts together. If this be the cafe, there is evidently no production of iron in the cafe, and therefore the term ferrific is a word without meaning. Becher however, in his fupplcmcnt to his Phyfica Subterranca, is of a very dif- ferent opinion, determining, that the iron is really produ- ced in thefe cafes, during the action of the fire; and that by the tranfmutation of fome other matter into iron; and from this he argues the pofiibility of gold-making among chymifts by tranfmuting fomething elfe into gold, as fome other fubftance is in this cafe tranfmuted into iron.
The experiments he has given us accounts of to prove this ferrific caufe or principle, were made with brick-earth, a fub- itance which he fuppofes to contain no iron in its native ftate, any more than a plant or an animal does. He took common brick-earth, and after drying, powdered and fifted it, then mixing it with as much linfeed oil as ferved to make it into parte, he rolled it up in little balls, and put them into a re- tort ; the retort being filled with thefe balls, the diftillation was made in an open fire for two hours. The diftillation being fmifhed, there was found in the receiver a quantity of oil, of the nature of the oleum philofophorum, and the balls being poured out of the retort, were found to be black, not red, as would have been the cafe if the clay had been burnt alone in an open fire. Thefe balls were then beaten to powder, and the powder thoroughly wetted with common water, and finally as much water added to this pafte, as made it thin and fluid. The heavy matter was fuf- fered to fettle, and the turbid water poured off, and this re- peated with frefh water fo often till the liquor came off clear. The earthy part being thus warned away, there remained at the bottom of the vefiel a heavy blackifh powder which being dried and laid upon a paper, was found to be in great part at- tracted by the loadftone, that is, a confiderable part of it was real iron.
Having thus produced iron where he fuppofed there was none before, and efteeming from this, that the fulphureous fpirits may be fixed by a certain earth as their matrix ; he ufed the fame method with a great number of other minerals, fulphur's and mercury itfelf, and accordingly melted various minerals with various earths and clays, and as he aflures us, by thefe experiments difcovcred many real tranfmutations. The truth of all the reft, feems to depend on the exadtnefs of this firft. experiment with the brick clay; and the whole that can be deduced from that falls to the ground, if there be any ferrugineous matter contained in either the oil or the earth : the oil need not be enquired into ; but it being the general opinion of the world, that common brick earth, always contains iron, it will be neccfTary to invalidate that received opinion, before any thing can be judged from the experiment, which feems on- ly to prove, that iire does to this earth, what it does to an ore.
Many even of the richer! ores of this metal not at all anfwer- ing to the magnet in their crude native ftate, and even the pooreft doing this in part after having parted the fire, it may poffibly be found on experiment, that common brick clay is a poor iron ore ; but experiments only muff be the proof of this.
FERRUGINOUS waters. See Steel Waters.
FERRUM Equinum, horfe-Jhoe vetch, \n botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe. The flower is of the papilionaceous kind ; its piftil which arifes from the cup, finally becomes a flat pod, divided into feveral luna- tcd articulations, and in fome degree rcfembling a horfe-fhoe, containing feeds of the fame form.
The fpecies of horfe-Jboe vetch enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe: I . The horfe-Jhee vetch, with fmgle pods. 2. The horfe-Jhoe vetch, with many pods on the fame pedicle. 3. The German horfe-fim vetch, with pods growing on the tops of the branches. Tourn. Inft. p. 480.
FERTILITY (Cyd.) — Nothing can produce fertility, in ei- ther lex, but what promotes perfect health ; nothing but good blood, fpirits and perfect animal functions, that is, high health, can beget perfect fecundity ; and therefore according to Dr. Cheyne, all means and medicines, all noitrums and fpecifics to procure fertility, different from thofe which procure good blood, and fpirits, are errant quackery and cheating. He
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fays that water drinking males, are very rarely infertil . that if any thing in nature can prevent infertility and'brin* fine children, it is a milk and feed diet, perfevcred in b h h parents. See Nat. Meth. of curing, p. 28r, 287 ^
FERULA, (Cycl.) fennel giant, in bot-ny, the name of a genus, of the umbelliferous plants, the charaa ers of whirl are thefe :
The flowers are of the rofaceous kind, being compofed of fe- veral leaves arranged in a circular order on a cup which af- terwards becomes a fruit compofed of two very large flat and thin feeds of an oval figure, which often depofit their cover- ing. To this it is to be added, that the leaves are either like thofe of fennel, or broader, and then refembling thole ofparflev The fpecies of ferula enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe: 1. The (epnhftruh of Pliny, with broad and rounded feeds. 2. The galbanilerous ferula, called alfo ferulago by fome authors. 3. The blueim green leav'd ferula, with a broad oblong feed, called by fome thapfia ferulacca. 4. The fmaller ferula, with flowers at every joint, called by fome the fennel leav'd libanotis. 5. The finer leaved ferula. 6. The SpaniAi/Wir, with mining leaves. 7. The ferula with nar- row and Aiming leaves. And 8. The hard and harfh ferula, with fliort and rigid leaves. Taurn. Inft. p. 1,20.
FERULA, a word ufed by the antients to exprefs the horns growing on the deer or flag, at the age of two years. Thefe horns are at this early time unbranched, and fome' have fuppofed, that Pliny meant by the word fubulo, the deer in this ftate ; but as he fays, that nature has given the fuiu/o Am- ple or unbranched horns, he certainly means it ot the horns as they always remain on the animal, not as they are for a time, as in this cafe. It is plain, that fome of the antient Latin writers, have called the young fhg, fubulo; but others, and indeed authors in general mean a wholly different crea- ture by this name ; and fome have fo far miftaken Pliny's ex- preflion of cornua fimplicia, which he attributes to the fubulo, as to fuppofe he meant, that each of thefe animals had only one fingle horn, and therefore have made it a name for the unicorn. Pliny fays, that the fubulo is of the fame genus of animals with the (tag ; but he does not mean by this, that it is the fame fpecies, for if he had, he would have expreffed himfelt fo. No one would call a calf a creature of the fame genus of animals with the bull, or a colt a creature of the fame genus with a horfe, but would naturally fay, they are the young of that animal.
FERULACOLI, in botany, a name by which fome authors have called the thlafpi, or treacle muftard. Go; Enmc Ind. 2.
FERULAGO. See Ferula.
FERZAA, in natural hillory, a name given by the Perfians to that gem, which we call the tuiguoife or Turkey (tone- a blue opake and foft gem.
FESSIER, in anatomy, the name given by the French wri- ters to what others call the gluteus, or according to Riolanus, the glauhus. There are three mufcles of "this name among authors, the gluteus major, medius ; and minor and the French call them the grand, moyen, and petit fffier.
FESTA in eappis, in middle age writers, grand holidays, in which the wliole choir of cathedrals wore caps.
FESTING men. See Fastermans, Cycl.
Festinc^otot, earneft given to fervants when hired or retain- ed. It is fo called in fome northern parts of England, from the faxon feflnian, to fallen or confirm.
FESTUCA, in the Linnrean fyftem of botany, the name of a kind of oat grafs, which makes a diftincr genus of plants ■ the charaders of which are, that the calyx is a many flow- ered glume, and is bivalve, erefl, and contains the flowers ranged together in a flender fpike ; the valves are ftrait ob- long, pointed, without awns or beards, and the lower is the fmaller. The flower is compofed of two valves, the lower is the larger, this is of the fhape of the cup, but it exceeds it in fiz.e, it is fomewhat cylindrical and pointed, and is terminated by a ftrait beard or awn. The ftamina are three capillary fi- laments, fhorter than the flower, the antenna: are oblong -the Germen is of a turbinated form, the ftyles are two in num- ber, and are fiiort and bent backward, the fiigmata are finale the flower clofely furrounds the feed, which is fingle, oblong' (lender, extremely fharp pointed at each end, and marked with a longitudinal furrow. Unmet Genera Plantor. p. 15.
FEUDAL (Cycl.) — As the northern nations brought in the life of coats of arms by preferving down in their families, the ar- morial bearings of their anccftors fnields, &c. as hereditary marks of honour, fo they alfo brought in the feudal law by means of which, arms grew up to farther perfection as is evident by many armorial figures of antient families, repre- fentmg the acknowledgements and fervices they were obliged to perform to their own lords and fupcriors. °
Thus roles, cinquefoils, fpur-rowels, bows 'and arrows hunt- ing-horns, Grips, and the like figures, were exprcflive of the fervices they were bound to do their lord, and hence thefe fi- gures have become common in arms throuehout all Europe,
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