HAN
According to Fa. 'Plmnier, who has often made ufe of the Hamac in the Indies, it confifls of a large, ftrong Coverlet, or Sheet of coarfe Cotton, about fix Foo? Square ■ On two oppofite Sides, are Loops of the fame Stuff, thro' which a String is run, and thereof other Loops are form'd, all which are tied together with a Cord; and thus is the whole fallen d to two neighbouring frees, in the Field ; or two Hooks, in Houfes.
This Kind of Bed ferves, at the fame Time, for Bed, Quilts, Sheets, Pillow, tSc.
HAMUS, or Hamulus, is an Hoolc. Sec Hook.
Surgeons alio make Ufe of an Inftruinent thus called, to extract the Child in difficult Labours.
HANAPER, or Hamper, an Office' in Chancery. See Chancery.
The Clerk of the Hanaper, fometimes flyled Warden of the Hanafer, receives all Money due to the King for Seals of Charters, Patents, Commiffions, and Writs; and attends the Keeper of the Seal daily in Term-Time, and all Times of Sealing ; and takes into his Cultody all feal- ed Charters, patents, and the like, which he receives into Bags ; but anciently, it is fuppofed, into Hampers, which gave Denomination to the Office.
There is alfo an Officer, who Hamper. Sec Comptroller.
HANCES, in a Ship, are Falls, or Defcents of the Fife-Rails which are placed as Baniflers in the Poop, and down to the Gang-way,
' 2C5 ] HAN
Parts,
Comptroller of the
&,
times it Hands for the Fore-feet of a Horfe
Hand is alfo ufed, for a Divifion of the Horfe into two th Refpeft to the Rider's Hand. — The Fore- hand includes the Head, Neck, and fore-Quarters — Th,> Hind-hand is all the reft of the Horfe. ^' mcrs - Ihe
■»<ot--Hani>, or Sword-Hand, is ufed for a Horfeman's )*.ignt-liana.
'Bridle-Hani, is his 'Left-Hand. — Tour regular Cava- lier holds his Br\dlc-Ha?id 2 or 3 Inches above the Pommel of the Saddle.
A Horfcman is faid to have no Hand, when h» only makes Ufe of the Bridle unfeafonably ; not knowing how to give the Aids or Helps of rhe Hand with Difcrction. . -lo keep a Horfe upon the Hand, figniftes to feel him in the Stay upon the Hand, and to be always prepared to avoid any Surprize from him. — When the Horfe obeys and anfwers the Effects of the Hand, he is faid to reft well upon the Hand.
A Horfe-man ought to have a light Hand, i. e. he ought only to feel the Horfe uponv.his.f7W, fo as ro refill him whenever he attempts to flip from it; and affoon as he lias made his Refiftance, ought to lower the Bridle, inftead ot cleaving to it.
If a Horfe, by a too great Eagernefs to go forward, preps too much upon the Hand\ it ought to be flack-
Hances, or Hanses, in Architecture, are the Ends Elliptical Arches; which are Arcs of fmaller Circles than the Scheme, or middle Part of the Arch. Sec Arch.
HAND, Manns, a Part, or Member of the Body of Man ; making the Extremity of the Arm. See Arm.
The Mechanifm of the Hand is very curious • excellent- ly contrived to fit it for the various Ufcs and Occafions we- have for it, and the great Number of Arts and Manu- factures it is to be imploy'd in. It confifls of a Compagcs of Nerves, and little Bones, joynted into each other, which give it a great Degree of Strength, and at the fame Time an unufual Flexibility, to enable it to handle adjacent .Bodies, lay hold of them, and grafp them, in order either to draw them towards us, or thrufl them off.
Auaxagoras is reprcfented by ancient Authors, as main- taining, that Man owes all his Wifdom, Knowledge and Superiority over other Animals, to the Ufe of his' Hand. — Galen puts the Thing another Way: Man, according to him, is not the wifeft Creature, becaufc he has Hands ; but he had Hands given him becaufe he was the wifeft Creature. For it was not our Hands that taught us Arts but Reafon. The Hands are the Organs of Reafon tic 'Me ufu part. Lib. I. C. 3.
Hand, in Medicine : — The Hand, among Anatomifts, extends from the Shoulder to the Fingers Ends • call'd alfo the greater Hand.
It is divided into three Parts from the Shoulder to the Elbo' Brachium. See Arm.
The fecond reaches from the Elbow to the Wrift. .
The third, the Hand, Manas, properly fo call'd ; call'd'alfo the leffer Hand, or extrema Manns. — . This is f'ubdivided
5nto three other Parts ; the Carpus, which is the Wrift : .
The Metacarpus, which is the Body of the Hand, includ- ing the Dorfuni and Vola : — ■ And the Fingers, Digiti. See each defcribed under its proper Article, Carpus, Meta- carpus, and Fingers.
The Mufcles whereby the Hand is moved and direct- ed, are the "Palmares ; the Flexor and Extenfor, Carpi Vlnaris, and Radialis; 'Perforatus ; 'Perforata-, Lum- hricales ; Interojfei ; Extenfors, AbduBors, and Flexors of the Fingers. See each in its Place, Palmar is, Flexor, Extensor, c?c.
The Hand makes the Subject-Matter of the Art of Palmiftry, which is employ'd in confidering the fevcral Lines and Eminencies of the Palm of the Hand, their Sig- nifications, ©V. See Palmistry.
Among the Egyptians, the Hand was ufed as a Symbol of Strength : — Among the Romans, it was held a Symbol of Fidelity; and accordingly was confecrated to that God- defs, by Numa, with great Solemnity.
The firft reaching properly call'd the Arm,
a good Hand.
A Horfe is faid to force the Hand, when he does not tear the Bndlc, but runs away in Spite of the Rider.
To work a Horfe upon the Hand, is to manage him by the Effcfls of the Bridle, without any other Helps, except the Calves of the Legs.
To be heavy upon the Hatid, is undcrftood of a Horfe, which by Reafon of the Softnefs of his Neck, theWeaknefs of his Back, the Largenefs of his Head, and rhe Weight of his Fore-quarters; or his Wearinefs; throws himfelf upon the Bridle, without making any Refiftance, or Effort, to force the Horfcman's Hand.
Harmonical Hand, in Mufic, is ufed by fome Writers for the ancient Diagiaroma, or Scale of Mufic, upon which, they learn'd to fing. See Gammut, Scale, Diagram. iSc.
The Reafon of the Appellation was, that Guide ■Iretin, upon inventing the Notes, at, re, mi, fa, fol, la, difoo- fed them on the Fingers of the Figure of a Hand flretch'4 out. See Note,
He changed the Letters of the Alphabet, ufed till that Time to exprefs the Notes, for thefe fix Syllables, which; he took out of the firft Strophe of the Hymn of St. 7ohn Baftift, compofed by Taulus Diaconns.
Ut queant Laxis m-fonare fibris Mi-ra Gcjroriim i'a-jnuli tuorum Sai-ve polluti \a-bii reatum. SanBe Joannes.
Tmpofnion of Hands, or Laying on of Hands, fiVni- fies the conferring of Holy Orders; a Ceremony wherein the Hands are laid on the Head of another, as a Sign of a Million, or of a Power given him to exercife the Fun- ctions of the Miniflry belonging to the Order. See Or- dination, G?c.
The Apoftles began to appoint Miffionaries by the Impo- fition of Hands. See Imposition.
Wafliing one's Hands of a Thing, fignifies the witnef- fino that a Pcrfon has no Part or Concern in an Affair - and that he will not be anfwcrablc for it : As 'Pilate did in Refpeft of our Saviour's Death. — In this Senle a Man is faid to have clean Hands ; and particularly a Judge, to denote that he has not been corrupted by Bribes, or Prefents. '
T . r Le f t ' ilAt,I >' — To mal ry with the Left Hand, is to Efpoufe a Woman of inferior Degree, whole Children in virtue of fuch Marriage, arc not to fucceed to the Father nor fhare with the other Children ; but be contented with.
In Chirurgcry, they ufe ar .Iron Hand, which is a Kind what ; Fortune" '^mS^i'ZK' appoint ttem'X next
of Artificial, or Subfidiary Hand, to be applied, and fit- Day after Marriaye *lt""u '"^ ™ n ™
ted on the Stump of an Arm, after the Hand has been This Method of taking Left-handed Wives obtains in
\ I a f A M • r ,. , r , G^mauy. See Marriage.
It has moft of the Motions of the natural Hani; Hand, is alfo uled for the Index of a Clock
which are effected by Means of Springs, Pulhes, Pinions, or the like, fcr
Buttons, iSc. Arab. Tare gives" us its Structure large.
Hand, in Falconry, is ufed for the Foot of the Hawk: — ■ To have a clean, itrong, flender, glutinous Hand, well clawed, are fome of the good Qualities of a Hawk or Falcon. Sec Hawk and Falcon.
rvmg to point the Hour, £?<-.
Watch, .. See Index. Hand of J 'lift ice, is a Scepter, or Batoon, a Cubit lono, having an Ivory Hand at the Extremicy thereof; ufed as an Attribute of Kings, wherewith they ate painted in their Royal Robes ; as on the Coronation Day.
Authors ufually call it Virga. — Louis X. of France firft took the Hand of Jultice for his Dcvife.
Fff
Long
