OAR
(*47)
OBE
O.
OThe fourteenth Letter of the Alphabet; and the fourth Vowel. See Letter and Vowel. ^ The Grammarians call it a clofe Vowel ; becaufe pronounced in /hutting the Mouth. Among the Latins, the bore fo great an Affinity with the L r , that they frequently confounded them ; writing Con- fol, and pronouncing Ctm/ul. SeeGrurer's'Infcript.
Thus, alfo, they wrote Aequom for JILquum, Jorelius for Aurehus, Compajcuos, Duumvir, &c.
The Greeks had two 0'.', viz. Omicron, o, and Omega a ; the firft pronounced on the rip of the Lips, with a /harper Sound; the fecond in the middle of the Mouth, with a ful- ler Sound, equal to oo in our Language. The long and fhort Pronunciation of our are an Equivalent to the two Greek ones $ the firit as in obey ; the fecond as in fup- pcfe.
O, among the Antients, was a Numerical Letter, figni- fying Eleven; as in the Verfe,
Numerum gejiat qui nunc undecimus extat.
When a Dafh was added at top, as 0, it fignify'd eleven Millions.
Among the Trijh, the Letter at the beginning of the Name of a Family, is a Character of Dignity, annexed to great Houfes. Thus in the Hitlory of Ireland, we fre- quently meet with the O Neals, Carroli, &c. confiderable Houfes in that lfland.
Cambden obferves, that 'tis the Cuftom of the Lords of Ireland, to prefix an to their Names, to diftingui/h them from the Commonalty.
A Majufcule 0, in Muiic, is a Note call'd by us Semi- hrevej by the Italians, urculo; making what they call Tem- po perfetto. Set Note.
The Antients ufed as a Mark of triple Time ; from a Ncion rhat the Ternary, or Number 3, was the molt per- fect of Numbers, and therefore properly exprefs'd by a Circle, the moll perfect of Figures.
O M. in the Exchequer. As foon as a Sheriff enters a Perfon into his Account tor IfTues, Amerciaments, and mean Profits; the Practice is to mark on his Head Ni, which iignifics, Oneratur vifihabeatfufliciehtemExonerattonem: and immediately he becomes the King's Debtor, and a Deier is f t on his Head.
Upon this the Parties become Debtors to the Sheriff, and are difcharg'd to the King. See Sheriff.
OAK-Mj, O A 11- apples, or Oak Cones, in Natural Hi- ftorv, a kind of Galls, or Excrefcencies arifing out of the Oak.
For thieir Generation and Vfe, fee Gales.
OAKHAM, Oakam, orOAKiiM, in the Sea-Language, denotes the Matier of old Ropes untwifted, and [ull'd out agam into lonfc Hemp, like Hurds of Flax, to be ufed in the Calking of Ships. See Calking.
OAR, or rather Ore, in Natural Hi/lory, the Mineral Glebe, or Earth dug out of Mines, to be purify'd, and the Meialline Parts procured, and feparated from the fame. See Mine and Metal.
The Oar is frequently call'd the Mineral; and among the Antients, Ma-chnfue; tho' the Moderns affix another Idea to that Name. See Mineral and Marchasite.
Oar, in Navigation, an Inflrument whereby a Boat, Barge, Galley, ££?c is row'd, or advane'd along the Water. See Rowing ; fee alfo Boat, Galley, i$c.
In a Veflll with Oars, the Water is to be confider'd as the Point of Support, or Fulcrum ; the Oar as a Lever ; the .Boat as the Burden to be moved, and the Rower's Hand the moving Power. See Lever.
• The Burden is to be confider'd as apply'd to that Point of the Lever, where the Oar refls on the Boat ; The grea- ter therefore the Diffance of the Hand from that Point,' and the lefs the Diftance of the Water from that Point, the greater Effect will the Oar have.
OARISTUS, or Oarystus, a Term in the Greek Po- etry, fignifying a Dialogue betwixt a Husband and his Wife; fuch as that in the Vlth Book of the Iliad, between HeBor and Andromache*
Scaliger obferves, that the Oariflus, properly, is not any particular little Poem, or any entire Piece of Poetry ; but a part of a great one. He adds, that the Paffage now ci- ted in Homer, is the only proper Oariflus extant in the an- tient Poets.
OATH, Juf-jurandum, is ufually defined a Religious Af- fertion, or Affeveration ; wherein a Perfon invokes the Al- mighty, renounces all Claim to his Mercy, or even calls for the Divine Vengeance upon himfelf, if he fpeak falfely.
Some Civilians look on this Definition as too 1-x fince it may agree to Perjury; and would have this effential to an Oath, that the thing affirm'd be true. But this is arbi- trary. See Perjury.
An Oath is elteem'd a kind of Civil Medium between the Perfon that gives it, and him to whom it is given 5 whereby fome Coniroverfy, or other Marrrr, which could not otherwile be determin'd, is brought to an Iffue.
Its Form, and the Ceremonies it is attended withal, are arbitrary, and various, in various Countries*
The Oaths we make to God are call'd Toms, and in fome Cafes Sacraments. See Vow and Sacrament.
Oath, in a Legal Senfe, is a folemn Action, whereby God is call'd to witnefs the Truth of an Affirmation given before one or more Perfons, impower'd to receive the fame.
Legal Oaths end with, So help me God ; antiently with, -So help me God at his Holy Dome, i.e. Judgment. See Domes- day.
Our Law- Books fay, this Oath is call'd a Corporal Oath ; becaufe the Patiy, when he fwears, touches the Gofpels with his right Hand. But in fo.ne old Cufloms of Anjou and Mam, it appears that Corporal Oath was a fimple Affir- mation, or Vow of Fa^th and Fidelity, made by a Vaffal who was no Liege, by lifting up his Hand ; in contradi- flmflion to that made by a Liege Vaffal, by layine his Hand on the Gofpel. See Homage, Fealty Vassal ££c.
An Oath is call'd Camnica Furgath, becaufe allow'd by the Canons; to diftingui/h it from I'u!gare< Purgationet, viz. by Battle, Fire Ordeal, S£c. which the Church always , ; :if- aiiow'd. See Purgation, Ordeal, Combat, Duel Champion, ££c.
In fmall Matters, which the Plaintiff could not prove, or if he could, if his Proof w- re let afide, the Defendant might purge himfelf by his own Oath ; which was call'd Jttrare propria Mattu.
But in Matters of more weight, he was to brin? other credible Perfons, ufually of the fame Quality with the Plaintiff, to fwear thai they believed the Defendant had fwore [he Truth,
Thefe were call'd Sacrzmentales ; and their Number was greater or lefs, according to the Quality of the Defendant and the Nature of the Thing in queihon. Hence Jut-are duodecima Manu.
Oath is alfo ufed for a felemn Prom-f- faithfully to ex- ecute or ohferve fomethiivg. Tryals in Common Law de- pend on Twelve, or Twenty-tout Men, whj take their Oaths to declare the Truth, as it fhall appear to them. See Jury.
In this fenfe we fay State Oaths ; the Oath of Supremicy Oath «/ AMegiancc, Oath of objuration. See Allegiance Supremacy c>f. '
At the meeting of a hew Parliament, the Commons, all, take the Oaths of Allegiance, Supremacy, and Abjuration! See Parliament.
Kings and Princes fwear to the Performance of the Trea- ties they make : Tho, antiently, they did not fwear of thetnfelves ; bit others fware in their Mame.
Thus in a Treaty in 117 7, between the Emperor Frederic Barberofa, Ro-er King of Sicily, Pope Alexander 'III. and the Cities ofLombardyi the Count de Diejfe, by the Emperor's Order, fwore, upon the Soul of that Monarch, that he would faithfully obferve the Peace; and, at the fame time, Romimld Archbifhop of Salerno, and Count Roier, fwore, on the Gofpel, that when the Emperor's MefTengers /hotild arrive in Sicily, King Roger /hould procure fome of his Lords to fwear for him.
OAZY, or Oaky Ground; fo the Seamen call foft, fli- my, or muddy Ground.
OBEDIENCE, Obedientia, Canonical Obedience. See Canonical.
Obedientia, in our antient Cufloms, was ufed in the gene- ral, for every thing that was enjoyn'd the Monks by the Abbot.
In a more reffrain'd fenfe, Obe&entia was ufed for the Farms which belong'd to the Abbey, to which "the Monks were fent vi ejufdem Obedienti*; either to look after the Farms, or collect the Rents.
Hence, alfo, thofe Rents thetnfelves were call'd Obe- dientiic.
OBELISK, Oeeliscus, a quadrangular Pyramid, very flendcr, and high ; rsis'd as an Ornament, infome public Place, to fhew fome Stone of enormous Size, and frequently
charg'd
