OFF
(*?7)
OFF
agreeable fmell, drawn from the greafy Wool growing on the Throats and between the Buttocks of Sheep.
This Wool they wafh, boil it in Water to fcower, let the Lotions or Decoctions ftand for feme time, and from the top skim off a fatty Subilance, which being ftrain'd thro' a linen Cloth, and fet to cool, makes the Oejyjmt, much ufed externally to rcfolve, fofren, and appeafe Pain.
The Word is form'd from the Greek ck, Sheep ; and inmfrtfi to be corrupted; the Oefyp on being a filthy, and, as it were, corrupted Matter, drawn from Sheep.
OFFA Alba, a Name Van Helmont gives to the white Coagulum arifing from a mixture of the rectity'd Spirit of Wine with Spirit of Urine.
Kote, The Spirit of Ufine mull be difHll'd from well fer- mented Wine ; and that mull be well dcphlegmated, elfe no Off a will arifc.
OFFERTORY, an Anthem fung, or play'd on the Organ, at the time the People are making an Offering. See Anthem and Offering.
Antientlythe Offertory confined of a Pfalm fung with its Anthem; tho it is fomewhat dubious whether the Pfalm was fung entire ; St. Gregory mentioning, that when it was time, the Pope looking at the Choir who fung it, gave the Sign when they IViould end.
' The Name Offertory was alfo given to the Linen whereon the Offerings were laid. Dr. Harris fays, 'twas properly a Piece of Silk or fine Linen wherein the Offerings of each Church wcrewrapp'd up.
OFFICE, OFF1C10M, in a moral Senfe, Duty, or that which Virtue and right Reafon directs us to do.
Virtue, according xaChauiiin, is thePurpofe of doing well; the thing which immediately follows, or arifes from this Purpofe, .'. is Obedience ; which fame is alfo denominated Offician ; fo that an Office is the Object of an Obedience to "Virtue. See Virtue.
Cicero, in his Difcourfe of Offices, cenfures Tanxtius, who had wrote before him on the fame, for omitting to define the Thing orSubject on which he wrote ; yet does he him- felf fall under the fame Cenfure. He infills much on the Divifion of Offices ; but forgets the Definition. In other of his Pieces we find him defining an Office to be an Action which Reafon requires to be done : Quod autem ratione xBumfit, id OfEcium afpellarnxs. De Finib.
The Greeks, he obferves, made two Species of Offices ; TerfcR, call'd by them rnvntSmtut ; and Common, or indiffe- rent, call'd Kg.imi 5 which they define fo, as, that what is abfolutely tight, makes a perfeil Office ; and what we can only give a probable Reafon for, an intermediate Office. See Reason.
Office, in a Civil Senfe, is the mutual Aid, and Af- fiftance which Men owe to one another.
Benevolence infpites a Man with an Endeavour to do good Offices to all Mankind. See Common Place.
Office is alfo a particular Charge, or Truft, whereby a Man isauthoriz'd to do fomething. See Officer.
Loyfeau defines it a Dignity attended with a public Function.
The Word is primarily ufed for thofc of Judicature and Policy ; as the Office of a Secretary of State, of a Juflice of Peace, of a Sheriff, lie
Offices are either Venal, or not Venal : Venal Offices are thef'e bought with Money. Venal Offices are alfo ciiftinguifli'd into two kinds ; TO. hominial and Casual ; Dom:nial, or Offices itt Fee, are thofe abfolutely totn off and feparated from the King's Prerogative, foas not to become Vacant by death, but palling in the nature of a Fee, or Inheritance. See Fee.
Of thefe we have but few Inflances among us, which go beyond a firll Reverfion.
Capiat Offices are thofe given for Life, by Patent, Com- miffion, lye and which become vacant, by the Officer's death, to the King's profit; unlefs the Officer have before refign'd, or difpofed of it.
The Venality of O/fices is of no long Handing. See Ve- nality.
Office is alfo ufed for a Place, Apartment, or Board, appointed for the Officets to attend in, for the difcharge of their rcfrefiive Offices, or Employments.
Such are the Secretary's Office, the Six Clerks Office, the Taper-Office, Signet-Office, the Prothonotor's Office, Fife-Office, KiL'sSihcr-Office, Escife-Office, Office of the Ordnance, &.C. See each in its Place, Secretary, Six Clerk, Paper, Signet, Excise, Oki» ance, He
Of fuch Offices, fome are diliinguidl'd by the Name of Boards, and others of Chambers ; as the Board of Green Cloth, &c. See Green Cloth, Chamder, l$c.
Where the Inquifition obtains, the Tribunal thereof is call'd the Holy-Office. See Inquisition.
In the Canon- Law, Office is ufed fora Benefice which has no Jurifdictionanncx'dto it. See Benefice.
Office is alfo ufed,in Law,foran Inquifition made to the Kino's L'fe of any thing found by Inquifition made ex Officio.
Thus to traverfe an Office, is to traverfe an Inquifition ta- ■ten of O^cebefore an Efcheator.
_ To return an Office, is to return that which is found by virtue of the Office.
In this fenfe there arc two forts of Offices iffuing out of the Exchequer by Commiffion ; viz. an O^'ceto intitle the King in the thing inquir'd into ; and an Office of inftruciion.
Office is alfo ufed for Divine Service celebrated in public. See Liturgy.
St. Jerom is the Perfon, who, at the Rcqueft of Pope Da- mafus, is faid to have firll dillributed thePfalms, Epillles, and Gofpels in the Order they are now found in the Romifi Office. The Popes Gregory and Gelafus added the Prayers, Refponfes, and Verfes ; and St. Ambrofe tha Graduals' Hallelujahs, lie.
In the Romifi Church, Office is particularly ufed for the manner of performing the Office ; which varies every Dav. Thus they fay the Office of Sunday ; of fuch a Saint, He. The Office is either fingle, half double, or double.
Again, Office is apply 'd to the particular Prayer which is prefer'd in honour of a Saint. When any Perfon is Cano- niz'd, a particulat Office is at the fame time affign'd him out of the common Office of the Confeffors, the Virgin, or the like. See Saint and Canonization.
Thus we fay, the Office of the Virgin ; of the Holy Spi- rit ; of the Paffion; the Holy Sacrament, lie. The Office of the Dead is rehears'd every day, excepting Feail-days, among the Carthufians. Tho Office of the Holy Virgin is alfo added to the Office of the Day, in the Order of Ber- nardines.
Offices, with regard to Architecture, are all the Lodges and Apartments that ferve for the necefTary Services and Occafions of a Great Houfe or Palace ; particularly thofe which have a relation to Eating ; as Kitchens, Parterres, Brew-Houfes, Confectionaries, Fruiteries, Granaries, lie. asalfo Wood-houfes, Equeries, He See House, Build- ing, lie.
The Offices are commonly in the Baffecours ; fometirnes they are funk under-ground, and well vaulted, lie
OFFICER, a Perfon provided of a Charge, or Office. See Office.
Great Officers of theCraion, or State, are the Lord High Steward, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord High Treafurer, the Lord Prefident of the Council, the Lord Privy-Seal, the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Lord High Conflablc, the Earl Marlhal, and Lord High Admiral. See each under its proper Article, Chancellor, Treasurer, Mar- shal, lie.
Offic ers of juflice, are thofe who are charg'd with the Adminillration of Equity and Juflice in the Courts thereof. See Court.
Royal Officers are thofe who adminifter Juflice in the King's Name ; as the Judges, lye. See Judge.
Subaltern Officers, thofe whoadminifler Juflice in the name of Subjects ; fuch are thofe who act under the Earl- Marfhal, Admiral, He.
Officers of Policy, are thofe in whom the Government and Direction of the Affairs of a Community are inverted > as Mayors, Sheriffs, eye. See Policy.
Officers of War, are thofe who have Commandin the Forces.
Thefe are either General, Field, or Subaltern Officers.
General Officers axes fuch whofe Command is not limited' to a fingle Troop, Company, or Regiment ; but extends to a whole Body of Forces ; fuch are the General, Lieutenant- Generals, Major-Generals, and Brigadiers. See Gene- ral, lie.
field Officers are fuchlas have Command over a whole Regiment ; fuch are rhe Maitres de Camp, Colonels, and Majors.
Subaltern Officers, are the Lieutenants, Comets, Enfigns, Sergeants, and Corpotals. See each Officer under his proper Article, Captain, Colonel,^.
Commiffion Officers are fuch as are appointed by the King's CommiiTion ; thus call'd in contradiftinction to Half Officers, or Warrant Officers, who are appointed by the Colo- nel's, or Captain's Warrant.
oW-Officers, or Officers of the Marine, are thofe who have Command in Ships of War.
Hbj-Officers are the Admirals, Vice-Admirals, and Rear-Admirals. See Flag, Admiral,^.
Officers of the Houfiold, are the Lord Steward, Trea- furer of the Houlhold, Comptroller, Cofferer, Mafter, Clerks of the Green-Cloth, lie. The Lord Chamberlain, Vice-Chamberlain, Gentlemen of the Privy and Bed- chamber, Gentlemen-Uihets, Grooms, Pages, Mafter of the Wardrobe, of the Ceremonies, He The Mafter of the Horfe, Avenor, Equeries, Surveyors, lie. See Houshold, fee alio each Officer in his proper Article.
Staff Officers arefuch as in the King's Prcfence bear a white Staff; and at other times, going abtoad, have a white Staff borne before them by a Footman bare-headed. 8 E Such
