PUR
r xces and Impurities therefrom. See Purgation, Re- fining, %$g.
For 'he Methods of Purifying Metals, Gold, Silver, Iron, Copper, Tin, i$c. See Metal, Gold, Silver,
For Ac'Purification of Semi-metals, Minerals, and other Matters, as Antimony, Sulphur, Camphor, Saltpetre, &c. See Antimony, Sulphur, Camphor, {£c.
Purification, in Matters of Religion, is an Offering made the Prieft by Women rifing out of Childbed, e'er they be re-admitted into the Church.
By the Law of Mofes, a Woman after bringing forth a Male-Child, was unclean forty Days; after a Female, cightyrDays. During which time, fhe was not to touch any thing Holy, nor to go near the Temple ; but to continue within Doors, feparate from all Company and Commerce of others.
This Term expir'd, (he was to prefent herlclf at the Temple, and at the Door of the Tabernacle to offer a Lamb, as a Holocauft, and a Pidgeon or Turtle, which the Prieft taking, offer'd to God, and pray'd for her that /he might be purify' d.
This Ceremony, which confifted of two things, a Holo- cauft, and a Sacrifice of Expiation, was call'd 'Purification, "lltB rnnitf, Purificatio, Purgatio.
The holy Virgin, tho', according to the Fathers, exempt from the '1 erms of the Law, yet comply'd therewith ; and at the Time prefcribed went to the Temple and accom- plifli'd the Law : In Commemoration whereof the Church yearly folcmnizesthe Feafl of thePurification of the Virgin, on the fecond of February ; call'd alio the Feajl of Candle- mas. See Candlemas.
'the Feafl- of 'the Purification feemsto be very antient. 'Tis ordinarily faid to have been inflituted in the Time of Jlifiinian, in the Year 542 ; and this, on occalion of a Mortality which that Year difpeopled almoft the whole City of Constantinople. Tet are therefome who imagine it to have been held before, tho' in another manner and on a different Day from that fix'd by Juftinitta, viz. between the Circumcifion and Epiphany.
The fame Day is the Prefentatiou of our Saviour in the Temple. See Presentation.
PURIM, a folemn Feaft held among the Jews on the lyhof March, in Memory of their Deliverance from the Confpiracy of Human by Efiher. S;e Esther.
The Word is Hebrew, □ , H3,?.i Lots.
PURITAN, a Term antiently ufed for the Calvinifls of Great "Britain, from their Profeffion to follow the Pure Word of God ; in oppofition to all Traditions, Human Conftitutions, and other Authorities. See Calvinist, Pkesryteri an, Non-conformist, Tory, Whig, &c.
PURLINS, in Building, thofe Pieces of Timber that lie a-crofs the Rafters, on the infide ; to keep them from finking in the Middleof their Length. See Rafter.
By the Act of Parliament for Rebuilding London, it is provided, That all Purlins from fifteen Foot fix Inches to eighteen Foot fix Inches long, be, in their Square nine In- ches and eight Inches And all in length from eighteen
Foot fix Inches to twenty-one Foot fix Inches, be in their Square twelve Inches and nine Inches.
PURLUE, or Purlieu, or Pourallee, is all that Ground near any Foreft, which being made Foreft by our antient Kings; was, by Perambulation granted by fome of their Succeffors, fever'd again from the fame, and made Purlieu, i. c. pure and free from the Laws and Obedience of the Foreft. See Forest.
The Wotd is form'd from the French pur, pure ; and lieu, place.
A Pourlieu, or ■'Pourallee, is defined a Circuit of Ground, adjoining to the Foreft, and circumfcribed with immove- able Boundaries, known only by Matter of Record ; which Compafs of Ground was once Foreft, and afterwards dif- afforefted by the Perambulations made for the fevering the new Foreft from the old.
Purlieus or 'pourallees commene'd after the manner fol- lowing King Henry U. at his Acceflion to the Crown in
II 5+, took fo much delight in the Forefts of this Kingdom, that, not being contented with thofe he found here, tho' many and large, he began to enlarge divers of them } and
- o afforeft the Lands of his Subjects near adjoining to the
fame. See Afforesting.
His Succeffors, Richard I. and Henry II. far from re- trenching or reftoring any thing; madeftill further In- croachments: and thus did the Lands continue till the 17th Year of King John ; at which time, the Grievance being grown notorious, and generally felt.by all degreesjof People ; divers Noblemen and Gentlemen befought the King to grant, that they might have all thofe new Afforeftations, made bv his Predeceffors aforefaid, and himfelf, difaffo- rclled again ; and the King, after much Solicitation, was »t length prevail'd on to fubferibe, and feal fuch Articles concerning the Liberties of the Foreft, as they then de-
( 5>i* )
PUR
rmnded, being for the moft part fuch as are now contain'd in the Charter ot the Foreft. See Chart a de Forefta.
Hereupon choice was made of divers Noblemen, *5c. to the Number of twenty-five, who were fworn, with others their Affirtants, to fee the faid Liberties, fo granted and confirmed by the King, to be in every point obferv'd.
But e'er any thing was done to the purpofe, King John died, and King Henry III. fucceeding, ftefh Solicitations were made to him ; who, for the better accomplishing of the faid Difafforeftation, order'd Inquifiiions to be taken by fubftantial Juries for fevering all the new Forcils from the old : upon which, two Commiffioners were fent to take thole Inquifitions; in virtue whereof, many great Woods and Lands were not only difafforefted, but improved to arable Land by the Owners thereof. See Disafforesting.
After this Charter was made and confirm'd, fome of thefe new Afforeftations were perambulated, and proper Inquifitions taken, and the Certainty determin'd by Matter of Record, which were the old, and which the new : Tho' it appears that the greateft part of the new Afforeftations were ftill remaining during the Life of King Henry III.
Under Ed-mardt. frefh Petitions and Sollicitations being fetonfoot; three Bilhops, three Earls, and three Barons, were at length appointed to fee thofe Perambulations per- formed and continu'd ; who caufed them to be made ac- ■ cordingly, and Inquifitions to be taken thereupon, and re- turn 'd into the Courr of Chancery ; and all thofe, that were antient Foreft, to be meered, and bounded with ir- removeable Boundaries, to be known by Matter of Record for ever.
Thofe Woods and Lands, that had been newly afforefted, the King likewife caufed to be feparated from the old, and to be return'd into the Chancery by Marks, Meres, and Bounds to be known, in like manner, by Matter of Record forever.
Thus it appears, how the Purlieus, or 'Pourallees, had their firft beginning ; for all fuch Woods and Lands as were afforefted by Henry II. Richard I or King John, and by Perambulations fever'd from the antient Forefts, were, and yet are call'd Pourallees, q.d. Woods and Lands fever'd from the old Forefts, and difafforefted by Perambulation .; Pourallee being the fame as Perambulatio in Latin. See Perambulation.
But notwithftanding fuch new Afforeftations were difaf- forefted by Perambulation, whereby the fame became 'Pourallee, ot Purlieu; yet they were not thereby fo dif- afforefted as to every Man, but that they do in fome fenfe continue Foreft ftill, as to others — For by the Words of Charta de Forefia, if the King has afforefted any Woods or Lands of his Subjects, to the damage of the Proprietors, they fhould forthwith be difafforefted again ; that is, only as to thofe Perfons whofe Woods and Lands they were 5 who, as the proper Owners thereof, might fell and cut down their Woods at their own pleafure, without any Li- cence from the King ; as alfo convert their Meadows and Failures into Tillage, or otherwife improve their Ground to the heft advantage. So alfo they might hunt and chafe the wild Beafts of the Foreft towards the fame, &c. But no other Perfon might claim fuch Benefit of hunting in the Pourallee, befide the proper Owner of the Soil thereof; who is left at liberty to fuffer the Pourallee to remain Fo- reft ftill ; as fome, in effect, have thought moft expedient, becaufe hereby entitled to the Benefit of the Common within the Foreft, which otherwife they were excluded from. Hence, if the Beafts chance to wander out of the Foreft; into. the Pourallee, the King hath a Property in them ftill, agakift every Man, but the Owner of the Ground wherein they are, who hath a fpecial Property in them, rations foil ; yet fo as he may only take them by hunting, or cha- fing with his Grey-hounds, or Dogs, without any Foreilal- ling or Forefetting them in their Courfe again towards the Foreft. See Hunting, Forestalling, &c.
Befide what has been hitherto faid of the Difference be- tween Foreft and Purlieu, or Pourallee, there is this far- ther Diverfiry, that all the Woods and Lands within the Regard of the Foreft, are abfolutely wirhin the Bondage and Charge of the Foreft, as well in refpecf of the Own- ers thereof, as of any other Perfon ; for no one may cut down his own Woods, or improve his own Lands, within the Regard of the Foreft, without Licence from the King,
or his Chief Juftice in Eyre of the Foreft. Neither ihall
any Perfon hunt, chafe, or moleft the wild Beafts of the Foreft in his own Ground, within the Regard of the Fo- reft, without Licence, or Warrant from the King, or his Chief Juftice of the Foreft, fo to do. See Regard.
But thofe, whofe Grounds are within the Pourallees^ are not fubject to thefe Reftrict ions.
Yet are not the Woods and Lands in the Pourallees, ab- folutely freed from the Bondage of the Foreft in refpe£t of the wild Beafts having their Haunts therein, when they happen to ftray our of the Foreft ; but as they were once abfolutely Foreft, fo they ate ftill conditionally'fo.
Fur-
