KNI
( W )
KNI
for perfbnal Defert, dies with the Pcrfon deferring, and docs not clekend to his Heirs.
Knight was the firlt Degree of Honour, in the antient Militia, and was conferred with a great deal of Ceremony on thofe who had diitinguim'd themfelves by fome nota- ble Exploit in Arms. They were originally faid to be adopted, which wc now calldubb'd; as being fuppofed, in iomc raeafurc, the Sons of him who knighted them. The Ceremonies at the Creation of a Knight have been various. The principal were a Box on the Ear, and a Stroke with a Sword on the Shoulder. Afterwards they put on him a Shoulder-belt and gilt Sword, Spurs, and the other military Accoutrements ; after which, being armed as a Knight, he was led in great Pomp to the Church. The Manner of making a Knight with us, is defcribed by Qanbden in a few words : Qui Equeftrem Dignitatem fufcipit, jkxis Genibus hviter in Humero ferct'.titur y Frinceps his Verbis njfatur, Sus vel fois Chevalier au Nom de Dieu*, Surge •sel fis E- ques 111 Nomine Dei. This is meant of Knights-Batchelors, which is the lowefr, tho the moll antient Order of Knight* hood among us. Knights grew fo very numerous, that the Dignity became of much lefs Repute. Charles V. is faid to have made 500 in a fingle Day ■ On which account therefore, new Orders of Knighthood were inftituted, in order to dittingui/h the more deferring from the Croud. Tor the fevcral kinds of Knights among us, fee Batchelor y Banneret, Baronet, Bath, &c.
Knight is alfo understood of a Perfon admitted into any Order, either purely military, or military and religious, initio: ted by fome Ring or Prince according to a certain formula, with certain Marks and Tokens of Honour antT Diftincf ion : as the Order of the GttrteY} of the Elephant, of the Holy Ghoji, of Malta, ££?c. All which fee under their proper Names.
Knight, among the Romans, was the fecond Degree of Nobility, following immediately that of the Senators. At the time of founding the City of Rome, the whole Mi- litia of Romulus confiited in 5000 Foot and 300 Horfe; which three hundred Horfe were the Original of the.Ro- man Eqttites or Knights. Thele made the fecond Order that had Places in the Senate. Manutius and Stgonius are of opinion, that befides the Equeltrian Order, and thofe Knights immediately below the Senators, Romulus inftitu- ted a Military Order "in opposition to the Infantry. But no antient Author takes notice of any Order of Knight- hood, initituted on purpofe for the War, nor any other Knights but thofe 300, which, as we have obferved, were the firft Foundation of the Equeflrian Order. They had a Horfe kept then at the public Charge ; but when they were taken in among the Senators, they refign'd that Privilege. To be a Knight, 'twas neceifary they fhould have a certain Revenue ; that their Poverty might not difgra^e the Order : And when they faiFd of the pre- ferred Revenue, they were expunged out of the Lilt of Knights, and thruil down among the Plebeians. Ten thoufand Crowns is computed to have been the Revenue required. The Knights grew fo very powerful, that they became a Balance between the Power of the Senate and the People. They neglected the Exercifes of War, and betook themfelves principally to Civil Employments in Rome; infomuch that Fltny obferves, in his time th^y had no longer a Horfe kept at the public Expense. Some fay, that the Order of Knights, dittinct from the People, did not begin before the Time of the Gracchi, Others fay, the Privilege was then firft granted them, that no Judge ihould be chofen, but out of their Or- der : Some time after which, they took 'em into the Senate. This however is certain, 'twas only from that time that a certain Revenue was neceffary, and that this intitled them to the Knighthood, without being defend- ed from antient Knights.
KNIGHT-ERRANT, a pretended Order of Knights, whereof ample mention is made in old Romances. They were a kind of Heroes who travel'd the World in fearch. of Adventures, redreffing Wrongs, refcuing Damfels, and taking all occafions of fignalizing their Prowefs. This Ro- mantic Bravery of the Old Knights was heretofore the Chimera of the Spaniards 3 among whom, there was no Cavalier but had his Miftrefs, whole Eftcem he was to gain by fome heroic Action. The Duke of Aha, for all his Age and Gravity, is faid to have vow'd the Conquer!, of Tortu«al to a young Lady.
KNIGHTHOOD, a Military Order or Honour; a Mark or Degree of antient Nobility, or Reward of Perfo- nal Virtue and Merit. There are four kinds of Knight- hood; Military, Regular, Honorary, and Social. Military is that of the antient Knights, who acquired it by high Feats of Arms. Thefc are call'd Milites in antient Char- ters and Titles, by which ihey were ditiinguilh'd from bare Batchelors, iSc. Several Princes have been inilalled Military Knights with a great deal of Ceremony. Thefe Knights were girt with a Sword and a Pair of gilt Spurs,
whence they were c$\Vo\Equites Jurat 1. Regular Knighthood is-underirood of fuch of the Military Crdcrs^which profefs to wear fome particular Habit, to bear Arms againft the Infi- dels.to fuccour and affift Pilgrims in their pafl'age to theHoly Land,and to icrvcinHofpitalswheretheymould bereceiv'd; as Knights Templars, Knights of Malta, &c. which fee. Honorary Knighhoodis that which Princes confer on other Princes, and even on their own Great M millers and Fa- vourites^ as Knights of the Garter, of St. Michael, &c. Social Knighthood is that which is not fixed, nor confirmed by any formal Initirution b nor regulated by any bailing Sta- tutes ; of which kind there have many rifen on °occa- fion of Factions, of Tilts and Tournaments, Mafque- rades, i&c.
Knighthood is not hereditary, but acquired. It does not come into the World with a Man, like Nobility 5 nor can it be revoked. The Sons of Kings, and Kings themfelves^ with all other Sovereigns, heretofore had Knighthood con- ferdon'em as a Mark of Honour. They were ufually knighted at their Baptifm or Marriage, at their Corona- tion, before or after a Battel, l£c.
The Abbot Bernardo Jufitniani, at the beginning of his Fliitory of Knighthood, gives us a very compleat Catalogue of the feveral Orders, according to whofe Computation they are in number 92. Favin has given us two Volumes of 'em, under the Title of Theatre of Honour and Chi- valry. Menenius has publifh'd Deficit Equejirium Ord'mum y and And. Mehde has written de Ordinibus M'ditaribus. Beloi has traced their Original, and Gelict in his Armorial Index has given us their Inttitutions. To thefe may be added, Father Menejrrier's Antient and Modern Knighthood, Michieli's Trefor Militaire, Caramuel's Tbeologia Regolare, Mirxus's Ori- gtnes Efj^eftrinrnp'oe Militarium Ordinum.
KNIGHT-MARSHAL, is an Officer in the King's Houfe, having Jurifdiction and Cognizance of any Tranf- greffion within the King's Houfe and Verge 5 as alfo of Contracts made there, whereof one of the Houfe is Party.
KNIGHTS OF THE SHIRE, or Knights of FarUa- ment, are two Knights or Gentlemen of Worth chofen on the King's \Vritz«^/e;io Comitatu, by fuch of the Freeholders of every County as can expend 40.'. per annum Thcfe, when every Man who had a Knights-Fee were cuitomarily conitrain'd to be Knights, were of neceffity to be Mtlites Glad.o cinch, for fo the Writ runs to this day 5 but now Cuftom admits Efquires to be chofen to this Office. They mull have at leaf} 500/. per annum ; and their Expences are to be defray'd by the County, though this be feldom, now, required.
KNIGHTS, in a Ship, are two Pieces of Timber, to each of which go four Shivers, three for the Halliards, and one for the Top-Ropes: they are ufually in the figure of fome Head; One of 'em ftands aft the Main-Malt, and for that reafon is call'd the Mam-Kmght ; another Hands abaft the Fore-Mall, on the fecond Deck, and is call'd the Fore-Kni«ht.
KNlGHT-SERVICE,a Tenure whereby feveral Lands in this Nation were antiently held of the King j which drew after it Homage, Efcuagc, Wardship, Marriage, {$c. But taken away by the Statute 12. Car. 2.
KNIGHTS-FEE, an antient Law- Term, fignifying fo much Inheritance as is fufficicnt to maintain a Knight with fuitable Retinue j which, in Henry the Third's days was reckon'd at Fifteen Pounds. But SkT.Smith rates it at 40 /. By a Stat. 1 Edto. 1. fuch as had 2.0 /. per annum iri Fee or for Life, might be compelled to be Knights ; but this Statute is repeal'd 17 Car. 1.
Stoiv fays, that there were found in England, at the time of the Conqueror, 60,2.1 1 Knights-Fees , according to others, there were 60, 21 5, whereof the P-eligious Houfes, before their fuppreflion, were poffefs'd of 18,015. Accor- ding to Cofae, a Knights-Fee contain'd twelve Plow-Lands.
KNOT, part of a Tree whence it moots out Branches or Roots. The Wood is harder and clofer in the Knots than in any other part, but it is alfo more fubjeft to fplit. Vines and low Fruit-Trees are lopp'd at the fecond Knot of the new Shoot. The Ufe of the Knots of Plants is to' ftrengthen the Stem : They ferve alfo as Scarces to filtrate, purify, and refine the Juice rais'd up for the Nourishment of the Plant. ( .
The Divifions of the Log-Line "at Sea are alfo call'd Knots. Thefe are ufually feven Fathoms or forty-two Feet afundcr, but they mould be fifty Feet ; and then as many Knots as the Log Line runs out in half a Minute; fo many Miles doth the Ship fail in an Hour, fuppofing her to keep going at any equal rate, and allowing for Taws, Lee-way; £yc;
Knot, in Medicine, is a Tuberofity form dm the Joints of old Gouty People, confining of a thick vifcous, crude; indigctfed Pituita, accompanied with a bilious Humour, hot 1 and acrimonious; the groffeft and molt terreftrial part whereof clogs and converts into a ftony Subftance like Chalk : whence Knots arc ingerklredi like Stones
