RIT
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RIV
RIOT, in Law, the forcible doing of an unlawful thing, by three or more Perfons afTembled together for that Purpofe.
The Word is forrn'd from thelitis, riota, of arietare, to run at each other as Rams do. Though, from an ancient Gatdifh Veriion of the Bible, quoted by Skinner, Riot fhou'd rather ieem originally to tignify Luxury and Excels ^ whence our Riot might proceed , in regard thefe are frequently attended with Quar- rels.
For the Difference between a Riot, Rout, and unlawful Af- fembly, fee Rout, and Unlawful Affewbly.
Kitchen gives us the following Cafes of Riots. — viz.. The Breach of Inclofures, Banks, Conduits, Parks, Pounds, Barns, the burn- ing of Stacks of Corn, &c. Lombard adds, the beating a Man, and entering on a Pofleflion forcibly.
By a late Aft of Parliament, made on occafion of the frequent pulling down of Meeting-Houfes, &c. by Mobs, or Riotous Affemblies, about the time of the laft Rebellion ; a Riot was made Felony, if the Rioters did not difperfe after reading a Pro- clamation made for that Purpofe.
RIPENERS, in Medicine, a fort of topical Remedies, call'd Djgeftives, Maturavtia, &cc. See Drawers, Digestives, A4aturantia, &c.
RIPENING. Sec Maturation and Digestion.
RISING, in Aftronomy, the appearance of the Sun, a Star, or other Luminary above the Horizon, which before was hid be- neath it. See Horizon, Sun, Star, &c.
By reafon of the Refraction of the Atmofphere, the heaven- ly Bodies always rife before their time, /. e. are feen above the Horizon, while they really arc below it. See Refraction.
There are three Poetical Kinds of Rijing of the Stars.— The Cofmical Rifng, when a Star rifes at the lame time with the Sun. SeeCosMicAL.
Aeronycal Rijing is when the Star rifes at the fame time that the Sun fees. See Acronycal.
Heliacal, Solar, or Apparent Rifng, is when the Star emerges out of the Sun s Rays near the Horizon, and is no longer hid in his Brightnefs ; which happens about 20 Days after the Con- junction cf fuch Star with the Sun i more or lefs, according to the Magnitude of the Star, its Diftance, drc.
Hefod long ago obferv'd, that Sims was hid 40 Days; viz. 20 Days before his Cofmical Rijing, and 20 after. — Some Nati- ons of America, and among others the Savages of Caysnna, regu- late their Civil Year by the Courfe of Siriusi beginning it with the heliacal Rijing of that Star.
To find the Rijing, &c. of the Sun and Stars by the. Globe. See Globe.
RISIBILITY, the Faculty of Laughing. See Laughing."
Rifibility is commonly fuppofed an Attribute peculiar to Man ; as being the only Creature capable of judging of what is ridiculous. — Some Philofophers go fo far as to aflert, that the Degree of Judgment is always feen in that of Laughter; Fools either have too little or too much. ' Authors do not agree as to the peculiar Mechanifm in Man, whereby Laughter is rais'd, — Tis ufually attributed to the Commu- nication between the Plexus Nervofus, and the Diaphragmatic Nerves. See Consent of Parts.
RISK, Risque, the Hazard or Chance of a Lofs, Damage, $c. See Chance.
There is a great Risk run in letting Goods go upon Credit to great Lords, Wives not authorized by their Husbands, and young People not yet arrived at the Age of Majority.
Skinner derives the Word from the Spanijh, Rifco, fteep : Co- varrvvias* from rigea. In the barbarous Greek, they fay, £i£ix«f0, for Pcrklitor, I hazard ; and g'C«*M, for Lot, Chance:; which Words, as well as Rifque, Skinner thinks, may be deduced from g«V, ibr awgcfla *w xv/ioy, to caff the Dice.
To prevent any Risk in Invoices of Merchandizes by Sea, 'tis ufual to infure them. See Policy of Infurance.
The Risk of Merchandizes commences from the Time they are carried aboard.— In Matters of Infurance, 'tis a Maxim, that all is never to be risk'd on one Bottom, or in the fame Veflelj to denote, that Aflurers nwft act with Difcretion in the iigning of Policies, and not hazard too much on each Veflel j there be- ing more to be expected from feveral than from one.
RISUS. See Laughter.
Rifus Jarddnius, fardonian Laughter is a forced, fpightful Laugh- ter; or a Laughter that does not go beyond the Teeth. — The Phrafe is founded on this, that in Sardinia there is a venomous plant, which occafions fuch a Contraction of the Mufcles of the Face in Perfons it kills, that they feem to dye Laughing.
Rifus Caninus is a kind of Laughter wherein the Lips are con- tracted, fo as to (how all the Teeth.
RITE, i:i the School Divinity, the particular Manner or Form of celebrating or performing the Religious Ceremonies, which obtains in this or that Place. See Ceremony.
The EaJiern People, Armenians, &c. celebrate Divine Ser- vice according to the Greek Rite. — The Weftern World follow the Latin Rite; or that of the Roman Church.
The Englijh obferve the Rite of the Church of England, pie- fcribed in the Book of Common-Prayer, &c. See Ritual.
RITORNELLO, or Reflect, in Mufick, the Burthen of
a Song, or a Repetition of the firft Verfes of the Song, at ths end of each Stanza or Couplet. See Repetition.
The Word is Italian, and fignifies properly a little Return, or t fhort Repetition, fuch as that of an Eccho ; or of the laft Words of a Song ; efpecially when the Repetition is made after a Voice by one or more Instruments.
But Cultom has extended the ufe of the Word to all Sym- phonies, play'd before the Voices begin, and which ferve by way of Prelude or Introduction to what follows.
In the Partitions or Score of the Italian Mulick, we frequent- ly find the Ritornello's fignified by the Words ft fuona ; to Ihew that the Organ, Spinet, or the like, are to repeat what the Voice has been fingihg. See Repeat.
RITUAL, a Church-Book, dire6ting the Order and Manner of the Ceremonies to be obferv'd in celebrating Divine Service* in a particular Church, Diocefe, Religious Order, or the like. See Rite.
The ancient Heathens had, likewife, their Rituals; call'd Ri* tuales Libri; whereof thofe of the Hetrurians were famed.
Thefe Books contain'd the Riteg and Ceremonies to be ob* ferv'd in the building a City, in the contecrating a Temple or an Altar, in Sacrificing, Deifying, in dividing the Curie* Tribes, Centuries, and in general, all their Religious Ceremonies. See Sacrifice, Apotheosis, Altar* &c
There are feveral|Palfages in Caio's Books, De re ruJHca, which may g?vc us fbtne Idea of the Rituals of the Antients.
RIVAL, Rivalis, aTerm of Relation, applied to two Per- fons who have the fame Precenfions. See Corrival.
a Tis properly ufed for a Competitor in Love; and figuratively for an Anragonift in any other Purfuit. — The Intricgues of Co- medies and Romances ufually turn on the Jealouliesof Rivals* who diipute for the fame Miftrefs.
The Lawyers derive the Word from the Latin, Rivus, Stream, quod ab eodemrivo aquam bauriant. Donatus fuppofes it to have taken its Name hence, that Beafts coming to drink at the lame Brook, or Fountain, frequently guarreL
Cielius fays, that Rivales were originally fuch whofe Fields were parted by a Brook or Rivulet,- the Courfe whereof being liable to be varied feveral Ways, occafions frequent Diiputes and Law-Suits.
RIVAGE, a Toll antiently paid to the King in fome Ri» vers, for the PalTage of Boats therein. See Ferry.
RIVER, Fluvius, Flumen, in Geography, a Stream or Current of frefh Water) flowing in a Bed or Channel, from a Source or Spring, into the Sea. See Water, &c.
If the Stream be not large enough to bear Boats, or fmall VeA fete, loaden j it is properly call'd in Englijh, by the Diminutive^ Rivulet, or Brook; by the Latins, Rivus; and the French, Ri- viere. — If it will only bear fuch VelTels, the Latins call it Amnis. — If it be conGderable enough to carry larger Veflels, 'tis call'd" by the general Name River; by the Latins, F/uvius, and F/rwjea ; and by the French, Fkuve.—in all which, the Difference is only as to greater and lefs.
Some will have none to be property Rivers, except thofe which bear the fame Name from their Source to their Mouth.— Others, none but thofe which empty themfelves immediately into the Sea; and not into any other River. See Sea.
Rivulets have their Rife, fometimes, from great Rains, orgreac Quantities of thaw'd Snow; efpecially in mountainous Places; as in the long Ridges in Africa, India, Sumatra? ike. But the generality of Rivulets arife from Springs. See Spring.
Rivers themfelves all arife either from the Confluence of fe- veral Rivulets, 'or from Lakes: Nor is there any great River, fuch as the Rhine, Elbe, Sec. known to flow from a lingle Spring. — The Volga, e. gr. conlifts of above two hundred Rivulets, all flowing into it, before it reach the Cajpian: And the Danube re- ceives as many. Pliny, indeed, and Cardan* fay, that the Nik receives none; but the later Travellers into AbaJJia allure us of* the contrary.
The Rhine, Rkoan, Danube, Boryflhenis, &c arife originally from Springs in the Mountains ; the Nile, Volga, the great River of St. Laurence, &c. from Lakes. See Lake.
Phenomena and Kinds of Rivers.
Rivers are found fubjedt to great Alterations, at different Sts* fons of the Year s Day, &c. from frequent Rains, and melted Snow. — Thus in Peru and Chili many of the Rivers are almoft infenfible in the Night-time ; and only flow by Day ; as being then augmented by the Rjefolution of the Snow on the Mountains, Andes* —Thus the Volga abounds in Water in May and June; fo as to cover the Sand-Banks, &c. which all the reft of the Year lie bare, fo as fcarce to allow a Paflage to the loaden Ships.— Thus alfo the Nile, Ganges, Indus, &c are frequently fo increased as to over- flow ,• and that either in the Winter, from Rain, or in the Sum- mer, from the melting of the Snow.
Some Rivers bury themfelves under Ground in the middle of their Courfe, and break out again in other Places, like new Ri- vers. — Thus the Niger, which fome Cofmographers derive by a fubterraneous Channel from the Nile, becaufe it fwells at the fame time with the Nile without any other apparent Caufe of
