S P R
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S P u
for i Day, from fudden and violent Rains. Had this Spring its Origin from Kain or Vapour, tnere would be found an Jncreait and Decrease of its Water, correiponding to thoie ot its Cauies ; as we actually rind in inch temporary Strugs, as have undoub-tdiy their Rile from Rain and Vapour : Add 10 this, another considerable Thing in this Uprmnjier tiffing, and Tnouiands of others, <ov&. Thar it breaks out of 16 inconfidtTabie a Hillock or Eminence, as can have no more Influence in rhe Condeniation of the Vapours or flop- ping the Clouds, than rhe lower Lands about it have. Toe very higheit Ground in the County, he finds is not above 133 Yards above the Level of the Sea; and what is fuch. an incorrfiderabte Rife of Land, to a Perennial Condenfation of Vapours, fit to maintain io inconfiderable a Spring 7 . Or the high Lands of the whole County, to the maintaining all its Fountains and Rivulets?
Other Natural ills, therefore, have Recourfe to the Sea, and derive the Origin of Springs immediately thence ; but how the Sea-water~fhould be rais'd up to rhe Surface of our Earth, and even to the Tops ot the Mountains, is a Difficulty they can't agree upon.
Sams fancy a kind of hollow, fubterranean Rocks to re- ceive the watery Vapours from the Bottom of the Earth, and to aft the Part of Alembics, in condensing and converting them into Waters. Others, as Ni.de la Hire, $$c. let afide the Neceffity of Alembicks, and think it enough that tiiere be large fubterranean Reiervoirs of Water at the Height of the Sea, whence the Warmth of the Bottom of the Earth, or even the cenrral Fire (if there be iuch a Thing) may raife Vapours, which pervading not only the Intervals and FifTures of the Strata, but the Bodies of the Strata thera- felves, at length arrive near the Surface ; where, being con- denied by the Cold, they glide along on the firft Bed of Clay they meet withal, 'till an Aperture m the Ground lets them out. M, de ta Hire adds t That the Salts of Stones and Minerals may contribute to the detaining and fixing the Vapours, and the converting them into Water.
But we have a {fill more natural and ealy Way of ex- hibiting the Rife of the Sea-water up into Mountains, &C. by puiring a little Heap of Sand, Allies, a Loaf of Bread, or the like, in a Baton of Water : In which Cafe, the Sand, £5c. will repreient the dry Land, or an Ifhnd j and the Bafon of Water the Sea about it. Here, the Water in the Baibn will rile to, or near, rue Top of the Heap, in the lame Manner, and from the lame Principle, as the Water of the Sea, Lakes, &c. rile in the Hills. The Principle of Afcent in both, is, doubt- lefs, the fame with that of the Afcent of Liquids in Capillary Tubes, or between contiguous Planes, or in a Tube fill'd with Allies ; all which are now generally accounted for from the Doctrine of Jittra&ion^ lee Ascent, Capillary, At- traction, &c.
Spring, in Cofmography, one of the Seafons of the Year ; commencing, in the Northern Parts of the World, on the Day the Sun enters the Ftrit Degree of Aries, which is about the 10th Day of March, and ending when the Sun leaves Gemini. See Season.
Or, more ftriitl) , and generally, the Spring begins on the Day, when the pittance of the Sun's Meridian Attitude from the Zenith, being on the Increafing Hand, is at a Medium between the greatett and leaft. The End of the Spring coincides with the Beginning of Summer. See Summer.
Spring, in Phyficks, a natural Faculty, or Endeavour, Bodies have of returning to their firft State, after having been violently put out ot the fame, by comprefiing, bending them, or the like: This Faculty the Philofbphers ulually call the Elaftc Force, or Elafncity. See Elastic.
Fleas only jump to thole exceffive Heights, by means of a SPrifigS Membrane, eafily villble by a Microfcope, and whereof we have a curious Figure in Dr. Hook's Micrography. By ihe elaftic Force of this Spring, they are enabled to leap 200 times the Height of their own Body. See Flea.
Nature has provided for the regular fowing of the Seeds of ieverat Kinds of Plants, by furnifhing them with a Spring, which is wound fometimes round the Outfide, and fome- tiroes round the Infide of the Cafe wherein the Seeds are contained. This Spring-, when ftretch'd to a certain Pitch, by the full Growth and Maturity of the Seed, fuddenly, either breaks in two, as when on the Outfide, and tears the Cafe along with it ; or elle, by its vehement Effort to unbend itfelf, as when in the Infide, it burfts the Cafe into Two Parts like Cups, and difperfes the Seed. See Semination.
Sprinc, is particularly ufed for a Piece of temper'd Steel put inieveral Machines to give them Motion, by the Endea- vour it makes to unbend itftlf.
In Watches, 'tis a fine Piece of well-beaten Steel, coiPd up in a cylindrical Cafe or Frame, which by ftrerchina itfelf forth, purs the Wheels and the whole Movement in Motion, See Watch
Tht Spring of a. Lock, Piftol or the like, is a Piece of Steel violently bent, which beats back the Bolt, or tfrikes down the Cock, when fee at Liberty. See Lock,
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fcaiBCe/ the Air, or its Elafliek Force. See Am. and
Et'sTICITY.
Spring aylfa/Z ; fo the Sea-men call jr, when a M a {i ; crack'd, but not quite broken in any Part.
Spring-77<&, is trie increaling ot a Tide after a dead Neip. See Tide.
The Spring-fines happen about Three Days before the Full or Change of the Moon ; but the Top or Higheft of the Spring-Tides, is three Days afier the Full or Change : ttien the Water runs higheft with the Flood, and lowed with the Ebb, and the Tides run more Wrong and twift, than in the Neips. See Neip, Flux, Ebb, £«?c.
SPRINGE, a Snare ur Device made of twitted Wire to catch Birds or fmall Beatts.
SPRINGY, or elajlic Bodies, are fuch, as having had their Figure changed by the Stroke or Percuflion of another Body, can recover again their former Figure ; which Bodies that are not Elaftic, will not do. Thus if a Piece of Steel be bent any way, it will recover again its former Straitnels- but a Piece of Lead will Hand bent in any Form. See Elastic Bodies.
SPUNGE or SPONGE, a kind of Sea-Fungus or Mulh- room found adhering to Rocks, Shells, &c. on the Sea. fhore. See Mushroom.
The Ancients diftinguifh'd two Kinds, Male and Female: But the Moderns make only one Kind ; which, however, they diftinguifli with regard to to its Textute, into Coarfi and Fine.
The Naturalifts have been embarafs'd in all Ages, whether to range Spunges in the Animal, Mineral or Vegeta- ble Family. Some wou'd have it a Concretion form'd of the Sea-mud ; and ethers an Animal, from its Motion of Con. traction and Dilatation.
The greateft Part of our Spunges are brought from the Mediterranean ; though there are considerable Quantities from Vicaiia, an Ifland on rhe Coaft of Afw.
The Diving or Fifhing for Spunges is there reckoned the top Qualification in the Youth, who all get the better Wives as they excel more herein. To this Proof, the Maids refer the Preference among leveral Suitors; placing themlelves on the Btink of the Sea, to be Witneffes of the Addrets of each ; and giving themfelves as a Prize to the Conqueror. See Diving.
The fine or fmall Spunges are the moft efteem'd ; and ufually come to us from Coiijtantinople. Their Goodneis con- fills in their being very white, light, and the Holes fmall and dole ; the Iatger and coarfcr come from the Coafts of Harbary, particulatly Tunis and Algier.
The Spimge is a very uteful Matter in the Arts. In Phy- tic it lerves to foment Parts inflamed. By Analyfis it yields a deal of volatile, (harp Salts, like other Sea-Plants. Taken inwardly it choaks ; and is for rhat Realbn cut (mallj and fried or dipt in Honey, and given to Quadrupeds to kill them, which it feldom fails to do, by (welling and preventing the Paffage of the Food into the Inteftines.
In Spunges are found a kind of Stones call'd Cyfthcelitkres, held good for the Worms in young Children, and taken in Powder.
Tyre-technical Sponges, are made of the large Mulhrooms or fungous Excrelcences growing on old Oaks, Afhes, Firs, i$c, which being boil'd in common Water, Men dried and well beaten, are put in a ftrong Lye, prepared with Salt-peter, and again dried in an Oven.
Thefe make the black Match or Tinder brought from Germany, ufed to receive and iullain rhe Fire ftruck from! Flint and Steel, l$c.
Spunge, in Gunnery, a Rammer or Staff, with a Piece of Sheep or Lamb-skin about its End; to ierve for fcourmg of great Guns when dilcharged, e'er they be charged with frefh Powder. See Charge. . SPUNGING, in Gunnery, the clearing a Gun's Intide with a Spunge, in order to prevent any Parts of Fi.erroB remaining in her; which would endanger the Lite of him, who mould load her again. See Gun.
SPUN-27TO, among Sailors, the Tarn of untwifled Ropes, whole Ends are (craped and beaten thin, in order to be I" into the Eods of other Ropes, and fo made long as Occjfon (hall require.
SPUR, was anciently a Piece of the Armour of aCavalier, faften'd ro the Talary, that is, the hind of that Part of the complear Armour which cover'd the Legs and Feet.
Atprelent, rhe Spur is a Piece of Iron or other Metal, confifting of two Branches incompaffing the Cavalier's Heel, and a Ruwel in form of a Star, advancing out behind to prick the Horle.
Louis le T)ebonnaire forbad Ecclefiallicks the profane Fafhion of wearing Spurs.
Anciently the Difference between the Knight and Efquire was, that rhe Knight wore gilt Spurs, whence rhe Appella- tion of Eques Auratus, and the 'Squire filver'd ones. See Knight and Esqjiike.
The Word is derived from the German, Sporen or Spent-
SPURIOUS-
