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To thefe we have other and later Inftances to add from Hakemll : The Tombs at Tifa, which are fome Thoufands of Years old, are no longer than ours : So is Jlthelfian's in Malmsbury Church; Sheva's in <Pattl\ of the Tear 693,
The like Evidence, we have from the ancient Armour, Shields, Veffels, $$c. dug up at this Day, E. gr. the Brals Helmet dug up at Metaurum, fits one of our Men; yet 'tis allowed to have been left there at the Overthrow ot Jlfdrii- bal. Add, that Augustus was Five Foot Nine Inches, which was the Meafure of our CJueen Elizabeth; only the Queen exceeded the Emperor by Two Inches, Allowance being made for the Difference between the Roman and our Foot.
STATUS de Materia, in ancient Records, all the Te- nants and legal Men within the Lands of a Manor, afTembled in their Lord's Court, to do their cuftomary Suit, and enjoy their Rights and Privileges.
STATUTE, in its general Senfe, fignifies a Law, Or- dinance, Decree, £j?c. See Law, Decree, t$c.
In our Laws and Cuftcms, Statute more immediately fignifies an Aft of Parliament, made by the Three Eftates ot the Realm; in which Senfe, Statute is either general or ipeciat, public or private, ££?<:. See Parliament.
Statutes, or Statute Sejfions, called alfb <Petit Seffions, are Meetings in every Hundred, to which Conftables repair, and others, both Mailers and Servants, for deciding Diffe- rences between Matters and Servants, rating of Wages, beftowing People in Service who being fit to ferve, either refufe to leek or cannot get Matters. See Sessions.
Statt/TE Merchant^ is a Bond acknowledged before one of the Clerks of the Statutes Merchant and Mayor or chief Warden of the City of London, or Two Merchants of the laid City for that Purpote affigned, or before the Mayor, chief Warden, or Mafter of other Cities or Towns, or other iufhxient Men for that Purpofe appointed; fealed with the Seal of the Debtor and of the King, which is of two Pieces, the greater to be kept by the Mayor, chief Warden, &c. and the lefler by the faid Clerks. See Bonds.
Statute Staple, is fo called, either properly or im- properly : Properly, it is a Bond of Record, acknowledged before the Mayor of the Staple, in the Prefence of the Two Conftables of the fame Staple; for which Seal, the Fee of every Pound, if the Sum exceed not 100 /. is an Half-penny, and if it exceed 100/. a Farthing; by Virtue of which Statute Staple, the Creditor may forthwith have Execution of the Body, Lands and Goods of the Debtor.
Improperly, it is a Bond of Record, founded upon the Statute 1% H. VIII. c. 6. of the Nature of a proper Statute Staple as to the Force and Execution of it, and acknowledged before one of the chief Juftices, and in their Abfence, before the Mayor of the Staple, and Recorder of London.
STAVERS, or STAGGERS, among Farriers, a Gid- dinefs in a Horie's Head, which ends in Madnefs. 'Tis fre- quently occafion'd, by turning out a Horfe to Grafs too foon, e'er well cold 5 where, by hanging down his Head to feed, ill Vapours and Humours are generated, which opprefling the Brain, are the next Caufe of this Difeafe. Sometimes it comes by over Exercife in hot Weather, which inflames the Blood, j*fc. and fnmetimes by noifome Smells in the Stable, exceflive Eating, £S?c. The Signs of it, are Dimnefs of Sight, Reeling and Staggering, watery Eyes, £#c. At length, for -very Pain, he beats his Head againft the Wall, thrufls it into the Litter, rifes and lies down with Fury, £$p. The Methods of Cure are various 5 but they all begin with Bleeding.
STAY, in the Sea Language, a big, ftrong Rope, faften'd to the Top of one Mail, and the Foot of that next before it, towards the Prow, ferving to keep it firm, and prevent its falling backwards.
All Mails, Top-mafls and Flag-ftaves, have their Stays 5 except the Sprit-fail and Top-maff. That of the Main-malt, is called the Main-play, The Main- malt, Fore-maft, and thofe belonging to them, have alfo Sack-Jiays, to prevent their pitching forwards or over-board; as going on either fide her. See E^CK-Stays.
Hence, to Stay a Ship, or bring her on the Stay, is to manage her Tackle and Sails, ib as that flic cannot make any Way forwards, which is done in order to her Tacking about.
STEADY, is a Word of Command at Sea, for the Man at the Helm to keep the Ship Steady in ber Courfe, and not to make Angles (or Taws as they call them) in and out. See Helm.
STEATOMA 5 from reap, Sevum, Suet; is a Swelling, confifting of a Matter much like Suet, foft, without Pain, and without difcolouring the Skin; contained in a Cyftis; and eafily turned out upon Incifion.
STEEL, a kind of Iron refined and purified by the Fire, with other Ingredients; which renders it whiter, and its l^rain clofer and finer. See Iron.
Steel, of all other Metals, is that liifceptible of the greateft
degree of Hardnefs, when well temper'd; whence its great Uie in the making ot Tools and Inilruments of ail Kinds.
The true Method of making Steel has been greatly con- ceal'd, .and the Publick long abufed by counterfeit ones.
The following Method we have from Jjgricola-y and is affirmed by Kircher to be that practiced in the ffland of Ilva; a Place famous in all Ages for the Manufacture of good Steel, from the Time of the Romans, to Ours.
Heat a Quantity of Iron red-hot, cut it into fmall Pieces mix it with a fort of Stone that eafily melts. This Mixture put by little and little into a Crucible, firft. fill'd with Charcoal- duff, and heated red-hot; when melted off, three, four qc more Pieces of Iron are to be put into the middle of it j there boil them five or fix Hours with a ftrong Fire, The Workman is to ftir the melted Matter often, that the Pieces of Iron may fbak in the finaller Particles of the melted Iron j which Particles confume, and thin thegroffer ones ot the Iron Pieces, and are, as it were, a Ferment to them, and make them tender. One of the Pieces is now taken out of the Fire, and put under the great Hammer, to be drawn out into Bars and wrought; and hot as it is, plunged into cold Water. Thus temper'd, 'tis again worked upon the Anvil; then breaking it, 'tis~confider'd, whether in any Part it looks like Iron; or whether it be wholly condenfed and turned into Steel.
Steel, in Medicine. See Chaly/beat.
STEELYARD, in Mechanicks, a kind of Balance, call'd Statera Romana, or the Roman Balance; by means whereof, the Gravity of different Bodies are found by the Uie of one fingle Weight. See Balance.
ConpuBion of the Steelyard.'
It confifts of an Iron Beam A B (Tab. Mechanicks, Fig. 35.) wherein a Point is affumed at Pleafure, as C, and on this a Perpendicular raifed CD. On the lefs Arm AC, is hung a Scale or Bafon to receive the Bodies weighed : The Weight 1 is fhifted this and that Way on the Beam, till it be a Counter-balance to one, two, three, four, £f?tr. Pounds placed in the Scale 5 and the Points are noted wherein I weighs as one, two, three, four, £f?c. Pounds.
From this Conftru&ion of the Steelyard, the Manner of ufing it is apparent. But the Inftrument being very liable to Deceit, is therefore not to be countenanced in (Commerce.
Sprn:g Steelyard, a kind of portable Balance, ferving to weigh any Matter, from about one to forty Pounds.
It is compofed of a Brafs Tube, into which goes a Rod, and about that is wound a Spring of temper'd Steel in 2 fpiral Form. On this Rod are the Divifions of Pounds and Parts of Pounds, which are made by fuccefiTvely hanging on to a Hook faften'd to the other End, 1, 2, 3, 4, £5?c. Pounds. Now the Spring being faften'd by a Screw, to the bottom of the Rod, the greater Weight is hung on the Hook, the more will the Spring be contracted, and, consequently, a greater Partof the Rod will come out of the Tube; the Proportions of which greater Weights are indicated by the Figures ap- pearing againft the Extremity of the Tube.
STEEPLE, an Appendage, raifed on the weftern End of a Church, to hold the Bells. See Church and Bell,
Steeples are denominated from their Form, either spires or Towers.
The firft, are iuch as afcend continually diminifhing either Conically or Pyramidically. The latter are mere Parallelepipeds, and are cover'd atop, Plat-form-like. In each Kind, there is ufually a fort of Windows or Apertures to let out the Sounds, and fo contrived, at the fame time, to drive it down,
Mafius, in his Treatife of Bells, treats Iikewife oi Steeples. The moft remarkable in the World, is that at Tifa, which leans all on one Side, and appears every Moment ready to fall; yet without any Danger. This odd Difpofition,he obferves, is not owing to a Shock of an Earthquake, as is generally imagined; but it was contrived io at firft by the Architect J as is evident from the Ceilings, Windows, Doors, &C; which are all in the Level.
STEERAGE; the Aft of Steering. See Steering.
The Word is aifo ufed for a Place in a Ship before the Bulk-head of the great Cabin, where the Steers man ftands and lodges.
STEERING, in Navigation, the directing of a VeffH from one Place to another, by means of the Helm and Rudder. See Helm and Rudder,
He is held the beft Steers-man, who ufes the leaft Motion in putting the Helm over to and again, and that keeps the Shipbeftfrom making Yaws; that is, from running in and out.
There are three Memeds of Steering. i° By any Mark on the Land, fo as to keep the Ship even by it. 2 By the Compafs, which is by keeping the Ship's Head on luch a Rhumb or Point of the Compafs, as beft leads to Pott. 3 To Steer as ont is bidden or conn'd; which in a great Ship, is the Duty of him that is taking his Turn at the Helm. S ee Conder, f0
