STR
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STR
Smeter, which he tofs'd in the Air, and catch'd again like a
Ball. A little Man of Mantua, call'd Rodamas, could
break a Cable. Emando Burgh fetch'd up Stairs, an Afs
loaden with Wood, and threw both into the Fire. At Con- (tantinople, in 1581, one lifted a Piece of Wood which Twelve Men could Scarce raife ; then lying all along, bore a
Stone which Ten Men could but juft roll on him. G. of
Fnnisbergh, Baron of Mindlehaim, cou'draifea Man off his Seat with his middle Finger, and Shove a Cannon out of its Place. — Cardan few a Man dance With two Men in his Arms, two on his Shoulders and one on his Keck. Patacona, Cap- tain of the CoSTacks, could tear an Horfe-fhoe ; and the fame
is reported of the preSent .^ag^or King of 'Poland. Oh
Putney Common, is a Stone with an InScription, men- tioning a Man, who in that Place out-drew Five Horfes in his own Team. — — A gigantic Woman of the Netherlands, could lift a Barrel of Hamburgh Beer. Mr. Caretv had a Tenant that could carry Six Bufhels of Wheat in Meal (of Fifteen Gallons Meafure) with the Lubber a-top of it. And ^f- Roman of the fame County, could carry the Carcafs of an Ox. See HaketmlFs apology, p. 238.
STRENGTHENERS, fuch Medicines as add to the Bulk and Firmnefs of the Solids. SeeSoLinsandSTRENGTH. Strengthened differ from Cordials, as a Bandage doth from a Flefh-brufh : The latter are fuch as facilitate and drive on the vital Actions 5 but the former, fuch as confirm the Stamina, and maintain the Solids in fuch a Condition, as to exert themfelves into Action on all proper Occasions, with the greateft Force and Vigour.
The continual Wafte, which conftant Motion makes in the Conftitution, were it not for frequent and proper Supplies, would Soon wear the Body quite out. The Attritions and Abraiions of the circulating Fluids, would quickly carry away the Canals in which they circulate, were not fomewhat fur- nished in their Composition, which is fuited to fall into, adhere with, and recruit that which is warned off. And thofe Particles muft be much more difpofed fo to do, whofe AdheSions are greateft, when once they come into Contact 5 fuch are thofe of Bodies we call Glutinous, and which eafily form themfelves into Jellies, and fiich-like Confidences j for the Parts of fuch Bodies are very light, by the over-propor- tion of their Surfaces to their Solidities, whereby their Mo- tions are both more languid, when in Circulation j and when they Hop, their Cohesions will be much the Stronger, with whatfbever they happen to fall into Contact.
Medicines of this Tribe, are therefore of great Service in Hecticks 5 where the fwift Motion of a thin, fharp Blood, wears away the Substance of the Body, inftead of nourish- ing it ; for they not only retard the inordinate Motion ; but give fuch a Weight and Confidence to the Juices, as fits them alfo for Nourishment. There are likewife other Caufes, which may weaken the Solids, by admitting, or occafioning them to relax too much. Whatfoever therefore acts as a Stimulus, and crifps and corrugates the Fibres into a more compacted Tone, which moll auftere and pointed Bodies do, will remove fuch WeakneSs, and increafe Strength : And as alfo, too much Moiflure may contribute to fuch a Relaxation, what has no other Quality but abforbing, and drying up fuch Superfluous Humidities, may deServe, though acci- dentally, to come under this Denomination.
STRETCH : When at Sea, they are going to hoift the Yard, or hale the Sheet ; they fay, Stretch forward the Sheets, meaning, that the Part which the Men are to hale by, Should be put into their Hands, in order to their Haling.
STRIDE, in the ancient Architecture, the'Lifts, Fillets or Rays which feparate the Striges or Flutings of Columns. See List and Fluting.
Stride, among Naturalifls, the fmall Hollows or Chan- nels in the Shells of Cockles, Scollops, tfc. STRICTOR, in Anatomy, the fame as SphmtJef. See
SpHINCTER.
STRIGES, in the ancient Architecture, are what in the Modern we call Fluting!, See Fluting.
They are thus call'd, as fuppofed to have been originally intended to imitate the Folds or Plaits in Womens Robes 5 which the Latins call Striges.
The Fillets or Spaces between them, were call Stria.
STRIKE, is a Meafure, containing four Bufhels 5 two of which make a Quarter. A Strike of Flax, is as much as can be heckled at one Handful.
Strike, is a Sea Word varioufly ufed. When a Ship in a Fight, or upon meeting with a Man of War, lets down, or lowers her Top-fails, at leaft half-Mafi high ; they fay, She Strikes, meaning, She yields or fubmirs, or pays her J)evoir to that Man of War, as She paffes by. When a Ship touches Ground in a Shoal-water, they Jay, She Strikes.
When any Top-maft is to be taken down, they lay, Strike the 'Top-maft. And when any Thing is let down or lowered into the Hold, they call it Striking down into the Hold.
STRIKING, The Punifhment appointed by our Laws,
-4
b 2
for Striking tvith'm the King's Court, whereby Blood is drawn is, that the Criminal Shall have his Right Hand ftruck off 5 in a moft lad and folemn Manner.
For Striking in Weftminfler-Hall, while the Courts of Juftice are fitting, the Punifhment is Imprifonment for Life and Forfeiture ot one's Eftate.
STRING, in Mufic. See Chord. If two Strings or Chords of a mufical Inftrument only differ in Length j their Tones, that is, the Number of Vibrations they make in the fame Time, are in an inverted Ratio of their Lengths.
If they only differ in Thicknefs, their Tones are in an inverted Ratio of their Diameters. As to the Tenfion of Strings, to meafure it regularly, they muft be conceived ftretch'd or drawn by Weights ; and then, ceteris paribus^ the Tones of two Strings are in a direct Ratio of the Square Roots of the Weights which Stretch them, that is, e. gr. the Tone of a String ftretch'd by a Weight 4, is an Octave above the Tone of a String ftretch'd by the Weight r.
'Tis an Observation of an old Standing, that if a Viol or Lute-firing be touch'd with the Bow, or Hand, another String, on the fame, or another Inftrument, not far from itj if in Unifoti to ir, or in Octave, or the like, will at the fame Time tremble of its own accord. See Unison.
But it is now found, that not the whole of that other String doth thus tremble ; but the feveral Parts, Severally, according as they are Uniibns to the whole, or the Parts of
the String fo ftruck. Thus fiippofing . „
A B to be an upper Octave to ac, and therefore an Unilbn to each half of it ftop'd at b.
If while ab is open, A B be ftruck, the two Halves of this other, that is abandbc will both tremble 5 but the middle Point will be at reft 5 as will be eafily perceived, by wrapping a bir of Paper lightly about the String a c, and removing it fucceSHvely from one End of the String to the other. In like manner, if A B were an upper Twelfth to ac, and, confequently, an Unifon to its three Parts a 1, 1 2 and 2 c; if ac being open, AB be ftruck, its three Parts A 1 1 1 2 and 2 c will Severally tremble, but the Points 1 and 2 remain at Reft.
This, Dr. WaUis tells us) was ftrft difcover'd byMr.ffil- Ham Noble of ' Merton College ; and after him by Mr. T. pigot of Wadham College, without knowing that Mr. Noble bad obferved it before. To which we may add, that M. Sativeitr, long afterwards, propoied it in the Royal Academy at Paris, as his own Difcovery, as 'tis like enough it might : But upon his being inform 'd, by fome of the Members then pre- fent, that Dr. Wallis had publifh'd it before, he immediately refign'd all the Honour thereof.
STRING-ife/f, is a fudden twitching or fhatchiiig up of an Horfe's hinder Leg, much higher than the other, as if he trod on Needles 5 generally befalling the bett mettled Horles.
It frequently happens upon taking Cold, after hard Riding, or fore Labour ; efpecially by wafhing them when too hot, which chills the Blood, and fo benumbs the Sinews, as to take away the Senfe and Feeling of the Member.
To Cure it, the middle Vein is taken up above and under- neath the Thigh ; under which is found a String, which is to be cut away, and the Part anointed with Butter and Salt.
STROAKING, a Method of Cure fome People have given into, in certain DifeaSes ; confifting in a mere Applica- tion of the Hand to the Part affected, in the way of Friction or Rubbing.
That Friction has very considerable Ufes in many DifeaSes, is allow'd. See Friction.
But, as to the particular Efficacy of the Stroak of particu- lar Perfons; we fee little Foundation for it in Nature. Ex- perience, indeed, affords fome j to which we don't know what to object.
Mr. Thcresby, in the Philofophical TranfaEfions, gives feveral remarkable Instances of Cures pcrform'd by that famous Stroaker, Mr. Greatrix. Mr. Thoresby's own Brother being feiz'd with a violent Pain in his Head and Neck} Mr. Greatrix coming accidentally thither, gave immediate Eafe to his Head, by only Streaking it with his Hand : He then fell to Jiroak his Back; whence the Pain immediately fled to his Right Thigh : Then he purfued it with his Hand to the Knee, from thence to the Leg, Ancle, Foot, and at laft to the great Toe, where it grew more violent j but up on rubbing there, it vanifh'd.
Another Relation of the fame Author having a great Pa m and WeakneSs in her Knees, which occafion'd a white Swelling, that had hung to her feveral Years, in fp'g^ °^ all Means; the fame Stroaker rubbing both her Knees, gave her prelent EaSe, the Pain ft ving downwards from his Hand, till he drove it out of the Toes, after which the Swelling Soon went absolutely away.
Mr. Thoresby
