1000000030

e o

( 22 8 )

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and the feeds are o"atecl, fpongy, ami perfiflent.

There is but one fpeeies,

~i: .

the p,lunrt, a native

of Europe.

COMB, aninflrument to clean, untanglc, and drefs flax,

wool, hair,

oc.

Comus for wool are prohibited to be

i~lported

in·

Bril~in.

CO/lUll is alfo Ihe

erell

or red flcfl, y tuft growing upon

a cock's h'ead.

Lady's

COMB, in bonny. See SCANDIX.

COM8·FISH, in thehifloryoflhell.r.fll.

S.ee

O!T~EA.

COMBAT, in a gencral fenfe, denotes an engagement,

or a difference decided by arm, . Sce BATTu.

CO MBA'T, ;n our ancient law, was a formal trial of

fome doubtCul caufe or quarrcl by the Cword, or bao

flons of two champions. This form of proceeding was

very frequent not only in criminal but in civil caufes ;

bcing built on a prefumption, that Cod would never

grant the viAory but to him who had the

berl

righl.

'fhe la/l trial of this klod in England, was between

DOMld lord Ray, appellant, ami David Ramfay, efq;

defendant; when, after many formalilies, the malter

was refcrred

Ihe king's pleafure.

COMHATANT, in heraldry, a term for two beafls,

as lions,

I:;c.

borne in a coal of artns in a fighting po·

flure, with Iheir faces

each other.

COMBIN¡\TION, properly denotes an a/Temblage of

feveral things t\Vo by IWO,

COMBI~AT ION,

io mathematics, is the variation or al·

teration of any number of quantities, leners, or the

like, in all the uitrerent manners poffible,

COMEDY. 8ee Ep lc aod DRAMATIC COMPOSI'

TIONS.

COMET, an opake, fpherical, and

Colí"

body like a

placel, performing revalutions about the fun in ellip–

lical orbits, which have the

(¡lO

in one of the foci.

See .-\ STRONOMY, p,

444.

COMETARIlfM, a cllrious macl1ine exhibiling an idea

of the rerolution of a comet about me fUIl. See

Plate

XLVUl. 66,

COMfREY, in bOlany. See

SYMPHYTU~t.

C01-lITIA¡ in Roman antiquity, an a/Tembly of the

yeople, (ilher itl lhe comitium or campus martius, for

the eleAion of magiOrates, or cooCultiog on the im·

portant affairs of the republic.

There \Vere cenain days fixed for th& a/Temblles,

ealled

dio wllilia/o,

marked,with a C io Julius Ca:·

far 's "kndar,

'fhere \Vele

time

kiods of comilia,

viz.

curiata,

centuriata, and trib'lla, fo diilinguiflted from Ihe mano

ner ·.\'hmin Ihe pe0l'le voted, and gave \heil fulfrages,

viz.

by cllri:1!, or parifhes, tribcs, or centuries. 'fhe

comilia curim,

ow~

t!teir original

the dll'jlion which

Rflmulus made of the pcople into thirtycuria:, which

ar.Lver in moll reCpeéls to our parifhes. Tite comida

c~oluri.'I:t

were

inOitu~ed ~y

Servius Tullills. Co·

miri,tI

~O'clr.blils

htld' for the clcétion of coofuls, \Vere

called conrular comilia. In like maooer the otlter co.

Olitia \Vere. named from the ollicer tobt crealrd, whe.

ther a tribune, pontil, a:dile, or Ihe like. Thepower

of calliog thefe ./Temulics, bclongrd at firfl ooly to

the kings:

~l~t

on Ihe eflahlifhme'nl of lhe derI)oeracy,

Ihe faOle prrvrlege \Vas allowed

mufl of the chief

magiflrates, and Comelimes to .the ponrilf.

COMITI ALIS MORBUS, an

appcll~liun

given to lhe

epilepfy, by reafon tite comitia of aocienl Rome were

di/Toh'ld; if any perfoo in tite aOembly happened tO be

taken wilh this diflemper.

COMITIlfM, in Roman antiqllity, a large. hall io the

forum, where the comitia were ordioaril)' held.

COMMA, among grammarians f a point or chméter

marked Ihus (,) Cerviog to denole a Olort flop, and to

divide the members of a periodo

COMMA, io mufie,

iotelval equallo the

diff~rence

the looe major or minar, an,d expreOed by the ratio

81 : 80.

COMMELINA, in bOlany, a genus of the triandria.

monog)'oia claCs. The torolla is divided

¡nw

fix fego

¡nents; it has lhree crofs·like neétaria ioCerted by Iheir

proper 1¡laments. Tite fFecies are ten, none of lhcm

nalives of Britain.

COMMEMORATION, ina general fenfe, the remem·

brance of any pelCon or Ihing; or the doing any thiog

io honour of a perfon's memory, or in remembranc< ol'

:my pafl evento Thus Ihe ellcharill is a commemora·

tion of Ihe Cufferings of Jefus Cbrin.

COMMENDAM, ih Ihe ecclefiaflicallaw, the trufl or

adminillration of the reveolles of a bent fiec, given ei·

ther to a byman,

hold, by way of

d'Po/t'UI/I,

for

fix

mOOlhs, in order

repairs,

ec.

or tO an eccler,·

aflic, or beneliced perfon, to pcrform the panoral duo

ties tbereof, lill once lbe bcoefice is provided Wilh

regular incumbent.

COMMENSURABLE, amoog geometricians, an ap–

pelladoo given

fuclt quantilies as are meafurcd by

one and tite fame commoo meafure.

COMM EN SURABL ENUM8EiS, whclhcrintegersor Crac·

riuns, are fllch as can be meafured or divided by fome

olher nurnher, lVithout aoy remaiouer : fuch are

aod

18,

as uciríg meafured by

COM MENSURARLE in POIVER, is fald of right lines,

when their

fqu~res

are meaCured

one aod the C. me

fpace or fuperfieies.

CO MMENSURAR LE SURDS, thofe tha being reduced

their leafl term!, beeome true figur:llire quanlilies of

their kind; and are Iherefore as a raliooal quantilY

wional one.

COMME

T t\RY,

or COMME NT, io matters of litera·

ture, an illunralioo of tht dlRicult

obfcure pa/Tages

of ao aUlhor.

CO~HI ENTARY,

or CO""ENTARlES, likewife denolfS

a kinu

hiflory, or mcmoirs

cemio tranC,étiolls,

whcrein Ihe alllhor

had

coofiderable hanu: fuch are

the commcnr¡IÍcs

Ca:far.

Cm.I~IERCE,