CHE 



CRI 



backs are turned towards each other ; a 

 crescent is said to be inverted, when its 

 points look towards the bottom ; turned 

 crescents have their points looking to 

 the dexter-side of the shield ; cornuted 

 crescents to the sinister side ; and affront- 

 ed crescents, contrary to the adossed, 

 have their points turned to each other. 



CRESCENTIA, in botany, English ca- 

 labash-tree, a genus of the Didynamia 

 Angiospermia class and order. Natural 

 order of Putamineae. Solanex, Jussieu. 

 Essential character: calyx two-parted, 

 equal; corolla gibbous; berry pedicelled, 

 one celled, many seeded: seeds two- 

 celled. There are two species, viz. C. cu- 

 jete, narrow leaved calabash-tree, and C. 

 cucurbitina, broad leaved calabash-tree. 

 These are small trees, with large leaves, 

 either singly alternate, or in alternate 

 bundles. Flowers on the trunk or branch- 

 es sub -solitary; they are both natives of 

 the West-Indies. 



CRESSA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Pentandria Digynia class and order. Du- 

 bii, Linnaeus. Convolvuli, Jussieu. Essen- 

 tial character : calyx five-leaved; corolla 

 salver form ; filaments sitting on the tube ; 

 capsule two-valved, one-seeded. There 

 are two species, natives of the East In- 

 dies, in salt marshes. 



CREST, in armoury, the top part of 

 the armour for the head, mounting over 

 the helmet, in manner of a comb, or tuft 

 of a cock, deriving its name from crista, 

 a cock's comb. The crest was for the 

 most part made of feathers, or the hair 

 of horses' tails or manes. The soldiers 

 took great pride in adorning them. In 

 most of the old monuments we find the 

 crest represented not much unlike those 

 on the tops of our modern head-pieces : 

 but whatever the common soldiers had, 

 those of the officers were usually wrought 

 in gold or silver, and the plumes of a 

 larger size, quite across the helmet; and 

 some wore two, three, or four together 

 of these plumes. 



CHEST, in heraldry, the uppermost 

 part of an armoury, or that part of the 

 cask or helmet next to the mantle. Guil- 

 lim says, the crest or cognizance, claims 

 the highest place, being seated on the 

 most eminent part of the helmet ; yet so 

 as to admit of an interposition of some 

 escrol, wreathe, chapea.u, crown, &c. 

 The crest is esteemed a greater mark of 

 nobility than the armoury, being borne 

 at tournaments, to which none were ad- 

 mitted till such time as they had given 

 proof of their nobility: sometimes it 

 serves to distinguish the several branches 

 of a family , and it has served, on occa- 



sion, as a distinguishing badge of fac- 

 tions : sometimes the crest is taken for 

 the device ; but more usually is formed 

 of some piece of the arms. Families 

 that exchange arms do not change their 

 crest. 



CREW, the company of sailors be- 

 longing to a ship, boat, or other vessel. 

 The sailors that are to work and manage 

 a ship, are regulated by the number of 

 lasts it may carry, each last making two 

 tun. 



CRIBBAGE, a game at cards, wherein 

 no cards are to be thrown out, and the 

 set to make sixty-one : and as it is an ad- 

 vantage to deal, by reason of the crib, it is 

 proper to lift for it, and he that has the 

 least card deals. 



There are only two players at this 

 game, wherein the cards are dealt out 

 one by one, the first to the dealer's anta- 

 gonist, and the next to himself; and so 

 on, till each have five : the rest being set 

 down in view on the table. 



This done, the dealer lays down the 

 two best cards he can for his crib ; and 

 his antagonist lays down the other two, 

 the" very worst in his hand, by reason the 

 crib is the property of the dealer. They 

 next turn up a card from the parcel left 

 after dealing, and then count their game 

 thus : any fifteen upon the cards is two ; 

 as king and five, ten and five, nine and 

 six, eight and seven, &.c. A pair is also 

 two ; a pair royal, or three aces, kings, 

 &c. six ; a double pair royal, or four aces, 

 &c. twelve. Sequences of three cards, 

 as, four, five, and six, is three; sequences 

 of four, four ; five, five, &c. and the same 

 holds of a flush. Knave noddy, or of the 

 suit turned up, is one in hand, and two to 

 the dealer. If, after the cards for the 

 crib are laid out, you have in your hand a 

 nine and two sixes, that makes six ; be- 

 cause there is two fifteens, and a pair : 

 and if a six chance to be turned up, then 

 you have twelve in your hand, viz. the 

 pair royal, and three fifteens. These are 

 to be marked with pegs, counters, or 

 otherwise. If you happen to have se- 

 quences, as of four, five, and six in your 

 hand, and six be the turned up card, 

 they *re counted thus : first, the sequen- 

 ces in your hand make three ; and the se- 

 quences of the four and five in your hand, 

 added to the six turned up, make other 

 three : there is likewise two fifteens, 

 counting first with the six in your hand, 

 and then with that turned up. 



Tlu's done, the antagonist to the dealer 

 plays first, suppose a six ; and if the deal- 

 er can make it fifteen, by playing nine, he 

 gains two; and he that reaches thirty- 



