107 



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the Tabernacle and Temple. They were made of the fined wheat 

 .ltd Ui.l on the table in two similar pile*, with frankincense and 

 all put over them. Every Sabbath they were renewed, ami UK M 

 loam were eaten by the priests in the holy place. The frankincense 

 which wai placed upon the ihew-bread constituted it one of the 

 " offerings made by fire to the Lord." The golden table on which 

 they were placed was called the table of shew-bread. Wine was also 

 placed u]>on it, and it waa furniahed with gold duhea, bowk, and 

 >|.H>UV N ..in- I., it the priests were permitted to eat of thin bread ; yet 

 I ia\ ill. w IH-II in great need, ate nf it, and incurred no blame. 



SHI F.I.I > waa a part of the ancient armour designed to ward off the 

 strokes of the sword and all kind* of missiles. Shields were borne on 

 the left arm, and were of different form* and sizes, and they were 

 accordingly designated by different name*. The large circular or oval 

 shield, the invention of which waa ascribed to 1'reetus and Acrisius of 

 Argot, waa called in Latin dypttu, and in Greek atpii or MOM (iurxls or 

 (>). A amaller kind at round ihield was called parma ; and a 

 nailer kind of oval shield won called pelta. Sruim* waa properly 

 peaking a square or oblong shield. The ancient writers, however. .! 

 not always accurately disUnguish these different shields, but apply the 



> which properly denotes a particular kind of shield to aim-Ms in 

 general. The shields in the earliest times were made of osiers twisted 

 together (yityo'i, or of wood, and this framework was covered with the 

 skins of oxen, of which there were mostly several layers, one over 

 the other, whence Homer frequently calls the shield " seven-hided " 

 (4rrafttiu>s). Xenophon (' Auab.,' i. 8) describes the Egyptians, even 

 of hi time, as using wooden shields. The whole rim was surrounded 

 with a metal edge. In the centre of the outer or convex side there 

 was a projection called the 6mi>kulu (o/mfxfAot ), or nmlm, in which some- 

 times a spike was placed, which served as a weapon of attack against on 

 enemy who approached too near. The object of the umbo, however, 

 waa to make the missiles glance off from the shield. In the inner or 

 concave side there was a band of metal or leather, which went from 

 rim to rim as a diameter, and under which the arm of the soldier w:i> 

 placed, so that the shield hung on the arm. Around the inner edge 

 there was a number of small thongs, by means of which the shield was 

 managed with the hand. The shields of distinguished persons, even as 

 early as the time of Homer, were covered with metal plates, and fre- 

 quently adorned with embossed figures. These figures were often of 

 exquisite workmanship, as may be inferred from the descriptions of 

 the magnificent shields of Achilles and Hercules in Homer and Hesiod. 

 The shields of horsemen were generally smaller than those of the foot 

 soldiers. The use of shields continued from ancient times throughout 

 the middle ages, until they were made useless by the introduction of 

 fire-arms. 



The shields of individuals, as well as of whole divisions of an army, 

 had sometimes particular devices relating to memorable events in their 

 history, and these are generally supposed to be the first traces of the 

 armorial bearings of more modern times. The numerous specimens of 

 shields show that the knights of the middle ages were no less fond of 

 adorning them with embossed figures, precious stones, &c., than the 

 ancients. [AHMOUR.] 

 SHIFTING USES. [USES.] 



SH1ITES is the name of a sect among the Mohammedans. The 

 word comes from nhiah, " a faction, party, or set of men who separate 

 themselves from the rest of the community," and who entertain 

 religious opinions contrary to those of the Suaniiti, or people who 

 belong to any of the four orthodox sects of Mohammedanism. The 

 name of SHiitt* is principally used to designate the sectaries or ad- 

 herents of AH Ibn Abi Tdlib, who maintain him to be the lawful 

 khalif and imam, and that supreme authority, both in spiritual and 

 temporal matters, belongs to hU descendants. 



The Shiites are divided into numerous sects, of which the principal 

 are : the Imdmiaui, or those who believe that the office of imdui, or 

 head of the church, is not dependent on the will of the people, and 

 that religion consists solely in knowing who is the true imdin ; the 

 '/.< ij'ltant, so called from the name of their founder, Zeyd, son of All, 

 Mimamed Zeynu-1-ab.idin (the ornament of the servants of God) ; the 

 Khattaliiinit,or diwiplcn of Abu-1-Khattab, who maintain that panidi 

 is no other thing than the pleasures of this world, which God grants to 

 those with whom he is pleased : hence their indulgence in wine, music, 

 and other things forbidden by the prophet. The Persians are Khiites, 

 and the Turks Sunnite* : hence the cause of the schism still subsisting 

 between them, which has been maintained on both sides with ardent 

 zeal and implacable hatred. The chief points wherein they differ may 

 be reduced to three:]. The Shiites reject Abu Bekr, Omar, and 

 Othman, the first three khalifs, as usurpers and intruder.* ; whereas the 

 Snmiiteii respect them as rightful Minims. 2. The Shiites prefer Ali 

 to Mohammed, or at least look upon him as his equal in every respect; 

 whilst the Sunnites admit neither Ali nor even any of the prophets to 

 be equal to Mohammed. 8. The Sunnites receive the >./. or body 

 of traditions concerning the prophet, as of canonical authority ; the 

 Shiites reject it as apocryphal and unworthy of credit. 



.SHIP. The ships of war employed at first by the maritime nations 

 of modern Europe were galleys, moved either by wind or oars, and 

 wero similar, probably, to those of the Greeks and Romans. In the 

 beginning of the 15th century, vessels of a like kind, but of greater 

 dimensions, constituted portions of the navies of France and Spain ; 



.- i -ill. -.1 i '..i i.. .(lie*, and it is said by a French author of that 

 age that the English ships scarcely dared to approach them. The term 

 Qaleuae was afterwards applied to a kind of war-galley which was of 

 greater length in proportion to its breadth than those generally con- 

 structed ; its rowers were covered by a narrow deck running along each 

 aide of the vessel, and on this small cannon were mounted. Such were 

 the vessels used by the Vi -notions at the battle of Lepanto. 



Before the reign of Henry VII. the naval force of this country con- 

 sisted only of the vessels furnished at short notices by the Cinque- 

 ports, besides such as were hired from English or foreign men-!' 

 and, according to Du Bellay, some of the ships were a sort of long 

 {alleys called Kamberges, in the management of which th.- I 

 mariners are said to have been very expert. II. my V 1 1 . caused to be 

 constructed the Great Harry, the first ship which can be ranked as 

 one belonging to the royal navy of England ; and his successor, in 

 l.'.l.'i. in emulation of Francis I., who had built a ship called the 

 Caracon, carrying 100 guns, caused one of equal burden (about 1000 

 tons), and carrying 122 guns, to be constructed. This was called the 

 Henry Grace de Dieu. It appears to have been built rather for mag- 

 nificence than use; not more than 13 of the guns wen- '.' j 

 or upwards ; and its construction must have been very defective, for 

 it is said to have steered badly and to have rolled incessantly. After 

 having made one voyage, it was disarmed at Bristol and suffered to 

 decay. The French ship was equally unfortunate, having been acci- 

 dentally destroyed by tire at Havre. Henry VIII. exerted himself, 

 however, to place the maritime force of the nation in a train for 

 improved, for which purpose he organised the Admiralty and 

 Boards, and formed ,' dockyards at Deptford, Woolwich, and Ports- 

 mouth. [NAVY, BRITISH. | 



During the reigns of Edward VI. and Elizabeth the royal navy 

 became very powerful, and at the death of the queen it consisted of 

 42 ships of war. In the time of James I. was built (1610) a ship 

 called the Prince, carrying 64 guns, and of 1400 tons burden, being the 

 largest which had been till then constructed. And before the civil war 

 broke out, Charles I. caused to be built one called the Sovereign of the 

 Seas, which carried above 106 guns, small and great ; her length was 

 128 feet, and her breadth 48 feet. 



The ships of that age, foreign as well as English, were constructed 

 with hulls extravagantly high, while the lower guns were frequently 

 not more than three feet above the water ; they were consequently 

 very liable to ship seas at the lower ports during an action, when the 

 waves ran high, or the ship heeled considerably. But the rivalry 

 between England and the United Provinces in the 1/th century, and 

 the desire which Louis XIV. entertained to raise the navy of France to 

 an equality with those of his neighbours, led to the construction of 

 ships capable of carrying artillery of much greater calibre than had 

 before been used at sea. The French king actually caused to be built 

 at Toulon a ship called the Hoyal Louis, which carried 12-, 24-. and 

 48-pounders on its upper, middle, and lower decks respectively. In the 

 same age, and during the 18th century, naval architecture was zealously 

 studied in France ; and the English constructors were so sensible of 

 their inferiority, that in most of the ships built in England at thal< 

 time the proportions were copied from those of ships which had been 

 taken in action from the rival nation. Thus the Leviathan was built 

 at Chatham nearly in conformity to the Courageux, a French 74-gun 

 ship ; and several others according to the construction of the Invin- 

 cible, which had been taken by Lord Anson during the Seven Years' 

 War. 



During the 17th century the custom continued of giving to the 

 sterns a great elevation above the surface of the water, and of loading 

 that part, as well as the bows, with ornaments. The sterns of ph 

 war were, till about forty-five years since, made, at their junctions 

 with the sides, of an angular form, or, as they were called, squar< 

 before 1729 they had projecting galleries or balconies extending across 

 them, and to some distance along each after-quarter of the ship. The 

 galleries were afterwards much diminished in breadth ; but it was not 

 till 1796 that, by the influence of Lord Spencer, who was then the first 

 lord of the Admiralty, these, as well as the great projecting heads, 

 were entirely omitted in the construction of ships. In 1 816 Sir Robert 

 Seppings* proposed to make the sterns curvilinear like the bows, but 

 more flat ; and by the adoption of his plan there was gained coin-id. T- 

 able strength, such a form enabling the ship to resist with great 

 the force of a sea in striking the stern, and that of shot when fired 

 against it. With respect also to the means of defence at the stern and 

 quarters of a ship, it may be observed that the curvilinear stern has 

 greatly the advantage over those of an angular construction, there 

 being in ,Uie angular an interval opposite each quarter of the ship 

 towards which none of the after-guns can be brought to bear, while 

 such interval does not exist in the curvilinear. In a ship with a curvi- 

 linear stern, the ports may be disposed so as to allow guns to fire in any 

 direction diverging from a centre within the ship ; and at the same 

 time the after broadside guns may be trained so as to fire obliquely 

 towards the fore or after part of the ship. Thus there will beallordi-d 

 several intervals opposite the stern and quarters, within which the 

 lines of fire may cross each other ; and consequently the defence will 

 be as powerful about the stern as at any other part of the ship. It 

 may be added that when the guns in a square stern are trained at 

 their greatest degree of obliquity to the sides -of the ships, their 



