270 



ARMIN1U3 ARMS. 



ARMIXIPS, or HKHMAXN, James, founder of the sect 

 of Arininiansor Kcmoiisirani-., \\;,N l>orn atOudcwiiter, 

 in Holland, 1560. Hi- studied at I'lrcrht and in the 

 university of Leyden. Here he obtained so niiicli 

 reputation, that the magistrates of Amsterdam sent 

 him, at the public expense, to finish his studies at 

 Geneva, where his chief preceptor in theology was 

 Theodore Heza. Adopting, in philosophy, the new 

 doctrines of Peter Ramus,1ie privately taught UK in ; 

 which innovation gave so much offence, that he was 

 obliged to quit Geneva. Anxious to attend the cele- 

 brated lectures at I'adua, he next visited Italy. Dis- 

 tinguished by his zeal for the reformed religion, and 

 talents as a preacher, he was chosen to undertake 

 the refutation of a work written against Beat's doc- 

 trine of predestination ; but he happened to be con- 

 verted by the work which he had undertaken to re- 

 fute. He honestly avowed his change of opinion, 

 nnd, renouncing the Calvinistic doctrine concerning 

 the decrees of God and divine grace, maintained that 

 the merits of Christ extended to all mankind, and 

 Unit the grace necessary to salvation is attainable by 

 every one. Elected professor of divinity at Leyden, 

 lie openly declared his opinions, which rapidly spread 

 both among the clergy and laity. The adherents to 

 the Calvinistic system, however, caused him much 

 vexation. He was several times summoned to the 

 Hague, to give an account of his doctrines ; and his 

 soileague, Gomarus, was among the most violent of 

 !iis enemies. These contests, with the continual 

 attacks on his reputation, at length impaired his 

 health, and brought on a complicated disease, of 

 which he died in 1 dO9. Arminius was candid, ami- 

 able, sincere and possessed of great integrity. He 

 was a friend to universal toleration, maintaining that 

 Christians are accountable to God alone for their re- 

 ligious sentiments. His followers included some of 

 the first men in Holland, as Barne veldt, Hoogerbeets, 

 and Grotius. The Arminians still remain a distinct 

 sect in Holland, and, from the time of Laud, have 

 been the predominant party in the church of Eng- 

 land. Editions of the whole writings of this divine 

 were published in one volume, 4to., Leyden, 1029; 

 Frankfort, 16311634 ; and often afterwards. The 

 principal piece in this collection is entitled Disserta- 

 tiones de Diversis Christianas Religionis Capitibus. 

 See Arminians. 



ARMORICA ; the ancient name of the whole northern 

 and western coast of Gaul, from the Pyrenees to the 

 Rhine ; under which name it was known even in 

 Caesar's time. The word is said to lie of Bas-Breton 

 origin, and to signify maritime. 



ARMOUR ; a defensive habit, employed to cover and 

 protect the body from the attacks of an enemy. A 

 complete suit of armour was composed of the casque 

 or helmet, gorget, cuirass, gauntlet, tasses, brassets, 

 cuisses, and covers for the legs, to which the spurs 

 were attached. This furniture was denominated ar- 

 mour cap a pie, or from head to foot, and was used 

 by the cavaliers and men-at-arms. The infantry had 

 only part of it, viz., a pot or head piece, a cuirass, 

 and tasses, but all light. The horses themselves had 

 armour, wherewith to cover the head and neck. 

 Defensive armour, is, in modern warfare, laid aside, 

 with the exception of the cuirass, which was worn by 

 Bonaparte's Imperial Guard at Waterloo, but without 

 much advantage. See Arms. 



ARMOCR, COAT OF, signifies the escutcheon of any 

 person or family, with its several charges, and other 

 furniture ; as, mantling, crest, supporters, motto, &c. 

 Thus the phrase a gentleman of coat-armour means 

 one who bears anus. 



ARMS.' Man has not, like many animals, received 

 from nature any member intended particularly as a 

 weapon. He is obliged to use artificial means to in- 



n-case his strength, when hf allacks, ;;s well as to 

 screen liis body, which nature has left unprotected. 

 Anns were, therefore, an early invention ; perhaps, 

 in the first instance, as a means of defence ag-iinst 

 animals. They were soon used, however, for the pur- 

 pose of conflict between man and man. The first and 

 most natural of all arms, are the club and the sling. 

 Every one naturally uses missiles as means of offence, 

 and the sling adds force to the cast. In the history 

 of the arms of all nations, we find, invariably, that 

 man, beginning with the menus of injury in the close 

 struggle, endeavours continually to invent, weapons 

 which shall take effect from greater and greater distan< 

 res. In consequence of the progress made in this way, 

 dexterity always takes, at last, the place of coin-aye. 

 Nature has given to man only one weapon, in a 

 limited sense of the word, the arm, used in boxing, 

 and this can be made truly a weapon only by the 

 dexterity acquired by long training. The art of 

 boxing, moreover, is of use only against men. Within 

 its sphere, indeed, it is very effectual. As soon as 

 men learned the use of the metals, they worked them 

 into pikes, spears, lances, and soon afterwards into 

 swords and armour. Of this last, part only was at 

 first made of metal, but the proportion went on in- 

 creasing, till at last a complete suit of iron came into 

 use. The first improvement on the sling and the 

 bow was the cross bow. Still later came the large 

 engines employed by the ancients, and called cnln- 

 prdta, balista, &c. These would produce effect at 

 the distance of a 1000 feet. But the discovery of 

 gunpowder changed the character of anus. Objects 

 0000 paces distant could now be reached, and obsta- 

 cles overthrown with ease, which formerly cost the 

 labour of years. By the invention of steam guns, 

 still more may be accomplished in future. The in- 

 ventor, Mr Perkins, an American of great mechani- 

 cal talent, has not, however, yet been able so far to 

 perfect the machine, iis to qualify it to take the place. 

 of fire-arms. Arms may l>e divided into offensive 

 and defensive ; the first kind, again, into, 1, arms 

 for cutting, e. g., the sabre ; 2, for thrusting, e. g., 

 the straight sword, the small sword, the bayonet, pike, 

 lance, &c. ; 3, arms for throwing, e. g., the mortar, 

 howitzer, c. ; 4, arms for shooting, e. g., pistols, 

 carabines, rifles, guns, cannons. It must be ob- 

 served, that arms for thrusting are much more in- 

 jurious, and therefore better, than those for cutting ; 

 but they require infinitely more skill, and cannot, 

 therefore, be used so much in armies as they other- 

 wise would be. Man is protected by nature much 

 more against a downward blow, by the strong bones 

 of the skull and the shoulder, than against a thrust, 

 to which the more vulnerable parts of the belly and 

 the breast are exposed. So great is the difference in 

 this respect, that a downward blow with the fist 

 hardly ever injures seriously, while the thrust of a 

 boxer is highly dangerous. II. Defensive amis in- 

 clude all those which are properly so called, cuirasses, 

 helmets, &c., and also the parts of fortifications which 

 are intended particularly to protect the body. The 

 more important arms are treated of under the proper 

 heads. Some writers make a distinction between 

 armed men (infantry and cavalry), and manned arms 

 (artillery). The history of war includes also that of 

 arms. French and German military writers apply 

 the word arms to the different species of troops, and 

 speak of the three arms, i. e. cavalry, infantry, and 

 artillery. Some writers use bayonet for infantry, as 

 horse is used for cavalry, and say, The army con- 

 sisted of 1 2,000 bayonets and 2000 horse. To readers 

 desirous of becoming acquainted with the armour of 

 the ancients, and that used in the middle ages, we 

 recommend the splendid work, Critical Inquiry into 

 Ancient Armour, fyc.,with a Glossary for the Kamts 



