FIC J 



toe humblest of his followers, who could 

 not only enjoy but dispose of their ter- 

 ritory as they pleased, the possessor being, 

 by his occup'ancy, bound for military ser- 

 vice, as was his predecessor. According 

 to the Doomsday-book, England was 

 divided by William the Conqueror into 

 60,215 military fiefs, some of which he 

 kept to himself, and divided the rest 

 among his Norman followers, on condi- 

 tion of their appearing in the field when he 

 should raise his standard of war. See FEE. 



FEU'DATORY. In law, one who holds in 

 chief, but by some conditional tenure. 



FEC'DOTY. In Scots law, the annual 

 duty which a vassal, by the tenor of his 

 right, becomes bound to pay to his supe- 

 rior : hence the tenure of feu-holding. 



FE'VER, a general name for diseases in 

 which the temperature of the surface of 

 the body is preternaturally high, and the 

 pulse quick : it is sometimes continued 

 and sometimes intermittent. There are 

 many species, but typhus is most feared. 



FIARS, prou.feears; the price of grain, 

 as fixed, in the counties of Scotland, by 

 the respective sheriffs and a jury. 



FI'AT, a Latin word meaning "let it be 

 done." In law, a short order or warrant 

 signed by a judge for making out and 

 allowing certain processes. In medicine 

 (see F). In bankruptcy, a. commission sued 

 out by creditors, when a trader fails. 



FIB'KIL, ~Lat.fibrilla, dim. of fibra ; a 

 small fibre ; applied to the little roots of 

 plants which are given off. 



FI'BRINE, a solid, white, flexible, slightly 

 elastic, insipid, and inodorous substance, 

 denser than water, but containing 4-5ths 

 of its weight of it ; it constitutes the prin- 

 cipal part of animal muscle : it exists in 

 the chyle, the blood, and may be regarded 

 as the most abundant constituent of ani- 

 mal bodies. It may be obtained pure by 

 agitating newly drawn blood with a bun- 

 dle of twigs, and washing in cold water 

 the long reddish filaments which adhere 

 to them : the fibrine is thus washed from 

 the colouring matter of the blood, and 

 may be freed from any adhering grease 

 by digestion in alcohol. 



FIB'VLA. (Lat.), a clasp or brace ; a long 

 bone of the leg, so named on account of 

 its connecting and giving firmness to 

 the other parts. It is situated on the 

 outerside of the tibia, and its lower end 

 forms the lower ankle. 



FIC'TION. In law, a supposition that a 

 thing is true, without inquiring whether 

 t is or not, so that it may have the effect 

 of truth, as far as is consistent with equity. 



Fin'-roR (Lat.), a potter or modeller who 

 fabricates images, &c., with terra cotta, 

 clay, and similar substances. 



Iic'cs, the fig-tree; a genus of many 

 peats, Polygamia~-Triaicia. "Warm cli- 



8 PIP 



FIDD, In navigation (1.) a pin tapering 

 and sharp at one end, used to splice ropes ; 

 (2.) the pin in the heel of the top -mast. 



FID'EI COMMIS'SUM. In Roman law, a 

 species of testamentary disposition, re- 

 cognised by the Roman law, by which a 

 testator charged his heir to deliver over 

 to a specified person the whole or part 

 of the goods which he inherited. 



FIDE JUS'SOR. In law, one who engages 

 to pay the debt of another in case of fail- 

 ure : called in England a guaranter. 



FI'EF. See FEUDAL SYSTEM. 



FIELD. In heraldry, the whole surface 

 of the shield : the ground on which the 

 colour, bearings, metals, &c., are repre- 

 sented. In agriculture, a portion of land 

 inclosed by a fence. The field of view in 

 a telescope or microscope, is the space 

 within which the objects are visible when 

 the instrument is adjusted. 



FIELD'BOOK. In surveying, the book in 

 which the angles, distances, stations, &c., 

 are set down. 



FIELD'COLOURS, small flags, carried along 

 with the quartermaster-general, in mark- 

 ing out the ground for the squadrons and 

 battalions. 



FIELD'.MARSHAL, the highest military 

 officer in England. 



FIELD'OFFK ER, a military officer above 

 the rank of a captain, as a major or 

 colonel. 



FIELD'PIECES. small cannons, from 3 to 

 12 pounders, carried along with an army. 



FIELD'STAFF, a weapon, carried by the 

 gunners, about the length of a halbert, 

 with a spear at the end, and having on 

 each side ears screwed on, like the cock of 

 a matchlock, into which bombardiers 

 screw lighted matches when they are 

 upon command ; the field-staff is then said 

 to be armed. 



FIELD '-WORKS, in fortification, are those 

 thrown up by an army in besieging a for- 

 tress, or, by the besieged, to defend the 

 place ; or by an army, to strengthen a 

 position. 



FI'ERI FA'CIAS, a judicial writ for him 

 who has recovered in an action of debt or 

 damages, to the sheriff, commanding him 

 to levy the same. 



FIFTEENTH, an ancient tribute or tax. 

 laid upon cities, boroughs, &c. through 

 all England, and so termed because it 

 amounted to a fifteenth part of what each 

 city or town had been valued at; or it 

 was a fifteenth of every man's personal 

 estate. In music, an interval of two oc- 

 taves ; also a stop on an organ, a double 

 octave above the diapason. 



FIFTH. In music, a distance comprising 

 four diatonic intervals, i. e. three tones 

 and a half. 



PiFTH-Mox'ARCHY-MEx.a fanatical sect, 

 who formed a principal support ol Crom- 

 well during tne protectorate. 



