PRE I 



war. It is the prerogative of the House 

 of Peers to decide legal questions, after 

 the decisions of the courts of law have 

 been appealed against, &c., &c. 



PREROGATIVE COURT. In law, a court 

 established for the trial of testamentary 

 causes, when the deceased has left goods 

 within two different dioceses, in which 

 the probate of wills belongs, by special 

 prerogative, to the archbishop of the pro- 

 vince. 



PRESBY'OPIA, from ;r<ruj, old, and 

 4r$/, the eye. A defect of sight common 

 to old men, by which objects near the 

 eyes are seen confusedly, but at remoter 

 distances distinctly. 



PRES'E YTER , jT^yjSuTt^oi , from jrj<r/3uf , 

 old, elder. An elder; a person in the 

 primitive church, somewhat advanced in 

 age, who had authority in the church, 

 and whose duty was to feed the flock over 

 -which the Holy Spirit had made him 

 overseer. 



PRESBYTE'RIAN. 1. Relating to ecclesias- 

 tical government by presbyters. Thus 

 the government of the Church of Scot- 

 land is presbyterian. 2. One who be- 

 lieves in the validity by ordination and 

 government by presbyters. 



PRES'BYTERY. An ecclesiastical ju'dica- 

 tory, consisting of all the pastors of 

 churches within a certain district, and 

 one ruling elder (presbyter) from each 

 parish, commissioned to represent the 

 parish in conjunction with the minister. 

 This body receives appeals from the kirk- 

 sessions, and appeals lie from it to the 



synod. 2. In architecture, a portion of 



the choir of a church, fitted with seats 

 for the dignitaries of the Establishment. 



PRESCRIPTION. In law, claim of title 

 authorized by immemorial usage : custom 

 continued till it has the force of law (in 

 Scotland 40 years). Title to lands, roads, 

 &c., may be obtained by prescription : 

 and a right may similarly be lost or pre- 

 scribed by neglecting to use it. The first 

 is positive, and the other negative, pre- 

 scription. 



PRES'ENT TENSE. In grammar, that 

 form of a verb which expresses action or 

 being in the present time ; as, I am 

 writing. See TENSE. 



PRESENTATION. In ecclesiastical law, 

 the act of offering (presenting) a clerk to 

 the bishop or ordinary for institution in 

 a benefice. An advowson is the right of 

 presen tat ion. 



PHESEXT'MENT. In law, the notice 

 taken by a grand jury of any offence from 

 their own knowledge or observation, 

 without any bill of indictment laid before 

 them at the suit of the queen, and on 

 which the officer of the court must after- 

 wards frame an indictment before the 

 party presented can be put to answer it. 



8 PRB 



2. The official notice in court which 



the jury gives of the surrender of a copy- 

 hold estate. 3. In a more general sense 



presentment comprehends inquisitions of 

 office and indictments. 



PRESENTS. In law, is used for a deed of 

 conveyance, a lease or other written in- 

 strument, as in the phrase " Know all 

 men by these presents," i.e., the writing 

 itself, per presenter. 



PRESERVE'. 1. Fruit or other vegetable 

 seasoned and kept (preserved') in sugar or 



sirup. 2. An inclosure on grounds for 



the preservation of game, 



PRE'SIDENT, from pressidens. An officer 

 elected to preside over a corporation or 

 company of men to keep order, manage 

 their affairs, or govern their proceedings. 

 Also an officer appointed or elected to go- 

 vern a province, or to administer the go- 

 vernment of a nation. In the United 

 States of America the president is the 

 chief executive magistrate. A Lice-presi- 

 dent is one who is second in authority 

 to the president. 



PRESS, Fr. presse. A machine by which 

 something is to be compressed, crushed, or 

 squeezed, as a packing-press for forcing 

 goods into a more compact form ; a cane- 

 press (usually a cane-mill) for crushing 

 the sugar-canes to obtain the sugar-juice ; 

 a cider-press for squeezing the juice out of 

 apples, &c. The common sorts are 

 screw, lever, and hydrostatic presses ; 

 but as the combinations of all the mechani- 

 cal agents (reducible indeed to inclined 

 plane and lever) are almost illimit- 

 able, there may be presses made of an 

 almost infinite variety of forms. In 

 yrinting various kinds of presses are used 

 see PRINTING-PRESS) ; and the art and 

 business of printing, and the publications 

 which are issued by means of printing, 

 are all comprehended in the unqualified 

 term " The Press." Hence we speak of 

 the liberty of the press, the licentiousness of 

 the press, &c. &c. 



PRESS-GANG, from press and gang. A 

 detachment of seamen under the com- 

 mand of an officer empowered to impress 

 men into the naval service. 



PRESSIROS'TILES, from pressus and ros- 

 trum, a bill. A family of birds of the or* 

 der Grallatoriee, Cuv., Grallee. Lin., com- 

 prising genera with very long legs, 

 without a thumb, or in which the thumb 

 s too short to reach the ground, and a 

 moderate bill, strong enough to penetrate 

 the ground in search of worms. The bus- 

 tards, plovers, and lapwings are examples. 



PRESS-WORK. In printing, the opera- 

 tion of taking impressions from the types. 



PKESTA'TION-MONET. A sum of money 

 paid yearly by archdeacons and other 

 dignitaries to their bishop, pro crtericrt 

 'sdictione. 

 RES'TIMONY, from preesto, to supply 



