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BOY 



surpassed all others in magnitude, were 

 made of the palm-tree. 



Though it does not appear that the Ro- 

 mans made use of bows in the infancy of 

 their republic, yet they afterwards admit- 

 ted them as hostile weapons, and em- 

 ployed auxiliary arcliers in all their wars. 



In drawing the bow, the primitive Gre- 

 cians did not pull back their hand to- 

 wards their right ear, according to the 

 fashion of modern ages, and of the an- 

 cient Persians, but, placing their bow di- 

 rectly before them, returned thir hand 

 upon their right breast. This was also 

 the custom of the Amazons. 



The bow is aweapon of offence amongst 

 the inhabitants of Asia, Africa, and Ame- 

 rica, at this day ; and in Europe, before 

 the invention of fire arms, a part of the 

 infantry were armed with bows. 



Lewis XI. first abolished the use of 

 them in France, introducing, in their 

 place, the halbard, pike, and broad sword. 

 The long bow was formerly in great 

 vogue in England, and many laws were 

 made to encourage the use of it. The 

 parliament under Henry VIII. complain- 

 ed of the disuse of long bows, hereto- 

 fore the safeguard and defence of this 

 kingdom, and the dread and terror of its 

 enemies. 



Bow, in music, an instrument, which, 

 being drawn over the strings of a musical 

 instrument, makes it resound. It is com- 

 posed of a small stick, to which are fas- 

 tened eighty or an hundred horse hairs, 

 and a screw, which serves to give these 

 hairs the proper tension. In order that 

 the bow may touch the strings briskly, it 

 is usual to rub the hairs with rosin.. The 

 bow of the violin is now about 28 inches 

 long. 



Bow, among artificers, an instrument, 

 so called from its figure, in use among 

 gun-smiths, lock-smiths, watch-makers, 

 &c. for making a drill go. Among turn- 

 ers, it is the name of that pole fixed to 

 the ceiling, to which they fasten the cord 

 that whirl's round the piece to be turn- 

 ed. 



Bow of a ship, that part of her head, 

 which is contained between the stern and 

 the after-part of the fore-castle on either 

 side : so that a ship hath two bows, the 

 starboard and the larboard, or, as they 

 are sometimes called, the weather and 

 the lee bow. 



BOWLING, the art of playing at bowls. 

 The first thing to be observed in bowling 

 is, the right choosing your bowl, which 

 must be suitable to the ground you de- 

 sign to run on. Thus, for close alleys, 

 tlie flat bowl is the best; for open 



grounds of advantage, the round byassed 

 bowl; and for plain and level swards, 

 the bowl that is as round as a ball. The 

 next is to choose your ground : and lastly, 

 to distinguish the risings, fallings, and 

 advantages of the places where you bowl. 

 BOWLING, BOW-LINE, in a ship, a rope 

 made fast to the leech or middle part of 

 the outside of the sail : it is fastened by 

 two, three or four ropes, like a crow's 

 foot, to as many parts of the sail; only 

 the mizen bowling is fastened to the low- 

 er end of the yard. This rope belongs 

 to all sails, except the sprit-sail and sprit- 

 top-sails. The use of the bowling is to 

 make the sails stand sharp or close, or by 

 a wind. 



" Sharp the bowling," is hale it taught, 

 or pull it hard. " Hale up the bowling," 

 that is, pull itharderforward on. "Check 

 or ease, or run up the bowling," that is, 

 let it be more slack. 



BOWSE, in the sea-language, signifies 

 as much as to hale or pull. Thus bowsing 

 upon a tack, is haling upon a tack. 

 Bowse away,that is, pull away altogether. 



BOWSPRIT, or BOLTSPIUT, a kind of 

 mast resting slopewise on the head of 

 the main stem, and having its lower end 

 fastened to the partners of the fore-mast, 

 and farther supported by the fore-stay. 

 It carries the sprit-sail, sprit-top-sail, and 

 jack-staff', and its length is usually the 

 same with that of the fore-mast. 



BOWYERS, artificers, whose employ- 

 ment or occupation it is to make bows. 

 There is a company of bowers in the 

 city of London, first incorporated in 1623. 



BOX. See Buxus. 



The turner, engraver, carver, mathe- 

 matical instrument, comb, and pipe mak- 

 ers, give a great price for this wood by 

 weight, as well as by measure. It makes 

 wheels or shivers, pins for blocks and 

 pullies, pegs for musical instruments, 

 nut-crackers, weavers' shuttles, collar- 

 sticks, bump-sticks and dressers for shoe- 

 makers, rulers, rolling-pins, pestles, mall- 

 balls, beetles, tops, tallies, chess-men, 

 screws, bobbins, cups, spoons, and the 

 strongest of all axle-trees. 



The box-tree formerly grew in great 

 plenty near Dorking, in Surry, but only a 

 few of the large trees are now left. Box- 

 wood is chiefly imported from the Levant, 

 sometimes from Spain. 



BOYAU, in fortification, a ditch cover- 

 ed with a parapet, which serves as a com- 

 munication between two trenches. It 

 runs parallel to the works of the body of 

 the place, and serves as a line of contra- 

 vallation, not only to hinder the sallies 

 of the besieged, but also to secure the 



