CHI 



CHI 



pericarp two-celled. There are ten spe- 

 cies, mostly natives of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. 



CHISSEL, an instrument much used 

 in carpentry, masonry, joinery, sculpture, 

 &.C. and distinguished, according to the 

 breadth of the blade, into half-inch chis- 

 sels, quarter-inch chresels, &c. They 

 have also different names, according to 

 the different uses to which they are ap- 

 plied, as, 1. The former, used by carpen- 

 ters, &c. just after the work is scribed : 

 it is struck with a mallet. 2. The paring- 

 chissel, which is used in paring off the 

 irregularities made by the former : this 

 is pressed with the workman's shoulder. 



3. The skew-former cleanses acute an- 

 gles with the point of its narrow edge. 



4. The mortice-chissel, used in cutting 

 deep square holes in the wood, for mor- 

 tices : it is narrow, but thick and strong, 

 to endure hard blows. 5. Socket chissels, 

 having their shank made with a hollow 

 socket at top, to receive a strong wooden 

 sprig fitted into it with a shoulder. 6. 

 Ripping chissel, having a blunt edge, 

 with no basil, used in tearing two pieces 

 of wood asunder. And 7. The gouge. 



CHITON, in natural history, a genus 

 of Vermes Testacea. Animal inhabiting 

 the shell a doris : shell consisting of se- 

 veral segments or valves disposed down 

 the back. There are 28 species. They 

 differ very much in colour, and are found 

 on almost every coast in the ocean. C. 

 tuberculatus : shell seven-valved ; body 

 taberculate ; inhabits America ; oblong- 

 oval, narrow, with tubercles above dis- 

 posed in quincunx ; the sides cinereous, 

 mixed with white, and marked with 

 brown undulate bands; back greenish, 

 with a broad, deep, black band. C. cine- 

 reus : shell eight valved, smooth, cari- 

 nate ; body reddish, with a subciliate 

 border ; inhabits the Norwegian seas 

 among the roots of ulvae ; two lines long ; 

 depressed and narrower before, with 

 two longitudinal grooves down the back, 

 bounding the ridge in the middle ; when 

 alive both the shell and animal are reddish, 

 when dried cinereous. 



CHIVALRY, iu law, is a tenure of ser- 

 vice, whereby the tenant is bound to per- 

 form some noble or military office to his 

 lord; and is either regal, when held only 

 of the king; or common, such as may be 

 held of a common person, as well as the 

 king : the former is properly called ser- 

 jeanty, and the latter escuage. 



CHIVALRY, in antiquity, an institution, 



which, according to some writers, took 



; se from the crusades ; but, according 



to others, it gave occasion to that enter- 

 prise, and which, though founded in ca- 

 price, and productive of extravagance, 

 had a very considerable influence in refin- 

 ing the manners of the European nations, 

 during the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, 

 and fifteenth centuries. 



This institution naturally arose, says 

 Dr. Robertson, from the state of society 

 at that period. The feudal state was a 

 state of perpetual war, rapine, and anar- 

 chy ; during which the weak and unarm- 

 ed were exposed to perpetual insults or 

 injuries. The power of the sovereign 

 was too limited to prevent these wrongs ; 

 and the administration of justice too 

 feeble to redress them. Against vio- 

 lence and oppression there was scarcely 

 any protection, besides that which the 

 valour and generosity of private persons 

 afforded. The same spirit of enterprise, 

 which had prompted so many gentlemen 

 to take arms in defence of the oppressed 

 pilgrims in Palestine, incited others to de- 

 clare themselves the patrons and aveng- 

 ers of injured innocence at home. When 

 the final reduction of the Holy Land un- 

 der the dominion of infidels put an end to 

 these foreign expeditions, the latter was 

 the only employment left for the activity 

 and courage of adventurers. The objects 

 of this institution were, to check the in- 

 solence of overgrown oppressors, to suc- 

 cour the distressed, to rescue the helpless 

 from captivity, to protect or to avenge 

 women, orphans, and ecclesiastics, who 

 could not bear arms in their own defence, 

 to redress wrongs and to remove griev- 

 ances. These were considered as acts 

 of the highest prowess and merit. Va- 

 lour, gallantry, and religion, were blended 

 in this institution ; humanity, courtesy, 

 justice, and honour, were its character- 

 istic qualities ; the enthusiastic zeal pro- 

 duced by religion served to give it singu- 

 lar energy, and to carry it even to a 

 romantic excess : men were trained to 

 knighthood by long previous discipline ; 

 they were admitted into the order by so- 

 lemnities no less devout than pompous ; 

 every person of noble birth courted the 

 honour ; it was deemed a distinction su- 

 perior to royalty ; and monarchs were 

 found to receive it from the hands of pri- 

 vate gentlemen. These various circum- 

 stances contributed to render a whimsi- 

 cal institution of substantial benefit to 

 mankind. 



Chivalry was employed in rescuing 

 humble and faithful vassals from the op- 

 pression of petty lords ; their women 

 from savage lust ; and the hoary heads of 



