ASS 



ASS 



yearof our Lord Sq'; ; and therefore the continuation to the 

 king's death miifl l:.ivc been fiipphed by Liter authors. This 

 work has been afcribed by Hcurne to the archbl(hop Af- 

 fcriiis. Another work, under the- title of " AfTerius's An- 

 rak," has been afcribed to him, and was publilhed by Dr. 

 Gale in !iis " Decern Scriptores, &c." at Oxford, in 1691, 

 foho ; but it has been doubted whether the name of Afl'er 

 has not been prefixed to an anonymous coUeiElion of unquef- 

 tionable authenticity, though the real autlior was not cer- 

 tainly known. Thefe " Annals," it has been alleged, ex- 

 tend to the year 914, whereas AlTer died in 909, and there 

 is no trace of any appendix to tlic work. Dr. Gale af- 

 cribes it to Affer, and his notion is favoured by its infilling 

 chiefly upon the fortunes of king Alfred. Aflerius has the 

 reputation of a faithful hiftorian. Some other works have 

 been afcribed to him ; and fomc have faiJ that he was the 

 trandator of " Boethius de Confolatione," and not king 

 Alfred, commonly reputed as fuch. AfTer died, according 

 to Godwin and Hearne, in S83 ; but accordintj to Du-Pin, 

 Cave, Olcarius, and Oudin, in 909. Cave's H. L. vol. ii. 

 p. 66. Gen. Did. 



ASSERA, in Geography, a town of European Turkey, 

 in Macedonia, upon the river Vera, near Salonichi. 



ASSERAC, among the Turku See Assis. 



ASSERADOE.S, in Ceo^inphy, a fmall ifland near the 

 weft coaft of North America, at the mouth of the bay Re- 

 alejo, in the province of Nicaragua. 



ASSERIDA, in Botany, a name given by the people of 

 Guinea to a kind of (lirub, the leaves of which being 

 chewed are a cure for the colic, to which that people are 

 very fubjea. Phil. Tranf. N'' 232. 



ASSERIGO, in Geography, a town of Italy, in the 

 kingdom of Naples and province of Abruzzo ultra, feven 

 miles north-eaft of Aquila. 



ASSERTION, in the Language of the Schools, a pro- 

 polition which a perfon advances, and wliich he avows to be 

 true, and is ready to maintain in public. 



ASSES, Order of, Afimrum Ordo, in Ecdefiajllcal H'lf- 

 tory, a denomination given to the Mathurins or Trinitarians, 

 becaufe they were anciently obliged, in travelling, to lidc on 

 afles, not horfes. This obligation was let afide by a new rule 

 given the order by pope Clement, in 1267. Dii-Cange. 



ASSES, in Geography, a people of Africa, in Guinea, 

 on the Gold Coaft, in the interior part of the counti-y, to 

 the weft of Rio de Volta. 



ASSESSMENTS, in Laiu, denote taxes levied on the 

 inhabitants of a parifli or dillritl for fome fpecial purpofe, 

 or on thofe of the country for tiie fupport of government. 

 The term ajjefs is derived by Johnfon from the Italian ajfef- 

 tare, to malve an equilibrium or balance, and fignifying to 

 charge with a certain fum. In the beginning of the civil 

 wars between Charles I. and his parliament, the latter liav- 

 mg no other fulTicient revenue to fupport thenifelves and 

 their meafures, introduced the pradtice of laying weekly 

 and monthly afteiTments of a fpccific fum upon the feveral 

 ■ counties of the kingdom, to be levied by a pound rate on 

 lands and perfonal eftates ; which were occalionally conti- 

 nued during the whole ufurpation, fometimes at the rate of 

 1 20,000 1. a month, fometimes at inferior rates. After the 

 reftoration, the ancient method of granting fubfidies, inftead 

 of fuch monthly afTeffments, was twice, and twice only, re- 

 newed ; vrz. in 1663, when four fubfidies were granted by 

 the temporalty, and four by the clergy ; and in 1670, when 

 800,000 1. was raifed by way of fuhfidy, which was the 

 laft time of raifing fupplies in that way. For, the monthly 

 afieCfments being now eftablilhed by cuftom, being raifed by 

 eucuoifiioners named by parliament, and producing a more 



certain revenue ; from that time forwards we hear no more 

 of fubfidies, but occafional afftirments were granted as the 

 national emergencies required. 'J"l\efe periodical affeffments, 

 the fubfidies which preceded them, and the more ancient 

 fcutago, hydage, and talliage, were to all_ intents and* pur- 

 pofes a land-tax ; and the afleffments were fometimes ex- 

 prefsly fo called. Sec I^and-tax, and Subsidy. 



AssissMENT, in a Military Setijl; fignifies a certain rate 

 which is paid by the county-trcafurer to the receiver-general 

 of the land-tax, to indemnify any place for not having 

 raifed the militia ; which fum is to be paid by the receiver- 

 general into the exchequer. The fum to be anifl' d is four 

 pounds for each man, where no annual certificate of the ftatc 

 of the militia has been tranfmittcd to the clerk of the peace : 

 if not paid before Jiuie yeai-ly, it may be levied on the pa- 

 rilh oflieers. Such alfednient, where there is no county 

 rate, is to be raifed in the fame manner with the poor's rate. 



ASSESSOR, formed of ij^/, /o, and /('(/fo, /Jit, an infe- 

 rior or fubordinate officer of jullice, chiefly appointed to 

 affift tlie ordinary judge with his opinion and advice. In 

 this fenfc, the mafters in chancery aiv afiefibrs of the lord 

 chancellor. There arc two kind:; of afleflors in the imperial 

 chamber, ordinary and extraordinary. — The ordinary are 

 now in number forty-one, whereof five are elected by the 

 emperor, viz. three counts or barons, and two jurij'conj'tdti, 

 or civil lawyers. Tlie cleiSors appoint ten, the fix circles 

 eighteen, &c. They ai!:t in quality of counfellors of the 

 chamber, and have falaries accordingly. 



Assessor is alio ufed for a perfon who affeires or lays 

 afTefTments of taxes and other public duties. 



In this feufe, afteffors, among its, arc inhabitants of a 

 town or village elefted by the community to alTefs or fettle 

 the taxes and other impofitions of the year, to fix the pro-t 

 portion which each perfon is to bear, according to his 

 eltate, and to fee the coUetfion made. Thefe are alfo called 

 in our law ajjij'ores. By the flat. 16 & 17 Car. II. two in- 

 habitants in every parifh were made affcfrors for the royal aid. 



ASSESUS, in Ancient Geography, a town of the Mi- 

 lefians, in which was a temple of Minerva Aflefieufis, 

 which was burned by the flames which were driven thither 

 by the wind. Herodot. 1. i. c. 19. 



ASSETS (Fr. (T^a, i.e./atis, enough), in /,<7w, fignify 

 goods enough to dilcharge that burden which is caft upon 

 the executor or heir, in latisfying the debts and legacies of 

 the teftator or anceftor. ^ro. ih. Ajfets. Afiets are real or 

 perfonal ; where a man hath lands in fee-fimple, and dies 

 feiied thereof, the lands which come to his heir are aflets 

 real ; and where he dies poffelfrd of any perfonal eftate, the 

 goods which come to the executor are zSeti perfonal. Afftts 

 are alfo divided into affets per defcent, and affets inter maines : 

 afiets by defcent is where a perfon is bound in an obligation, 

 and dies feifed of lands which defcend to the heir, the land 

 fiiall be aflets, and the heir (hall be charged as far as the 

 land to him defcended will extend : affets inter niaincs h 

 when a man indebted makes executors, and leaves them fuf- 

 ficient to pay his debts and legacies ; or where fome com- , 

 modity or profit arifcth to them in right of the teftator, 

 which are called aflets in their hands. Terms de Ley, 56, 57. 



As to aflets by defcent, it is to be obferved, that by the 

 common law, if the heir had fold or aliened the lands which 

 were aflets before the obligation of his anceftor was put in 

 fuit, he was to be difcharged, and the debt was loft ; but by 

 ftat. 3 W. & M. c. 14. made perpetual by 6 Will. III. c. 14. 

 the heir is made liable to the value of the land by him fold, 

 in aclion of debt brought againft him by the obligee, who 

 fhall recover to tlie value of the faid land, as if the debt was 

 the proper debt of the heir ; but the land which is fold or 



alienedi I 



