BOX 



notes upon Juftin, Pliny's Epiftles, aiij Tacitus, and a 

 *' Commentary upon the Life of Agricola," by tlic lall- 

 mcntioncd antlior. In a work written by liim on tlie in- 

 vention of printing;, he endeavoured to elhibhih the claims 

 of Haerlem in oppofition to tliofe of Mcntz. He alio 

 wrote a Ijatin account ot the fiecje of Brtda. Among his 

 political j)ieces are cnumerattd his defences of the liberty 

 of navigation claimed bv the Dutch, n fliort account of the 

 Dutch conilitution, and a vindication of the rights of 

 Charles II. to the Englidi thnme. He wrote " Critical 

 and hiftorical diflertations on the antiquities of Gaul and 

 Scythia ;" and "Sacred and prophane hillory from the 

 birth of Chrift, to the year J650," in one volume 4to. 

 His account of learned women never appeared. His let- 

 ters, and his Latin and Greek poems, were printed after 

 Lis death. Gen. Diiil. 



BOXING, the cxercife of fighting with the fills, either 

 naked, or with a Hone or leaden b.iU grafped in them : in 

 which fenfe, bo:;ing coincides with the pii^illaliis of the 

 Romans, and what, on our amphilhcatrts, is fometimes 

 called trial ot manhood. When the champions had s-^aip-i, 

 or balls, whether ot lead or Hone, it was properly denomi- 

 nated c-^Mfouuxiy., Potter, Arch. Gra?c. lib. ii. cap. 21. 

 vol. i. The ancient b xing differed from x\ii: piigna crjhiiim, 

 in which the combatants iiad leathern thongs on their hands, 

 and bails, to oflend their ar.tagoniils ; though this dillinc- 

 tion is frequently overlooked, and fighting with the cvfliis 

 ranked as part of the bnfinefs of the pu^/Ls. We may dif- 

 tiiiguifh three fpecies of boxing ; viz. where both the head 

 and bands were naked ; where the hands were armed and 

 the head naked ; and vifhere the head was covered with a 

 kind of cap called AM PHOTiDEs, and the hands alfo fur- 

 nilhed with the Cif/Ius, which fee. 



Boxing is an ancient exercife, having been in ufe in the 

 heroic times, before the invention of iron or weapons. Ac- 

 cordingly, we find in the Latin and Greek poets, fcverai del- 

 criptions of this rudeft, and moft dangerous of the gymnaf- 

 tic combats. In Homer, we have that of Epeus and 

 Euryalus ; in Theocritus, that of Pollux and Amycus ; 

 in Apollonius Rhodius, an account of the fame battle ; in 

 Virgil, that of Dares and Entcllns ; and in Statins, and 

 Valerius Elaccus, are relations of feveral other combatants. 

 Diofcor. Idyl. 22. Argonautic. 1. 2. iEncid. 1. I. The- 

 ocritus, 1. 6. Argonaut. 1. 4. 



Thole who prepared themfelves for it, uftd all the means 

 that could be co?itrived to render themfelves fat and flefhv, 

 that they might be better able to endure blows ; whence 

 corpulent men or women were ufnally called />;i^.7rj, accord- 

 ing to Terence : " Siqua eft habilior paulo, pugilem cfie 

 aiunt." M. Burette has given the hillory of the ancient 

 pugilate, or boxing, with great exaflnefs. Mem. Acad. 

 Infcript. torn. iv. p. 353, &c. 



The athletSE fometimes came immediately to blows, and 

 began with charging in the moft furious manner. Some- 

 times, whole hours paffed in haralTing and fatiguing each 

 other, by a continual extenfion of their arms, rendering 

 their mutual blows incffeclual, and endeavouring by this 

 mode of defence to keep off their adverfaries. But when 

 they fought with the utmoll fury, they aimed chiefly at the 

 iiead and face, which parts they were moft anxious to de- 

 fend, by cither avoiding or catching the blows that were 

 aimed at them. When a combatant threw himfclf with all 

 his energy upon another, they had a furprifing addrefs in 

 avoiding the attack, by a nimble turn of the body, which 

 caufed the incautious adverfary to fall, and deprived him of 

 the viftory. Notwithftanding the ferocity with which tlie 

 combatants contended, they were ibmirtimcs fo exhaufted 



VeL. V. 



BOX 



by the duration of the combat, as to be tinder the neccflity 

 of making a truce, upun which the b.ittle was fufpended 

 for ionic minutes, which were employed in recovering from 

 their fatigue, and rubbing off the fweat with which they 

 were, bathed. They then renewed the fight, till one of 

 them, by letting fall his arms through weakncfs, or by 

 Iwooning away, indicated that he could no longer fupport 

 thcpaiu and fatigue, and dcfircd quarter, which was con- 

 Iciling himfelf vanquilhcd. 



Tliis art, adapted, as one might conceive, only to a pe- 

 riod of barbarifm, has in modern times been almoft appro- 

 priated by the Englilh ; and about half a century ago, it 

 formed a part of the exhibitions at places of public amufe- 

 nient. It was encouraged by the nobility, and even toler- 

 ated by the magiftrates. Before the cftabhfliment of 

 Broughton's amphitheatre, a booth was eredled at Totten- 

 ham court hi London, the proprietor of which, Mr. Geo. 

 Taylor, invittd the jirofeffors of the art of pugilifm to dif- 

 pl^ay their ikili, and the public to attend their performances.. 

 The entrance money, amounting fcmetimLS to loo or 150I., 

 was fliared among the performers, in fuch proportion, that 

 the victorious champion had two thirds of it, and the van. 

 quillied one third ; and in fome cafes, both had an equal 

 Ihare. When complaints were made by the nobility an* 

 gently of the inconvenience attending the exhibitions in- 

 Taylor's booth, they prevailed on Mr. Broughton, at that 

 time of vifi:;g fame in the clafs of pugilifts, to build a place 

 bcttei- adapted for the purpofe. A fubfcription was raifcd, 

 and, in 1742, a building was erefted behind Oxford-road, 

 and denominated " Broughton's new Amphitheatre." In 

 this building, there were, befidesa ftage for the combatants, 

 feats correfponding to the boxes, pit, and galleries in other 

 theatres. In proecfs of time, the public tafte was re- 

 fined and improved, fo that exhibitions of this kind ceafgd 

 to be popular, and funk into neglcft. At a later period, 

 the death ot one of tiie combatants ferved to render them ftill 

 more difreputable, and unworthy of any patronage and en- 

 couragement. Inftances, however, are often occumiig of 

 the renewal of thefe conttfts ; but they are now fo dif- 

 graceful in the public eftimation, and fo much reftrained 

 and prohibited, by the interference of the magiftrates, that 

 they are attended by few perfons above the loweft clafs of 

 the community, whenever, by eluding notice, they happen 

 to take place. 



Boxing, an operation in failing, fomewhat fimilar to 

 box-hauling. It is performed by laying the head fails a. 

 back, to receive the greatcft force of the wind in a line per. 

 peudicular to their furface, in order to bring the fhip's 

 head back into the line of her courfe, after (he had inclined 

 to windward of it, by negled of the perfon at the helm, or 

 otherwife. But flioiild a (liip be taken flat a-back, or 

 through negled in not timely boxing her off, it Ihould 

 caufc the wind to be broad upon the other bow, and it 

 fl'.ould be the wifli of the officer to have her upon the fame 

 tark as before, then furl the helm over to that fide, which 

 jnll before was the weather; brail up the mizcn, and mi. 

 zen [lay-fail; raife the main-tack and flieet, and fquare the 

 after-yards. In this fituation of the helm and fails, (he 

 will pay round off upon her keel ; and when (he ha* 

 brought the wind aft, and gathered head-way, (liift the 

 helm. The wind round upon the other quarter, haul aft 

 the mizen and niizen fta\ -fail (lieets, brace up tlie after- 

 yards, get on board the main tack, and hawl aft the flieet. 

 As (lie comes to, right the helm, and trim ftiarp as before. 



Boxing, in Ship-building, the projection left on the 

 haufe-picces, in the wake of the haule-hoks, where the 

 plankf do not rut) through. . 



