BRA 



• >r, ihfv do not acqiiire their full vigour, and in 

 ..c, dwiiKilc into floral loaves. In pmol" of tins 

 trtioi J, It i« allet'ed, that if the frurtitkation be prematurely 

 dcftroyed by iiikds, or puqiofcly cut oli', they regain fiiffi- 

 Clfnt fuftcnancc, and aflume the foim and li/c ot perfcft 

 teavr«. See the introdudion to the fecond volume of the 

 Kvllema Natiirar, and two dilTertations, entitled Piolepfis 

 l^lamarum, pui)liflicd in the Amoenilates Acadeinicx. 



The braftex are placfd by Linnxus urdcr the head of 

 what he fanciftlly calls fulcra, props, or fuppons, from an 

 idea that they fuilain or llrena;thcn cither the whole plant, 

 or fomc of its parts. In the Syll-iiia Nature they arc dif- 

 tinjjuifhcd according to their dmation, into cailinous, fallinjT 

 olT before the end of the fummer ; fiirUiious, falling oft 

 at the end of the fummer; and ferfjleiit, remaining be- 

 yond the end of the funimcr : but it docs not appear liow 

 the criteiion laid down in tlie PHilofophia Botanicn, to dif- 

 crimiiiate a brafte from a perianth, is to be applied to thofe 

 that are caducous. They are (lilcd amofc, wlun they fiielter 

 the flowers in the form of a crown, tuft, or coma (head of 

 liair) as in the fritillaria imperialis (crown imperial), bromc- 

 lia ananas (pine-apple), &c. : but in this cafe ihty do not 



BRA 



T^R ACTON, Henry de, in Bkgrapljy, z ceLbratcd 

 Englifli lawyer and judge of the 13th century, v. as, accord- 

 infr^to Prince (Worthies of Devon), a native of Devotid-.ire ; 

 and havino- gained dillingnidied reputation by his fludy of 

 both the canon and ciiil law at Oxford, he was appointed 

 b" kin<T Henry 111. one of his judges itinerant about the 

 year 1244, and aftervi-ards, as fome fay, lord chief jufticc of 

 England. In the exercife of this oflice lie conducted liim- 

 fclf with exemplary integrity ; but his fame is principally 

 owing to hii excellent treatife on the laws of England, 

 generally entitled " De legibus et confuetudinibus Angliae ;" 

 though he himfelf gave it the title of " Brito," whence 

 many niillalics iiave occurred in writing his name. Tiiis 

 work has always been ellecmed one of the mod accurate and 

 methodical trealiCes on our laws. It was firft printed at 

 I^ondon, in 1569, in folio ; and reprinted, in rfi.p, in 4to., 

 from a cclleclicn of various nianufcripts for the arr.endment 

 of tlie toxt. Some inconfiftcncies have been charged on 

 Bradon from the citation of different palTages in his book ; 

 in fome he feems to difcover too great an attachment to the 

 anthority of the pope ; and in others he gives fuch various 

 rcprcfentations of the regal authority in this kingdom, as 



very happily correfpond with the generic appellation ful- feem to favour fometimes the extenfion, and at other times 

 cpjm. They have the character of imbricate, wlien they are the rellraint and limitation, of the royal prerogative. Thefe 



inconfiftencics, however, have been afcribedby candid writers 

 to the unfettled times v.'herein he lived, in which the power 

 of the king and that of the barons were alternately preva- 

 lent, and charters of liberty were no fooner iigned than 



placed among the flowers fo clofe to them and to one ano- 

 ther, as to form a kind of fpike or head, as in prunella (fclf- 

 heal), and origanum (marjoram). 



Braclex not only afford excellent fpecific differences, but 

 are fometimes admitted into the generic charaftcr, as in many 

 genera of the natural order, umbelliferw, and in fome of the 

 clafsdidynamia ; and are there faid by I^innnsus to conUitute 

 an involucrum ; one of his fpecies of calyx. They are, 

 however, truly braftes ; and would, doubtlefs, have been fo 

 confidered by him, if, under that denomination, they had 

 riot interfered with the cllabliflied principle, that generic 

 charaAcrs are to be taken folcly from the parts of fruftifi- 

 cation. 



Bractea, in £'«/omc/'yj', a fpecies of phai.^t.na of the 

 noftua family, the wings of which are variegated, and in the 

 middle of each of the anterior pair is a large (liining golden 

 fpot. l""abr. &c. Found in England, though very rarely : 

 more common in the fouth of Europe. 



BRACTEARIA, in Nntuml Hjjlory, the name of a 

 genus of foffils of the talc clafs ; the charafters of which 

 are, that they are compofed of fmall plates in form of fpan- 

 glcs, and each of thefe, naturally veiy thin or liflile, into 

 very thin ones. 



The word is derived from the Latin braSea, a fpangh, or 

 fmall and thin glittering particle of any thing. 



There are many fpecies of this genus denominated from 

 the variety of their colours ; as mica aiirea, or gold-glim- 

 mer, and MICA ar^entia, filver-glimmcr, cat's-filver, Sic. 

 BRACTEATA, in Entnmolo^y, a fpecie; of ciCAnA 



violated. The time of his death is not precifely afcertair.ed : 

 but he probably furvived his mafter, and died in the reign of 

 Edward I. Biog. Brit. 



BRAD, in Geography, a town and capital of a diftrift of 

 the fame name, in the county of Wtidenburg, in Tranfyl- 

 vania. 



BRADDOCK'S fdd, a place in America, fituate 

 on Turtle creek, on the N. E. bank of Monongahela river, 

 6 miles E. S. E. from Pittfburg, and rendered memorable 

 by the defeat of general Braddock, who with 1400 men, 

 the firft divifion of his :irmy, fell into an ambufcade of 400 

 Indians, by whom he was defeated and mortally wounded, 

 July 9th, 1/5';. The American militia, difdainfully placed 

 in the rear, continued unbroken, and ferved as a rear-guard ; 

 and under col.Wathington, afterwards prefident of the United 

 States, preferved the regulars from being entirely cut off. 



BRADDOCK'S hay Hes on the fouth fide of lake On- 

 tario, 42 miles weft from Great Sodus, and d^ call from 

 fort Niagara. 



BRADFIELD, a market town of England, in the 

 county of Effex. 



BRADFORD, John, in Biography, a protcftant mar- 

 tyr, who flouridied in the reign of queen Mary, was born 

 at Manchefter, in the early part of the reign of king 

 Henry VIII. Having received a good education, not only 



{memhracis, Fabr.) of a fmall fize, that inhabits Cayenne, in the Latin tongue, but particularly in writing and ac 

 the thorax of which is green, and without fpots. 



BRACTEATED, among AnUqvaries, denotes a coin 

 covered over with a thin plate, or leaf of fome richer metal. 

 See Medal. 



Brafteated coins, or medals, nummi bradeati, are ufually 

 n\ade of iron, copper, or brafs, plated over, and edged with 

 gold or filvcr leaf, and then (lamped with the hammer or mill. 



Medaltiffs find fome brafteated pieces even among the 

 truly ancient coins. The French call t\\cm fourrees. 



BRACTEATUS, in Enlomologf, a fpecies of mono- 

 CULUs, the fhell of which is orb'cular and unarmed. Milll. 

 The (hell of this kind is very pellucid ; anteiuix and legs 

 furnilhtd with briftles: eyes not confpicuous. Inhabits 

 pure frcfii water. 



counts, he was recommended to fir John Harrington, trea- 

 furer, pay-mailer of the forces, and principal engineer at 

 Boulogne, and was employed by him as his clerk. In this 

 employment, for which his education had eminently qualifi- 

 ed him, he continued many years, approving himfelf to I'.is 

 principals, and deriving from his office confiderable emolu- 

 ment as well as honour. Iti the difcharge of his trull, hov.-. 

 ever, he feems to have availed himfelf of his acutcnefs and 

 dexterity, as an accountant, in a manner that rend.; red him 

 uneafy in his own mind, more efpecially after he had heard a 

 fermon from Latimer on the fubjeft of " Rtllitution ;" 

 and he immediately determined to procure an adjuflment of 

 his accounts with the crown, and ta apply to his mailer, 



fir 



