B R E 



B R E 



faci) of winch was engi-aven the name oT one of llie tribes. 

 Thtlc were fet in four rows, three in each row ; and the 

 whole was fallencd at the four corners ; tliofe at the top to 

 c:ic!i faouldcr-piece by a golden hook or ring, at the end 

 of a wreathed chain ; and tliofe below to iho girdle of the 

 cphoil, by two blue ftrinjjs or ribbands, wiiich had likewife 

 two rings and hooks ; fo that the whole mi)jht be tied 

 f,i(l to the garment, witiiont danger of falling oh ; for they 

 were ne\er to be fevered. The Jews fay, that if the high 

 priclt did, at any time, either through inadvertency, or 

 wilfully, put on one without the other, he was to be pvuiilhed : 

 hence this onianient was called tlie numonnl, to put him in 

 mind how dear thofe tribes ought to be in his clUmation, 

 whofe names he wore over his breall. This is ;ilfo called 

 the breafl-phite of judgment, becaufe it had the divine 

 oracle faftened to it. Thus, however, mod interpreters 

 have underdood the command of God to Mofes of adjoin- 

 ing the urim and thum;::im to the breall-plate. The ftones 

 of the bread-plate were divided from one another by the 

 golden partitions into which they were fet, and were ranged 

 in the following order, to which the Hebrew names are 

 added, together with the tribe that vvai engraven on each 

 of them : 



I. Odem. Sardius. Renbcn. 

 '2. Phiterah. Topa/.. Simeon. 



^. Barketh. Carbuncle. Levi. 



4. Nophek. Emerald. Judah. 



5. Saphur. Sapphire. Dan. 



6. Jahtdom. Diamond. Naphtali. 

 -J. I^cdiem. Ligure. Gad. 



8. Shebo. Agate. Afher. 



9. Aehlamah. Ainethyd. IfTachar. 



10. Tarlhilh. Beryl. Zcbulnn. 



II. Sho'.Rm. Onyx. Jofe]i!i. 

 12. Yafhphe. Jafper. Benjdmin. 



BREAST-//a/^, m the ]\Ii!r.ege, denotes a leathern drap 

 running from one fide of the faddle, crofs the hurie's bread, 

 to the other ; intended to keep the faddle from flipping 

 backwards in mounting up rifing-grounds. It is othcrwife 

 called tie ; fometimes \\\e po'ilrail. 



Brf. AST-/'A;/f, among Artificers, denotes a drill- jjlate, 

 againd whieii to fet the blunt end of the drill. 



Bre AST-/)/o;/;;/', in Agriculture, a fmall plough fo con- 

 ftruiiled, that a man may pu(h it before him. It confills 

 of a cutting-iron about eight or nine inthes long, with one 

 of its fides turned up to cut the t\irf, which ii fixed to a 

 pole about five or fix feet long, forked at the upper end, with 

 a crofs handle. It is ufed in the operation called turn- 

 baL'ing. 



BREAST-r<i!7, in Sea-Lan^iiage, the upper rail of the 

 balcony, or of the bread-work on the quarter-deck. 



Breasts of g faddle, are part of the bow, being the two 

 fides of it down from the arch or upper part. 



BREAST-i£Jor/-, in the M'll'ttury Art, is an elevation thrown 

 up around a foitificd place or i)oil, to conceal or protecl the 

 gairifon, and which is at the fame time fo drong that the 

 enemy's diot cannot pierce through it. 



The terms hriafl-ivurh and parapet are frequently ufed in- 

 difcriminately ; but the former is more applicable in a gene- 

 ral feiife, a parapet implying more immediately that bread- 

 work which is railed upon the rampart of a fortified town. 

 See Parapet. 



A bread-work is ufually formed fimply of earth, not only 

 becaufe it may be procured with the greated eafc, and with 

 the lead expence, but alfo becaufe it is liable to fewer ob- 

 jeclions and difdcultics than inch as occur in tlie life of other 

 materials ; for if the bread- work was made of done or 

 wood, the garrifou would be liable to have more men killed 



and wounded bv the fpliiiters ftruck off by the encrnv, than- 

 by his diet. The differ the earth, the better 11 is for the 

 formation of a brcad-woik ; a ililf foil adhciing well toge- 

 ther, and dcdroying tlie force of the bails which penetrate 

 it better than any other. A foil of loam or clay is, therefore, 

 to be preferred to all other kinds of earth. In rochy or 

 marfliy ground, a covering may be formed of wool-lackr., 

 dung, biu(li-wood bound totxethcr, or fafciius. 



\Vith refpedl to the height of a bread-work, it (liould be 

 fuch that a foldier, (landing behind it, cannot be fcen by 

 the enemy. If, therefore, the garrifon a' d tiie enemy are 

 on the fame level, the height of fix feet is fufficient to cover 

 the defenders ; but if the enemy is on higher ground fomc- 

 thing mud be added ; and, in this cafe, the principles of 

 geometry will cafily determine how much it mud be aug- 

 mented in each particular indancc, according to the dillancc 

 of the enemy from the bread-work, the fpace behind it iu 

 which the garrifon is to be covered, and the elevation of ihe 

 ground on which the enemy is pulled. If the garrifon 

 dands on higher ground, the breadwork need not be fix 

 feet high, and the more the garrifon is elevated, the lower 

 the work may be. It is here alfo cafy to determine the 

 iieceffary heiglit, by only confideiiug the intention of the 

 breall-woik, wliieh is at all times to Ihelter the foldiers 

 placed behind it from the fire of the enemy's cannon and 

 fmall arms. A bread-work fliould be fo ftrong that the 

 enemy's diot cannot entirely penetrate it. To refid the 

 mod powerful attack of field artillery, the thicknefs diould 

 be at lead iS feet of good foil, and from 2j to 24 feet in 

 bad. This is the cafe in adlual fortification ; but in works 

 cad up in the open field, often in the greated halle, and 

 where we expetl to be alfaulled only by field pieces, a tliick- 

 uefsfrom lo to li feet is perfectly iufScient. If it is intenr!- 

 ed only to hold out againd mufqueiry ; or if t!ie work is 

 erefted only for the purpofe of couceahng the troops be- 

 hind it, from three to fi.^ feet is an ample thickncfs. 



If the bread-work is formed of earth, cacli fide mud 

 make an acute angle with the horizontal bale of tke work, 

 otherwife it would foon f.;!! down. Tliefe obliciue iurfacei 

 are called the interior and exterior f'lipe or talus of the 

 bread- work. As good earth will (land firmer than bad, 

 the bafe of the Hope need not be fo large in a clayey as in a 

 fandy foil. Kxper-ence fhews that good caith will iland 

 when the bafe of the llope is only equal to half the height ; 

 but that bad earth requires a ilope equ^l to the whole 

 height ; therefore, when other leafons do not render it necef- 

 fary to vary from this rule, it may be looked upqii for eartli- 

 work in general, that if the foil is very good it (liould be 

 equal to h.ilf the height ; if middling, to two thirds ; and 

 if very bad, the bafe mud be equal to the height. The 

 interior flope fliould be kept as fmall as pofiible, for the con- 

 venience of the troops polled behind the breaft.-v.ork. It is, 

 therefoi'e, ufual to make the bafe only oiie-fixth of the 

 height ;• and to retain the interior fide from falhng, 

 a revetement of fafcines, hurdles, fods, or even a 

 ftone wall, may be made ufe of. Of tbcle, fafcines 

 and hurdles, from the eafe with which they are procured 

 and conllnvfted, arc the moll advantageous in the open, 

 field. In a permanent fortrcfs, the inner fide of the para- 

 pet fhould be formed of fods. As for res'etenieiits of boards 

 or done, they diould never be ufed in the field, becaufe 

 the former become foon rotten, and the fphnters oi the 

 latter might greatly annoy the garrifo-.i. The exterior flopr, 

 being more expofed to the enemy's fire, is fooiier liable to 

 fall, and requires therefore a larger bafe; but the .mailer 

 this is kept, the more difficult it is for an enemy to climb. 

 For this reafon, it fliould always be as narrow as the nature 

 of the fr.il will allow. If it has a rc\eteiuciit, the rules 

 L 1 1 given 



