R A C 



R A C 



rendered riding-horfes familiar to them, but convinced them 

 likewife of the advantages accruing from the ufe of cavabry. 

 Hence it came to pafs, that an order of equites, or horfe- 

 men, was inllituted in moll of their commonwealths ; to 

 whom, as in Athens, was allotted the fecond rank in the 

 Rate. Upon the fame principle, perhaps, the 'iVxoc KeXv,?, or 

 riding-horfe, was admitted into the Olympic hippodrome, 

 and held in fncheftimition, that although the race of riding- 

 horfes was neither fo magnificent nor fo expenfive, and con- 

 fcqucntly not fo royal, as the chariot-race, yet we fuid, 

 among the competitors in this exercife,the names of Philip, 

 king of Macedon, and Hiero, king of Syracufe. To the 

 latter is infcribed the iirlt Olympic ode of Pindar, in which 

 honourable mention is made of the horfe Pherenicus, whofe 

 fleetnefs gained for his mafter the Olympic crown. The 

 race of the Calpe was performed by mares. ( See CalpL) 

 The length of this race, and alfo that of the Celes, are not 

 afcertained ; but it is reafonable to fuppofe, that the latter, 

 diftinguillied, as we have already obferved, into two claifes, 

 one of full-aged, and the other of under-aged horfes, con- 

 fided of the fame number of rounds as thofe of the chariots, 

 diftinguifhed in like manner into two claffes. Mr. Weil 

 has not been able to determine the different ages that ranked 

 the horfes in one or the other clafs ; nor whether the weight 

 of the riders, or the fizes of the horfes, were taken into 

 confideration. Thefe points feem to have been left to the 

 difcretion of the Hellanodicks, who were appointed to exa- 

 mine the young horfes that were entered to run for any of 

 the equeilrian crowns (Pauf. 1. iv. c. 24.), and who were 

 fworn before the llatue of Jupiter Horcius, to give a true 

 and impartial judgment upon the matters left to their exa- 

 mination, without taking any reward ; and not to difcover 

 the reafons which difpofed them to rejeft fomc, and admit 

 others. Well's Diflertation on the Olympic Games. 

 Seft. 14. See Hippodrome. 



Race, in Genealogy, a lineage, or extraftion, continued 

 from father to fon. 



The word is French, formed from the Latin radix, root ; 

 as intimating the root of the genealogical tree. 



In feverai orders of knighthood, as in that of Malta, &c. 

 the candidates mull prove a nobihty of four races or de- 

 fcents. 



In fome republics the raagiftrates are to prove themfelves 

 of plebeian race, ts be quahfied. 



The French reckon their kings by races ; as, the firft 

 race, the fecond race, the third race. We alfo fay the race 

 of the Ottomans, the Arfacidse, the Ptolemies, &c. 

 Race, in Natural Hijlory. See Cibdeloplacia. 

 Race, the mark made on timber, &c. by a tool called a 

 racing-knife. 



Race, Cape, in Geography, a cape on the S.E. coaft of 

 Newfoundland. N. lat. 46^ "40'- W. long. 53^ 3' 30". 



Race Point, a cape on the coaft of America, W. of 

 cape Cod. N. lat. 42 = 4'. W. long. 78° 12'. 



RACEME, in Gardening, the long mode of clufter- 

 flowering and fruiting which takes place in fome forts of 

 plants and fruit-trees, as in the grape vine, and the different 

 kinds of cuiTants. See Racemus. 



RACEMIFEROUS, in Botany, denotes bearing in 

 cluilers. 



RACEMUS, in Botany and Vegetable Phyfiology, a cluf- 

 ter, is a mode of inflorefcence, in which feverai flowers, each 

 fupported on its own proper ftalk, are connefted by one com- 

 mon ftalk, either limple or compound. A bunch of Cur- 

 rants is a fimple racemus ; the inflorefcence of the Woody 

 Nightfhade, Sulanum Dulcamara, is a compound one. In 

 the American plant called ASiza racemofa, the clufters are 



7 



Ample, but aggregate. A racemus differs from zfpica, or 

 fpike, in having a partial llalk, as above dcfcribed, to each 

 flower ; it is moreover generally underllood to be droopmg 

 or pendulous, and to have the flowers expand all nearly at 

 one time. On the contrary, a fpike is moil frequently 

 ereft ; the flowers open in very gradual fucceflion, infomuch 

 that the lowermoft may have partly perfeftt-d their feeds, 

 before the uppermolt expand ; and efpecially, they are in- 

 dividually fL-ffile, at Icail at the tim-.' of their cxpanfion. To 

 thefe charafters may be added, that a fpike is crowded or 

 denfe ; a duller lax or fcattered. It mull be allowed 

 that botaniils, even of the firft rank, are incorreft in 

 the application of thefe terms. The male inflorefcence 

 of Quercus, the Oak genus, becaufe drooping and loofely 

 difpofed, with all the flowers in perfeftion nearly at the 

 fame time, is termed a racemus; though it poffeffes the 

 mofl clft-ntial charafter of a /pica, felTile flowers. On the 

 other hand, Veronica Jpicata, having a denfe upright feries 

 of flowers, expanding gradually, is faid to be fpiked, though 

 each feparate flower has a partial ftalk. A little latitude 

 mult neceffarily be allowed, though it is very dcfirable that 

 botanifts ftiould be more exaA in the ufe of thefe and other 

 terms, than they fometimes are. See Spica and Inflo- 

 rescence. 



RACER, in Gardening, a name applied to a fort of 

 fward-cutter, or cutting implement, ufcd in racing out 

 or cutting through the furface of grafs fward, and divid- 

 ing it into proper widths, lengths, and thicknefs, for turf 

 intended to be cut up for laying in pleafure -grounds, or 

 other places, and always neceffary preparatory to the 

 work of flaying or cutting up the turf with the turfing- 

 iron. It is alfo ufeful for cutting and ftraightening the 

 edges of grafs verges in fuch grounds, as well as for many 

 other purpofes. 



It is a tool which is very fimple in-its conftruftion, merely 

 confifting of a ftrong wooden handle, about four feet long, 

 having the cutter fixed at the lower end, in the form of a 

 half moon, with the edge downward, to cut into the 

 fward ; the handle fhould be about an inch and a half thick, 

 growing gradually thicker towards the lower end. 



In ufing the tool, it is pulhed forward fo as to cut or 

 race out the fward in an expeditious manner. And in cut- 

 ting turfs with it, it is neceflar)- firil to mark out on the fward 

 the width of the turf intended, which fhould generally be a 

 foot wide, and a yard long, and about an inch or inch and 

 a half deep ; then ilrain a line tight, firfl lengthways, 

 ftriking the racer into the fward clofe to the line, running 

 it along expeditioufly, fo as to cut its way, and divide the 

 fward to a proper depth, afterwards placing a line a foot 

 farther, and racing it out as before, and fo on, to as many 

 widths as may be wanted ; and then, with the line placed 

 crofs-ways, to race out the fward accordingly in yard 

 lengths. The fward being thus raced out, the turf-cutter 

 with the turfing-iron fhould proceed to cut them up and flay 

 them off from the ground. This fmall implement is likewife 

 very convenient for many other little purpofes about plea- 

 fure grounds and'gardens, as thofe of cutting the edges of 

 the verges which are laid with turf, and ftraightening the 

 edges of the borders in different parts. See TuRF. 

 RACHA. See Raca. 



Racha, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, in the circle 

 of Leitmeritz ; 8 miles E. of Leitmeritz. 



RACHELSDORF, a town of Bavaria, in the bifhopric 

 of Bamberg; 15 miles N. of Bamjjerg. 



RACHETUM, from the Fr. racheter, redimere, the 

 compenfation or redemption of a thief. 



RACHIA. 



