R E C 



is called the " Circuits," or " Travels and Adis of Peter," 

 from its fubjeft, ai it contains an account of the apoftle 

 Peter's difputes with Simon Magus, and his difcourfes to 

 other people, and his miracles. It is called the "Recogni- 

 tions," from Clement's recognizing his father, and mother, 

 and brethren, who had been long feparated from each 

 other. 



Mr. Whifton, though he allows that this work was not 

 written by Clement himfelf, fuppofes that it was the pro- 

 duftion of fome of the hearers of Clement, and other com- 

 panions of the apollles ; but Dr. Lardner is of opinion, 

 that it muft be reckonod to be Clement's, or to be fuppofi- 

 titious. With regard to the age of this work, Laidner 

 farther adds, that the arguments here urged againfl Hea- 

 thenifm feem to imply, that the Chriitian was not yet the 

 prevailing eftablifhed religion. And the author often fpeaks 

 of the power of Chriitians to heal difeafes, and to expel 

 dxmons, as if it was common in his time. That fuch gitts 

 were enjoyed by many Chrillians in the fecond, and in the 

 beginning of the third, century, we are alRircd by Irenxus, 

 Tertullian, Origen, and others ; after which time, or how- 

 ever after the end of the third century, they were not fo 

 common, if they did not quite ceafe. Mr. Whifton's opi- 

 nion of this book is, that if it be not, in fome fenfe or 

 other, itfelf a facred book, yet it ought certainly to be 

 cfteemed in the next degree to that of the really facred 

 books of the NewTeftament. But in the opinion of many 

 other learned men, it is a worthlels piece, of little or no 

 ufe. It contains, however, as Dr. Lardner fuggefts, fome 

 excellent fentiments, and fine palfages, intermixed with very 

 great faults, for which no excufe can be made. This book 

 contains pafl'ages of our four gofpels, though it has been 

 doubted whether he ufed the four, or fome one gofpel con- 

 taining in it all thefe. Its author feems to own the firll 

 epillle of St. John, and the book of the Revehtion. He 

 was alfo well acquainted with the book of the A£ls of the 

 Apoftles ; but it is not certain how far he owned it. The paf- 

 fages from St. Paul's epiftles are not fufBcient to prove, 

 that they were elteemed by this writer to be of authority. 

 The author does not feem, indeed, to have any great kind- 

 ncfs for the apoftle Paul, and on this account he made little ufe 

 of his epiftles, and of the Ads of the Apoftles. From his fly 

 infinuations, and injurious refleftions upon St. Paul, it may be 

 fufpefted that he was a mere Ebionite ; the ancients afl'uring 

 us, that this feet of Chriftians rejefted the authority of that 

 apoftle and his epiftles. The author bears teftimony to many 

 principal fafts of the New Teftament. He gives an account 

 of our Lord's temptation ; he mentions the choice of the 12 

 apoftles, and afterwards of other 72 difciples. In one 

 place he fpeaks of the 1 2 apoftles in fuch a manner as if he 

 intended to exclude Paul from the honour of the apoftlefhip, 

 and even to deny him the character of a fufficient and faith- 

 ful " preacher of Chrift's word." We have alfo, in this 

 book, relations of the miracles of our blefted Lord's mi- 

 niftry, and of his death and refurreftion, and the extraor- 

 dinary figns attending thefe events. Grabe's Preface to the 

 Writings of St. Clement in his " Spicilegium." Coteler 

 apud Patr. Apoft. tom. i. p. 484. Lardner's Works, vol. ii. 

 p. 342, &c. See Clementine HoMlLlES. 



Recognition, in the Drama. See Discovery. 



RECOGNITIONE adnullanda per vim et duritlem faaa, 

 in Latu, is a writ to the juftices of the common bench for 

 fendmg a record touching a recognizance, which the recog- 

 nizor fuggefts to have been acknowledged by force and hard 

 deahng ; that, if it fo appear, it may be annulled. 



Tranfcriptio Recognitionii faSa coram juftitiartis itinerantiius. 

 See Transcriptio. 



R E C 



I 



■ 



RECOGNITORS, Recggnitores. The jury impa-; 

 ncUed upon an aliize are called recognitors, becaufe theyV 

 acknowledge a dilleifin by their verditt. 



RECOGNIZANCE, or Recognisance, a bond or. 

 obligation of record acknowledged to the king ; teft.ifT.. 

 ing the recognizor to owe to the recognizee a certain fui 

 of money ; with condition to do fome particular aft, 

 to appear at the affizes, to keep the peace, to pay a debt, 

 or the like. 



It is thus called, becaufe recognized, or acknowleg^d io 

 fome court of record, or before fome judge, mafter in chan- 

 cery, or juftice of the peace. 



It is, in moll refpefts, like another bond ; the difference 

 being chiefly this : that the bond is the creation of a fre(h 

 debt or obligation de novo, whereas the recognizance is an 

 acknowledgment of a former debt upon record ; the form 

 of wlrich is " A B. doth acknowledge to our lord the king, g 

 to the plaintiff', to C. D., or the like, the fum of ten pounds," , 

 with condition to be void on performance of the thing ftipu- |i 

 lated ; in which cafe the king, the plaintiff, C. D., &c. i 

 called the " cognizee," it cui cognofcitur, or recognizee, at > 

 he that enters into the recognizance is called the " cog- j 

 nizor," or recognizor, is qui cognofcit. This, being either I 

 certified to, or taken by the officer of fome court, is wit- I 

 nefled only by the record of that court, and not by the ! 

 party's feal ; fo that it i< not in ftrift propriety a deed, 

 though the effedls of it are greater than a common obliga-,) 

 tion ; being allowed a priority in point of payment, and I 

 binding the lands of the cognizor, from the time of enrol- 

 ment on record. Stat. 29 Car. II. c. 3. 



There are alfo recognizances for bail (which fee), otheri 

 for appearing at the feffions to profecute a felon, others fo: 

 good behaviour, &c. See Good Clearing. 



There are alfo other recognizances of a private kind, i: 

 nature of a Statute Staple, (which fee,) by virtue of the 

 ftatute 23 Hen. VIII. cap. 6. which are a charge upon 

 real property. This recognizance is a fecurity, acknow 

 ledged before either of the chief juftices, or (out of term) 

 before their fubftitutes, the mayor of the ftaple at Weft, 

 minfter, and the recorder of London : by which the be- 

 nefit of their mercantile tranfaftions is extended to all 

 the king's fubjefts in general by the above cited ftatute 

 23 Hen. VIII. c. 6. amended by 8 Geo. I. c. 25, which 

 direft fuch recognizances to be enrolled and certified into 

 chancery. But thefe, by the ftatute of frauds, 29 Car. II. 

 c. 3. are only binding upon the lands in the hands of bona 

 Jide purchafors, from the day of their enrolment, which is 

 ordered to be marked upon the record. 



Recognizance is alfo ufed, in our Ancient Statutes, for 

 the verdift of the twelve jurors impanelled upon an aflize ; 

 hence called recognitors. 



RECOGNIZEE, or Cognizee, is he to whom one is 

 bound in a recognizance. He that is fo bound is called re- 

 cognizor. 



RECOIL, or Rebound, the refilition of a body, chiefly 

 a fire-arm ; or the motion by which, upon explofion, it ftarts 

 or flies backwards ; the caufe of which is the impelling force 

 of the powder, which afts equally on the breech and on the 

 ball ; fo that if the piece and ball were of equal weight, 

 and other circumftances the fame, the piece would recoil 

 with the fame velocity as that vi^ith which the ball is dif- 

 charged ; but the heavier any body is, the lefs will its velo- 

 city be, when the force impelling it continues the fame. 

 Therefore fo many times as the cannon and carriages are 

 heavier than the ball, juft as many times will the velocity of 

 the cannon be lefs than that of the ball ; and the fpace 

 through which the cannon recoils whilft the ball moves 

 I O along 



