11 E P 



II E R 



governing flaves ; rather of directing than of breaking the 

 union. All was loft upon the ftarting up of monarchy, a 

 government whofe fpirit is more turned to increafe and ad- 

 vancement. 



Excepting particular circumftances, as when a petty 

 fovereign fupports himfelf betwixt two great powers by 

 means of their mutual jealoufy, it is difficult for any other 

 than a republican government to fubiift long in a iingle town. 

 A prince of fo petty a ftate would naturally endeavour to 

 opprefs, becaufe his power would be great, while the means 

 of enjoying it, or of caufing it to be refpefted, would be 

 very inconliderable. The confequence of this would be, 

 that he would trample upon his people. On the other hand, 

 fuch a prince might be eafily crufhed by a foreign, or even a 

 domeftic force ; the people might every inftant unite and 

 rife up againft him. Now, as foon as a prince of a fingle 

 town is expelled, the quarrel is over ; but if he has many 

 towns, it only begins. 



Republic of Letters, is a phrafe ufed in fpeaking col- 

 lectively of the whole body of the people of ftudy and 

 learning. 



There is a journal, begun in Holland, by M. Bayle, 

 and continued by M. Bernard, conlifting of extra&s of 

 books, printed in the courfe of the year, called " Nouvelles 

 de la Republique des Lettres," News from the Republic of 

 Letters. See Journal. 



REPUBLICATION of a Will. See Will. 

 REPUDIATION, Repudium, in the Civil Law, the 

 aft of divorcing. See Divorce. 



REPULSE Bay, in Geography, a bay on the N.E. 

 coaft of New Holland, in the Sov.th Pacific ocean. S. 

 lat. 20° 36'. W. long. 148^33'. — Alfo, a bay on the 

 coaft of Kerguelen's land. — Alfo, a bay on the W. coaft 

 of America. N. lat. 66° 40'. W. long. 85 . 



REPULSION, Repulsio, in Pfyfia, the aft of a 

 repelling power, by which bodies, under certain circum- 

 ftances, naturally fly from each other. 



Repulfion is the counter part to attraction. Attraction 

 only reaches to a little diltance ; where that terminates, there 

 repulfion commences. See Am and Compression. 



Indeed, we meet with many obvious inftances of repul- 

 fion among bodies, as between water and oil, and, in general, 

 between water and all unftuous bodies ; between mercury 

 and iron, as alfo between the particles of dull, &c. 



Thus, if a fat body, lighter than water, be laid on the 

 furface of it, or if a piece of iron be laid on mercury, 

 the furface of the fluid will be deprefled about the bodies 

 laid on it. This is a plain indication of repulfion ; as the 

 rifing up of the fluid about the furfaces of other incumbent 

 bodies is of attraction. 



In the latter cafe, the fluid is fufpended, by an attrac- 

 tive power, above the level, and kept from falling by its 

 gravity : in the former, a depreffion is made by the repel- 

 ling power, which the liquor, notwithstanding its gravity, 

 cannot run down into, and fill up. 



Upon this depend all the phenomena of very light glafs 

 bubbles floating on water, about which, when clean, the 

 water rifes ; but when greafed, the water finks into a 

 channel all around them. Hence alfo it is, that in a 

 glafs-veflel of water, the fluid ftands higher all about the 

 edges near the glafs than towards the middle ; but when 

 the glafs is tilled till the water run down on all fides, then 

 it ftands higher at the middle than at the fides. Hence, 

 alfo, in a glafs not full of water, a clean glafs bubble 

 always runs to the fide, by reafon the preflure, which is 

 upon it towards the middle, is partly taken off by the at- 

 tractive force with which the water is raifed near the edge. 

 1 



If the glafs be fo full as to be ready to run over, the 

 bubble returns from the fide towards the middle, the force 

 with which the water is raifed in the middle taking off part 

 of the preflure. 



Juft the reverfe happens if the bubble be greafy ; becaufe 

 there the force, by which the water and the bubble repel 

 each other, is greateft where the water is higheft. Two 

 clean bubbles and two greafy ones always run towards 

 each other, as being attracted ; and a greafy and a clean one 

 always fly each other, as being repelled. 



REPUTATION, Injuries ajlding. See Injury. 

 REQUENA, in Geography, a town of Spain, in New 

 Caftile, feated on the top of a hill, near the Oliana, on 

 the borders of Valencia. Bourgoanne, a modern traveller, 

 fays, that wealth and activity proclaim in this place the pre- 

 fence of induitry, and accordingly the number of filk looms 

 amounts to 900. It has been fuppofed to be the Salaria, 

 placed by Ptolemy in the country of the Baftitani ; 55 

 miles S.E. of Cuencja. 



REQUEST, in La<w, a fupplication or petition pre- 

 ferred to a prince, or court of juftice, begging relief in 

 fome confcionable cafes, where the common law grants no 

 immediate redrefs. 



The term requeft is now, fince the inftitution of chan- 

 cery, much difufed ; together with the court of requefts, 

 where requefts were cognizable. 



In the old government of France, requetes civiles, civil 

 requefts, obtained for the annulling of contracts, &c. made 

 by furprize. 



They had eighty mafters of requefts to take cognizance 

 of caufes between the officers of the crown, the fervants 

 of the houfehold, Sic. 



Requests, Court of . See Court of Rcquejls, and Court 

 of Conjcience. 



Request, in Hunting, is when the dogs have loft the 

 nuejl or traft of the beall, and muft requejl, or que/2 it again. 

 They fay, to call to the requefl, come to the requeft, tec. 



To requeft the game is chiefly ufed, when, after having 

 run it down the night before, they feek it again the next 

 morning with the blood-hound, or the like. 



REQUEURIA, in Botany, a genus named in the Flora 

 Peruviana, page 16, after Louis Requeur, a Spaniard, who 

 was apothecary to king Philip V. De Theis. We are un- 

 acquainted with the plant, as well as with the botanical merits 

 of the perfon to whom it is dedicated. 



REQUIEM, a mafs fung in the Romifh church for the 

 reft of the foul of a perfon deceafed. 



It is thus called, becaufe the introit begins with " Re- 

 quiem xternam dona eis, Domine," &c. 



REQUINY, in Geography, a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of the Morbihan ; 6 miles N. W. of Joftelin. 



REQUISTA, a town of France, in the department 

 of the Aveiron ; 18 miles S. of Rhodez. 

 RE RE County. See Rier County. 

 Rere Fiefs, a name given in the Scotch laws to thofe fiefs 

 which were held by inferior tenants or feudatories, that 

 cultivated the lands under the chief feudatories, who held 

 by military fervice. 



Rere Ward, arriere-garde. See Rear, and Guard. 

 REREDOS, the fkreen at the back of an ancient high 

 altar, which feparated it from the Lady-chapel, being, for 

 the molt part, highly ornamented with niches, canopies, 

 and tracery work. The richeft of thefe which have reached 

 our time are thofe of Winchefter and Durham cathedrals, 

 and of St. Alban's abbey. 



RERHUTTAN, in Geography, a town of Sweden, in 

 Dalecarlia ; 30 miles S.W. of Geffle. 



RERI- 



