ROU 



R O U 



Round Table, the circular table at which the knights of 

 old, who aflembled together from different countries to 

 perform the martial exercifes of the tournament, were ac- 

 cultomed to eat, on iuch occaflons, to prevent difputes 

 about precedency. Such a table is feen fixed to the eaitern 

 wall of the county-hall at Wincheller, being vulgarly called 

 " Arthur's Round Table," though it does not appear to 

 be more ancient than the reign of king Stephen. From the 

 ufe to which thefe tables were appropriated, the diverfion 

 itfelf of the tournament, or tilting, was called the round 

 table. " llluftris miles, Rogerus de Mortuo-mari apud 

 Kenilworth ludum militarcm quern vocant rotundam tabu- 

 lam centum mihtum ac tot dominarum conftituit." Th. 

 Walfingham, Hid. p. 49. 



Round Towers, thofe tall flender towers which are almoft 

 peculiar to Ireland (fome few being found in Scotland), 

 rifing to the height of from 50 to 100 feet, or more, and 

 containing not more than five or fix feet in diameter in their 

 upper chamber. They have a fingle entrance-door, of 

 from five to fifteen feet from the ground, and a loop-hole, 

 to give light to each (lory, of which there are generally fix 

 or leven in each round tower. The uppermoft llory, how- 

 ever, which was the ufual dwelling-place of the folitary 

 inhabitant, was furniflied with four loop-holes or window., 

 correfponding with the four cardinal points of the compals. 

 From the nature and fituation of thefe fingular flrudlures, 

 they being always very near to the fcite of an ancient 

 church, it appears that each of them was built for the habi- 

 tation of a fingle Inclufus, or hermit, who, living in the 

 highelt chamber of it, enjoyed his beloved fohtude as 

 much as if he had dwelt in a defart. It appears from 

 Giraldits Cambrenfis, that Ireland was full of thefe towers 

 in the ! 2th century, and there is reafon to afcribe the 

 erection of them to the fixth, feventh, and eighth centuries, 

 camely, before the Danifh invafions, and during the period 

 of the Irifh tranfmigration into various countries in quell 

 of folitudes. The idea of them and 'heir ufe were evi- 

 dently borrowed from the columns and ftylites of the Eall. 

 See Stylites. 



Round Bay, in Geography, a bay with good anchorage, 

 on the W. coaft of St. Lucia. 



Round, Cape, a cape on the coaft of Patagonia, in the 

 ftraits of Magellan. S. lat. 53° 47'. W. long. 71 32'. 



Round Hill, an ifiand in the North Pacific ocean, near 

 the E. coaft of Labrador. N. lat. 53 25'. W. long. 55 

 16'. 



Round Hill Bluff, a cape on the N. ooaft of Jamaica, 

 \V. ofMontego bay. N. lat. 18 29'. \V. long. 77 58'. 



Round Heads, Indians of North America, inhabiting 

 die territory on Round river. The number of warriors 

 is about 2000. 



Round fjland, a fmall ifiand of England, in Pool 

 harbour. — Alfo, a fmall ifiand near the E. coaft of Borneo, 

 in the bay of Gunong Tellu. S. lat. o° 28'. E. long. 



"3° 30'- 



Round Key, a fmall ifiand near the coaft of Well 



Florida, which is well timbered. N. lat. 30 15'. W. 



long. 88* 28'. 



Round Rock, one of the Virgin illands, in the Well 

 Indies. N. lat. 18' 10'. W. long. 62 C3'. 



ROUNDELAY, or Roundo, a kind of ancient poem, 

 thiiR called, according to Menage, from it-; form ; and be- 

 caufe it ftill turns back again to the firll verfe, and thus 

 goes round. 



The word it formed from round and lay. The French 

 call it rondeau ; the Spaniards glofcs. 



The common roundelay conlilts of thirteen »erfe«, eight 



of which are of one rhyme, and five in another. It is 

 divided into couplets ; at the end of the fecond and third 

 of which, the beginning of the roundelay is repeated ; and 

 that, it pofiible, in an equivocal or punning fenfe. 



The roundelay is a popular poem among the French, 

 but little known among us. Marot and Voiture have fuc- 

 ceeded the bell in it. 



Rapin obferves, that if the roundelay be not very ex- 

 quilite, it is intolerably bad. In all the ancient roundelays. 

 Menage obferves, that the verfe preceding has a complete 

 fenfe, and yet joins agreeably with that of the clofe ; with- 

 out depending necefiarily on it. This rule, well obferved, 

 makes the roundelay more ingenious, and is one of the 

 fineffes of the poem. 



Some of the ancient writers fpeak of the roundelay, or 

 roundel, as a kind of air appropriated to dancing ; and in 

 this fenfe the term feems to indicate little more than dancing 

 in a circle, with the hands joined. See Rondeau. 



ROUNDELET. See Rundi.et. 



ROUNDING, in Sea Language, denotes certain old 

 ropes wound firmly and clofely about that part of a cable 

 which lies in the hawfe, or under the fhip's bow, or 

 athwart the item. It is ufed to prevent the furfacc of the 

 cable from being chafed or fretted in thofe places. 



Rounding-wi generally implies the aft of pulling upon 

 any rope which pafles through one or more blocks, in a 

 direftion merely horizontal ; as round-in the weather- 

 braces, &c. It feems to be derived from the circular 

 motion of the rope about the lheave or pulley through 

 which it pafles. 



Roundinc-://> is exprefled of a tackle which hangs in a 

 perpendicular pofition, without fuflaining or hoilliug any 

 weighty body ; in which cafe it is the operation of pulling 

 the blocks clofer to each other, by means of the rope 

 which pafles through them, to compole the tackle ; and 

 is oppofed to over-hauling, by which the blocks are drawn 

 farther afunder. 



ROUNDNESS, Rotunditv, in Phyfcs. See Sphe- 

 ricity. 



ROUNDO, or Roundelay, in Mujic, a kind of burden 

 or ritornello ; where the beginning of each couplet is re- 

 peated at the end of it. 



ROUNDSTONE Bay, in Geography, a harbour of the 

 county of Galway, Ireland, in Balhnahinch. It is fepa- 

 rated from Birterbui bay by the ifiand of Inifhkeele, 

 lying on the weft of it. 



ROUNREAK, a town of Pegu, on an ifland formed 

 by the Ava ; 42 miles S. of Lundfay. 



ROUP, in Commerce, a filvcr coin of Turkey, containing 

 10 paras, the para being equal to 3 afpers, and 40 para» 

 being equal to the dollar or piaftre. 



Roui', in Poultry, is a filthy boil or fwelling upon their 

 rumps, known by the flaring, or turning back of the 

 feathers. 



The roup, if not foon remedied, will corrupt the whole 

 body ; to prevent which, the feathers are to be pulled 

 away, the fwelling laid open, and the matter prefled out ; 

 after which the part is to be wafted with fait and water, or 



brine. 



ROUPALA, in Botany, a nam.- of Aublet. See 

 rfhoPALA, 



ROUPEYROUX, in Geography, a town of France, 

 in tin- department of the Aveyron ; 7 miles S.E. of Villa- 



tranche. 



ROUPIA, or Ri pee. See Ri PEE. 

 ROUREA, in Botany, a name of AubletS. Sec Ro- 

 mini \ 



4 L 2 ROUSAV, 



