S E R 



thropophagi ; below thefe were the Annibi, bearing the 

 name of thefe mountains ; the Axacii and the Sizyges, be- 

 low whom were the Damnx ; the Piaddx extended them- 

 felves to the river Oechardes. The Garinaei and the Nab- 

 bana: lay more to the eaft than the Annibi. To the S. was 

 the country called Afmiraea, where were the mountains of the 

 fame name ; the IfledoneSjOrEHedones, werefituatedto theS., 

 and extended themfelves to mount Caflius ; and thefe fonned 

 a powerful nation ; the Throani lay to the E., and below them 

 the Ithaguri ; the Afpacarae lay to the S. of tlie IfTedones, 

 and below them the Batge ; the Ottorochorrse were fituated 

 to the S. The principal towns were the Damnae, Piada, 

 Abmirasa or Almiroea, Tharrana or Throana, IfTedon, Se- 

 ricae, Afpacara, Drofache, Paliana, Abfagana, Thogara, 

 Daxata, Orofana, Ottorochorrha or Ottorocorras, Solana, 

 and Sera Metropolis. It appears from the article Little 

 BuCHARiA, to which we refer the reader, that no region but 

 this can correfpond to Ptolemy's Serica. 



SERICH, the name of a feed ufed in the food of the 

 Egyptian Coptics. It is produced by an herb called 

 fimjtm, and is pounded and put into oil. In this they dip 

 their bread, which is always new, being baked as often as 

 they eat, in fmall flat cakes ; thefe they eat dipped in this 

 oil with raw onions, or elfe they break the cakes to pieces, 

 and put them into a fyrup of fugar, made when the canes are 

 green. Pococke's Egypt, p. 183. 



SERICOIIA, in Geography, a town of Perfia, in the 

 province of Mazanderan ; 15 miles N.E. of Aiterabat. 

 SERICUM, Silk. See Silk. 



Sekicum is alfo a name given by feveral chemical writers 

 to the flowers of zinc raifed by fubhmation in an inclined 

 open crucible. Thefe flowers are not reducible into zinc 

 again, and are of a fibrous texture, and a beautiful bright 

 white colour. This has made them be called alfo thi: phi/o- 

 fophic cotton, and others have named them the aqua/icca philo- 

 fophorum. 



SERIDIA, in Botany, a generic name given by Juflieu to 

 thofe fpecies of Centaurea which are included under the fixth 

 fedion iStcebit) of that genus. Jud'. 173. See Centaurea. 

 SERJEANT, or Sergeant, a term in our LaiLt, ap- 

 plied to fundry offices. Serjeant at la'zv, or of the coif, is 

 the highell degree taken in the common law, as that of 

 doftor is in the civil law. 



The firft mention which judge Blackflone has met with 

 of ferjeants, or countors, is in the flat, of Weih i. 3 Edw. I. 

 c. 29. But M. Paris, in his life of John II. abbot of St. 

 Alban's, which he wrote in 1255, 39 Hen. III. fpeaks of 

 advocates at the common law, or countors (quos band nar- 

 ratores vulgariter appeUamxts ) as of an order of men well 

 known ; and the antiquity of the coif appears from the fame 

 author's Hill, of England, A.D. 1259. Serjeants were an- 

 ciently called fervientes ad legem, and fervientes narratores ; 

 Mr. Selden adds, that they were alfo called doBores legis ; 

 though others are of opinion that the judges are more pro- 

 perly the doBores legis, and ferjeants, the bachelors of law. 



Spclman obferves, that however a ferjeant may be richer 

 than all the doftors of the Commons, yet a doftor is fuperior 

 in degree tp a ferjeant, for the very name of a doftor is ma- 

 gifterial, but that of a ferjeant minifterial. Hence, the 

 doftors are feated and covered when they plead, but the fer- 

 jeants (land uncovered at the bar, excepting for their coif. 



As thefe are fuppofed the moit learned and experienced, 

 there is one court appropriated for them to plead in by 

 themfelves, which is tlie Common Pleas, where the common 

 law of England is moft ftriftly obferved ; but they are not 

 prohibited pleading in other courts ; and all judges, who, by 

 euflom, mult firft be ferjeants, call them brothers. 



Serjeants at law are bound by a folemn oath to do their 



S E R 



duty to their clients ; andby cuftom the judgea of the courts 

 of Weftminlter are always admitted into this venerable order, 

 before they are advanced to the bench ; the original of which 

 was probably to qualify the puifne barons of the exchequer 

 to become juftices of aflife, according to the exigence of 

 the ftatute of 14 Edw. HI. c. 16. 



They are called by the king's mandate, or writ, direfted 

 to them, commanding them to take upon them that degree, 

 by a day affigned. See Barrister. 



Out of thefe, fome are made the king's ferjeants to plead 

 for him in all caufes, efpecially in cafes of treafon ; and one 

 is ufually appointed, czWeA premier ferjeant. See Counsel 

 and Precedence. 



Serjeants at Arms, are officers appointed to attend the 

 perfon of the king, to arreft traitors, and perfons of quality 

 offending, and to attend the lord high fteward when he fits 

 in judgment on any traitor, &c. 



Thefe officers were firft inftituted by king Richard I. in 

 imitation of a corps of the fame name, formed by Philip Au- 

 guftus, king of France, when on a crufade, to guard him 

 againft the fubjefts of the old man of the mountain, famous 

 for their daring afTaffinations. Of thefe by ttatute (13 Ric.ll. 

 c. 6. ) there are not to be above 30 in the realm. 



The duty of thefe ferjeants originally was to watch round 

 the king's tent in complete armour, with a mace, a bow, 

 arrows, and a fword, and occafionally to arreft traitors, and 

 other offenders, about the court, for which the mace was 

 deemed a fufficient authority. They were called the va- 

 lourous force of the king's errand, in the execution of juf- 

 tice ; they held their place; for life ; their number was ori- 

 ginally twenty-four, all perfons of approved worth, and not 

 under the degree of the fon of a knight ; but afterwards the 

 fons of gentlemen were admitted into the body. In the 

 reign of Edward I. the ferjeants at arms were allowed two 

 marks for winter, and the fame for fummer robes.; their 

 pay in that of Edward II. was 12^. per diem, when they 

 attended on horfcback, and 8(/. when they attended with- 

 out a horfe. Their allowance, when abfent from court, on 

 the king's aff^airs, was i2(/. each by the day ; and under 

 another head they appear charged at 26s. Sd. each for 

 winter, and 20s. for fummer. They were befides entitled 

 to certain fees from perlons arrelted, in proportion to their 

 rank and degree. According to the orders given by Thomas 

 of Lancaftcr, conftable at the fiegeof Caen, Sept. 3d. 1417, 

 a ferjeant at arms was to appear in the king's prefence, with 

 his head bare, his body armed to the feet with the arms of a 

 knight riding, wearing a gold chain with a medal, bearing all 

 the king's coats, with a peon royal, or mace of filvcr, in his 

 right hand, and in his left hand a truncheon. In the 7th 

 of Hen. VII. they were ordered to attend the army. The 

 number of this corps has varied exceedingly. In the reign of 

 Edw. IV. they were reduced to four ; in that of Edw. VI. 

 they were increafed to twenty-two, and in the fucceeding 

 reign to twenty-three ; but by king James I. retrenched to 

 fixteen, and afterwards to eight. 



Such is the number now at court, at lool. per annum falary 

 each ; they are called the king's ferjeants at arms, to dif- 

 tingnidi them from others ; they are created with great cere- 

 mony, the perfon kneeling before the king, his majefty lays 

 the mace on his right fhoulder, and {ays,RiJ'e up ferjeant at 

 arms, and efquire for ever. They have, befides, a patent for 

 the office, which they hold for life. 



They have their attendance in the prefence-chamber, where 

 the band of gentlemen-penfioners wait ; and receiving the 

 king at the door, they carry the maces before him to the 

 chapel door, whilft the band of penfioners ft and foremoft, 

 and make a lane for the king, as they alfo do when the king 

 goes to the houfe of lords. 



They 



