S O R 



potafh, contained in the juice of this plant. See Oxalk 



Acid. 



SoRREL-Tw, in Botany. See Andromeda. 



SORRO, in Geography, a town of Africa, in Beeroo ; 

 85 miles S.W. of Walet. 



SORROINSU, a town of the department of Liamone, 

 or inand of Corfica ; the canton of which contains 1528 

 inhabitants. ,, 



SORS, a town of the ifland of Sardinia; 10 miles 

 N.N.E. of Sadari. „ r , . ■ l , 



^SORSELE, a town of Swedilh Lapland, in the lap- 

 mark of Pitea ; 105 miles W. of Pitea. N. lat. 65° 33°. 

 E. lonsj. if 20'. 



SORSOKEN, a fea-port town in the S.E. p.wt ot the 



ifland of Lufon. 



SORT, a town of Spain, in the province of Catalonia ; 

 18 miles W. of Urgel.— Alfo, a fea-port town of Africa, 

 in the country of Tripoli, fituated on the coaft of the 

 Mediterranean, in the gulf of Sidra. N. lat. 30° 28'. E. 

 long. 16° 55'. 



SORTES, Lots, in Jntiquity, a method of deciding 

 dubious cafes, where there appears no ground for a pre- 

 ference ; by referring the decifion to chance ; as in calling 

 of dice, drawing of tickets, &c. 



The fortes, or lots, were of ancient ufe among the Jews ; 

 and in the books of the Old Teilament we meet with divers 

 Handing and perpetual laws, and divers particular commands, 

 prefcribing and regulating the ufe of them. Thus, the 

 Scripture informs us, that the lot fell on St. Matthias, 

 when a fucceffor to Judas in the apoftolate was to be 

 chofen. Our Saviour's garment itfelf was cad lots for. 



The SoRTES Pntneftinie were famous among the Greeks. 

 The method of thefe was to put a great number of letters, 

 or even whole words, into an urn ; to Ihake them together, 

 and throw them out ; and whatever (hould chance to be 

 made out in the arrangement of the letters, &c. compofed 

 the anfwer of this oracle. 



Cicero, de Divin. lib. ii. § 41, fays, that a variety of 

 predidlions were infcribed on pieces of wood, which were 

 kept in a box or chelt ; and one of thefe drawn out by a 

 child, after the box was Ihaken, contained the anfwer 

 fought. He alfo informs us, how thefe fragments of wood 

 were firft difcovered ; but he obferves, " Tota res eit in- 

 venta fallaciis, ant ad quxltum, aut ad fuperllitionem." 

 In lieu of this, another kind of fortes was introduced 

 into Greece and Italy ; which was, to lake fome celebrated 

 poet, as Homer, Euripides, or Virgil, to open the book, 

 and whatever firft prefented itfelf to the eye upon opening, 

 was taken for the ordinance of heaven. This made what 

 they called the Jbrtes Homericis, and fortes VirgUianie ; which 

 fucceeded to the ufe of iht fortes Prtenejl'mte. 



The bath kol among the Jev/s was much of the fame 

 kind, differing only in tliis circumftance, that the Jews 

 took their oracle from the firft words which they heard 

 any body pronounce; the Heathen, from the firft they call 

 their eyes upon, on opening Homer, &c. in which they 

 endeavoured to difcover a meaning fuitable to the matter 

 concerning which they inquired. 



This fuperftition paffed from Paganifm into Chriftianity ; 

 and the Chriftians took their fortes out of the books of the 

 Old and New Tcftament. The firft paffage that prefented 

 itfelf upon opening a book of Scripture, was efteemed the 

 anfwer of God himiclf. 



If the firft paffage did not happen to be any thing to the 

 purpofe for which the fortes were confulted, another book 

 was opened ; till a palia^e was met with that might be 

 taken for an anfwer. This was called fortes fandorim. 



S O R 



St. Auguftine (Epift. ad. Jan. 109.) does not difapprove of 

 this method of learning futurity, provided it be not ufed 

 for worldly purpofes. 



Gregory of Tours adds, that the cuftom was firft to lay 

 the Bible on the altar, and to pray the Lord, that he 

 would difcover by it what was to come to pafs. Inftances 

 of the ufe of the forte? fandlorum are very frequent in 

 hiftory. Heraclius, M. Fleury tells us, in his war againft 

 Chofroes, to learn where he Ihould take up his winter- 

 quarters, purified his army for three days, and then opened 

 the Gofpels, and found the place appointed for his v?inter- 

 quarters was in Albania. 



Gilbert of Nogent informs us, that, in his time, (that is, 

 about the beginning of the 12th century,) the cuftom was, 

 at the confecration of bilhops, to confnlt the fortes fanc- 

 torum, to learn the fuccefs, fate, &c. of their epifcopate. 

 The practice is founded on a fuppofition, that God pre- 

 fides over the fortes, and on Prov. xvi. 33. " The lot is 

 call into the lap ; but the difpofing thereof is of the Lord." 

 In effect, many divines hold that the lot is condufted in a 

 particular manner by Providence ; that it is an extraordinary 

 manner in which God declares his will by a kind of imme- 

 diate revelation. The fortes fanftorum, however, were 

 condemned by the council of Agda, in 506, at the time 

 they were besjinning to take footing in France, &c. 



SORTILEGE, Sortilegiu.m, a kind of divination by 

 fortes, or lots. 



SORTING Sheep-Stock, in Agriculture, the practice of 

 carefully choofing, forting, collecting, and putting toge- 

 ther, thofe which are the moft proper and beft fuited for the 

 purpofe of breeding, or any other ule that may be in the con- 

 templation of the grazing farmer. It is a pratlice which 

 has hitherto, for the moft part, only prevailed among the 

 larger and better kinds of Iheep-farmers, but which ought to 

 be every where attended to where good fheep-ftock is wanted, 

 and good management with them to be purfued. It, how- 

 ever, requires great care and attention in the execution, in 

 order to perform it in a proper manner ; but, when well 

 coudufted, amply repays the judgment and flcill of the 

 flock-farmer. The proper introdutlion vof new and ap- 

 proved breeds has done much in bettering this fort of Hock, 

 by promoting a more fpirited attention to the fubjedt, and 

 inculcating the necefiity of a more careful feledtion ; as, 

 fince this has been the cafe, very evident improvements have 

 taken place in the forms and difpofitions of flieep, as well 

 as in the quality of their wool. 



The utmoft care and attention are conftantly demanded in 

 the feleftion of fuch fheep as are to be bred from ; and as 

 it would require a great length of time to correft and re- 

 move the errors and bad confequences that might arife from 

 any negleft in fo important and eflential a matter, the 

 fheep-mafter fhould always himfelf be, as much as poflible, 

 employed in the bufinefs. He fhould take care that the 

 ewe tege, or young ewes, be very fully and ilriftly examined 

 in the mouths, to fee that they are not chopped or defedive 

 in fuch parts ; their make fhould be feen to be proper and 

 handfome in all points, and their wool of a fuperior quality ; 

 the ftaple being well fuited to the pafture or nature of the 

 keep, rather Ihort than long, as Ihort wool is commonly 

 thick, and kindly for the fheep ; but svhen too long, it is 

 apt to be thin, and to draw too much nourilhment from the 

 animal, without affording the neceilary warmth and protec- 

 tion in the winter feafon. Thefe forts of fheep fhould in 

 all cafes be forted down, or refufed, as it is called, in a very 

 clofe manner ; and when there are not more than are wanting 

 to put the ram to, and many of thefe are defedlive, all fuch 

 fliould be fattened or fold, and their places fupplied by the 



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