S P E 



S P E 



»nd importance will be beftowed upon it, as it is capable of 

 relieving him from much trouble, of greatly promoting his 

 proiits, and of benefiting him in a variety of ways. The 

 fafts are long fince well proved and afcertained, that ani- 

 mals which have undergone this operation, are more dif- 

 pofed to feed or take on flcfli, more quiet in their habits, 

 and capable of being managed with much greater eafe and 

 facihty in any way whatever, than they were before it was 

 performed. It may alfo have advantages in other ways, in 

 different forts of animals ; it may render the filly, in the 

 horle kind, nearly equal to the gelt colt for icTeral different 

 ufes ; and the heifer, in the neat cattle kind, nearly equal to 

 the ox, for all forts of farm-labour. The females of fome 

 other forts of animals may likewife, by this means, be made 

 to nearly equal the callratcd males in ufefulnefs for a. variety 

 of purpofes and intentions ; and in all cafes be rendered a 

 good deal more valuable, or manageable, than they are in 

 the prefent cultom which prevails with them. 



Spaying of Fi/h. See Cajlratlon o/"Fish. 



SPEAKER of the Houfe of Commons, a member of the 

 houfe, elefted by a majority of the votes, to aft as chair- 

 man, or preiidenty in putting queftions, reading briefs or 

 bills, keeping order, reprimanding the refraftory, adjourning 

 the houfe, &c. 



The firll thing done by the commons upon the firft meet- 

 ing of a parliament is to choofe a fpeaker, who is to be ap- 

 proved of by the king ; and who, upon his admiflion, begs 

 his majeity, that the commons, during their fitting, may 

 have free accefs to his majefly, freedom of fpeech in their own 

 houfe, znA fecurily from arrefls. See Parliament. 



The fpeaker is not allowed to perfuade, or diffuade, in 

 pafling of a bill, but only to make a fhort and plain narra- 

 tive ; nor to vote, unlefs the houfe be equally divided. 

 The lord chancellor, or keeper, or any other appointed by 

 the king's commiflion, is ufuallyy^faicr of the houfe ef lords ; 

 and if none be thus appointed, the houfe of lords (it is faid) 

 may eleft. The fpeaker of the houfe of lords, if a lord 

 of parliament, may give his opinion, or argue any qu^ftion 

 in the houfe. 



The fpeaker of the convocation is called prolocutor. 



Speaker is ufed by rhetorical writers in the fame fenfe 

 with orator. See Oratory. See alfo Elocution, Pro- 

 NUNCiATioN, and Action. 



As to the charafter and addrefs of an orator, it is neeef- 

 fary that every thing appear eafy and natural, and the dif- 

 pofition of the fpeaker be difcovered by his words : thus 

 would he exprefs what Quintilian callt a propriety of man- 

 ners : accordingly, the ancient rhetoricians made it a neccf- 

 fary qualification m an orator, to be a good man ; fince he 

 ihould always be confiltent with himfelf, or, as we fay, 

 talk in charafter. There are four qualifications more efpe- 

 cially fuited to the charafter of an orator, which fhould 

 always appear in his difcourfes, in order to render what he 

 fays acceptable to his hearers ; thefe are wifdom, integrity, 

 benevolence, and modefly. See an illullration and inforcc- 

 ment of them in Ward's Oral. vol. i. left. lo. 



SPEAKING, theart, or aft, ofexprciTing onc'sthoughts 

 in articu4ate founds or words. 



Pliny, ./Elian, Plutarch, and other authors, make mention 

 of feveral beads that have fpokeii : and Pliny himfelf fpeaka 

 with afliirance, in his hiltory, of an ox that fpoke. Philo- 

 ftratus, in his life of ApoUonius, gives the like quality lo an 

 elm, and even to fhips. Homer makes Xanthos, one of 

 Achilles's horfes, fpeak ; in which he has been followed by 

 Oppian. But thefe are all fabulous ftories ; we have much 

 better authority for a ferpewt and an afs's fpeaking, un- 



lefs the cafes here referred to be allegorical. See Lan- 

 guage. 



SpEAKiNG-TVum/irf. See Trumpet, and Stevtoro- 



PHOMC. 



SPEAN, in Geography, a riyer of Scotland, which forme 

 a communication between loch Laggan and loch Lochly. 



SPEAR, in Armoury. See Lance. 



Spe.'VR, in the Manege. The feather of a horfe, called the 

 flroke of the f pear, is a mark in the neck, or near the Ihoulder 

 of fome Barbs, and fome Turkey and Spanifh horfe*, repre- 

 fenting the blow or cut of a fpear in thofe places, with 

 fome refemblance of a fear. This feather is an infallible 

 fign of a good horfe. 



SPEAR-Hand, or ftuarj-hand of a horfeman, is his right 

 hand. 



SpEAR-Foot, of a horfe, is the far-foot behind. See Far. 



Spear, King's, in Botany. See Asphodelus. 



SPEAR-Tht/lle, in Agriculture, a plant of the weed kind, 

 which is often troublefome in land. It is a biennial, and of 

 courfe readily deftroyed by taking care to have it mown 

 down or cut over before the time of its perfefting its feeds. 

 It is not unfrequently termed the bur-thillle. 



SPEARMINT, in Botany. See Mentha. 



SPEAR WORT, the Englifh name of the ranunculu* 

 flammeus. 



This is vnth us generally efteemed a poifon, but the Scot* 

 ufe it as a medicine. They beat it, and fqueeze out the 

 juice, which they take as a purge, drinking a little melted 

 butter or oil before and after it, to prevent its taking the 

 !\dn off from the throat. It operates very violently, but 

 with robuft conftitutions it does very well. 



They ufe it alfo externally in cafes of pain in the head, 

 or any other part of the body. They bruife the leaves to 

 a fort of pafte, and apply them to the part ; they foon raife 

 a blifter, and a large quantity of water is difcharged, after 

 which the pain goes off. This is a fhort way of bliftering, 

 and anfwers as fafely and as well as our's by the canthan- 

 des : but it is a wonder that people, who fee this quality 

 in the plant, fhould dare to take it into their mouths and 

 ftomachs. 



Spearwort is very prejudicial to fheep, as caufing the rot. 

 It is alfo troublefome in lands of the more wet kinds. 



SPECIA, in Geography, an ifland in the Grecian Archi- 

 pelago, about lo miles in circumference, at the entrance of 

 the gulf of Napoli. N. lat. 37° 15'. E. long. 23^ 2_V- 



Specia Poulo, a fmall ifland near the fouth coaft of 

 Specia. 



SPECIAL, fomething that is particular, or has a par- 

 ticular defignation ; from the LaUn fpecies : in oppofition 

 lo general, oi genus. See GENERAL, Particular, Species, 

 and Genus. 



The king, in his letters, frequently fays, of our fpccial 

 grace, full power, and royal authority. 



Special AJJife, Attorney, Bail, Cafe, Fee-tail, Iffue. 

 Jury, Plea, S^ton, Statute, Verdia, and Warrant. See 

 the articles. 



SPECIALTY, in Laiv, is moft commonly taken for a 

 bond, bill, or other inllrumcnt in writing. Accordingly, 

 debts by fpecialty, or fpccial contraft, are fuch by wliicli 

 a fum of money becomes, or is acknowledged to be, due by 

 deed or inftrument under feal : inch as by deed of covenant, 

 by deed of fale, by leafc rcferving rent, or by bond or obli- 

 gation. Thefe arc looked upon as the next clafs of debts 

 after thofe of record, being confirmed by fpecial evidence 

 under feal. 



SPECIE, in Commerce, gold and filver coin, dillin- 

 3 O 2 guifhed 



