WATER. 



from thunder, diiTolving charms, fecuring from, or curing 

 difeafes, &c. 



The ufe of holy water appears to be of a pretty ancient 

 Handing in the church: witnefs St. Jerom, in his life of 

 St. Hilarion, and Gretfer, de Benedift. cap. x. &c. — M. 

 Godeau attributes its original to Alexander, a martyr under 

 the emperor Adrian. 



Many of the reformed take the ufe of holy water to have 

 ibeen borrowed from the luftral water of the ancient Romans: 

 Ithough it might as well be taken from the fprinkling in ufe 

 'among the Jews. See Numbers, xix. 17. 



Urban Godfrey Siber, a German, has a diflertation, 

 iprinted at Leipfic, to fhew, by proofs brought from church 

 ;hiftory, that one may give holy water to drink to brutes. 



Bitter Waters of Jealoufy. — In the Levitical law, we find 

 mention made of a water, which ferved to prove whether or 

 no a woman were an adultrefs. The formula was this : the 

 prieft, offering her the holy water, denounced, " If thou 

 ;liail gone afide to another, inlfead of thy hufband, and if 

 thou be defiled, ixc. the Lord make thee a curfe and an 

 path among thy people, by making thy thigh to rot, and 

 'ihy belly to fwell ; and this water fhall go into thy bowels, 

 ,;o make thy belly to fwell, and thy thigh to rot," And 

 I.he woman (hall fay. Amen. " Thefe curfes the prieft (hall 

 iwxite in a book, and blot tliem out with the bitter water. 

 jlSThen he hath made her drink the bitter water, it (hall come 

 \q pafs, that, if fhe be defiled, the water (hall enter into 

 iier, and become bitter, and her belly iTiall fwell," &c. If 

 %e be not deliled, fhe fhall be free, and conceive feed." 

 I^Jumbers, "chap. v. 



Water, Interdiflion of Fire and. See Interdiction. 

 Water of Flax and Hemp, &c. that which is ufed for 

 beeping or raiting them in, in the view of procuring the 

 Imre vegetable fibrous matters that they contain. The wri- 

 ier of the " Elements of Agricultural Chemiflry" has ob- 

 iervcd, that this water poftefTes confiderable fertilizing 

 DOwcrs. It appears, it is faid, to contain a fubftance ana- 

 logous to albumen, as well as much vegetable extraftive 

 Inatter. It putrefies very readily. And that as a certain 

 llegree of fermentation is abfolutely neceffary for obtaining 

 Ihe matters of the (lax and hemp in a proper ftate ; the 

 jvater to which they have been expofed (hould on that ac- 

 count be ufed as a manure as foon as the vegetable fibre 

 js removed from it. 



I Water, Black, a difeafe in neat cattle and (heep, which 

 B not unfrequently of a ferious nature. It has not, how- 

 'ver, been yet properly or fully invelligated. 

 ( In neat cattle it is faid to arife from fudden changes in 

 ihe ftate of the weather from heat to great cold, the taking 

 |)f cold on being turned into low wet paftures in the early 

 Ipring feafon, and the want of proper water in long dry 

 ■imes. Some fuppofe too that it may be caufed by frefh 

 baflures of particular forts, and that certain vegetables 

 [licked up by the cattle may produce it. It confiffs of a 

 lifcharge of a dark black bloody nature from the kidneys, 

 ind fometimes probably from other parts of the body. It 

 is moft probably produced bv inflammation terminating fud- 

 jlenly in a ftate of great debility and relaxation of the parts, 

 (0 as to admit the dark grumous blood thrown out to pafs 

 l.way in this manner. 



, In (light cafes of this nature the cattle do not feem to be 

 >. great deal affefted by the difeafe, but where the bloody 

 jiuid palTed away is confiderable, and lafts for fome length of 

 .ime, the animals become reduced to a very low ftate or con- 

 lition, aiid great weaknefs is the confetiucnce, which if not 

 pcedily removed by fome proper remedy, the cattle foon 

 ink. under the prell'ure of the complaint. 



In the cure, except the difeafe be taken at its commence- 

 ment, bleedmg will feldom be ufeful or neceffary, but tlie 



ftipated, which would be hurtful and dangerous. When 

 the difcharge continues, balls compofed of alum, ruft of 

 iron, and armenian bole, made up with Venice turpentine, 

 may often be of fervice, when given in fufficient quantities ; 

 but a more powerful and effeftual remedy will be found in 

 a ftrong decoftion or infulion of bark, with vitriolic acid, 

 and the tinfture of opium, given in the proportion of a pint 

 of the firft, two drachms of the fecond, and tliree drachms 

 of the laft. This may be repeated once or twice in the 

 courfc of the day where neceffary, the bowels being always 

 well kept open. 



By fome of thefe means the difeafe may moftly be re- 

 moved without any great difficulty. 



Some think that much benefit often arifes from the ufe 

 of nitre in full dofes in this diforder, as well as from the 

 change of pafture, in fome inftances, as from low to fuch 

 as are rather high in their fituation. 



Xvijlieep the difeafe is charafterized by much the fame ap- 

 pearances, taking place fuddenly, mofl commonly among 

 thofe of the hog kind, and fucli as are apparently tlrong, 

 while feeding in rank paftures of the clover or other luxu- 

 riant grafs kinds. In thefe cafes, there is fometimes much 

 dark bloody watery fluid met with in the ftomachs of the 

 fheep after death. The difeafe in thefe animals is moftly 

 very rapid in its progrefs, therefore the fheep in fuch paf- 

 tures fhould be conftantly well looked to, in order to dif- 

 cover if any of them be indifpofed. 



In the prevention of the black water in thefe animals, 

 fome have found great benefit by the ufe of about half a 

 tea-fpoonful of fulphuric or vitriolic acid in mixture with a 

 fmall fpoonful of the compound tinfture of cinnamon, when 

 given in a cup of cold water to each Iheep in the morning, 

 and cotting or houfing them in the night feafon. 



In other cafes, when the difeafe appeared to be prefent, 

 much advantage has been faid to be produced by giving a 

 ftrong infufioii of oak-bark with aromatics, well acidulated 

 with the fulphuric acid, and to which has been added a little 

 of the tinfture of opium. The bowels are to be kept in an 

 open ftate at the fame time. 



The immediate removal of the fheep into clofer fed and 

 drier paftures, will always be attended with great benefit \\\ 

 this difeafe, and the fupplying them with dry food might 

 perhaps in fome cafes be of utihty. 



Water, White, a name often given to a dangerous difeafe 

 in fheep. 



Water in the Head, a denomination frequently applied 

 to a difeafe in the head of flieep. See GiD and Sturdy. 



Water Braxy, among Animals, a difeafe in fheep, which 

 has been difputed by fome ; but which the writer of the 

 " Shepherd's Guide" is confident exifts, having feen and 

 diffefted feveral cafes of it after death ; and is affured, too, 

 that it does confiderable damage on fome particular farms, 

 in fome iituations ; but that whether it be a fpecies of tlie 

 common braxy or not, will, it is thought, admit of a doubt, 

 though it is always viewed and confidored by the fhepherd 

 as fuch. It is ilated in addition alfo, that in two external 

 appearances it has a refemblaiice to it. The firft of which 

 is, that the animal, when living, fecms affefted much in 

 the fame way, lying frequently down, and loitering be- 

 hind the reft of the flock, appearing likcwifc fomewhat 

 fwelled in the body. And that the next is, tha«, like all 

 others affefted with the braxy of any kind, it will not bleed 



to 



