W O R 



W O R 



The grand riding-houfe and ftables were erefted by the 

 noted duke in 1623 and 1625 : having been long neglefted 

 they have been of late years rettored, and are now among 

 the moft remarkable in the kingdom. Welbcck-park is 

 about eight miles in circuit, and contains noble woods of 

 venerable oaks, fome of very great age and extraordinary 

 fize. One in particular, noticed in Evelyn's Silva, was 

 in his time thirty-three feet round at the bottom, and is 

 conceived to be 700 years old : it is now much de- 

 cayed. But the moft remarkable tree is " the duke's 

 walking-ftick," in height about 112 feet ; the folid contents 

 are eftimated at 440 feet. Near the gate leading to Work- 

 fop is a group of trees, called the " feven fifters," there 

 having been formerly feven ftems fpringing from one root, 

 but one has lately been broken off. The late duke formed an 

 extenfive piece of water in the park, and raifed a bridge of 

 three fpacious arches over it, but which fell down juft as 

 it was completed. 



About two miles to the eaftward of the parks of Work- 

 fop and Welbeck is that of Clumber, a feat of the duke 

 of Newcaftle. The manfion is a magnificent ftone ftruc- 

 ture of three fronts, one of which is ornamented with a light 

 Ionic colonnade. The apartments are fpacious, particularly 

 the ftate dining-room, fixty feet in length, thirty-four in 

 breadth, and thirty in height, which is fitted up with great 

 magnificence. In the various rooms are feveral very valuable 

 paintings. The arrangements for the domeftic accommo- 

 dation of the family are well worthy of notice. The park, 

 now eleven miles in compafs, was not long ago a wide 

 tradl of foreft-land. It is in a manner wholly the creation 

 of the late duke of Newcaftle. It now contains about 

 4000 acres ; but half a century ago the ground was httle 

 better than a black heath, interfperfed with bogs and 

 marfties, through which ran a fmall ftream. The park com- 

 prehends, however, two woods of ancient oaks, from one 

 of which the manfion takes its name. 



Adjoining to Clumber-park, on the fouth, is that of 

 Thoreft)y, the feat of earl Manvers. The old houfe was de- 

 ftroyed by fire in 1745, ^fter which it was rebuilt by the pro- 

 prietor, the laft duke of Kingfton, grandfather of the prefent 

 poflefFor. The manfion, which is rather a comfortable refi- 

 dence than a magnificent feat, confifts of brick, on a ruftic 

 ftone bafement, with an lonrc portico of four columns in the 

 principal front. The great ftair-cafe, fingle at the bottom, 

 but divided into two at the firft landing, opens into a dome 

 fupported by columns, on which refts a gallery, which 

 communicates with the upper chambers. The apartments 

 contain fome valuable portraits and paintings. The park 

 is about thirteen miles in circumference, and contains 

 feveral pieces of water, of which one, near the houfe, 



aflumes the appearance of an extenfive river Thoroton's 



Hiftory of Nottinghamlhire, by Throfby, 3 vols. 4to. 

 London, 1790. Beauties of England and Wales, Notting- 

 hamfhire, by F. C. Laird, 8vo. London, 18 12. 



WORLD, MuNDUS, the aflemblage of parts which com- 

 pofe the univerfe. 



The Juration of the world is a fubjeft which has been 

 greatly difputed. Plato, after Ocellus Lucanus, held it to 

 be eternal, and to have flowed from God, as rays flow from 

 the fun. Ariftotle was much of the fame mind : he af- 

 ferts, that the world was not generated, fo as to begin to 

 be a world, which before was none ; and, in effeft, his 

 whole eighth book of Phyf. and firft book de Coelo, are 

 fpent in proving the eternity of the world. 



He lays down a pre-exifting and eternal matter, as a 

 principle ; and thence argues the world eternal. His ar- 

 gument amounts to this ; that it is impofiible an eternal 



agent, having an eternal pafllve fubjeft, fliould continue 

 long without aftion. 



His opinion was long generally followed ; as feeming to 

 be the fitteft to end the difpute among fo many fe£ls about 

 the firft caufe. 



Epicurus, however, though he makes matter eternal, yet 

 ftiews the world to be but a new thing, and fays it was 

 formed out of a fortuitous concourfe of atoms. See Lu- 

 cretius, lib. V. 



Some of the modern philofophers refute the imaginary 

 eternity of the world, by this argument ; that, if it be ai 

 aterno, there muft have been a generation of individuals, 

 in a continual fucceflion from all eternity ; fince no caufe 

 can be afligned why they fhould not be generated, to'z. one 

 from another. Therefore, to confider the origin of things, 

 and the feries of caufes, we muft go back in infinitum, /. e. 

 there muft have been an infinite number of men, and other 

 individuals, already generated ; which fubverts the very 

 notion of number. And if the caufe which now ge- 

 nerates have been produced by an infinite feries of caufes, 

 how fhall an infinite feries be finite, to give room for new 

 generations ? See God. 



Dr. Halley fuggefts a new method of finding tht 

 age of the world, from the degree of faltnefs of tht. 

 octan ; which fee. 



It is another popular topic of controverfy, whether tin 

 world be finite, or infinite \ See the arguments on both 

 fides, under Universe. 



It is likewife difputed, whether the plurality of worlds 

 be poffible ? See Plurality. 



Some, hold the affirmative, from an opinion of the infinite 

 power of the Deity ; it being a fetting bounds to omnipo- 

 tence to fay, that he created fo many bodies at firft, and 

 that he could not create more. 



The Cartefians maintain the negative, upon thefe princi- 

 ples : that it is a contradiftion to fay, there are feveral 

 worlds exifting at the fame time, fince this implies feve- 

 ral univerfes of created beings, the world being the it, 

 Ts-xj. That if there were feveral worlds, they muft either 

 be at a diftance from one another, or contiguous ; but 

 neither can be faid : for were they contiguous, they 

 would only conftitute one ; and were they diftant, there 

 muft be fomething between. But what can be between ? 

 If it be extended, it is corporeal ; and, inftead of fepa- 

 rating the feveral worlds, it will conneft them all into 

 one. 



The exljlence of an external world has been much con- 

 troverted. The arguments on either fide, fee under Ab- 

 straction, Body, and Existence. 



The world is fometimes divided into upper and lotuer : 

 the lower, or fubhmary, is the globe of our earth ( which 

 fee) ; and the upper includes the heavens, and heavenly 

 bodies. 



World, Axis of the. See Axis. 



World, Map of the. See Map. 



World, Soul of the. See AniMA Mundi, 



World, Sv/lem of the. See System. 



WORLITZ, in Geography, a town of Saxony, in the 

 principality of Anhalt ; 5 miles E. of Deflau. 



WORM, a river of Norway, which flows from the 

 lake Miofs into the Glom, or Glomen. 



WORMDIT. See Warmstadt. 



WORMHOUT, a town of France, in the department 

 of the North ; 5 miles S. of Bergues. 



WORMIA, in Botany, a genus of plants firft eftabhflied 

 by Rottboll, was named by him in memory of the famons 

 Daniih phyfician and naturalift, Olaus Wormius, fucceflbr 



of 



