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legumen, to be eaten as common lentils; 
When fresh, it makes admirable peas-soup; 
dry, it is greedily eaten by tl*e poultry. The 
dried herb is also a good resource for cattle 
in win' or. It grows on any kind of ground. 
ERYNGIUM, sea-holly, or ervngo, a ge- 
nus of the digynia order, in the penlandria 
| class ol plants ; and in the natural method 
ranking under the 45th order, umbel lata'. 
The flowers are collected into a round head, 
I and the receptacle is paleaceous. There 
[ are 1 1 species ; most of which are hardy 
I herbaceous perennials, producing erect stalks 
i from one to two or three feet high ; with sim- 
| pie, entire, or divided prickly leaves; and 
] the stalks terminated by roundish aggregate 
I heads of quinquepetalous flowers, of white, 
1 blue, or purple colours. They all flower 
I mostly in July, and the seeds ripen in Septem- 
ber. They are propagated by seeds sown in 
a bed or border, either in spring or autumn. 
The plants are to be removed the autumn 
after they come up, into those places where 
j they are designed to remain. r ] he leaves of 
| one of the species (viz. the maritimum, 
j which grows naturally on the sea-coasts 
of England and Scotland) are sweetish, with 
I a light aromatic warmth and pungency. 
i The young flowering shoots, eaten like as- 
paragus, are very grateful and nourishing. 
ERYSIMUM, hedge-mustard; a genus 
; of the siliquosa order, in the tetradynamia 
class of plants ; and in the natural method 
j ranking under the 39th order, siliquosa;. 
I The- siliqua is long, linear, and exactly tetra- 
[ gonal; the calyx close. There are eight 
species; of which the most remarkable is the 
officinale, hedge-mustard, or bank-cresses. 
It grows naturally in Britain under walls, by 
j the sides of highways, and among rubbish. 
I It is warm and acrid to the taste; and, when 
cultivated, is used as a vernal potherb. 
| Birds are fond of the seeds ; sheep and goats 
eat the herb; cows, horses, and swine, refuse 
| it. The seeds are said to promote expecto- 
i ration, and excite urine, but they are scarcely 
I ever employed in medicine at present. 
ERYSIPELAS, in medicine, an eruption 
i of a fiery or acrid humour, from which no 
part of the body is exempted, though it chiefly 
attacks the face. See Medicine. 
ERYTHRINA, coral-tree ; a genus of 
the decandria order, in the diadelphia class 
of plants ; and in the natural method ranking 
under the 32d order, papilionaceae. The calyx 
is bilabiate, the one lip above, the other be- 
low ; the vexfllum of the corolla is very long, 
and lanceolated. There are seven species, 
all of them shrubby flowering exotics for the 
stove, adorned chiefly with trifoliate or three- 
lobed leaves, and scarlet spikes ofpapilionace- 
ous flowers. They are all natives of the warm 
parts of Africa and America ; and must al- 
ways be kept in pots, which are to remain 
constantly in stoves in this country. They 
are propagated by seeds, which are annually 
imported hither from Africa and America. 
They are to be sown half an inch deep in 
pots of light rich earth, which are then to be 
plunged in a moderate hotbed ; and when the 
plants are two inches high, they are to be 
separated into small pots, plunged in the bark- 
bed, giving them frequent waterings, and as 
they increase in growth shifting them into 
larger pots. The inhabitants of Malabar make 
sheaths of the wood for swords and knives. 
They use the same, together with the bark, 
in washing a sort of garments which they call 
sarassas ; and make of the flowers the confec- 
tion carvl. The leaves pulverized, and 
boiled with the mature cocoa-nut* have been 
deemed useful in venereal complaints. The 
juice of the leaves, combined with any greasy 
matter, also cures the itch and some other 
eruptions. 
ERYTHRONIUM, dog’s-tooth violet, a 
genus of the monogynia order, in the hexan- 
dria class of plants, and in the natural me- 
thod ranking under the 1 Ith order, sarmen- 
taceax The corolla is hexapetalous and cam- 
panulated, with a nectarium of two tuber- 
cles adhering to the inner base of every other 
petal. There is only one species; which, 
however, admits of several varieties in its 
flowers, as white, purple, pale red, dark red, 
crimson, and yellow. r j he plants are low 
and herbaceous, with a purple stalk and hex- 
apetalous flowers. All the varieties are hardy 
and durable; and maybe planted in small 
patches in borders, where they will make a 
good appearance. They rarely perfect their 
seeds in this country, but may be propagated 
by offsets. In Siberia, according to Gmelin, 
they dry and mix the root of this plant with 
their soups. It grows there in abundance, and 
is called by the people of the country bess. 
ERYTHROXYLON, a genus of the tri- 
gynia order, in the decandria class of plants ; 
and in the natural method ranking with those 
the order of which is doubtful. '1 he calyx is 
turbinated; the petals of the corolla have 
each a nectariferous emarginated scale at the 
base ; the stamina are connected at the base ; 
the fruit a bilocular plum. There are five 
species, beautiful shrubs , of the West Indies. 
. ESCALADE, in war, a furious attack of a 
wall or a rampart; carried on with ladders, to 
pass the ditch or mount the rampart ; without 
proceeding inform, breaking ground, or carry- 
ing on regular works to secure the men . W hen 
the troops are prepared to pass the ditch, either 
with the assistance of boards, hurdles, and 
fascines, when it is muddy, or with small boats 
of tin, or baskets covered with skins or oil- 
cloth, when it is deep and filled with water, 
a party must be placed on the counterscarp, 
opposite to the landing-place, ready to fire 
at the garrison if they are alarmed, and op- 
pose the mounting on the rampart. If the 
ditch is dry, the ladders are fixed in some 
place farthest distant from the sentry ; and as 
soon as they get upon the rampart, they put 
themselves in order to receive the enemy; 
if the sentry is surprised and silently over- 
come, the detachment hastens to break open 
the gate, and to let in the rest of the party. 
If the ditch is wet, the rampart high, aud pro- 
vided with a revetement, it will be difficult 
to surprise the town in this w T ay ; but if there 
is no revetement, fhe troops may hide them- 
selves along the outside of the rampart till all 
are over. Since the invention and use of 
S owder, and the walls of cities have been 
ed, they are seldom taken by escalade. 
ESCALLONIA, a genus of the monogynia 
order, in the pentandria class of plants. The 
fruit is bilocular and polyspermous ; the pe- 
tals distant and tongue-shaped; the stigma 
headed. There are two species, shrubs of the 
West Indies and South America. 
ESCAPE, in law, is where one who is ar- 
rested gains his liberty before he is delivered 
by course of law. 
"Escapes are either in civil or criminal 
4 N 2 
cases; arid Y botli respects, escapes may be 
dhtiiiguished into voluntary and negligent : 
voluntary, where it is with "the consent of the 
keeper; negligent where it is for want of due 
care in him. 
In civil cases, after the prisoner has been 
suffered voluntarily to escape, the sheriff 
can never after retake him, but must answer 
for the debt ; but the plaintiff may retake him 
at any time. In the case of a negligent es- 
cape, the sheriff, upon fresh pursuit, may re- 
take the prisoner, and the sheriff shall be ex- 
cused if he has him again before any action 
brought against himself for the escape. 
When a defendant is once in custody in ex- 
ecution, upon a capias ad satisfaciendum, 
lie is to be kept in close and safe custody ; 
aiid if he is afterwards seen at large, it is an 
escape, and the plaintiff may have an ac- 
tion thereupon tor his whole debt; for 
though upon arrests, and what is called 
mesne process (being such as intervenes be- 
tween the commencement and end of a suit), 
the sheriff, till the statute 8 and 9 W. c. 27, 
might have indulged the defendant as he 
pleased, so that he produced him in court lo an- 
swer the plaintiff at the return of the writ ; 
yet, upon a taking in execution, he could ne- 
ver give any indulgence; for in that case, 
confinement is the whole of the debtor’s pu- 
nishment, and of the satisfaction made to the 
creditor. ' 
A rescue of a prisoner in execution, either 
in going to gaol, or in gaol, or a breach of 
prison, will not excuse the sheriff from be- 
ing guilty of and answering for the escape; 
for he ought to have sufficient force to keep 
him, since he may command the power of 
the county. 3 Black. 415 and 6. 
In criminal cases, an escape of a person 
arrested, by eluding the vigilance of his 
keeper before he is put in holcf, is an offence 
against public justice, and.the party himself is 
punishable by line and imprisonment ; but 
the officer permitting such escape, either 
by negligence or connivance, is much more 
culpable than the prisoner, who has the na- 
tural desire of liberty to plead in his behalf. 
Officers therefore, who after arrest negligently 
permit a felon to escape, are also punishable 
by fine; but voluntary escapes amount to the 
same kind of offence, and are punishable in 
the same degree, as the offence of which the 
prisoner is guilty, and for which he is in cus- 
tody, whether treason, felony, or trespass; 
and this whether he was actually committed 
to gaol, or only under a bare arrest. But 
the officer cannot be thus punished, till the 
original delinquent is actually found guilty or 
convicted by verdict, confession, or outlawry ; 
otherwise, it might happen that the officer 
should be punished for treason or felony, and 
the party escaping turn out to be an innocent 
man. But before the conviction of the prin- 
cipal party, the officer thus neglecting his 
duty may be fined and imprisoned for a mis- 
demeanor. 4 Black, 129. 
If any person shall convey or cause to be 
conveyed into any gaol, any disguise, in- 
strument, or arms, proper to facilitate the 
escape of prisoners, attainted or convicted 
of treason or felony, although no escape or . 
attempt to escape be made ; such, person sa 
offending, and convicted, shall he deemed 
guilty of felony, and be transported for seven 
years. 16 Geo. II. c. 31., 
Escape-warrant, a process which issues 
