TRA 
tion. 8. In any trapezium, the aggregate 
of the diagonals is less than the aggregate 
of four right lines drawn from any point 
(except the intersection of the diagonals) 
within the figure. 
TRAVELLER, in naval affairs, one or 
more iron thimbles, with a rope spliced 
round them, sometimes forming a kind of 
tail, but more generally a species of grom- 
met, and used on various occasions. 
TRAVERSE, or Transverse, in gene- 
ral, denotes something that goes athwart 
another; that is, crosses and cuts it ob- 
liquely. 
Hence, to traverse a piece of ordnance, 
among gunners, signifies to turn or point 
it which way one pleases, upon the plat- 
form. 
In fortification, traverse denotes a trench 
with a little parapet, or bank of earth, 
thrown perpendicularly across the moat, or 
other work, to prevent the enemy’s cannon 
from raking it. These traverses may be 
from twelve to eighteen feet, in order to be 
cannon proof, and their height about six or 
seven feet, or more, if the place be exposed 
to any eminence. 
Traverse, in navigation, is a compound 
course, wherein several different successive 
courses and distances are known. To work 
a traverse, or to reduce a compound course 
to a single one, 1. Make a table of six co- 
lumns, marked, course ; distance; N.S.E.W. 
beginning at the left hand, and write the 
given courses and distances in their proper 
columns. 2. Seek the given courses and 
distances in tlie traverse table, and let the 
corresponding differences of latitude and 
departure be written in their proper columns 
in the table made for the question. 3. Add 
up the columns of northing, southing, east- 
ing, and westing ; tlien the difference be- 
tween the sums of northing and southing 
gives the whole difference of latitude, which 
is of the same name with the greater; and 
the difference between the sums of easting 
and westing will be the whole departure, 
w'hich is likewise of the same name with the 
greater. 4. The whole difference, latitude, 
and departure to the compound course be- 
ing found, the direct course and distance 
will be found by Case IV. of plain-sailing. 
See Navigation, &c. 
Traverse, in law, signifies sometimes 
to deny, sometimes to overthrow or undo a 
thing, or to put one to prove some matter ; 
much used in answers to bills in chancery ; 
or it is 'that which the defendant pleads, or 
VOL. VL 
TRE 
says, in bar, to avoid the plaintiff’s bill, 
either by confessing and avoiding, or by de- 
nying and traversing the material parts 
thereof. Traverse is also to take issue upon 
the chief matter, and to contradict or deny 
some point of it. To traverse an office, is 
to prove that an inquisition made of lands 
or goods, by escheator, is defective and mi- 
trnly made. 
TREASON, in law, is divided into high 
treason and petty treason. High treason is 
defined to be an offence committed against 
the security of the King or kingdom, whe- 
ther it be by imagination, word, or deed ; 
as to compass or imagine the death of the 
King, Queen, or Prince, or to deflower 
the King’s wife, or his eldest daughter un- 
married ; or his eldest son’s wife ; or levy 
war against the King in his realm, adhere 
to his enemies, counterfeit his great seal, 
privy seal, or money, or wittingly to bring 
false money into this realm, counterfeited 
like the money of England, and utter the 
same ; to kill the King’s Chancellor, Trea- 
surer, Justices of either bench. Justices in 
Eyre, of Assize, or of Oyer and Terminer,. , 
being in their place doing this office ; forging 
the King’s sign mauuel or privy signet, privy 
seal, or foreign coin current here, or dimi- 
nishing or impairing current money. In 
case of treason, a man shall be drawn, 
hanged, and quartered, and forfeit his lands 
and goods to the King. 25 Edward III. 
Treason, petit. Whenever a wife mur- 
ders her husband, a servant his master or 
mistress, or an ecclesiastic a prelate, or 
to whom he owes obedience, every one of 
these offences is petit treason. 
As every petit treason implies a murder, 
it follows, that the mere killing of an hus- 
band, master, or prelate, is not always pe- 
tit treason ; for if there are not such cir- 
cumstances in the case of killing one of 
these persons, as would have made it mur- 
der in the case of 'killing any other person, 
it does not amount to this offence. 
There can be no accessary in high trea- 
son. And it seems to be always agreed, 
that what would have made a man an ac- 
cessary before the fact in any other felony, 
makes him a principal in high treason. 
As the person of his Majesty was ima- 
gined in imminent danger, it was thougjit 
necessary to enact two late statutes, i-i*. 
36 George III. c. 7, and 36 George III. 
c. 8 ; the former to enlarge the clauses in 
the statute 25 Edward III. for the greater 
safety of his Majesty’s person ; the latter 
for the preventing seditious meetings. But 
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