PAPISTS. 
issues from the centre of the calyx. The 
style is single, slender, and generally crooked. 
In the pea the style is hairy, three-corner- 
ed, and keel-shaped above; by which last cir- 
cumstance chiefly that genus is distinguish- 
ed from the latliyrus, in which the style is 
plain. The stigma, or summit of the style, 
is generally covered with a beautiful down, 
and placed immediately under the anthers, 
or tops of the stamina. The seed-vessel in 
this order is that sort of pod termed a legu- 
inen, w-hich is of an oblong figure, more or 
less compressed, with two valves, and one, 
two, or more cavities; these cavities are 
often separated, when ripe, by a sort of 
joints, which are conspicuous in the pods of 
the coronilla, French honey-suckle, horse- 
shoe vetch, bird’s-foot, bastard sensitive- 
plant, and scorpiurus : theseeds are generally 
few in number, round, smooth, and fleshy. 
Jointed pods have generally a single seed in 
each articulation. The seeds are all fast- 
ened along one suture, and not alternately 
to both, as in the other species of pod term- 
ed siliqna. 
The plants of this family are in general 
mucilaginous ; from the inner bark flows a 
clammy liquor, which dries and hardens 
like gum : the juice of others, as that of tlie 
liquorice, is sweet like, sugar. Some of the 
plants are bitter, purgative, or emetic, and 
some are poisonous. They are, however, 
emollient, useful in the healing of wounds, 
and astringent. See Milne’s Botanical 
Dictionary. 
PAPISTS, persons professing the Popish 
religion. By several statutes, if any English 
priest of the Church of Rome, born in the 
dominions of the crown of England, came 
from beyond the seas, or tarried in Eng- 
land three days without conforming to 
the church, he was guilty of high treason ; 
and they also incurred the guilt of high 
treason who were reconciled to the see of 
Rome, or procured others to be reconciled 
to it By these laws also, Papists were 
disabled from giving their children educa- 
tion in their own religion. If they educat- 
ed their children at home, for maintaining 
the schoolmaster, if he did not repair to the 
church, or was not allowed by the bishop of 
the diocese, they were liable to forfeit lOL 
a month, and the schoolmaster was liable to 
the forfeiture of 40s. a day. If they sent 
their children for education abroad, they 
were liable to forfeit 1001. and the children 
so sent were ipcapable of inheriting, pur- 
chasing, or enjoying any lands, profits, 
goods, debts, legacies, or sums of money ; 
saying mass was punishable by a forfeiture 
of 200 marks ; and hearing it, by a forfeiture 
of 1001. 
By statute 11 and 12 B'iliiam III. c. 4, 
the Chancellor may fake care of the educa- 
tion and maintenance of the protestant 
children of papists. 
By the laws against recusancy, all persons 
abstaining from going to church w'cre liable 
to penalties. By 35 Elizabeth, c. 2, a dis- 
tinction was made against Papists, who, if 
convicted of recusancy, were fined 201, per 
nioiith, disabled from liolding offices, keep- 
ing arms in tlieir houses, suing at law, being 
executors and guardians, presenting to ad- 
vowsons, practising law or physic; from 
holding oft’ces civil or military ; were sub- 
ject to excommunication ; could not travel 
five miles from home, nor come to court, 
under pain of 1001. Marriages and burials 
of Papists were to be according to the rites 
of tlie Church of England. A married wo- 
man convicted of recusancy lost two-thirds 
of her dower; she could not be executrix 
to her husband; might be kept in prison 
during marriage, unless her husband paid 
101. per month, or gave the third part of his 
lands. Popish recusants convict were,within 
three months after conviction, either to sub- 
mit, and renounce their religious opinions, 
or to abjure the realm, if reqiiired by four 
justices; and if they did not depart, or re- 
turned without licence, were guilty of capi- 
tal felony ; so that abjuration was transpor- 
tation for life. 
But during the present reign the Roman 
Catliolics have been in a great measure re- 
lieved from the odious and severe (if net 
unjust) restrictions formerly imposed oa 
them, by tlie statutes 18 George III. c. 60, 
and 31 George III. c. 22, to which, on ac- 
count of their length and consequence, tlie 
reader is referred. The principal effects of 
these statutes are to repeal the 11 and 12 
William III. c. 4, as to prosecuting Popish 
priests, &c. and to disable Papists from 
taking lands by descent or purchase : if they 
take the oath expressing allegiance to the 
King, abjuring the Pretender, renouncing 
the Pope’s civil power, and abhorring the 
doctrine of not keeping faith with lieretics, 
and of deposing or murdering princes ex- 
communicated by the see of Rome. The 
statute 31 George III. c. 32, has afforded 
them the most effectual relietj and consists 
ef six parts. The first contains tlie oatli 
and declaration to be taken ; the second is 
a repeal of the statutes of recusancy in fa- 
vour of persons taking that oath j the third 
