CHA 
a combat in the place or quarrel of an- 
other ; and sometimes the word is used for 
him who fights in his own cause. 
It appears that champions, in the just 
sense of the word, were persons who fought 
instead of those that, by custom, were 
obliged to accept the duel, but had a just 
excuse for dispensing with it, as being too 
old, infirm, or being ecclesiastics, and the 
like. Such causes as could not be decided 
by the course of common law, were often 
tried by single combat ; and he who. had 
the good fortune to conquer, was always 
reputed to have justice on his side. Cham- 
pions who fouglit for interest only, w’eie 
held infamous : these hired themselves to 
the nobility, to fight for them in case of 
need, and did homage for their pension. 
When two champions were chosen to 
maintain a cause, it was always required 
that there should be a decree of the judge 
to authorize the combat : when the judge 
had pronounced sentence, the accused threw 
a gage or pledge, originally a glove or gant- 
let, which being taken up by the accuser, 
they were both taken into safe custody, till 
the day of battle appointed by the judge. 
Before the champions took the field, 
their heads were shaved to a kind of crown 
or round, which w'as left at the top ; then 
they made an oath that they believed the 
person w'ho retained them to be in the 
right, &c. They always engaged on foot, 
and with no other weapon than a club and 
a shield, which weapons were blessed in 
the field by the priest, with a world of 
ceremonies ; and they alwajTS made an of- 
fering to the church, that God might assist 
them in the battle. 
The action began with railing, and giv- 
ing each other ill language ; and at the 
sound of a trumpet, they went to blows. 
After the number of blows or encounters 
expressed in the cartel, the judges of the 
combat threw a rod into tlie air, to adver- 
tise the champions that the combat was 
, ended. If it lasted till night, or ended 
with equal advantage on both sides, the 
accused was reputed the victor. If the 
conquered champion fought in the cause 
of a woman, and it was a capital olfence, 
the woman was burnt, and the champion 
hanged. If it was the champion of a man, 
and the crime capital, the vanquished was 
immediately disarmed, led out of the field, 
and hanged, together with the party whose 
cause he maintained. If tha crime was not 
capital, he not only made satisfaction, but 
had his right hand cut off; the accused 
CHA 
was close confined in prison, till the battle 
was over. 
Champion of the king, a person whose 
office it is, at the coronation of our kings, 
to ride armed into Westmmister-hall, while 
the king is at dinner there, and, by the pro- 
clamation of a herald, make challenge to 
this effect, viz. “ That if any man shall deny 
the king’s title to the crown, he is there 
ready to defend it in single combat, &c.” 
Which done, the king drinks to him, and 
sends him a gilt cup, with a cover, full of 
wine, which the champion drinks, and has 
the cup for his fee. This office is heredi- 
tary. 
CHANCE, in a general sense, a term ap- 
plied to events not necessarily produced, as 
the natural effects of any proper foreknown 
cause. We certainly mean no more in say- 
ing that a thing happened by chance, than 
that its cause is unknown to us : for chance 
itself is no natural agent or cause ; it is in- 
capable of producing any effect, and is no 
more than a creature of mau’s own making; 
for the things done in the corporeal world 
are really done by the parts of the universal 
matter, acting and suffering, according to 
the laws of motion establised by the authc» 
of nature. 
Chance is also confounded with fate and 
destiny. 
Chances, docfrhie of, in mixed mathe- 
matics, a subject of great importance, es- 
pecially as applied to the doctrine of life 
annuities, assurance, &c. in a great com- 
mercial country like this. The writers on 
this branch of science have been compara- 
tively few. In our own language the prin- 
cipal treatises are a large quarto by De 
Moivre, and a very small work by the cele- 
brated Mr. Thomas Simpson, in which, 
however, there are some problems never be- 
fore attempted, or at least never before 
communicated to the public. In the year 
1753, Mr. Dodson rendered this subject 
more accessible to persons not far advanced 
in analytical studies, by publishing in his 
second volume of the “ Mathematical Re- 
pository” a number of questions, with their 
several solutions, with an express reference 
to the doctrine of life annuities. We shall 
give his first problem. 
Suppose a round piece of metal, equally 
formed, having two opposite faces, one 
white the other black, be thrown up, in or- 
der to see which of tliose faces will be up- 
permost after tlie metal has fallen to the 
ground, when, if the wliite face appears up- 
permost, a person is to be entitled to 61. it is 
