FEN 
laudable spirit of improvement in agricul- 
ture, much valuable land has been redeemed 
both in England and Ireland from bogs and 
fens. There are, however, vast tracts of 
land of this kind still in different districts, 
in Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Cambridge- 
shire, and the West of England. In short, 
there are but few counties without them, 
which, by proper inclosing, draining, pair- 
ing and burning, and the growth of suitable 
crops, might be rendered highly valuable ; 
but which at present afford little except 
reeds, sedge, or rushes and coarse grass. 
FENCE, in country affairs, a hedge, wall, 
ditch, bank, or other inclosure, made around 
gardens, woods, corn-fields, &c. See Agri- 
culture. 
FENCING, is the manner of attacking 
an adversary with the sword, and defending 
the person from his thrusts. It is necessary 
in acquiring this difficult art to use foils, 
or small thin swords, which being blunted 
at the points, and bending readily, prevents 
accidental wounds. The gladiators, who 
were compelled to sacrifice their lives for 
the amusement of the Romans, received in- 
structions in the use of the sword in order 
to lengthen the diversion of their cruel mas- 
ters, who were fearful that sudden rage 
might otherwise prompt an abrupt termina- 
tion of the combat. Rennet says, “ Before 
the combatants fell to it in earnest they 
tried their skill against one another with 
more harmless weapons, as the rudes, and 
the spears without heads, the blunted 
swords, the foils, and such like.” To this 
Cicero admirably alludes, “ If in the mor- 
tal combats of the gladiators, where the vic- 
tory is decided by arms, before they actually 
engage, there are several flourishes given 
more for a shew of art than a design of 
hurting ; how much more proper would this 
look in the contention of an orator.” 
Fencing was indispensible to almost all 
ranks of people, long after armies had 
ceased to use swords in the field of battle, 
through the absurd fashion of wearing side- 
arms ; when men of turbulent dispositions 
might have immediate recourse to weapons 
it became necessary for the peaceable citi- 
zen to learn the best mode of defence, that 
he might not perish for an offence which 
would end at present in altercation. Dur- 
ing the long period this supposed ornament 
of the person was worn, numerous masters 
brought the art of using it to great perfec- 
tion ; but the French appear to have excel- 
led every other nation in fencing, which may 
be attributed in a great measure to the 
FEO 
physical properties of their bodies. Their 
teachers and their imitators have, therefore, 
been loud in its praises, asserting that the 
art should be taught in every polite acade- 
my, that the figure may be formed into com- 
plete grace by the active movements of the 
limbs and body in every possible position. 
The professors divide fencing into two 
parts, which they distinguish from each 
other by terming the first simple, and the 
second compound; .the first they perform 
instantaneously and actively on the same 
line, either on the offensive or defensive. 
The principle on which they act, in this in- 
stance, is to push or make passes in any 
direction, to strike the least guarded part 
of the adversary, at the same time endea- 
vouring to parry his thrusts. 
Compound fencing consists of every de- 
scription of feint appeals, entangling of 
foils, slashing, half thrusts, & c. contrived to 
distract the attention of the enemy, and 
thus suddenly and unexpectedly to reach 
that spot which he skilfully defends in sim- 
ple fencing ; but the utmost care must be 
used to push at the proper moment when 
parrying. 
FEND, in the sea language, imports the 
same as defend : thus, fending the boat, is 
saving it from being dashed to pieces against 
the rocks, shore, ship’s sides. And hence 
FENDERS are pieces of old hawsers, 
cable-ropes, or billets of wood, hung over 
the ship’s sides, to keep other ships from 
rubbing against and injuring her. 
FENNEL. See Anethum. 
FEODAL, or Feudal system. This 
system originated from an assumed right 
obtained by conquest. When the Roman 
empire began to decline and that govern- 
ment became too feeble to support its most 
distant possessions, the Celtic nations tak- 
ing advantage of the reduced state of their 
various military posts marched in such num- 
bers through the southern parts of Europe 
that opposition was deemed vain, and these 
northern hordes of Lombards, Franks, Hun?, 
Goths, and Vandals conquered them with- 
out difficulty. Acting upon their previous 
policy, they immediately introduced the 
military practice they had adopted towards 
their enemies, which was the general confis- 
cation of land to the use of the most power- 
ful clfiefs ; those for obvious motives distri- 
buted portions to enterprising subordinates, 
and even to the common soldier who had 
earned laurels in their predatory wars. The 
grants thus made were conditional, and 
called feoda, feuds, fiefs, or fees, which words 
