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At Hindman's buff to grope his way, 
In equal fear ot night and day. Hudibras, 
BLIND'NESS, f. Want of fight.—I will finite every 
houfe of the people with blindnefs. Zcchanah. —Ignorance ; 
intelle&ual darknefs.—Whenfoever we would proceed 
beyond thefe fimple ideas, we fall prefently into darkne-fs' 
and difficulties, and can difeover nothing .farther but our 
own blindncfs and ignorance. Locke. 
BLIND'NESS of Heart has been reprefented by a 
-woman clad in green, Handing in the midtt of a meadow, 
in which are all forts of beautiful flowers, with which 
flie is fo delighted and taken up, that the don’t oblerve 
the danger of a fnake under her feet, nor her own Hate, 
by a mole among the flowers. The mole intimates blind¬ 
nefs; her head inclined towards fading flowers, worldly de¬ 
lights, which allure and bufy the world to no purpofe: 
for whatever the world promifes, yet all is but a clod of 
earth, covered, not only under the falfe hope of lliort 
pleafures, but with many dangers all our days. 
Total BLIND'NESS, f. is that wherein all fight or per¬ 
ception, even of light, is wanting, as is the cafe of thofe 
v. no are faid to b ejlone-blind. A blind man, by the civil 
law-, cannot make a teflament, except under certain modi¬ 
fications ; but in every cafe he irdifabled from being a 
witnefs to a teflament, on account of his blindncfs. There 
are various other degrees and circumftances of blindnefs, 
as partial, diurnal, periodical, and perpetual, blindnefs; 
i. e. from the moment of birth. 
Tranfient BLIND'NESS, J. is that which gives way of 
itfelf in due time, as that of whelps, which continues for 
feveral days, fometimes nine, rarely twelve, after they are 
littered. The Nogais Tartars, according to father Du 
Ban, the jefuit, who lived among them, are born blind, 
and do not open their eyes till after feveral days. 
NoElurnal BLIND'NESS, J. called alfo nytlalopia , is 
that which enfues on the fettingof the fun in perfons who 
fee perfedtly in the day, but become quite blind as foon 
as night comes on. See Phil. Tranf. No. clix. p. 560, 
where an inftance of it is given ; alfo a lingular cafe of 
this kind, related by Dr. Pye in the Medic. Obferv. and 
Inquir. vol. i. p. in. The caufes of blindnefs are either 
lofs of power in the optic nerve, or elfe an opacity in fome 
of the tranfparent parts of the eye, as of the cryftalline 
humour in the cafe of a cataradf, See. The author of 
the Embafly of D. Garcias de Sylva Figueroa into Perfia 
tells us, that in feveral parts of that kingdom are found 
valt numbers of blind people of all ages, fexes, and con¬ 
ditions ; by reafon of a fpecies of little flies which prick 
the eyes and lips, and enter the noflrils, producing cer¬ 
tain blindnefs whenever they light on the eyes. 
BLIND'NESS, in Horses, may be difeovered by the 
walk, or Hep, which in a blind horfe is always uncertain 
and unequal, becaufc he dares not fet down his feet bold¬ 
ly when led ; though if the fame horfe be mounted by an 
expert horfeman, and the horfe of himfelf be mettled, 
the fear of the fpur will make him go more freely ; fo that 
his bliqdnefs can hardly be perceived. Another mark 
whereby a horfe may be known to have loll his fight is, 
that, upon hearing any body enter the (table, he will prick 
up his ears, and move them backwards and forwards, as 
mifirufting every thing, and being in continual alarm by 
the lead noife. See Farriery. 
BLIND-NETTLE, f. [ fcrofilaria .] A plant. 
BUNDS, or Blindes, f. in fortification. A kind of 
defence ufually made of oziers or branches interwoven, 
and laid acrofs between two rows of (takes, about a man’s 
height, and four or five feet afunder. They are ufed par¬ 
ticularly at the heads of trenches, when thefe are extended 
in front towards the glacis ; ferving to defend the work¬ 
men, and prevent the enemy from overlooking them. 
BLIND-SIDE, f. [from blind and fide .] Weaknefs; 
foible; weak part.—He is too great a lover of himfelf; 
this is one of his blindfides ; the bed of men, I fear, are 
not without them. Swift, 
Vol. 111 . No. izo. 
B L I 
BLIND'WORM, f. [ccecilia , from blind and worm.'] 
A (mail viper, called likewife a flow w'orm ; believed not 
to be venomous.—The greater flow worm, called alfo the 
blindzvorm, is commonly thought to be blind, becaufe of 
the littlenefs of his eyes. Grew. 
To BLINK, v. n. [blinckcn, Danifh.] To wink, or 
twinkle with the eyes. To fee obfeurely : 
His figure fuel, as might his foul proclaim; 
One eye was blinking , and one leg was lame. Pope. 
BLINK'ARD, f. One that has bad eyes. Something 
twinkling.—In tome parts we fee many glorious and emi¬ 
nent (tars, in others few of any remarkable greatnefs, and 
in fome none but b/inkards, and obfeure ones. Hakcwill. 
BLINKING of Beer, in Lincolnihire, fignifies letting 
the wort (land for fome time in the vat, till it has acquired 
fome degree of acidity, in order to difpofe it to fine, and 
be the fooner ready for drinking. 
BLINKS, f. Among ancient fportfmen, denoted boughs- 
broken down from trees, and thrown in the way where 
deer are likely to pafs, to hinder their running, or rather 
to mark which way a deer runs, in order to guide the 
hunter. 
BLISS,/, [bliffe, Sax. from blithafan, to rejoice.] The 
highelt degree of happinefs ; bleflednefs ; felicity : ge¬ 
nerally ufed of the happinefs of blelfed fouls.—A mighty 
Saviour hath witnelfed of himfelf, I am the way ; the 
way that leadeth us from mifery into blifs. Hooker. — Fe¬ 
licity in general : 
Condition, circumflance, is not the thing; 
Blifs is the fame in fubjedt or in king. Pope. 
BLISS'FUL, adj. [from blifs and full.] Full of joy; 
happy in the higheft degree : 
So peaceful (halt thou end thy blisful days, 
And (leal thyfelf from life by flow decays. Pope. 
BLISS'FULLY, adv. Happily. 
BLISS'FULNESS,/! Happinefs; fulnefs of joy. 
To BLIS'SOM, v. n. To caterwaul ; to be luftful. 
Among luilbandmen, it is the adt of a ram when coupling 
with the ewe. 
BLIS'TER, f. [bluyfier, Dut.] A puflule formed by 
raifing the cuticle from the cutis, and filled with ferous 
blood : 
In this (late (lie gallops, night by night, 
O’er ladies lips, who (trait on kities dream, 
Which oft the angry Mab with blificrs plagues, 
Becaufe their breaths with fweetmeats tainted are. Sbakfp. 
Any (welling made by the feparation of a film or (kin 
from the other parts.—Upon the leaves there rifeth a tu¬ 
mour like a blijler. Bacon. 
To BLIS'TER, v.n. To rife in blitters. 
To BLIS'TER, v. a. To raife blilters by fome hurt, as 
by a burn, or rubbing. To raife blitters with a medical 
intention.—I blifered the legs and thighs ; but was too 
late, he died howling. Wijcman, 
BLI'TAS (Las), a duller of fmall iflands, in lake Ni¬ 
caragua, in Spanifli North America. 
BLITHE, a river of England, which runs into the 
Trent, four miles north.-eaft of Litchfield. 
BLITHE, adj. [blithe, Sax.] Gay; airy; merry ; joy¬ 
ous ; fprightly ; mirthful : 
For that fair female troop thou (aw’d, that feem’d 
Of goddelfes, fo blithe, fo fmooth, io gay ; 
Yet empty of all good. Milton. 
“ A Blithe heart makes a bloomy vifage.” The joy 
of the heart is ealily difeovered in the countenance; as, 
on the contrary, Trijlitia corrvgat vullum, Sorrow wrinkles 
the face. 
BLITH'LY, adv. In a blithe manner. 
BLITII'NESS, or Buthsomness,/. The quality of 
being blithe. 
BLITH'SOME, adj. Gay; cheerful. 
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BLI'TUMj 
