B L O 
Soul after this Life, according to unenlightened Nature, 
gave great offence, and was complained of to the biffiop 
of London. But the work which rendered him moil 
known, was his tranflation of'Philoftratus’s Life of Apol¬ 
lonius Tyanaeus, published in 1680; which was foonfup- 
preffed, as an attack on revealed religion. Another work 
of the fame complexion he publiflied the fame year, called 
Grpat is Diana of the Ephelians, &c. in which, under co¬ 
lour of expofing fuperffition, he ftruck at revelation. In 
1684, he printed a kind of Introdudlion to Polite Litera¬ 
ture. In the warmth of his zeal for the revolution, he 
wrote a pamphlet to prove king William and queen Mary 
conquerors ; which was condemned to be burnt by both 
houles of parliment. The dole of his life was very un¬ 
happy ; for, after the death of his wife, he became ena¬ 
moured of her filler, who was only fcrupulous againft 
their union on account of their prior connexion by the 
marriage ; on which he wrote a letter on the fubjeft, as 
the cafe of a third perfon, with great learning and addrefs. 
But the archbifiiop of Canterbury and other divines decid¬ 
ing againft him, and the lady on this growing inflexible, 
it threw him into frenzy in which he fliot himlelf, in 1693. 
After his death his mifcellaneous pieces w'ere collected and 
publifhed. 
BLOW (Dr. John), an emijrent mufician, born at Col- 
lingham in Nottinghamlhire, about the year 1648. in 
1674 he was appointed mafter of the children of the royal 
chapel; in 1685 compofer to Charles II. in 1687, almoner 
and mafter of the chorifters" of St. Paul’s cathedral. He 
was not a graduate of either univerfity ; but archbifiiop 
Bancroft conferred on him the degree of doctor in mufic.. 
Upon the deceafe of Parcel, in 1695, he became organift 
of Weftminfter-abbey. Dr. Blow fet to mufic an ode for 
St. Cecilia’s day, in 1684, the words by Mr. Oldham, 
publifhed together with one of Purcell on the lame occa¬ 
sion performed the preceding year. He alfo publifhed a 
collection of leifons for the harpfichord, and an ode on the 
death of Purcell, written by Mr. Dryden. Tiris great 
mufician died in 1708, and lies buried in the north aille of 
Weftminfter-abbey. 
BLOW,/ [blowe, Dut.] The aft of ftriking.—The ef¬ 
fect of a blow is eftimated like the force of percuflion, and 
is exprefled by the velocity of the body multiplied by its 
weight. Hulton. —The fatal ftroke; the ftroke of death. 
Affwage your third of blood, and ftrike the blow. Dry. 
den. —An aft of hoftility : blows are ufed for copibat or 
war. A hidden calamity ; an unexpected evil: 
To all Lut thee in fits he leem’d to go, 
And ’twas my miniftry to deal the blow. Parnel. 
A Angle aftion; a hidden event.—Every year they gain a 
victory, and a town ; but, if they are once defeated, they 
lofe a province at a blow. Dryden.— The aft of a fly, by 
which fhe lodges her ova or eggs in flefh. 
To BLOW', v. n. pret. blew, particip. paff. blown-, [Ha¬ 
inan, Sax.] To make a current of air..—At his fight the 
mountains are fhaken, and at his will the fouth wind blow- 
elh. Ecclits. xliii. 16.—This word is ufed fometimes irnper- 
fonally with it.—It blew a terrible tempeft at fea. VEf- 
trange. —If it blows a happy gale, we mult fet up all our 
fails. Dryden. —To pant; to puff; to be breathlefs.— 
Here’s Mrs. Page at the door, fweating and blowing , and 
looking wildly. Skahefpcare. —To warm with the breath. 
—Says the fatyr, if you have gotten a trick of blowing hot 
and cold out of the fame mouth, I’ve done with ye. L’Ef- 
irange. —To found with being blown : 
Then let the prating organ blow 
To the full-voic’d quire below. Milton. 
To found, or play mufically by wind.—When ye blow an 
alarm, then the camps that lie on the eaft parts (hail go 
forward. Numbers. 
To Blow over. To pafs away without effeCt.—Storms, 
though they blow over divers times, yet may fall at lall. 
Eaton. 
B L O t 3 t 
To Blow up. To fly into the air by the force of gun¬ 
powder.—On the next day, fome of the enemy’s maga¬ 
zines blew up ; and it is thought they were deftroyed on 
purpole by fome of their men. Tatler. 
To BLOW, v. a. To drive by the force of the wind : 
with a particle to fix the meaning : 
Fair daughter, blow away thofe mifts and clouds, 
And let thy eyes ftiine forth in their full luftre. Denham, 
To inflame with wind.—I have created the fmith that 
blowetk the coals, lj'aiah. —To fwell ; to puff into fize : 
No blown ambition doth our arms incite, 
But love, dear love, and our ag’d father’s right. Shahefp, 
To form into fhape by the breath..—Spherical bubbles, 
that boys fometimes blow with water, to which foap hath 
given a tenacity. Boyle. —To found an inftrument of wind 
mufic : 
Where the bright feraphim, in burning row. 
Their loud uplifted angel-trumpets blow. Milton. 
To fpread by report: 
So gentle of condition was he known, 
That through the court his courtefy was blown. Dryden , 
To Blow out. To extinguish by wind or the breath : 
Moon, flip behind fome cloud, fome tempeft rife, 
And blow out all the ftars that light the fkies. Dryden. 
To Blow up. To raife or fwell with breath.—A plague 
of fighing and grief! it blows a man up like a. bladder. 
Shakefpca re. 
To Blow up. To inflate with pride. —Blown up with 
the conceit of his merit, he did not think he had received 
good meafure from the king. Bacon. 
To Blow up. To kindle : 
Plis prefence foon blows up th’ unkindly fight, 
And his loud guns fpeak thick like angry men. Dryden ., 
To move by afflatus. —When the mind finds herfclf very 
much inflamed with devotion, fhe is too much inclined to 
think that it is blown up with Something divine within her- 
felf. Addifon. 
To Blow up. To burft with gunpowder ; to raife into 
the air.—The captains hoping, by a mine, to gain the 
city, approached with foldiers ready to enter upon blowing 
up of the mine. Knolles. —To infect with the eggs of flies i 
Lay me ftark naked, and let water-flies 
Blow me into abhorring. Shakefpcare. 
To Blow upon. To make ftale. —He will whifper an 
intrigue that is not yet blown upon by common fame. Addifon. 
To BLOW, v. n. [blowan, Sax.] To bloom; tobloffoms 
For thee Idume’s fpicy forefts blow, 
And feeds of gold in Ophir’s mountains glow’. Pope. 
BLOW'ER,/ A melter of tin. — Add his care and coft 
in buying wood, and in fetching the fame to the blowing- 
houfe, together with the blowers' two or three months ex¬ 
treme and increafing labour. Carew. 
BLOW'ING,/ An agitation of the air, whether per¬ 
formed with a pair of bellows, the mouth, a tube, or 
any other inftrument. Butchers have a praclice of blow¬ 
ing up veal, as-foon as killed, to make it look larger and 
fairer. 
BLOW'ING of a FIRE-ARM, is when the vent or 
touch-hole is run or gullied, and becomes wide, fo that 
the powder will flame out. 
BLOW'ING of GLASS, is one of the methods of form¬ 
ing the various kinds of work in the glafs-nianufadfory. 
It is performed by dipping the point of an iron blowing- 
pipe in the melted glafs, and blowing through it with the 
mouth, according to the figure and fize of the glafs to be 
blown. See Glass. 
BLOW'ING of TIN, is the melting its ore, after being 
firft burnt lo deftroy the mundic. 
1 BLOW'INGj 
