EAR 
not the evidence adduced in different papers in the Afiatic 
Refearohes amount almoft to a demonftration that, ex¬ 
cepting a period whicli accords very well with the Scrip¬ 
ture accounts, the whole Bramin chronology of myriads 
of years is merely a clumfy aflrortomical fiidion, which-at 
firft was not even intended to deceive? We may alfo (fate 
another well-known fadt, that it was long a favourite 
opinion with aftrologers, that all the planets mult have 
been in conjunction in the firlt fcruple of the fign Aries 
when the world began; becaufe then, according to their 
notion, was the proper time to begin a year. Others 
might have contended for a different arrangement, i. e. a 
differently conftrucled zodiac; but whichever had the 
greateff number of fuffrages at any period, can never 
prove any thing as to the faff in queftion. But, not to 
dwell on a fubject fo unfounded, or on the early propen- 
fity of different nations to forge for themfelves an high 
antiquity, is it not known to every one that the Julian 
period liad an arbitrary commencement ? If the hi (lory 
of this fa£t had been loft, and correfponding zodiacs had 
been found, would it have been correct to have inferred 
that they were made 6500 years ago ?—See the article 
Chronology. 
EARTH-BAG, f. in fortification, a bag filled with 
earth, a fand-bag to keep off the (hot of the enemy. 
EARTH-BO ARD, f. The board of the plough that 
fliakes off the earth.—The plough reckoned the molt pro¬ 
per for ftiff black clays, is one that is.long, large, and 
broad, with a deep head and a fquare earth-board, fo as to 
turn up a great furrow. Mortimer. 
EARTH-BORN, adj. Born of the earth ; terrigenous : 
The God for ever great, for ever king. 
Who flew the earth-born race, and meafures right 
To heav’n’s great habitants ! Prior. 
Meanly born.— Earth-born Lycon fhall afcend the throne. 
Smith.- 
EARTH-BOUND, adj. Fattened by the p refill re of 
the earth : 
Who can imprefs the foreft, bid the tree 
Unfix his earth-bound root r Shahefpeare. 
EARTH-FLAX, / A kind of fibrous foflil. See 
Amianthus, vol. i. p. 474.—Of Efiglilh talc, the coarfer 
fort is called plailfer, or parget; the finer earth-flax, or 
falamander’s hair. Woodward. 
EARTH-NUT. See Arachis and Bunium. 
EARTH-PEA. See Lathyrus. 
EARTH-SHAKING, adj. Having power to (hake the 
earth, or to raife earthquakes : 
Now fcarce withdrawn the fierce eartkfhaking pow’r, 
Jove’s daughter Pallas watch’d the fav’ring hour; 
Back to their caves fhe bade the winds to fly, 
And hufh’d the bluft’ring brethren of the Iky. Pope. 
EARTH-WORM,/". The common worm bred under 
ground. For its natural hiftory, fee the article Lum- 
bricus. —Upon a fhower, after a drought, earth-worms 
and land-fnails innumerable come out of their lurking 
places. Ray. —A mean fordid wretch : 
Thy vain contempt, dull earth-worm ceafe ; 
I won’t for refuge fly. Norris. 
EAR'THEN, adj. Made of earth ; made of clay.— 
The mod brittle water-carriage was ufed among* the 
Egyptians, who, as Strabo faith, would fail fometimes 
in boats made of earthen ware. Arbuthnot. 
EAR'THINESS, or Earthliness,/. The quality of 
containing earth ; groffnefs. 
EARTH'ING, part. adj. Covering with earth, driv¬ 
ing to the earth, as a fox or badger in hunting. 
EARTH'LING, f. An inhabitant of the eartlr; a 
mortal; a poor frail creature.—To earthlings, the foot- 
• ttool of God, that ftage which he railed for a ifnall time, 
feemeth magnificent. Drummond. 
EAR 207 
EAR'THLY, adj. Not heavenly; vile.; mean; fordid: 
When faith and love, which parted from thee never, 
Had ripen’d tlvy juft foul to dwell with God, 
Meekly thou didft refign this earthly load 
Of death, call’d life. Milton. 
Belonging only to our prefent date; not fpiritual. — It 
mutt be our folemn bufinefs and endeavour, at fit fea- 
fons, to turn the dream of our thoughts from earthly to¬ 
wards divine objects. Atterbury. —Corporeal; not mental: 
Sudden he view’d, in fpite of all her art, 
An earthly lover lurking at her heart. Pope. 
Any thing in the world ; a female hyperbole : 
Oh ! if to dance all night, and drefs all day, 
Charm’d the fmall-pox, or chas’d old age away, 
Who would not fcorn what houfewife’s cares produce ? 
Or who would learn one earthly thing of ufe ? * Pope. ' 
E ARTH'QU A KE, f. A tremulous motion or con- 
vulfion of the earth, generally attended with noifes under 
ground ; often dedroying towns and cities, fubverting 
rocks, altering the courfe of rivers, and producing the 
mod terrible devaftations. Many fanciful and fuperfti- 
tious notions have in various ages been fuggefted as lu- 
pernatural caufes of earthquakes ; but the late advances 
made in chemical knowledge contribute greatly to difpei 
this mill of ignorance, and to point out to the geologift 
and philosopher a more rational theory of this ftupen- 
dous effort of nature. But before we enter upon an ex¬ 
planation of this theory, it will be proper to enumerate 
the awful effects of fome of the mod dreadful earth¬ 
quakes recorded in hiftory, as well as to notice the phe¬ 
nomena of thofe of the lated date. 
■In 1692, an earthquake happened in the ifland of Ja¬ 
maica, attended with the mod terrible circumdances. In 
two minutes, it deftroyed the town of Port Royal, at that 
time the capital of the ill and ; and funk the houfes in a 
gulf forty fathoms deep. It was attended with a rum¬ 
bling noife like that of diftant thunder: the dreets rofe 
like the waves of the fea ; firft lifting up the houfes, and 
then immediately throwing them down into deep pits. 
The wells difeharged their waters with violent agitation. 
The fea burft over its bounds, and deluged all that dood 
in its way. The filfures of the earth were in fome places 
fo great, that one of the dreets appeared twice as broad 
as formerly. In many places it opened and clofed again ; 
and continued this agitation for fome time. In fome of 
them, the people were fwallowed up at once ; in others, 
the earth caught them by the middle, and crulhed them 
to death ; while others, more fortunate, were fwallow ed 
up in one chafm, and thrown out alive by another. Other 
chafnis were large enough to fwallow up whole dreets; 
and others, dill more formidable, fpouted up immenfe 
quantities of water, drowning fitch as the earthquake had 
ipared. Yet, fo great a fufferer as Port Royal was, more 
houfes were left (landing therein than on the whole ifland 
befides. Scarce a planting-houfe, or fugar-houfe, was 
left above ground in -all Jamaica ; and, in lieu of them, 
appeared great pools of water; which, when dried up, 
left nothing but land, without any mark that either tree 
or plant had ever grown thereon. . Mod of the rivers 
were flopped in their courfe by the falling of the moun¬ 
tains ; till, fwelling up, they made themfelves new chan¬ 
nels : and, it is (hocking to relate, that the earthquake 
is faid to have fwept away above 3000 perfons. 
Another terrible account is that given by Kircher, of 
the earthquake which happened in Calabria in 1638. 
“ On the 24th of March (lays Kircher), we launched, in 
a fmall boat, from the harbour of Medina in bicily, and 
arrived the fame day at the promontory of Pelorus. Our 
deftination was for the city of Euphemia in Calabria; 
but on account of the weather, we were obliged to conti¬ 
nue three days at Pelorus. At length, wearied with the 
delay, werefolved to profecute our voyage ; and although 
the fea feemed more than ufually agitated, yet we ven- 
2 tured 
