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Pallas th’ encounter feeks; but ere he throws 
To Tufcan Tiber thus addrefs’d his vows ; 
O, facred ftream, direct ray flying dart, 
And give to pafs the proud Halefus’ heart. Dry den. 
Battle; fight in which enemies rufli againft each other: 
As two black clouds 
With heav’n’s.artillery fraught, come rattling on » 
Over the Cafpian ; then (land front to front, 
Hov’ring a fpace, ’till winds the iignal blow 
To join their dark encounter in mid air. Milton. 
Eager and warm converfation, either of love or anger. 
Accidental congrefs; hidden meeting: 
Propitious Pallas, to fecure her Care, 
Around him fpread a veil of thicken’d air, 
To Hum th’ encounter of the vulgar crowd. Pope. 
Accofling ; tranfient or unexpected addrefs: 
But in what habit will you go along? 
—Not like a woman; for I would prevent 
The loofe encounters of lafeivious men. Shakefpeare. 
Cafual incident; occafion. This fenfe is fcarcely Englifii.. 
Jfohrfon .— An equality is not fufficient for the unity of 
character : ’tis further necellary, that the fame fpirit ap¬ 
pear in all fort of encounters. Pope. 
To ENCOUN'TER, via. To meet face to face; to 
front.—The fafhion of the world is to avoid colt, and you 
encounter it. Shakefpeare. —To meet in a hoftile manner ; 
to rufli againft in conflict.—Putting themfelves in order 
of battle, they encountered their enemies. Knolles .— To meet 
with reciprocal kindnefs.—See, they encounter thee with 
their hearts thanks. Shakefpeare. —To attack; to meet in 
the front.—Which way foever we turn, we are encountered 
with clear evidences and fenfible demonftrations of a Deity. 
Tillotfon. —To oppofe ; to oppugn.—Jurors are not bound 
to believe two witnefles, if the probability of the fad; does 
reafonably encounter them. Hale .— To meet by accident: 
I am mod fortunate thus to encounter you : 
You have ended my bufinefs, and I will merrily 
Accompany you home. Shakefpeare. 
To ENCOUN'TER, v.n. To rufli together in a hoftile 
manner; to conflict: 
Encounter fo, 
As doth the fury of two defperate men, 
Which, in the very meeting, fall and die. Shakefpeare. 
To engage; to fight: it has with before the thing.— 
Thofe who have the moft dread of death, muft be con¬ 
tent to encounter with it, whether they will or no. IVake. 
Our wars 
Will turn into a peaceful comic fport, 
When ladies crave to be encountered with. Shakefpeare. 
To meet face to face. To come together by chance. 
ENCOUN'TERER ,f Opponent; antagonift; enemy. 
—The lion will not kick witli his feet, but he will ftrike 
filch a ftroke with his tail, that he will break the back 
of his cncounterer with it. More. —One that loves to accoft 
others. An old term: 
Oh, tliefe encounterers ! fo gilt of tongue, 
They give'a coafting welcome ere it comes: 
And wide unclafp the tables of their thoughts 
To every ticklifli leader. Shakefpeare. 
To ENCOU'RAGE, v. a. [ encourager , Fr.] To ani¬ 
mate ; to incite to any thing.—They encourage themfelves 
in an evil matter. PJ'a. lxiv. 5.—To give courage-to ; to 
fupport the fpirits ; to infpirit; to embolden.—Kinds of 
mufic encourage men, and make them warlike, or make 
them foft and effeminate. Bacon. —I would neither encou¬ 
rage the rebels, nor difeourage the proteftants loyalty. 
King Charles. —To raife confidence ; to make confident.— 
I doubt not but there are ways to be found, to alii ft our 
reafon in this moft ufeful part; and this the judicious 
Hooker encourages me to fay. Locke. 
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ENCOU'R AGEMENT, f . Incitement to any action 
or practice ; incentive. Inereafe of confidence. Favour; 
countenance; fupport.'—The reproach of immorality 
will lie heavieft againft an eftabliihed religion, becaufe 
thofe who have no religion will profefs themfelves of that 
which has the encouragement of the law. Rogers. 
For when he dies, farewel all honour, bounty, 
All generous encouragement of arts. Otway. 
ENCOU'RAGER^yj One that fupplies incitements 
to any thing ; a favourer: 
live then, thou great encourager of arts, 
Live ever in our thankful hearts. Drydcn. 
ENCRA'DLED, adj. Put into a cradle: 
Begin we firft, where lie cncradled was 
In fimple cratch. Sperfer’s Hymns. 
EN'CR ATITES, f. in church hiftory, heretics who 
appeared towards the end of the fecond century: they 
were called Encratites , or Continentcsy becaufe they gloried 
in abftaining from marriage and the ufe of wine and ani¬ 
mal food. 
ENCRE'ASE. See Increase. 
TbENCRO'ACH, v.a. [ accrocher y from croc, a hook, Fr.] 
To make invafions upon the right of another; to put a 
hook into another man’s poffeffions to draw them away. 
To advance gradually and by ftealth upon that to which 
one has no right; with on before the fubjeCt: 
This hour is mine; if for the next I care, I grow too wide, 
And do encroach upon death’s fide. Herbert. 
To ENCRO'ACH, v.n. To creep on gradually with¬ 
out right : 
Th’ encroaching ill you early fhould oppofe; 
Flatter’d, ’tis worle, and by indulgence, grows. Dryden. 
To pafs bounds : 
Next, fenc’d with hedges and deep ditches round. 
Exclude th’ encroaching cattle from thy ground. Dryden. 
ENCROACHER, f. One who feizes the poffeflion of 
another by gradual and filent means : 
The bold cncroachers on the deep, 
Gain by degrees huge tradfs of land, 
’Till Neptune, with one general fvveep, 
Turns all again to barren ftrand. Swift. 
One who makes flow and gradual advances beyond his 
rights.—Full drefs creates dignity, augments confciouf- 
nefs, and keeps at diftance an encroacher. Clariffa. 
ENCROACHMENT, f. An unlawful gathering in 
upon another man. For example : if two men’s grounds 
lie together, the one preffes too far upon the other; or 
if a tenant owe two fliillings rent-fervice to the lord, and 
the lord takes three : fo the Spencers encroached to them¬ 
felves royal power and authority. Cowel. 
But this ufurper his encroachment proud 
Stays not on man : to God his tow’r intends 
Siege, and defiance. Milton. 
If it be a man’s known principle to depart from his right, 
ill men will make unjuft encroachments upon him. Atterbury. 
—To advance into the territories or rights of another.—• 
As a man had a right to all he could employ his labour 
upon, fo he had no temptation to labour for more than 
he could make ufe of: this left no room for controverfy 
about the title, nor for encroachment on the right of others. 
Locke. —The ancient Romans made many encroachments on 
the Tea, and laid the foundations of their palaces-within 
the very borders of it. Addifon on Italy. —The people, 
finee the death of Solon, had already made great encroach, 
ments. Swift. 
To ENCUM'BER, v. a. \_encombrcr, Fr.] To clog; to 
load; to impede. — Encumber'd with his veft, without 
defence. Dryden.— To entangle; to embarrafs; to ob- 
ftrudb : 
The 
