134 CON 1 
CONTEM'PORARY, adj. [con, and tempus, Lat.] 
Livingin the fame age ; coetaneous.—Albert Durer was 
contemporary to Lucas. Drydai. —Born at the fame time : 
A grove born with himfelf he fees, 
And loves his old contemporary trees. ' Cowley. 
Exiting at the .fame point of time.—It is impolfible to 
make the ideas of yederday, to-day, and to-morrow, to 
he the.fane; or bring ages pad and future together, 
and make them contemporary. Locke.' 
Murphy, Wraxall, and other confiderable modern 
writers, have fallen into the error, which Iras now be¬ 
come very prevalent, of fuppofing contemporary and co- 
temporary to be fynonynrous, and that the latter is obfo- 
lete. It is therefore neceffary to mention, that contem¬ 
porary is the adjeftive, cotemporary the fubdantive ; and 
that they are no more convertible, or to be ufed one for 
the other, than beautiful and beauty , proper and propriety, See. 
To CONTEM'PORTSE, v. a. [con, and tempus, Lat.] 
To make contemporary; to place in the fame age.—• 
The indifferency of their exidences, contcmporifed into 
our aftions, admits a farther condderation. Brown. 
CONTEM'PT, f. [ contemptus, Lat.] The aft of de- 
fpiling others; fiight regard; fcorn.—There is no ac¬ 
tion, in the behaviour of one man towards another, of 
which human nature is more impatient than of contempt ; 
it being an undervaluing of a man, upon a belief of his 
utter ufeleffhefs and inability, and a fpiteful endeavour 
to engage the red of the world in the fame, flight efleern 
of him. Soutk. 
The fliame of being miferable, 
Expofes men to fcorn and bafe contempt, 
Even from their neared friends. Denham. 
The date of being defpifed ; vilenefs.—The place was 
like to come unto contempt. 2 Mac. iii. 18. 
CONTEM'PT, in law, a difobedience to the rules, 
orders, or procefs, of a court, which hath power to puniflt 
fuch offence ; and one may be imprifoned for a contempt 
done in court; but not for a contempt out of court, or 
a private abufq. Cro. Eliz. 689. But for contempt out of 
court, an attachment may be granted. Attachment alio 
lies.for contempt to the court, to bring in the offender 
to anfvver on interrogatories, &c. and, if he cannot ac¬ 
quit himfelf, he diall be lined. 1 Lill. 30,5. If a fherid, 
being required to return a writ directed to him, doth not 
return the writ, it is a contempt: and this word is ufed 
for a kind of mifdemeanor, by doing what one is forbid¬ 
den ; or not doing what he is commanded. 12 Rep. 36. 
And as this is fometimes a greater, and fometimes a ief- 
fer, offence, fo it is puniflied with greater or lefspuriifli- 
ment, by fine,,and fometimes imprifonment. Dyer 128. 
1 Buljl. 85. If a defendant in chancery on fervice of a 
fitbpeena, does not appear within the time limited by 
the rules of the court, and plead, demur, or anfwer to 
the bill- againd him, he is then faid to be in contempt; 
and the refpeftive precedes of contempt are in fuccef- 
five order awarded againd him. Thefe are attachment ; 
attachment fvith proclamations; a commiffion of rebel¬ 
lion; and, finally, a fegueftration. 3 Comm. 443. An at¬ 
tachment of contempt may iffue againd a biflipp, or 
other peer; but for not returning a feitri facias de bonis 
ccdefajlicis, it. is proper to move againd the chancellor, 
commiffary, or official. Rex v. bifhop of St. Afaph, 1 
iVilf. 332. It is a contempt to inditute a fuit fiftitioufly, 
though the demand is real, either to hurt any perfon, 
or to get the opinion of the court. Coxe v. Phillips, 
Hardw. 237. 
Contempts againd the king’s prerogative, are by re- 
fufing to affid him for the good of the public, either in 
his councils, by advice, if called upon ; or in his wars, 
by perfonaLfervice, for defence of the realm, againd a 
rebellion or invasion. 1 Hawk. P. C. c. 22. Under this 
clafs may be ranked the neglecting to join the poJJ'e ccmi- 
ta-tus , or power of the county, being thereunto required 
CON 
by the dievld’ or judices according to 2 Hen. V. c. 8, 
which is a duty incumbent upon all that art: fifteen years 
of age, under, the degree of nobility and able to travel. 
Lamb. Eliz. 313. Contempts againd the prerogative may 
alfo be by preferring the intereds of a foreign potentate 
to thofe of our own'; or, doing or receiving any thing 
that may create an undue influence in favour of fuch ex- 
tri'nfic power; as, by taking a penfion from any foreign 
prince without the confent of the king. 3 Injl. 144. Or, 
by dubbeying the king’s lawful commands, whether by 
writs iffuingout of his oourts of judice, or by a fummons 
to attend his privy council; or, by letters from the king 
to a fubjecl, commanding him to return from beyond the 
fea ; (for difobedience to which his lands dial! be feized 
till he doth return, and himfelf afterwards puniffied ;) 
or, by his writ of nc exeat regno, or proclamation, com¬ 
manding the fubjeft to day at home. Difobedience to 
any of thefe commands is a high mifprifion and contempt; 
and fo is difobedience to any aft of parliament, where no 
particular penalty is afligned ; for then it is punidiable, 
like the red of thefe contempts, by due and imprifon¬ 
ment, at the diferetion of the king’s courts of judice. 4 
Comm. 12 2. 
CONTEMPT'IBLE, adj. Worthy of contempt; de¬ 
fending /corn.—No man truly knows himfelf, but he 
groweth daily more contemptible in his own eysts.Tay/of -.— 
Defpifed ; fcorned ; neglefted.—There is not fo contemp¬ 
tible a plapt,or animal, that does not confound the mod 
enlarged underdanding. Locke. —Scornful ; apt to de- 
fpife ; contemptuous. This is no proper ufe. —If die fliotild 
make tender of her love, ’tis very podible he’ll fcorn it; 
for the man hath a contemptible fpirit. Shakefpcare. 
CONTEMPTTBLENESS, f. The date of being con¬ 
temptible ; the date of being defpifed ; meannefs ; vile¬ 
nefs ; bafenefs ; cheapnefs.—Who, by a deady practice 
of virtue, comes to difeern the contemptiblenefs of baits 
wherewith he allures us. Decay of Piety. 
CONTEMPT'IBLY, adv. Meanly ; in a manner de- 
ferving contempt: 
Know’d thou not 
Their language and their ways ? They alfo know, 
And reafon not contemptibly. Milton. 
CONTEMPTUOUS, adj. Scornful ; apt to defpife ; 
tiling words or actions of contempt ; infolent.—Rome, 
the prouded part of the heathen world, entertained the 
mod contemptuous opinion of the Jews. Alterbury. 
CONTEMPTUOUSLY, adv. With fcorn; with de- 
fpite ; fcornfuily ; defpitefully.—If he governs tyranni¬ 
cally in youth, he will be treated cmUemptuoufy in age; 
and the bafer his enemies, the more intolerable the af¬ 
front. VEf range. —A wife man would not fpeak contemp- 
tuoufly of a prince, though out of his dominions. Tillotfon. 
COijTEMP'TUOUSNESS, /. Difpodtion to con¬ 
tempt ; infolence. 
To CONTE'ND, v.n. [contendo, Lat.] To drive; to 
druggie in oppodtion.—Didrefs not the Moabites, nei¬ 
ther contend with them in battle ; for I will not give thee 
of their land. Deut. ii. 9. 
Death and nature do contend about them; 
Whether they live or die. Shakefpeare. 
To vie ; to aft in emulation : 
You fit above, and fee vain men below 
Contend for what you only can bedow. Dryden. 
It has for before the ground or caufe of contention.— 
The quedion which our author would contend for , if he 
did not forget it, is, what perfpns have a right to be 
obeyed. Locke. —Sometimes about. — He will find that 
many things he fiercely contended about were trivial. De- 
cay of Piety.. —It has with before the opponent.—If we 
confider him as our Maker, we cannot contend with him. 
Temple. 
This battle fares like to tire morning’s war. 
When dying clouds contend-with growing light. Shakfp. 
Sometimes 
