C O P 
pairs without an odd one, lanceolate-ovate, ending, in a 
blunt point, quite entire, Ihining, fubcoriaceous, with fe- 
yeral obliquely afcending veins, the middle nerve promi¬ 
nent beneath, and ferruginous ) they are from two to three 
inches long, and on fnort petioles; the inner ones nar¬ 
rower by. half than the others ; the two uppermoft oppo- 
fite, but one of thefe frequently wanting, fo that the leaf 
then appears to be unequally pinnate; the reft are alter¬ 
nate. Racemes axillary, folitary, fpreading, ftiff, round, 
the length of the pinnas, loofely divided into about eight 
alternate lateral common peduncles, an inch and a half 
in length, with white flowers litting clofely on them. The 
germ, as it grows, from flat becomes globular. Native 
of South America, frequent about Tolu, fixty -leagues 
from Carthagena, promifcuoufly■ with the trees which 
yield balfam of Tolu, Peru, &c. Introduced into Ja¬ 
maica by Mr. Robert Millar, furgeon; here in 1788, by 
Mr. Alexander Anderfon. 
From this tree is obtained in very confiderable quan¬ 
tities, by perforating the trunk, fluid balfam or refin, 
which thickens by degrees; and which is known in me¬ 
dicine by the title of balfamum capivi. This balfam has 
an agreeable fmell, and a bitterifli tafte ; and, when agi¬ 
tated with water, in fom£ degrees unites with it, render¬ 
ing the liquor turbid and milky, but foon feparates, and 
rifes to the furface on ftanding. Dropped on fugar, or 
triturated with thick mucilages, or with whites of eggs, 
it becomes more permanently mifcible with water into an 
uniform milky fluid ; it is generally taken in this form, 
or mixed with powdery or other matters into a bolus or 
eleftuary. It mixes eafily with diftilled oils, and diffolves 
in rectified fpirit of wine into a trarifparent fragrant li¬ 
quor, more agreeable than the balfam itfelf. Balfam of 
£opaiba has been employed principally and preferably to 
the other balfams, in fluor albus, and in ulcerations of 
the urinary palFages. Fuller fays, he has known dry deep 
coughs, coughing up of blood and pus, voiding of chyle 
inftead of urine, with great pain and weaknefs, cured by 
it; and that, notwithstanding the warmth and bitternefs 
of its tafte, he has found it to agree in hedtic cafes. He 
obferves that it gives the urine a bitter tafte, but not a 
violet fmell, as the turpentines do; and that if taken in 
dofes of two or three drachms, it proves, like them, pur¬ 
gative. The ufual dofe is from ten to thirty or forty 
drops. In too large dofes, or too lo'ng continued, it has 
been found productive of confiderable inconveniences; 
exciting febrile heats, pains in the head, &c. If frefh 
feeds of this tree could be procured from South America 
or the Weft Indies, it might be railed from them. It 
may alfo be increafed from cuttings, but not very readily. 
It mull be conftantly preferved in the bark ftove. See 
Balsam, vol. ii. p. 659. 
COPAT., f. improperly called gum copal, is a hard, 
Ihining, tranfparent, citron-coloured, odoriferous, con¬ 
crete, juice of an American tree, but which has neither 
the folubility in water common to gums, nor in fpirit of 
wine common to refins, at leaft in any confiderable degree. 
By thefe properties it refembles amber. It may be dif- 
folved in linfeed oil by digeftion, with a heat very little 
lefs than is fufficient to boil or decompofe the oil. This 
folution, diluted with fpirit of turpentine, forms a.beau¬ 
tiful tranfparent varnifti, which, when properly applied, 
and (lowly dried, is very hard and durable. This Varnifti 
is applied to fnuff-boxes, tea-boards, and other utenfils. 
It preferves and gives luftre to paintings, and greatly re- 
ftores the decayed colours of old pictures, by filling up 
the cracks, and rendering the furfaces capable of reflect- 
ing light more unilormly. See the article Varnish. 
COPAL'LI,/] in botany. See Rhus cor allini/m. 
COPAR'CENARY, f Joint fucceftion to any inheri¬ 
tance.—In defcent to all the daughters in coparcenary , for 
want of fons, the chief houfe is allotted to the eldeft 
daughter. Hale. 
COPAR'CENER,/. [from cot and partiaps, Lat.J Cot 
COP V 175 
parceners are'-otherwife called parceners; and are fuch as 
have equal portion in the inheritance of an anceftor; and 
by law are the ifiue female, which, in default of heirs 
male, come in equality to the lands of their anceftors. 
They are to make partition of the lands ; which ought 
to be made by coparceners of full age, See. And if the 
eftate of a coparcener be in part evicted, the partition 
(hall be avoided in the whole. The crowd of England 
is not fubjeCt to coparcenary ; and there is no corparce- 
nary in dignities. Co. Lit. 27. 25 Hen. VIII. c. 22. 
COPAR'CENY, J. An equal (hare of coparceners. 
Phillips. 
COPARTNER,/] One that has a (hare in fome com¬ 
mon (lock or affair ; one equally concerned ; a (harer ; a 
partaker; a partner. Milton has ufed it both with of 
and in: 
Our faithful friends, 
Th’ aflociates and copartners of our lofs. Milton . 
Rather by them 
I gain’d what I have gain’d, and with them dwell 
Copartner in thefe regions of the world. Milton. 
COPARTNERSHIP,/] The ftate of bearing an equal 
part, or poftefting an equal (hare. See Partner and 
Partnership.— In cafe the father left only daughters, 
the daughters equally fucceeded to their father as in co¬ 
partner/hip. Hale. 
CO'PATAIN, adj. High raifed ; pointed. Hanmer .—• 
Oh, fine villain ! a (ilken doublet, a velvet hofe, a fear- 
let cloke, and a copatain hat. Shakefpeare. 
CO'PATZ, a town in the ifland of Cherfo : eight 
miles north of Cherfo. 
COPAY'VA,/. [It is fometimes written capivi, ccpizi, 
capayva, copayva, cupayva, cupayba.~\ The Indian name of 
a gum, and of the tree from which it is produced. See 
Copaifera. 
COPE,/] .See Cop. Any thing with which the head 
is covered. A facerdotal cloak, or veftment worn in fa- 
cred miniftration. Any thing which is fpread over the 
head ; as the concave of the (kies ; any archwork over a 
door.—-The fcholai: believes there is no man under the 
cope of heaven, who is fo knowing as his ma'fter. Dryden. 
Over head the difpial liifs 
Of fiery darts in flaming vollies flew, 
And flying vaulted either hod with fire ; 
So, under fiery cope, together rufh’d 
Both battles main. Milton. 
To COPE, v. a. To cover, as with a cope.—A very 
large bridge, that is all made of wood, and coped over 
head. Addifon. —To contend with ; to oppofe : 
Know my name is loft, 
By treafon’s tooth bare gnawn, and canker-bit; 
Yet am I noble as the adverfary 
I come to cope. Shakefpeare : 
To reward ; to give in return : 
I and my friend 
Have, by your wifdom, been this day acquitted 
Of grievous penalties ; in lieu whereof, 
Three thoufand ducats', due unto the Jew, 
We freely cope your courteous pains withal, Shakefpeare ■; 
7 b COPE, v. n. To contend; to ftruggle ; to drive. 
It has with before the thing or perfon oppefed'. [In this 
fenfe it is a word of doubtful etymology. The conjec¬ 
ture of Junius derives it from koopen, to buy, or fome 
other word of the fame import; fo that to cope with (ig- 
nifies to interchange' blows, or any thing elfe, with an¬ 
other.]—If theanind apply itfelf firft tb.eafier fubjetis, 
and things near a-kin to what is already known ; and 
then advance to the' more remote and knotty parts of 
knowledge by (low degrees, it will be able, in this man¬ 
ner, to cope with great difficirkies, and prevail over them 
with amazing and happy fuccefs. Watts. 
But 
