c o u 
c o v 2.oi 
the capital of Drent, one of the ftrongefl places in the 
United Provinces, in the form of a regular pentagon, 
with feven large bullions, called after the names of the 
provinces, leven half moons, and feven ravelins, and he- 
lides a fortrefs furrounded with five other bullions, and a 
double ditch, very large and deep ; the ramparts high 
and thick, added to this, its fituation, in the midlt of a 
niorafs, renders the approach extremely difficult. Yet 
notwithllanding thefe fortifications, it has frequently 
been taken and retaken by the Spaniards and Dutch ; 
the latter fortified it in 1579, on account of its important 
lituation, being reckoned the key of tire provinces of Gro¬ 
ningen and Friefland ; the Spaniards took it in 15S1. 
Maurice, prince of Orange, retook it for the States in 
1592; a little time after, the Spaniards attempted to 
blockade it, but the prince obliged them to retire, and 
abandon the forts which they had conlfructed in the en¬ 
virons. In 1672, Covorden was attacked by Chriftopher 
Bernard de Ghaelen, billiop of Munller, and taken the 
12th of July, being lhamefully given up by the go¬ 
vernor. Charles de Rabenhaut, who commanded the 
Dutch forces, being informed that the garrifon, confiding 
in the llrength of the place, were very remifs in their 
guard, refolved to furprife it, and profiting by the rigour 
of the feafon, which had frozen the morafs, fent tome 
troops under the command of colonel Eybergen, who ar¬ 
rived at Covorden, the. 23d of December, at three 
o’clock in the morning, made themfelves mailers of the 
city, killed the governor, and fent the garrifon prifoners 
to Groningen. Sixty miles north-call of Arnheim, and 
forty-five louth of Embdcn. Lat. 52. 43. N. Ion. 24. n. 
E. Ferro. 
COU'PAR, a town of Scotland, capital of the coun¬ 
ty of Fife ; ten miles well of St. Andrew’s. 
COUPE'E, or Cut Point, a Ihort turn in the river 
Miffillippi, in North America, about thirty-five miles 
above Mantchac fort, at the gut of Ibberville, and two 
hundred and fifty-nine from the mouth of the river. 
Charlevoix relates that the river formerly made a great 
turn here, and forne Canadians, by deepening the chan¬ 
nel of a fmall brook, diverted the waters of the river 
into it, in the year 1722. The impetuofity of the ilream 
was luch, and the foil of fo rich and loole a quality, 
that in a Ihort time the point was entirely cut through, 
and the old channel left dry, except in inundations : by 
which travellers fave fourteen leagues of their voyage. 
The new channel has been founded with a line of thirty 
fathoms, without finding bottom. The Spanilh lettle- 
ments of Point Coupee, extend twenty miles on the well 
fide of the Mifliflippi, and there are fome plantations 
back, on the lide of La Faufle Riviere, through which 
the Miffillippi palled about ninety years ago. The fort 
at Point Coupee is a fquare figure, with four bullions, 
built with llockades. There were, fome years fince, 
about two thoufand white inhabitants, and feven thou- 
fand Haves. They cultivate Indian corn, tobacco, and 
indigo; raife vaft quantities of poultry, which they fend 
to New Orleans; they alfo fend to that city fquared 
timber, Haves, &c. 
COUPE'E f. [Fr.] A motion in dancing, when one 
leg is a little bent and fufpended from the ground, and 
with the other a motion is made forwards. Chambers. 
COUPIAC', a town of France, in the department of 
the Aveiron, and chief place of a canton, in the didridt 
of St. Afirique: fix leagues ealt of Alby. 
COU'PLE,/. [ couple , Fr. copula, Lat.] A chain or tie 
that holds dogs together.—It is in fome lort with friends 
as it is with dogs in couples ; they fiiould be of the fame 
fize and humour. L EJlrdnge, 
I’ll keep my llable-ftand where 
I lodge my wife; I’ll go in couples with her. 
Than when I feel and fee no further trull her. Shakefp. 
Two; a brace.—He was taken up by a couple of Ihep- 
herdsj. and by them brought to life again, Sidney.— By 
adding or.c to one, we have the complex idea of a couple. 
Locke. —A male and its female.—All fucceeding genera¬ 
tions of men are the progeny of one primitive couple. 
Bentley. 
So fhall all the couples three. 
Ever true in loving be. Shakrfpcart. 
To COU'PLE, v. a. [copulo, Lat.] To chain together : 
Huntfman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds ; 
And couple ClowBcr with the deep-mouth’d Brach. Shakef 
To join one to another.—They behold your chalte con- 
verfation coupled with fear. 1 Peter, iii. 2. 
What greater ills have the heavens in llore, 
To couple coming harms with forrow pall. Sidney. 
To marry; towed; to join in wedlock.—I lhall rejoice 
to fee you fo coupled, as may be fit both for your honour 
and your fat Mali ion. Sidney. 
To COU'PLE, v. n. To join in embraces.,—Waters in 
Africa being rare, divers forts of bealls come from feve- 
ral parts to drink ; and fo being refrelhed, fall to couple, 
and many times with feveral kinds. Bacon. 
After this alliance, 
Let tigers match with hinds, and wolves with Iheep, 
And every creature couple with his foe. Dry den. 
COU'PLEMENT, f. A couple.—I wifft you peace 
of mind, mod royal couplonent. Shakcfpcare. 
COUP'LET,/. [Fr.] Twoverfes; a pair of rhimes 1 
Then at the lad, an only couplet fraught 
With fome unmeaning thing they call a thought; 
A fieedlefs Alexandrine ends the fong. 
That, like a wounded Inake, drags its dow length along. 
Pope , 
A pair, as of doves ; 
Anon, as patient as the female dove, 
Ere that her golden couplets are dilclos’d, 
His lilence will lit drooping. Shaktfpeare. 
COU'PI.ET (Philip), a jefuit, born at Malines, went 
to China in quality of miffionary in 1659, and returned 
in 1680. Being embarked in the intention of making a 
fecond voyage, lie died on his palfage in 1693 . He conr- 
pofed fome works in the Clvinefe language, and many in 
Latin; of which are : 1. Confucius Sinarum Philofo- 
phus; live Scientia Sinica Latine expofita, Paris 1687, 
folio. This curious and uncommon work is a compen¬ 
dium of the theology and the ancient hidory of the 
Chinefe. He extols the morality of that people as ex¬ 
cellent, and carries up their annals to a very remote pe¬ 
riod. 2. Hidoria Candida? Hiu, Chridianae Sinenfis, 
tranfiated into French at Paris in ro'88, 3. A Catalogue 
(in Latin, Paris, 1688,) of the Jefuits that have gone as 
MilTionaries to China. 
COUPTRAIN', a town of France, in the department 
of the Mayenne, and chief place of a canton, in the 
diftridt of Villaine-: two leagues and a half north of 
Villaine. 
7 t>COUR,y.a. [a poetical abbreviation of] To cover; 
He much rejoic’d, and couPd it tenderly, 
As chicken newly hatch’d, from dreaded dediny. Spenfer » 
Upton and Church, and the editor of old plays,.all con¬ 
cur in fuppofing this verb not the fame as cover ; but the 
verb which they fubditute in its place is neuter, and the 
context requires it to be aTlive. Mafon’s Supplement. 
COUR, a town of France, in the department of the 
Loire and Cher: three leagues fouth-ead of Blois. 
COUR'A, a river of Portugal, which runs into the 
Duero : four miles.north-ead of Lamego 
COU'RAGE., f. {.courage, Fr. from cor, Lat. ] Bra¬ 
very ; active fortitude ; fpirit of enterprize.— Courage, 
that grows from conditution, very often forfakes a man 
when he has occafion for it ; and when it is only a kind 
of indindt in the. foul x it breaks out on all. occafions, 
without 
