C H A 
fully into a warmth, and the bread of the paffidhate be. 
calm, a change which often introduces in the drama a 
very affe&ing variety; but if the natural dilpofition of 
the former was to be reprefented as boifterous, and that 
of the latter mild and foft, they would both aft out of 
character, and contradict probability. True charafters 
are fuch as we truly and really fee in men, or may exift 
without any contradiction to nature. No man quedior.s 
but there have been men as generous and as good as 
/Eneas, as paffionate and as violent as Achilles, as pru¬ 
dent and wile as Uiylfes, as impious and atheiilical as 
Mezentius, and as amorous and paffionate as Dido; all 
tliel'e charafters, therefore, are true, and nothing but 
juft imitations of nature. On the contrary, a character 
is-falfe, when an author fo feigns it, that one can fee 
nothing like it in the courfe of nature, which fhould be 
his conltant pattern and guide., 
CHARACTER, inhumanlife, isthatwhich is peculiar 
to the manners and conduit of each refpeftive indivi¬ 
dual. The importance of a good character, to.thole who 
are to make their way either to wealth or honours, is no 
lefs neceliar-y thanaddrefs and abilities. Taough human 
nature is degenerate, and depraves itfelf Hill more by its 
own follies; yet it uliially retains to the hut an efteem 
for excellence. But even if we are arrived at fucli an ex¬ 
treme degree of depravity as to have Alt our native reve¬ 
rence for virtue, yet a regard to our .own mterelt and 
fafety, which we leldom lofe, will lead us to ..pply for 
aid, in all important tranfaftions, to men whole integrity 
is unimpeached. Wlien we choole an affi hint, a puit- 
ner, a lervant, our fiilt enquiry is concerning his cha¬ 
racter- When we have occalion for a counfellor or at¬ 
torney, a phyfician or apothecary, whatever we may be 
ourfelves, vve always choole to trull our property and 
perfons to men of the belt character. When we iix on 
tradel'men who are to hup ply us with neceffaries, we are 
not determined by the fign of the lamb, or the wolf, or 
the fox, nor by a /hop fitted up in external elegance of 
tafte, but by the internal reputation. Look into the 
daily prints, and we lhall fee, from the liigheft to the 
lowelt rank, how important the charafters of the em¬ 
ployed appear to the employers. After the enumeration of 
the qualities required in aperlon wanted, there condantiy 
follows, that nrneneed apply who cannot bring- an un¬ 
deniable charafter. Of luch importance then, is the 
prefervation of a good charafter to all kinds of fervants, 
that few perfons will, and none ought ever to engage them 
without a written certificate of their good conduft and 
behaviour. And to prevent fraud or impofition on mat¬ 
ters or miftreffes by the fabrication of faile or forged cha¬ 
rafters, it is enafted, by fiat. 32 Geo. III. c. 56, that if 
any perfon lhall give a falfe charafter of a lervant, or a 
falfe account of his former l'ervices; or if any fervant 
lhall give fuch falfe account, or lhall bring a falfe or 
forged charafter, or (hall alter any written certificate of 
a charafter; he, or they, lhall, upon conviction before 
ajufticeof the peace, forfeit twenty pounds, with ten (hil¬ 
lings cofts. An aftion on this ftatute was tried in Guild¬ 
hall, in 1792, at the fuit of a perfon whole fervant had 
robbed him to a confiderable amount, and who was con¬ 
victed thereof, and executed; after which, the mailer, 
to recover the amount of his property, brought an aftion 
again It the perion who had given him a good charafter 
to the fervant, yet knowing; he did not defer-x/e fuch good 
charafter ; and the plaintiff- recovered the whole of his 
lofs*, with all colts. See the article Servant. 
To CHARACTER, v.a. To inlc/ibe; to engrave. It 
feems to have had the accent formerly on the iecond■ Rel¬ 
iable : 
The pleafing poifon 
The vifage quite transforms of him that drinks. 
And the inglorious likenefs of a bead 
Fixes inftead, unmoulding realbn’s mintage, 
Character'd in the face. Milton. 
CHARACTERIS'LIC, / That which conllitutes the 
charafter; that which diftmguifnes any thing or perlbn 
C H A 103 
from others.—This vaft invention exerts Itfelf in Homer, 
in a manner fuperior to tdiat of any poet; it is the great 
and peculiar charaCleri/ljc which diiiinguiflies him from 
all others. Pope, 
CHAR AC I ERIS'TIC of a logarithm. The fame with 
the index or exponent. See Logarithm. 
CHARACTERIS'J ICAL, adj. That which conlti- 
tutes the charafter, or marks the peculiar properties, of 
any perfon or thing.—The filming quality of an epic 
hero, his magnanimity, his cohltancy, his patience, his 
piety, or whatever cbaraCleriJlical virtue his poet gives 
'him, raifes our admiration. Dryden. 
CHARACTER IS'LIC ALNESS,/ The quality of be¬ 
ing peculiar to a charafter; marking a charafter. 
To CHAR AC'TERIZE, *y. a. To give a charafter or 
an account of the perfonal qualities of any man.—It is 
fome commendation that we have avoided publicly to 
charaCleri-ze any perlbn, without long experience. Swift. 
To engrave, or imprint.—They may be called anticipa¬ 
tions, prenotions, or ientiments, characterized and en¬ 
graven in the foul, born with it, and growing up with 
it. Plate. To mark with a particular (lamp or token.— 
There are faces not only individual, but gentiiitious and 
national; European, Afiatic, Chinefe, African, and Gre¬ 
cian, faces are characterized. Arbuthnot. 
CHARACTERLESS, adj. Without a charafter : 
When water-drops have worn the Hones of Troy, 
And blind oblivion fwaliow’d cities up, 
And mighty Hates charaCierlefs are grated 
To dufty nothing. Shakcfpeare. 
CHARACTERS,/. In the different departments of 
literature and fcience, thefe are certain marks, figns, or 
fymbols, of things, invented by artids and authors in dif¬ 
ferent ages, and ufiialiy employed in the feveral branches 
of the mathematics, and in various profeffions; either to 
reprefent certain objefts or fubdances, or as abbrevia¬ 
tions ; or, as the l-eprefentatives of number, quantity, 
fpace, words, or leniences, in language; or, as feftions 
and divisions in the arrangement and clalfification of dif-> 
fei'ent fubjefts in books ; as in natural bidory, where 
characters imply the didinguilhing marks of genera and 
fpecies; and which are very often arbitrary, as in the 
works of Linnaeus and others. 
Algebraical Characters, are the marks or figns by 
which calculations or mathematical problems in that fei- 
. ence are written or expreffed; for which fee Algebra. 
Agronomical Characters, are certain devices which 
reprefent the fun, moon, and planets; the figns of the 
zodiac; the condellations; the alpefts of the dars and 
planets, with their motions, didances, &c. for which lee 
Astronomy. 
Chemical Characters, are certain fymbols or figures 
which denote the different metals, minerals, and other 
fubdances, with their combinations; for which fee Che¬ 
mistry. 
Emblematical Characters, are fuch as the hierogly¬ 
phics of the ancient Egyptians; or a mode of writing by 
the combination of figures of various animals, or parts 
of human bodies, mechanical inftruments, &c. connect¬ 
ed by letters and words,. See Hieroglyphics.^ 
Mathematical Characters, are marks or figns ufed 
to exprefs quantity, form, proportion, See. in Geome¬ 
try, Trigonometry, Sec. for which fee under thole 
heads. 
Medical and Pharmaceutical Characters, are calcu¬ 
lated principally to denote the quantities and propor¬ 
tions in the admixture of drugs; for which fee Medi¬ 
cine, and Pharmacy. 
Mufical Characters, are the notes and figns ufed in 
compofition, and to regulate time, the modulation ot the 
voice, &c. for which lee Music. 
National, and Oriental, Characters, are the types or 
letters of which the alphabets of different nations are 
formed; or in which their primitive language is written 
or printed, as the ancient SaxOn, German, Norman, 
1 Iriih 
