COM 
Sefoftris 
That monarchs harnefs’d, to his chariot yok’d- 
Bale 1 'ervitude, and his dethron'd compeers 
Ladl’d furioufly. Philips. 
Do COMPE'ER, v. a. To be equal with ; to mate s 
In his own grace he doth exalt himfelf 
More than in your advancement. 
-In my right, 
By me invefted, he compeers the bed. Shakefpeare. 
To COMPEL, v. a. [compello, Lat.] To force to dome 
a£l; to oblige 3 to conitrain ; to neceditate ; to urge irre- 
filtibly,—He refuted, and faid, I will not eat: but his 
fervants, together with the woman, compelled him. 1 Sa¬ 
muel, xxvii. 23. 
But fir It the lawlefs tyrant, who denies 
To know their God, or meffage to regard^ 
Mult be compell'd by figns and judgments dire. Milton. 
To take by force or violence; to ravilh from; to leize. 
This figni-hcation is uncommon and harlh : 
The fubjefts grief 
Comes through commiflions, which compel from each 
The llxth part of his fubftance, to be levied 
Without delay. Shakefpeare. 
To gather together, and unite in a company. A Latinifm, 
compelure gregem: 
He to the town return’d. 
Attended by the chiefs who fought the field, 
Now friendly mix’d, and in one troop compell'd. Dryden. 
To feize 3 to overpower s 
Our men fecure nor guards nor centries held, 
But ealy deep their w'eary limbs compell'd. Dryden. 
To call forth, a Latinifm.—Whom to revenge die had 
this knight from far compell'd. Spenfer. 
COMPEL'LABLE, adj. That may be forced. Perhaps 
it (hould be compellible. 
COMPELLA' 1 ION, / [from compello , Lat.] The ftile 
of addrefs j the word ol falutation.—The ltile bed fitted 
for all perfons, on all occafions, to ufe, is the competition 
of Father, which our Saviour firlt taught. Duppa. 
COMPEL'LER,/ He that forces another. 
COMTEND,/ [compendium, Lat.] Abridgment; fum- 
mar.y-j epitome 5 contraction ; breviate.—Fix in memory 
the difcourles, and abltraCf them intobrief compends. Watts. 
COMPENDIA'RIOUS, adj. [ compendiarius,L&t .] Short; 
contracted ; luminary; abridged. 
COMPEND lO'SIT Y,/ Shortnefs; contracted brevity. 
COMTE'N'DIOUS, adj. Short; luminary ; abridged; 
comprehenlive; holding much in a narrow (pace; direCt; 
near; by which time is faved, and circuition cut off.— 
They learned more compendious and expeditious ways, 
whereby they Ihortened their labours, and gained time. 
IVoodnxiard. 
COMPEN'DIOUSLY, ado. Shortly; in a diort me¬ 
thod; fummarily; in epitome.—By the apoftles we have 
the lubftance of Chriltian belief compendioufly drawn into 
few-’and Ihort articles. Hooker. 
COMPEN'DIOUSNESS, f. Sfiortnefs ; brevity; cam- 
prehenfion in a narrow compafs.—The inviting eafinefs 
and compendioufnefs of this affertion, lhould dazzle the 
eyes. Bentley. 
COMPEN'DIUM, f. [Lat.] Abridgment; fummary; 
breviate; abbreviature ; that which holds much in a nar¬ 
row room ; the near way.—Alter we are grown well ac¬ 
quainted with a fltort fyllein or compendium of a icience, 
which is written in the plained and molt fimple manner, 
it is then proper to read a larger regular treatiie on that 
fubjeCl. Watts. 
COMPEiN'S ABLE, adj. That which may be recom- 
penied. 
To COMPENSATE, <v. a. [compenfo, Lat.] To recom- 
penfej to be equivalent to; to counterbalance ; to coun- 
C O iVT 895 
fervail; to make amends for.—The length of the night, 
and the dews thereof, do compenfate the heat of the day. 
Bacon. —The pleafures of life do not compenfate the miie- 
ries. Prior. 
Nature to thefe, without profufion kind, 
The proper organs, proper pow’rs alfign’d ; 
Each feeming want compenfated of courfe, 
Here with degrees of fwiftnefs, there of force. Pope. 
COMPENSATION,/ Recompence ; fomething equi¬ 
valent; amends.—Poynings, the better to make compen- 
fation of his fervice in the wars, called a parliament. Bacon. 
All other debts may compenfation find; 
But love is ftriCt, and will be paid in kind. Dryden. 
COMPEN'S ATIVE, adj. That which compenfat.es; 
that which countervails. 
Do COMPEN'SE, o. a. [compenfo, Lat.] To compen¬ 
fate; to countervail; to be equivalent to; to counterba¬ 
lance; to recompence.—The joys of the two marriages 
were cornpenfed with the mournings and funerals of prince 
Arthur. Bacon. 
Do COMPEREN'DINATE, o. a. [comperendino, Lat.] 
To delay. 
COMPERENDINA'TION,/ Delay; dilatorinefs. 
COMPERTO'RIUM,/ A judicial inqueft in the civil 
law, made by delegates, or commilfioners to find out and 
relate the truth of a caufe. Parcck. Antiq. 575. 
COM'PETENCE, or Competency,/. Such a quan¬ 
tity of any thing as is fufficient, without fuperfluity.—■ 
Something of fpeech is to be indulged to common civi¬ 
lity, more to intimacies, and a competency to thofe recrea¬ 
tive dilcourfes which maintain the cheerfulnefrof fociety. 
Government of the Dongue. —Such a fortune as, without ex¬ 
uberance, is equal to the necelfities of life.—It is no mean 
happinefs to be feated in the mean : fuperfluity comes 
fooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer. Shakef 
Reafon’s whole pleafure, all the joys of fenfe, 
Lie in [hree words, health, peace, and competence. Pope. 
[In law ] The power or capacity of a judge or court, for 
taking cognizance of an affair. 
COMPETENT, adj. [competent, Lat.] Suitable; fit; 
adequate ; proportionate —If there be any power in ima¬ 
gination, the diftance muft be competent , the medium not 
adverfe, and the body apt and proportionate. Baco/z — 
Adapted to any purpofe without defeft or fuperfttlity.—- 
The greateft captain of tli£ Engiilh brought rather a guard, 
than a competent army, to recover Ireland. Daoics. —Rea- 
fonable; moderate.—The clergy have gained fome infight 
into men and things, and a competent knowledge of the 
world. Atterhury. —Qualified ; fit; a competent judge, is 
one who has a l ight of jurifdiftion in the cafe.—Let us 
firft confider how competent we are for the office. Govern¬ 
ment of the Dongue. —Confident wfith ; incident to.—That 
is the privilege of the Infinite Author of things, who never 
flumbers nor fleeps, but is not competent to any finite 
being. Locke. —Qualified by law.— All w-itneff.-s that have 
the ufe of their reafon (except fitch as are infamous or 
interefted) are competent. Blackjlone. 
COMPETFN'TES,/ An order of catechumens, in the 
primitive Chriltian church, being the immediate candi¬ 
dates for baptifm. See Catechumen. 
COMPETENTLY, Adequate; properly.—I think 
it hath been cotnpetently proved. Bentley. —Reafonably; mo¬ 
derately ; without fuperfluity or want.—Some places re¬ 
quire-meh cotnpetently endowed ; but none think the ap¬ 
pointment to be a duty of juftice bound to re Ip eft defert. 
Wot ton. 
COMPE'TIBLE, adj. [from competo, Lat. For this 
word a corrupt orthography has introduced compdpiljle.] 
Suitable to; confident with.—It is not cotnpetible with the 
grace of God lo much as to incline any man to do evil. 
Hammond. —The duration of eternity a parte ante is Inch 
as is only cotnpetible to the eternal God, and not commu¬ 
nicable to any created being. Hale. 
COMPE'TI- 
