COM 
COMPRES'SURE, f. The aft or force of one body 
jfjreflmg agamli another.—We tried whether heat would, 
notwithflanding fo forcible a comprefftire, dilate it, Boyle. 
To COMPRL'NT, •v. n. [comprimere, Lat,] To print 
together; it is commonly taken, in law, for the deceitful 
printing of another’s copy, or book, to the prejudice of the 
rightful proprietor. See the article Literary Pro¬ 
perty. 
7a.COMPRISE, v. a. [ comprendre , comprIs, Fi\] To 
contain - r to comprehend ; to include.—Neceflity of Ihort- 
nefs cauleth men to cut off impertinent difeourfes, and 
to comprife much matter in few words. Hooker. 
’Tis the polluted love that multiplies ; 
But friendlhip does two fouls in one comprife. Rofcommon . 
COMPROBA'TION, f. [ comproko , Lat.] Proof; at- 
teftation.—That is only efteemed a legal teftimony, which 
receives comprobation from the mouths of at lead; two wit- 
nelfes. Brown. 
COMPROMISE, f. [ comprotniffum , Lat.]—■ Compromfe 
is a mutual promife of two or more parties at difference, 
to refer the ending of their controverfies to the arbitre- 
ment or equity of one or more arbitrators. Cowell. —A 
compaft or bargain, in which fome conceffions are made 
on each fide: 
Wars have not wafted it, for warr’d he hath not; 
But bafely yielded, upon compromfe, 
That which his anceftors atchiev’d with blows. Shakefp. 
To COMPROMISE, <z>. a. To compound ; to adjuft 
a compaft by mutual conceffions: as, they compromifed 
the affair at a tniddle rate. In Sbakefpeare, it means, un- 
ufualiy, to accord; to agree: 
Laban and himfelf were compromis'd. 
That all the yearlings, which were ftreak’d and pied, 
Should fall as Jacob’s hire. , Merchant of Venice. 
COMPROMISSO'RIAL, adj. Relating to a com- 
promife. 
COMPROVIN'CIAL, f. [from con and provincial.'] 
Belonging to the fame province.—At the confecration of 
an archbifhop, all his comprovincial ought to give their 
attendance. Aylffe. 
COMPS, a town of France, in the department of the 
Var, and chief place of a canton, in the diftrift of Dra- 
guignan : ten miles north of Draguignan. 
COMPT, f. \compte , Fr. computus , Lat.] Account; 
computation; reckoning: 
Your fervants ever 
Have theirs, themfelves, and what is theirs. In compt, 
To make their audit at your highnefs pleafure. 
Still to return your own. Sbakefpeare. 
To COMPT, v. a. [ compter , Fr.] To compute; to 
number. We now ufe to Count, which fee. 
COMP'TIBLE, adj. Accountable; relponfible ; ready 
to give account; fubjeft; fubmiffive.—Good beauties,let 
me fuftain my fcorn ; I am very comptible even to the leaft 
finifter ufage. Sbakefpeare. 
COMP'TON (Henry), bifhop of London, was the 
youngeft fon of Spencer Earl of Northampton, born in 
163a. After the reftoration of Charles II. he became 
cornet of a regiment of horfe ; but foon after quitting 
the army for the church, he was made bifhop of Oxford 
in 16743 and about a year after tranflated to the fee of 
London. He was entrufted with the education of the 
two princefies Mary and Anne, whom he afterwards had 
the honour to marry to the princes of Orange and Den¬ 
mark : and their firmnefs in the Proteftant religion was 
in a great meafure owing to their tutor. He was fufper.d- 
ed from his ecclefiaftical funftion by James' II. but was 
reftored by him again on the prince of Orange’s invafion. 
He and the bifhop of Briftol made the majority for filling 
the vacant throne with king William : he performed the 
ceremony of the coronation; was appointed one of the 
COM 90^ 
cimmiffioners for raifing the liturgy; and laboured with 
much zeal to reconcile diflenters to the church. His 
fpirit of moderation made him unpopular with the cler¬ 
gy, and in all probability checked his further promotion. 
He died in 1713 ; but living in bufy times, did not leave 
many writings. 
COMP rCPNIA, f. [fo named by Dr. Solander in ho¬ 
nour of Henry Compton, bifhop of London, who cultivated 
many curious exotic trees in his garden at Fulham.] In 
botany, a genus of the clyfs monoeciy, order triandria. 
The generic charafters are—I. Maleflowers. Calyx : ament 
cylindric, loofely imbricate all round with concave, kid¬ 
ney-form, acuminate, caducous, one-flowered feales; 
perianthium two-leaved; leaflets equal, boat-fhaped, 
fhorter than the fcale of the ament. Corolla: none. 
Stamina: filaments three, fhorter than the calyx, forked ; 
antherm fix, two valved. II. Female flowers. Calyx: 
ament ovate, clofely imbricate all round with one-flowered 
feales, as in the male; perianthium fix-leaved; leaflets 
oppofite in pairs, filiform, membranaceous at the bale, 
many times longer than the fcale of the ament. Piftiiium : 
germ roundifh ; ftyles two, capillary. Seed : nut oval, 
one-celled, yz\vz\tk.—Effential Character. Male : ament! 
Calyx: two-leaved; antherae two parted. Female: 
ament. Calyx: fix-leaved; ftyles two; nut ovate. 
There is but one fpecies, called Comptonia afpleni- 
folia, or fern-leaved Comptonia. It riles with flender 
lhrubby Italics, near three feet high ; they are hairy, and 
divide into leveral flender branches. Leaves from three 
to four inches long, and half an inch broad, alternately 
indented (or infmuated) almoft to the midrib, and have 
a great refemblance to thole of fpleenwort; they are of 
a dark green, hairy on their under fide, and fit clofe to 
the ftalks. The aments of male flowers come out on the 
fide of the branches between the leaves; they are oval, 
and ftand ereft. The fruit is a Bony nut, elliptic, tur¬ 
gidly lenticular, naked, fmooth, fhining, obfenrely ftri- 
ated, bay-coloured, the fize of a hazel nut. Inclofed is 
a Angle, ovate-globular, fmooth, pale feed. Native of 
North America; as in the county of Lan carter, and on 
the banks of Northampton river among the firs. It 
flowers herefrom March to May. Cultivated in 1714, 
by the duchefs of Beaufort. Mr. Miller lays, that ma¬ 
ny of the plants have been brought to England from 
Philadelphia. 
Propagation and Culture. Planted here on a loofe moift 
foil it thrives very well, fometimes creeping at the roots, 
and fending up fuckers plentifully, as in its native coun¬ 
try. By ihefe fuckers it may be propagated. It will en¬ 
dure our cold very well. 
To COMPTRO'LL, v. a. [This word is written by 
fome authors, who did not attend to the etymology, for 
contrail-, and fome of its derivatives are written in the 
fame manner.] Tocontroll; to overrule; to oppofe. 
COMPTROLLER, f. direftor; fupervifor; luperior 
intendant; governor.—The comptrollers of vulgar opi¬ 
nions pretend to find out luch a limilitude in lome kind 
of baboons. Temple. 
My fates permit me not from hence to fly ; 
Nor he, the great comptroller of the Iky. Dry den, 
COMPTROL'LERSHIP, f. fuperintendance.—The 
gayle for ftannery-caules is annexed to the comptrdlerfhip, 
Carew. y 
COMPUL / SATIVELY, adv. With force; by con- 
ftraint. Clariffa. 
COMPULSATORY, adj. [from compulfor, Lat] 
Haying the force of compelling ; coaftive : 
Which is no other, 
But to recover from us by ftrong hand, 
And terms cojnpulfatory, thole fore-laid lands 
So by his father loft. Sbakefpeare. 
COMPULSION, /. [ compufio , Lat.] The aft of com¬ 
pelling to fomething; force; violence of the agent.—If 
reafonr, 
