F E A 
282 
have taken place in the late unfortunate queen cf France, 
during her firft night of arreft and imprifonnient. 
The only cure for fear, is fortitude. Fear, when 
it gains an afcendancy in the mind, renders life a burden. 
It debafes our nature, poifons all our comforts, makes us 
defpicable in the eyes of others, darkens our reafon, dif- 
concerts our fehemes, enfeebles our efforts, extinguifhes 
our hopes, and adds tenfold poignancy to the common 
evils of life. In battle, the brave foldier is in lefs danger 
than the coward ; in lefs danger even of death and of 
wounds, "becaufe better prepared to defend himfelf; in 
far lefs danger of infelicity; and has before him the ani¬ 
mating hope of vidlory and honour. So in life, the man 
devoid of fear is in lefs danger of difappointment than 
others are, becaufe his underftanding is clear, and his 
mind difmcumbered ; he is prepared to meet calamity 
without the dread of finking under it; and he has before 
him the near profpeft of another life, in which they who 
patiently bear the evils of this, will fail not to obtain a 
glorious reward.—Hence the propriety and juftnefs of a 
remark in Dr. Berkenhotu’s Letters to his Son, that 
“Fear is the most ignoble passion of the mind, 
.and beneath the dignity of man.” —See the arti¬ 
cle Courage, vol.v. p.291 ; and Fortitude, in this 
volume. 
Fear, is defignated in painting and fculpture, by a wo¬ 
man with a face of horror, in a running pofture, her hands 
ftretched out, and her hair Handing on end. On her 
fhoulder a frightful monfter, pourtrayed as if whifpering 
in her ear. 
FEAR, an idol of the Pagans. Tullus Hofiilius brought 
the worlhipof this deity to Rome, under the title of Fa¬ 
vor. The Ephori of Sparta alfo eredted a temple to 
Tear, near their tribunal, to (hike an awe into thofe who 
approached it. Fear was likewife worfhipped at Corinth. 
The poets even recognize this imaginary deity. Virgil 
places her in the entrance of hell, in company with dif- 
eales, old age, &c, FF.n.\ i. 273. Ovid unites her with 
Tifiphone, one of the furies. Met. iv. 483. 
FEAR'FUL, adj. Timorous; timid; eafily madeafraid. 
•—Them that are of a fearful heart. Ifaiah. —Afraid. It 
lias cf before the object of fear.—I have made my heroine 
fearful of death, which neither Calfandra nor Cleopatra 
would have been. Dtyden. —Awful; to be reverenced.— 
Who is like thee, glorious in holinefs, fearful in praife ! 
Exodus .—Terrible; dreadful; frightful; imprefiing fear. 
Neither fa ft to friend, nor fearful to foe. AJ'diam .—Againft 
fuch monitors God maintained his own, by fearful execu¬ 
tion of extraordinary judgment upon them. Hooker. —It 
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 
Heb. x. 31. 
All torment, trouble, wonder, and amazement. 
Inhabits here ; fome heav’nly power guide us 
Out of this fearful country. Shahefpeare. 
FEAR'FULLY, adv. Timoroufly ; in fear : 
In fuch a night 
Did Thifbe fearfully o’ertrip the dew, 
And favv the lion’s lhadow. Shahefpeare. 
Terribly; dreadfully: 
There is a cliff, whofe high and bending head 
Looks fearfully on the confined deep. Shahefpeare. 
FEAR'FULNESS, /. Timqroufnefs; habitual timi¬ 
dity. State of being afraid; awe; dread.—A third thing 
that makes a government jufily defpifed, is fcarfulnefs of, 
and mean compliances with, bold popular offenders. South. 
FEAR'LESLY, adv. Without terror; intrepidly.— 
’Tis matter of the greateft aftonifhment to obferve the 
flupid yet common boldnefs of men, who fo fearlefy ex- 
pofe themfelves to this molt formidable of all perils. 
Decay of Piety. 
FEAR'LESNESS, f. Exemption from fear; intrepi¬ 
dity ; courage ; boldnefs. — He gave infiances of an in¬ 
vincible courage, and fcarlefnefs in danger, Clarendon, 
F E A 
FEAR'I.ESS, adj. Free from fear; intrepid; coura¬ 
geous ; bold : with of before the fubjebt_This nation, 
whofe diftinguifhing charafter it is to be more jearlfs of 
death and danger than any other. Temple. 
The flaming feraph, fearlefs , though alone 
Encompafs’d round with foes, tlnisanfwer’d bold. Milton . 
FEASIBILITY, f Practicability. A thing practi¬ 
cable.—Men often ("wallow fallities for truths, dubiofities 
for certainties, poffibilities for feafbilities, and things im- 
pofiible for poffibilities themfelves. Brown's Vulgar Errors. 
FEA'SIBLE, adj. [faifble, Fr.] Practicable; fuch as 
may be effected ; fuch as may be done.—Tilings are fea- 
fble in themfelves; elfe the eternal wifdom of God would 
never have advifed,and much lefs have commanded them. 
South. 
FEA'SIBLY, adv. Practicably. 
FEAST, J'. [fife, Fr. feflum, Lat.] An entertainment 
of the table ; a fumptuous treat of great numbers.—On. 
Pharoah’s birthday he made a feaf unto all his fervants^ 
Gen. xl. 20. 
The lady of the leaf ordain’d a feaf. 
And made the lady of the flow’r her gueff; 
When lo ! a bow’r afcended on the plain, 
With fudden feats ordain’d, an'd large for either train. 
Dry den. 
An anniverfary day of rejoicing either on a civil or reli¬ 
gious occafion. Oppofed to a faf. —This day is call’d 
the feaf of Crifpian. Shahefpeare. —Something delicious 
to the palate.—Many people would, with reafon, prefer 
the griping of an hungry belly to thofe dilhes which are 
a feaf to others. Locke. 
To FEAST, v. n. To eat fumptuoufly ; to eat.together 
on a day of joy : 
The pari fir finds, indeed; but our church-wardens 
Feaf on the (ilver, and give 11s the farthings. Gay, 
Richard and Northumberland, great friends, 
Did feaf together. Shahefpeare . 
To FEAST, v. a. To entertain fumptuoufly ; to enters 
tain magnificently.—He was entertained and feafed by 
the king, with great (hew of favour. Hayward. —To de¬ 
light ; to pamper ; to gratify luxurioufly : 
All thefe are our’s, all nature’s excellence, 
Whofe tafte or fmell can blefs the feafed fenfe. Drydcn. 
Feafis, and their attendant ceremonies, were celebrated, 
with great pomp and magnificence, not only by the Je.ws, 
- as recorded in the Scriptures, but by all the nations oi 
old ; as they are at prefent by the Chinefe, Sec. See the 
article China, vol. iv. p.462 ; and Egypt, vol. vi. p.381. 
—Feafis, according to the Englifh kalendar, are either 
immoveable, or moveable. — Immoveable Feafs, are thofe which 
are always celebrated on the fame day of the year; fuch 
as Chriftmas-day, the Circumcifion, Epiphany, Candle¬ 
mas-day, Lady-day, All Saints, and All Souls; befides 
the days of the feveral apoflles, St. Thomas, St. Paul, &c. 
—Moveable Feafs, on the contrary, are fuch as are not con¬ 
fined to the fame day of the year. Of thefe the princi¬ 
pal is Eafter, which fixes all the reft ; as Palm-Sunday, 
Good-Friday, Afh-Wednefday, Sexagefima, Afcenfion- 
day, Pentecoft, Trinity-Sunday, See. See Easteb, vol. vi. 
р. 218. 
The four principal immoveable feafts of the year, which 
the Englifh jurifprudence has afligned for the refervatiou 
or payment of rents on leafes, are, the Annunciation of the 
blelfed Virgin Mary or Lady-day, being the 25th of March ; 
the Nativity of St. John the Baptift, held on the 24th of 
June; the Feaft of St. Michael the Archangel, on the 
29th of September ; and that of St. Thomas the Apoftle, 
on the 21 ft of December. 5 & 6 Edw. VI. c. 3. 3 Jac. I. 
с. 1. 12 Car. II. c. 30. 
Feafts and banquets feem to have been the great de¬ 
light of the princes and chiefs among the Germans, 
G°uuls, Britons, and all the other Celtic nations; at which 
1 tilts 
