FLA 
mere flats and Ihallows, to the utter ruin of navigation ? 
Bentley. 
Full in the prince’s paflage hills of fand. 
And dang’rous flats, in fecret ambu fh lay. 
Where the falfe tides fkim o’er the cover’d land, 
And feamen with difl'embled depths betray. Drydett. 
The broadfide of a blade: 
My flaming fvvord above ’em to difplay, 
All keen and ground upon the edge of day, 
The flat to fweep the vilions from thy mind, 
The edge to cut ’em through that flay behind. Dry den. 
Depreflion of thought or language.—Milton’s Paradife 
Loft is admirable ; but am I therefore bound to maintain, 
that there are no flats amongft his elevations, when ’tis 
evident he creeps along fometimes for above an hundred 
lines together ? Dryden. —A furface without relief, or 
prominences.—Are there then fuch ravilhingcharms in a 
dull unvaried flat , to make a fufficient compenfation for 
the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the 
precious things of the lafting hills > Bentley. 
To FLAT, v. a. To level ; to deprefs 5 to make broad 
and fmooth.—The ancients lay, if you take two twigs of 
leveral fruit-trees, and flat them on the Tides, and bind 
them clofe, and let them in the ground, they will come 
upinoneftock. Bacon. 
With horrid fhapes ftie does her Tons expofe, 
Diftends their fwelling lips, and flats their nofe. Creech. 
To make vapid.—An orange, lemon, and apple, wrapt in 
a linen cloth, being buried for a fortnight four feet deep 
within the earth, though in a moift place and rainy time, 
were become a little harder than they were ; otherwife 
frefh in their colour, but their juice fomewhat flatted. Bacon. 
To FLAT, v. n. To grow flat : oppofed to J\well. —I 
burnt it the fecond time, and obferved the Ikin fhrink, 
and the fwelling to flat yet more than at firft. Temple —To 
render unanimated or evanid.—Nor are conftant forms of 
prayer more likely to flat and hinder the fpirit of prayer 
and devotion, than unpremeditated and confuted variety 
to diftrafl and lofe it. King Charles. 
FLAT-CAP, /. [at one time, from their wearing flat 
caps.'] A London Ihopkeeper.—Wealthy flat-caps pay for 
their pleafure the belt of any men in Europe. Marflon's 
Dutch Courtezan. 
FLAT-HEAD, a cape on the fouth coaft of Ireland, 
in the county of Cork : feven miles eaft of Kinfale. 
FLAT-ISLES, a chain of iflands in lake Michigan, 
in Upper Canada. 
FLAT-POINT, a cape on the north coaft of the ifland 
of Jamaica. Lat. 18.30. N. Ion. 77. 8. W. Greenwich. 
FLAT-POINT, a cape at the fouthern extremity of 
the ifland of Sumatra. Lat. o. 50. .S. Ion. 102. 38. E. 
Greenwich. 
FLAT-POINT, a cape on the fouth coaft of the ifland 
of Borneo. Lat. 2. 45. S. Ion. 112. E. Greenwich. 
FI.AT-ROCK, an expanftve flat, railed a little above 
the furface of the ground, and near the banks of a de¬ 
lightful rivulet of excellent water, which is one of the 
head branches of Great Ogeechee river, in Georgia, 
This place is a common rendezvous or camping-place for 
trading with the Indians. 
FLA’TA ISLANDS, a clufter of fmall iflands near 
the fouth-eaft of North Vift, and about a mile north-eaft 
from Rona ifland. 
FLATBUSH, a town of the American States, in King’s 
county, Long ifland, New York, fituated on a fmall bay, 
which opens eafterly from New York harbour, five miles 
fouth-by-eaft from New York city. It contains a number 
of dwelling houfes, moftly in one ftreet; many of which 
are elegant and commodious. The inhabitants are chiefly 
of Dutch extraftion. The productions are various kinds 
of fruit, vegetables, grain, &c. which find a ready market 
in the metropolis. The land lies low ; and in fummer 
the whole townlhip appears like an extenfive garden. 
FLA 447 
The public buildings area Dutch church, a court-houfe, 
and an academy, called Erafmus Hall, the mod flourifhing 
of all the academies in the ftate. It is in a pleafant and 
healthful fituation, four miles from Brookline ferry. A 
bloody battle was fought near this town on the 27th of 
Auguft, 1776, when tire Americans were defeated by the 
Britilh with great lofs. The remains of the American 
army retreated to New York, under cover of a thick fog. 
FLAT'LANDS, a townlhip of the American States,, 
in King’s county, Long ifland, diftant from New York 
city f ven miles. 
FLATTING, adv. Flatly.—Though with her fword 
on him flie flailing ftrooke. Spenfer. 
FLATTONG, adv. V/ith the flat downwards; not 
edgewife : 
What a blow was there given ? 
An it had fallen flatlong. Shahejpeare. 
FLATLY, adv. Horizontally; without inclination. 
Without prominence or elevation. Without fpirit; 
dully; frigidly. Peremptorily; downright.—Not any 
interpreters allow it to be fpoken of fuch as flatly deny 
the being of God ; but of them that, believing his exift- 
ence, feclude him from directing the world. Bentley. - 
Unjuft, thou fay’ft, 
Flatly unjuft, to bind with laws the free. Milton. 
FLAT'MAN (Thomas), an Englifh poet, born at 
London, in 1633. He was a barrifter of the Inner-Tem¬ 
ple ; but having a turn for the fine arts, he purfued thefe 
pleating ftudies, and acquired reputation as a writer. 
He publilhed, in 1682, a third edition of his poems and 
fongs, dedicated to the duke of Ormond ; and a fatirical 
romance in profe, on Richard Cromwell, foon after the 
reftoration. He died about 1688. 
FLAT'NESS, f. Evennefs; level extenfion. Want 
of relief or prominence.—It appears fo very plain and 
uniform, that one would think the coiner looked on the 
flatnefs of a figure as one of the greateft beauties in 
fculpture. Addij.on on Medals. —Deadnefs ; infipidity ; va- 
pidnefs.—Deadnefs or flatnefs in cyder is often occalioned 
by the too free admiffion of air into the veflel. Mortimer 
—DejeCtion of fortune : 
The emperor of Ruflia was my father : 
Oh, that he were alive, and here beholding 
His daughter’s trial ! that he did but fee 
The flatnefs of mymifery! Shahejpeare. 
Dejection of mind ; want of life; want of fpirit.—How 
faft does obfeurity, flatnefs , and impertinency, flow in 
upon our meditations? Collier. —Dulnefs ; infipidity; 
frigidity.—Some of Homer’s tranflators have fwelled into 
fuftian, and others funk into flatnefs. Pope .—The con¬ 
trary to fhrillnefs or acutenefs of found.—Take two fau- 
cers, and ftrike the edge of the one againft the bottom of 
the other within a pail of water, and you Ihall find the 
found groweth more flat, even while part of the faucer 
is above the water; but that flatnefs of found is joined 
with a harfhnefs. Bacon. 
FLAT'TA, one of the fmaller weftern iflands of Scot¬ 
land, two miles eaft from the ifland of Barra. 
To FLATT'EN, v. a. [flatir, Fr.] To make even or 
level, without prominence or elevation.—To beat down 
to the ground.—If they ftiould lie in it, and beat it 
down, or flatten it, it will rife again. Mortimer .—To make 
vapid. To dejeCt ; to deprefs ; to difpirit. 
To FLATTEN, v. n. To grow even or level.—To 
grow ddll and infipid.—Here joys that endure for ever, 
frefli and in vigour, are oppofed to fatisfaCtions that are 
attended with fatiety and furfeits, and flatten in the very 
tailing. VEfirange. 
FLATTER, yi [from flat.] The workman or inftru- 
ment by which bodies are flattened. 
To FLATTER, v. a. [ flatter , Fr.] To fcoth with 
praifes; to pleafe with blandilhments ; to gratify with 
jfervile obfequioufnefs; to gain by falfe compliments,— 
1. lie 
