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fries; and, in 1588, he was fent into Ruffia as ambaftador 
to tlie czar Theodore Iyanovitch, with the charge of re- 
eftablilhing the commercial concerns of the Ruffian com¬ 
pany; in which he fuccee'ded. After his return he drew 
tip and printed, in 1591, an account Of the Ruffe Coni- 
monwealth, which contains 'many curious and authentic 
particulars of that country, then little known to the reft 
of Europe. Dr. Fletcher was afterwards made fecretary 
to the city of London, a maker of requefts, and treafurer 
of St. Paul’s church. He died in 1610. His work on 
Ruffia is inferted in Hakluyt’s Collection of Voyages, &c. 
FLET'CHER (John), an eminent Englith dramatic 
wtirer, fon of Richard Fletcher bifhop of London; born 
in Northamptonffiire in 1576, and educated at Cambridge. 
It is not known that he followed any profeffion except 
that of a poet, in whiclt capacity he was the infeparable 
partner of Francis Beaumont, infonutch that their names 
are generally mentioned in conjunction. For a biogra¬ 
phical fketch of them, fee the article Beaumont and 
Fletcher, vol.ii. p.834. 
FLET'CHER (Phineas), fon of Giles Fletcher above- 
mentioned. He was educated at Eton fchool, whence he 
waseleCted to King’s-college, Cambridge, in 1600. Alter 
a due progrefs through academical honours, he took or¬ 
ders ; but it was not till 1621 that he obtained the living 
of Helgay in Norfolk, on which he appears to have palled 
the greater part of his mature life. Blomefield lays, that 
he occupied it twenty-nine years, and probably died there. 
From early youth he addicted himfelf to poetical com- 
poiition ; and probably all that we poffiefs of his produc¬ 
tions was written before he left college. He had com- 
pofed, in 1614, a pifcatory drama, entitled Sicelides, in¬ 
tended for the amufoment of James I. on his vilit to 
Cambridge. His other poetical works are, The Purple 
Illand, Pifcatory Eclogues, and Mifcellanies, all printed 
together at Cambridge, in 1633. Of thefe the principal 
is The Purple Illand, an allegorical defcription of man, 
founded upon an allegory in the ninth canto of the fecond 
book of Spenfer’s Fairy Qpeen. It is compofed in Spen- 
fer’s manner, and is not without paffiages of llrong fancy 
and lively defcription, clothed in fmooth and elegant 
verfe. An edition of his works was printed at Edinburgh, 
in 1781 ; and all his poems have been received into Dr. 
Anderfon’s Collection. He alfo wrote a work in profe, 
De Literatis Antiques Britannia:. 
FLETCHER (Giles), younger brother of the preced¬ 
ing, alfo a divine and poet, who died in 1623, made himfelf 
known by his poems of Chrift’s Vidtory and Triumph. 
FLET'CHER (Andrew), an eminent political writer, 
fon of fir Robert Fletcher of Saltoun and Innerpeffer, in 
Scotland, born in 1653. His father, who died while he 
was a child, directed that he fliould be placed under the 
tuition of Dr. Gilbert Burnet, then reiftor of Saltoun, 
from whom he imbibed the learning, piety, and attach¬ 
ment to free principles in government, which diftinguifhed 
that eminent prelate. He firlt appeared as a public chu- 
rafter in the ftation of a commiffioner for Eaft Lothian, 
in the Scotch parliament, when the dukfe of York was 
lord-commiflioner. He diftinguifhed himfelf in ftich a 
manner by his fpirited oppolition to the meafures of the 
court, that he was outlawed, and his ellate confifcated. 
In 1685, he engaged in tlie enterprife of the duke of Mon¬ 
mouth, and landed with him in the welt of England; but 
an unfortunate accident, that- of ffiooting a gentleman 
through the head, obliged him to quit the army and for¬ 
tunes of the duke. He took his pailage in a vellei for 
Spain, in which country he underwent (everal hazards; 
till at length he got to Hungary, where he engaged in the 
war againlt the Turks, and diftinguifhed himfelf by his 
valour and military fk.il!. His intereft in the fate of his 
country, how ever, loon brought him back to join in the 
conferences which were held among the Scottilh refugees 
in' Holland, for the purpofe of effe&ing a revolution. 
When that event took place, he returned to Scotland, and 
relumed the poffcilion of his eftate. He was a member of 
the convention for the fettlement of the new government 
in Scotland ; and in all his political conduct he (hewed 
himfelf the zealous affiertor of the liberties of the people, 
without any view's to his own intereft. In 1698, he printed 
A Difcourfe of Government with relation to Militias, and 
alfo Two Difcourfes concerning the Affairs of Scotland. 
He alfo publifhed, in 1706, A State of the Controverfy 
between united and feparate Parliaments, &c. He died 
at London, in 1716. His publications were collected in 
one volume 8vo. entitled The Political Works of Andrew 
Fletcher, Efquire, printed at London, in 1732. 
FLET'CHER, a townfhip of the American States, in 
Franklin county, Vermont. It has Cambridge on the 
fouth-eaft, and Georgia weft. 
FLET'CHER’s NOOK, a cape of the American States, 
in the diftribt of Main. Lat. 43.23. N. Ion. 70. 29. W. 
Greenwich. 
FLETIF'EROUS, adj. [ fletus , Lat. weeping, and fcro, 
to bear.] Can Ting tears ; producing forrow. Not much ufed. 
FLEU'GELMAN, f. [German ; from Jleugel, awing.] 
A term lately introduced into military language, and lig- 
nifying the guide from whom a body of troops takes the 
fignal for its evolutions. The fleugelman is felebfed as 
well for his perfonal activity, as for his accuracy in the 
manual and platoon exercife, and is necelfary to preferve 
in a large body of men that uniformity and coincidence 
in their motions, without which there can be no difci- 
pline, and which can be only efteiSted by following the 
adtion of an individual. In various parts of the manual 
and platoon exercife the commanding officer gives only 
the general order, but to eftedt which, according to the 
prefent regulations of the Britifh army, two or more 
ieparate motions are required : without, therefore, the 
afliftance of the fleugelman, it is evident, that no general 
concurrence could be obferved in thefe motions by a con- 
fiderable body. The fword exercife of the cavalry renders 
two fleugelmen necelfary for that defcription of troops. 
The fleugelman is advanced in front of the battalion or 
fquadron, in Inch a fituation as to be mod eafily feen by 
the whole corps. 
FLEU'RANCE, a town of France, in the department 
of the Gers, and chief place of a canton, in the diftridf of 
Ledtoure, on the Gers: one league and three-quarters 
fouth of Ledtoure, and four and a quarter north of Auch. 
Lat. 43. 51. N. Ion. 18. 19. E. Ferro. 
FLEUR-DE-LIS,/, in botany. Seelius. In heraldry, 
the diftinguilhing mark of the fixth brother of a family. 
FLEU'RET, a town of France, in the department of 
the Cote-d’or, and chief place of a canton, in the diftridt 
of Dijon, on the Saone : feven miles weft of Dijon. 
FLEURIGNE', a town of France, in the department 
of the Hie and Vilaine, and chief place of a canton, in 
the diftridt of Fougeres : one league eaft of Fougeres. 
FLEUR'MONT, or Florimont, a town of France, 
in the department of the Upper Rhine : feven miles eaft 
of Befort. 
FLEU'RUS, or F lerus, a village of the Netherlands, 
in the county of Namur, on the confines of Brabant, re¬ 
markable for having been the feat of three battles fought 
near it ; the firft on the 30th of Auguft, 1622, between 
the troops of Spain under Gonzales de Cordova, and 
fome German troops under the comte de Mansfeldt and 
the duke of Brunlwick; the latter loft their cannon and 
baggage, the duke of Suxe-Weimar was killed, and the 
duke of Brunfwick had his arm (hot; but they made a good 
retreat with four thoufand cavalry and three thoufand 
infantry, and compelled the marquis of Spinolato raife the 
fiege of Berg-op-Zoom. The fecond battle was fought 
between the allies under the command of the prince of 
Waldeck, and the French under the duke of Luxem¬ 
burg', in which the former were defeated, wiih the lofs 
of five thoufand killed and four thoufand prifoners, forty- 
nine pieces of cannon, eight pair of kettle-drums, and 
ninety-two ftandards and colours. A third battle was 
fought here in June 1794, between the Auftrians and 
• French. 
