2rf?4 A S b 
well as in the common occurrences of life, now made eafy, 
which have been formerly thought impracticable. 
Assiduity is emblematically delcribed by an elderly 
woman, holding an hour-glafs in both hands, and (land¬ 
ing by a rock encompaffed with ivy. Her age denotes, 
that time and labour are continually deitroying us; and 
therefore (lie holds an hour-glafs, which requires her dili¬ 
gence in turning and often moving it, left it (lop. 
ASSl'DUOUS, adj. [afiduus, Lat.] Conftant in applica¬ 
tion.—In futurner, you lee the hen giving herfelf greater 
freedoms, and quitting her care for above two hours toge¬ 
ther ; but, in winter, when the rigour of the feafon would 
chill the principles of life, and deflroy the young one, (he 
grows more afjiduovs in her attendance, and (lays away but 
half the time. Addifon. 
ASSI'DUOUSLY, adv. Diligently; continually.—The 
habitable earth may have been perpetually the drier, fee¬ 
ing it is ajfiduoujly drained and exhaufted by the (eas. Bentley. 
°ASSI'DUUS, or Adsiduus,/ among the Romans, de¬ 
noted a rich or wealthy perfon. The word in this fenfe is 
derived from as ajjis, q.d. a monied man. Hence we meet 
with ajjidueus fureties, ajjiduijidejujfores ; anfwering to what 
the French call city fureties or (ecunties, cautions bourgeois. 
When Servius Tullius divided the Roman people into five 
dalles, according as they were aifelTed or taxed to the pub¬ 
lic, the richer fort who contributed alfes were denomina¬ 
ted ajjiduiy and, as thefe were the chief people of bufinefs 
who attended all the public concerns, thofe who were di¬ 
ligent in attendances came to be denominated ajjidui. 
°To ASSIE'GE, v.a. \_ajjieger, Fr.] Tobefiege. Obfoletc. 
ASSIEN'TO,/ A Spanifh word iignifying a “farm,” 
in commerce, is ufed for a bargain between the king of 
Spain and other powers, for importing negroes into the 
Spanifh dominions in America, and particularly to Buenos 
Ayres. The firft afliento was made with the French Gui¬ 
nea company ; and, by the treaty of Utrecht, transferred 
to the Engliih, who were to furnifli 4800 negroes annually. 
To ASSIGN', v.a. [ ajfigner, Fr. ajigno, Lat.] To mark 
er fet out; to appoint.—He ajjigned Uriah unto a place 
where lie knew that valiant men were. 2 Sam. xi. 16.— 
True quality is neglected, virtue is opprelfed, and vice tri¬ 
umphant. The lad day will ajjign to every one a ftation 
Suitable to his character. Addifon.— To fix with regard to 
quantity or value.—There is no fuch intrinfic, natural, 
fettled, value in any thing, as to make any aligned quanti¬ 
ty of it conftantly w'orth any ajjigned quantity of another. 
Locke. 
To Assign, in law', is to fet over a right to another, or 
appoint a deputy, &c. another fpecial, to fet forth or point 
at; as to afiign error, affign falfe judgment, wade, See. 
Amd in affigning of error, it mud be (hewn where the error 
is committed ; in'fade judgment, wherein the judgment is 
unjuft ; in wade, wherein efpecially the wade is done. Reg. 
Orig. 72. Ado juftices are faid to be afligued to take alli- 
zes. Sta.fi. 1 1 Hen. VI. c. i. 
ASSIGN'ABLE, adj. That which may be marked out, 
or fixed.—Ariftotle held that it dreamed by connatural 
refult and emanation from God ; fo that there was no in- 
ftant ajjignable of God’s eternal exiftence, in which the 
world did not ado co-exift. South. 
ASSIGNAT',/ [ from ajfigner r F r. to affign over. ] A 
fpecies of paper-money iflued by the convention of France, 
in order to raife a fund for the purpofe of carrying on the 
revolutionary war. The dabiiity of this fund was to arife 
out of the fale of the church and crown lands, and the 
confifeated eftates of the emigrants, all of which were (pi- 
fed by the, convention, and held in trull for the public. 
When aflignats were firft ifliied, they maintained their cre¬ 
dit pretty well, as long as it was underflood that there was 
landed property in the hands of the public equal in value 
to the Cum for which they were put into circulation ; but, 
when the emiffion was multiplied to many hundred mil¬ 
lions of livres beyond tlie poffible value of all the above 
refources, and many millions of forged aflignats were ado 
in circulation, a mod aftoniftiir.g depreciation took place. 
ASS 
The convention, with a view to retrieve the falling credit 
of this paper-money, palled decrees for making it penal in 
any one to pay away an aflignat for lefs than its nominal 
value ; and they alfo eftabliftied what was called the maxi, 
mum, for fixing a price on all forts of goods, beyond which 
no buyer was to give, nor the feller to refufe, the fum in 
aflignats. This decree, however, had but a partial effect; 
for the depreciation afterwards became fo confiderable, 
that 1125 livres in aflignats, were commonly paid for a din¬ 
ner of two removes, which would cod only eighteen li¬ 
vres in money. And the watermen, at a particular paffage 
over the Seine, who had ufually charged a hundred livres 
for a veffei to crofs the river, abfolutely refufed the hire, 
unlefs they were paid 40,000 livres in aflignats ! This may 
be thought a matter of furprife; and yet we fee an almoft 
fimilar event in the fluctuation of the Englifti funds, in 
which the nominal fum of 100!. has been worth no more 
than 4SI. in fpecie. All this, however, is accounted for 
very naturally. Under a permanent and peaceful govern¬ 
ment, the ellates and fecurities which form the fund ge¬ 
nerally maintain their value; and fo of courfe does the 
paper which is the (ign or representative of thofe eftates 
or fecurities, as we fee in the bank-notes of England, But 
fo foon as the land, or the tiling represented, (hall be deem¬ 
ed a bad Security, and be rendered dill more precarious by 
the expenflve and unfore(een events of a deliruftive war, 
can there be any caufe for furprife that the thing which 
reprefents ic (hould not (land high in public eftimation ? 
ASSIGN A'TION,/ [ajfignation. Fr.] An appointment 
to meet: ufed generally of love appointments.—The lo¬ 
vers expected the return of this dated hour with as much 
impatience as if it had been a real ajfignation. Spectator.— 
A making over a thing to another. 
ASSIGNEE',/ [ ajjignatus , Lat.] A perfon who is de¬ 
puted or appointed by the aCt of the party, or the opera¬ 
tion of law, to do any aft, or enjoy any benefit, on their 
own accounts and rifks : an aflignee being one that poffeffes 
a thing in his own right; but a deputy, he that afts in 
right of another. Perkins. Aflignee by deed is, when a 
leflee of a term, &c. fells and afligns the fame to another, 
that other is his aflignee by deed. Aflignee in law is he 
whom the law fo makes, without any appointment of the 
perfon ; as an executor is aflignee in law to the teftator. 
Dyer 6 . But, if there be aflignee in deed, aflignee in law 
is not allowed. If one covenant to do a tiling to J. S. or 
His afligns by a day, and before that day he dies ; if before 
the day he name any aflignee, the thing mud be done to 
his aflignee named ; otherwise to his executor or adminis¬ 
trator, who is aflignee in law. 27 Hen. VIII. 2. He is 
called aflignee, who hath the whole of the eftate of the 
aflignor; and an aflignee, though not named in a condition,, 
may pay the money to fave the land; but he (hall not re¬ 
ceive any money, unlefs he be named. Co. Lit. 215. Af- 
fignees may take advantage of forfeitures 011 conditions, 
when they are incident to the reverfion, as for rent, See. 1 
And. 82. What covenants affect or benefit aflignees. See 
Covenant. 
Under the word ajfgns, (hall be included the aflignee of 
an aflignee in perpetuum, the heir of an aflignee, or the af- 
fignee of an heir. Co. Lit. 384 b. So the aflignee of an af- 
(ignee’s executor. 2 Show. 57. And a devifee. zShow.^g, 
But if an obligation be, to pay fuch perlons as he (hall 
name by his will, or writing; there mud be an exprefs no- 
mination, and his executor (hall not take as aflignee. Mo. 
855. An adminiftrator is an aflignee. Moor, 44. 
ASSIGN'ER,/ He tiiat appoints.—The gofpel is at 
once the ajfigner of our talks, and the magazine of our 
ftrength. Decay of Piety. 
ASSIGN'MENT,/ Appropriation of one thing to ano¬ 
ther thing or perfon.—The only thing which rnaketh any 
place public, is the public ajhgnmenl thereof unto fuch du¬ 
ties. Hooker. 
Assignment, inlaw, is the Setting over or transfer¬ 
ring the intereft a man hath in any thing to another. AS. 
fignments may be nude of lands in fee, for life, or years; 
of 
