F R I 
FREY'STADT, a town of Silefia, in tlie principality 
of Tefchen : feven miles nonh-north-weft of Tetchen. 
FREY'STATT, or Freustadt, a town of Germa¬ 
ny, in the archduchy of Auftria : eighty-iwo miles weft 
of Vienna, and thirteen north of Ens. Lat.48. 25. N. 
Ion. 32. 8. E. Ferro. 
FREY'STATTL, a town and caftle of Hungary, on 
the Waag : two miles north-eaft of Leopoldftadt. 
FREY'STETT, or Freystaett, a town of Germa¬ 
ny, in the circle of the Upper Rhine, and county of Cat- 
zenelnbogen, on the Main; where Roman Catholics, 
Lutherans, and Calvinifts, are allowed the free exercife of 
their religion : twelve miles north-weft of Darmftadt. 
FREY'TAG (Frederic Gotthelf), a burgomafter of 
Nuremberg, born at Schulpforten in 1723. He made 
himfelf celebrated by the I'ervice which he rendered to the 
fciences, and died on the 12th of February, 1776. His 
acquaintance with the hiftory of literature was not only 
extenfive, but profound ; and his works relative to this 
I'ubjedl will be lafting monuments of his erudition and 
diligence. The principal of them are: 1. Rhinoceros 
vcterum fcriptorum Monumentis defcriptus. Lip. J747, 8vo. 
2. AnaleEla literaria, de Libris rarioribus, ibid. 1751, 8vo, 
3. Oratorum et Rhetoruin Gr^ecorum quibus Statute honoris 
Caufa pofitcefuerunt^ Decas Lip. 1752, 8vo. 4. Apparatus 
literarius, ubi Libri partim antiqui, partim rari, recenjentur, 
tom. 1 . Lip. 1732 ; tom. ii. 1753 ; tom. iii. 1756. This 
is a continuation of the AnaleBa literaria. 5. Specimeri hjloritc 
literata, quo Virorum Feminarumque ij.r,r^o^i^a.y. 7 uti Memoriam 
recolit, ibid. 1765, 8vo. 6. An Account of fcarce and 
remarkable Books, vol. i. Gotha, 1776, 8 vo. The author 
left two other volumes in manufcript ready for the prefs, 
which have not been publithed. Befides thefe, Freytag 
was the author of many tranftations from the French, and 
of various effays and papers publiftied in the. AEla Acad. 
Erford, the Schriftjlelkr nack der mode-, the Naturjorfcher ; 
and other periodical works. 
FREY'UNG, a town of Germany, in the circle of 
Bavaria, and biftiopric of Pallau : fourteen miles north 
of Palfau. 
FREY'WALDE, a town of Silefia, in the principality 
of Grotkau, referved by the houfe of Auftria, in 1742 : 
fifteen miles fouth of Neifte. 
FREZI'ER (Amedee-Francis) born at Chamberry in 
1682, of a family diftinguiftied in the long robe, origi¬ 
nally from Scotland (probably one of the Frazers). He 
firft ftudied jurifprudence at Paris, but his inclination 
leading him to mathematics, he entirely devoted himfelf 
to that fcience, and entered the corps of engineers in 
1707. The court employed him in a furvey of the Span- 
iflt colonies of Peru and Chili in 1711; and on his return 
from thole countries he publilhed a Voyage to the South. 
Sea, 4to. 1716; a work in good efteem. He was after¬ 
wards entrufted with the fuperintendence of the fortifica¬ 
tions at St. Malo, St. Domingo, and Landau, and was 
rewarded with the crofs of St. Louis, and a lieutenant- 
colonelcy. In 1740 he was appointed diredfor of all the 
fortified places in Brittany. He fixed his refidence in 
Breft, where he die 4 in 1772. The other works of 
F'rezierare, Traite des Feux d'Artifice, 8vo. 1747. Ekinens 
de Stereotomic, two volumes 8 yo. and the latter en¬ 
larged under the title of Theorie et Pratique de la Coupe des 
Pierres et des Bois, three volumes, 4to. 1769. Thefe are 
accounted ufeful and accurate works j the laft is efpecially 
efteetned. 
. FRIABI'LITY,y. Capacity of being eafily reduced 
to powder.—Hardnefs, friability, and power to draw iron, 
are qualities to be found in a loadftone. Locke. —It is fup- 
pofed that friability arifes from hence, that the body con- 
fifts wholly of dry parts irregularly combined, and which 
are readily feparated, as having nothing undfttous orglu- 
tinous to bind them together. 
FKI ABLE, adj. \_friabk, Fr. friabilis, Lat.] Eafily 
crumbled; eafily reduced to powder.—The liver, of all 
VoL. VIII. No. 483. 
F R 1 41 
the vifcera, is the moft friable, and eafily crumbled cr 
dilfolved. Arbuthnot. 
FRI'AR,y; [A corruption of/r^re, Fr.] A religious; 
a brother of fome regular order.—He’s but a friar, but 
lie’s big enough to be a pope. Drydtn. 
All the priefts and friars in my realm. 
Shall in proceftion fing her cndlefs praife. Sliakefpeare. 
Friars are generally diftinguiftied into four principal 
branches, viz. i. Minors, grey friars, or francifcans. 
2. Auguftines. 3. Dominicans, or black friars. 4. White 
friars or Carmelites. From thefe four the reft of the or- 
ders defcended. See Franciscans, Augustines, &c. 
Friar, in a more peculiar fenfe, is reft rained to fuch 
monks as are not priefts ; for thofe in orders are ufuaily 
dignified with the appellation of father. 
FRI'AR’s COWL, y. The ti ivial name of a plant. It 
agrees with arum, from which it differs only in having a 
flower refembling a cowl. 
FRIAR’S HOOD, a mountain of the ifland of Ceylon, 
near the eall coaft : fixty-eight miles eaft of Candi. 
FRIAR’S ISLAND, an ifland in the Atlantic, near 
the weftern coaft of Ireland : three miles fouth from Inis 
Boffin. 
FRI'ARLIKE, adj. Monaftic ; unfkilled in the world, 
—Theiry/ar/f/ic genenil would the next day make one 
holyday in the Chriftian calendars, in remembrance of 
thirty thoufand Hungarian martyrs flain of the Turks. 
Knolks. 
FRI'ARLY, adj. Like a friar, or man untaught in life. 
—Seek not proud riches, but fuch as thou may’ll get 
jitftly, life foberly, diftribute cheerfully, and leave con¬ 
tentedly; yet have no abftradl nor yn'ar^ contempt of 
them. Bacon. 
FRI'ARY, y A monaftery or convent of friars. 
FRI'ARY, adj. Like a friar.—Francis Cornfield did 
fcratch his elbow when he had fweetly invented to fignify 
his name, Sr. Francis, with a friary cowl in a corn field. 
Camden. 
FRl'AS, a town of Spain, in Old Caftile, fifiiated on 
an eminence near the Ebro : twenty miles north-north- 
eaft of Burgos, and 138 north of Madrid. Lat. 42. 42. N. 
Ion,. 13. 24. E. Ferro. 
FRIA'TION,y. Ifrio, Lat. to crumble.] The aa of 
crumbling ; the adl of reducing to powder. Scott. Not 
much ufed. 
FRI'AUVILLE, a town of France, in the department 
of the Mofelle, and chief place of a canton, in the dif- 
tria of Briey : two leagues and a quarter fouth of Briey, 
and four and a quarter weft of Metz. 
FRIB'BLE,y A fop ; an infignificant fellow. 
Ti? FRIB'BLE, z;.». To trifle: 
Though cheats, yet more intelligible 
Than thofe that with the ftars do fribble. Hudibras. 
FRIB'BLER,y. A trifler.—A yi'/W'/sr is one who pro- 
feffes rapture for the woman, and dreads her confent, 
SpeCiator. 
FRI'BURG, or Freyburg, a town of Germany, in 
the circle of Swabia, and capital of the Auftrian Brilgau, 
fituated at the foot of a ftony mountain, on the river 
Traifam, founded in 1118, by Berthold III. duke (*f 
Zahringen, from whom it came to the counts of Furften- 
berg, with whonr it had many difputcs on account of its 
privileges, and at laft purchafed its freedom for twenty 
thoufand riiarks of lilver. This fum was advanced by 
the houfe of Auftria, by which means the town became 
lubjedf to that family. It was formerly an important 
fortrefs ; but being taken feveral times by the Swedes 
and the French, it was difmantled by the latter, in 1744. 
The ftreets are broad and well paved. The principal 
church is a fuperb edifice. Here is an univerfity, founded 
in 1457, by Albert IV, duke of Auftria, with an academy 
and five colleges depending on it. Here are befides ten 
M convents, 
