F R I 
crrni's of popery, and his adoption of tlie principles of 
the reforrners. After a wandering life fpcnt for fonie 
yetirs on the continent, and in England, he came to Lon¬ 
don, wltere, while lie was endeavouring to make profe- 
lytes, lie was feized by the order of fir Thomas More, 
then lord-chancellor, and committed prifoner to ,the 
Tower, in 1533. Befides his different convet(ation> for 
the pnrpofe of propagating the pirinciples of the reform¬ 
ers, Frith had drawn up feveral writings againft the letid- 
iiig tenets of popery, copies of which were privately cir¬ 
culated among tlie converts 'o the reformed faitli. While 
he was prifoner in thed'ower, Frith held feveraf difinites 
with fir Thomas More atid others, who found tlietnfelves 
incapable of proditcing any change in liis opinions. At 
length lie was bronglit before an epifcopal conimillion at 
St. Paul’s catliedral, where he was interrogated on the 
fiibjetffs of tranfnhfiantiation and pnrgaiory, and many 
efforts were made to peiTtiade, or intimidate, him to re¬ 
nounce the notions whicli he entertained refpefting thufe 
doctrines, and to conform to the creed of the catholic 
church. When he was found to remain unmoved by 
their arguments or threatenings, and to perfiff in a decla¬ 
ration that, lie could not be induced to believe that thefe 
were articles of Cliriftian faith ; with much affedted for- 
row and pity the hitliop of London pronounced fcntence 
of condemnation upon him, as an obftinate heretic ; and 
lie was delivered over to the fecnlar power. In purfu- 
ance of this (entence a writ was ifliied out for his execu¬ 
tion, and he was burnt at Smithncld not many days after 
his condemnation, maintaining liis fortitude to the lafi, 
and charitably extending his forgivenefs to a bigoited 
prieff, who endeavoured to perfuade the people that they 
ought no more to pray for liini than for a dog. He was 
tlie author of, i. A Treatife on Purgatory. 2. An An- 
i'wer to Rafiall’s Dialogues 011 Purgatory. 3. An An- 
fwer to Sir Thomas More’s Dialogues ccncet ning Meie- 
fies. 4. An Aiifwer to Jolin-Fifher, Bifliop of Rochefier, 
on the Suhjedt of the Corporal Prefence. 5. An Anti- 
thefis between Clirilt and tlie Pope: and oclier contro- 
verlial and practical treatifes, which were' feparately 
printed at different periods, and colleffed togetjier in a 
folio vulunie, publifbed in 1573. 
FRITH, J. \_fretum, I.at.] A Ilrait of the fea where 
the water being confined is rough : 
What defp’rate madm.ui then would venture o’er 
The frith, or haul his cables front tlie fliore ? D'yden. 
A kind of net.—The Wear is a frith, reaching through 
the Oufe, from the laiiti 10 low-water mark, and having 
in it a bunt or cod witli an eye hook; where the filli en¬ 
tering, upon their coming back with the ebb, are flopt 
from iffuing out again. Carao. 
FRI FH, f. [Saxon. 3 c\ wood ; a facred wood. 
FRITH'BREACH,/i [ironi the Sax. -pijurJ;, peace, 
and bpuce, a breach ] A breach of the peace. 
FR LI'H'BURG, f. A furcty for the peace. Phillips. 
FR 17 'H'GAR, /. [Sax. ]r)'ii'c]7, peace, and geaji, a 
year.] The year of jubilee. 
FRITH GILD, y. In old records, a fine for breach of 
the peace. Scott. 
FRITH'SOKE, FRITH'SOKEN,/. Law terms- the 
right or liberty of frank pledge. Objokte. 
FRITH'WALD, [Saxon ] A man’s name. 
FRLI ILLA'RIA,y. [from fritillus, a chefs or draught 
board, like which the petals of the common fritillary are 
checquered. Fritillus, however, is not the board, but 
tlie dice-box.— Movet arma fritillo. Juv.] In botany, a 
genus of the clafs hexandria, order monogynia, natural 
order coronariae, (lilia, jiff.). The generic charaiSfers 
are—Calyx: none. Corolla: fix-petalled, hell-fiiaped, 
fpreadirig at the bafe ; petals oblong, parallel nedbary, 
aiVexcavation or pit in the bafe of each petal. Stamina : 
filaments fix, fubulatc, approximating to the ftyle, the 
length of the corolla ; antherae quadrangular, oblong, 
erefl. Piftillum : germ oblong, three-cornered, obtufe ; 
VoL. VIII. No. 484. 
F R I Vv) 
flyle fimple, longer than the fiamens; filgma triple, 
fpreading, blunt ; (llyle tiifid, with tliree fiigmas.) P: - 
ricarpium : capfule oblong, obtufe, Ihree-lobed, t.'.rce- 
celled, three.vaived, (fiiperior, C^rtwer,) Seeds: very 
many, flat, femiorbicular on the outfide, in a dot;ble 
row. — FJfritial CharaEler. Corolla, fix-petalled, bcll- 
fliaped, with a nettareoiis cavity above the claws ; (b-- 
mina, the length of the corolla. 
Species. i. Fiiiillaria imperialis, imperial friiillary, 
or crown imperial : flowers in a raceme, with a coma 
over them, hut naked below ; lcave^ quite entire. See 
Botany Plate VII. fig. 8. The crown imperial has a large 
round fcaly root of-u yellow colour, and a fir'ong odour 
of a fox ; the flalk riles to tlie height of four feet or up¬ 
wards ; it is ffrong, fucculent, and garnillied two.thirds 
of the lengtli on every fide, v\ ith long n urow leaves end¬ 
ing in points, wh.ich aie fmooth and entire; the upper 
part of the (f.dk is naked, a foot in length ; then li'.e 
flowers come out all round the flalk upon :boi t foot-flalks, 
which turn downward, e:sch fuflaiuing one. large flo^wer. 
Above tliefe rifes a fpreading tuft of green leaves, which 
are erebf, and called the coma. This plant flowers the 
beginning of April, and the feeds are ripe in July. Be¬ 
ing one of the carliefl tall flowers of the fpring, it m.akes 
a fine appearance in the middle of large borders, at a fea- 
fon when fuch flowers are much wanted to decorate tlie 
p'eafure-garden ; but the rank fox-like odour wliich tliev 
emit is too flrong for mofl people, and renders the flowers 
lefs valuable than they would otlierwife be. I'he beau¬ 
ty, however, of the plant, and the fplendour of the mag¬ 
nificent pendulous flowers, will ever fecure this a place 
in large gardens and plantations. 'Fhe lingular ne(St.iry 
Cannot but engage the attention of the curious obferver: 
it is a white glandular cavity at the bafe of each petal, 
and has a drop of limpid nettareous juice ftanding in it 
when the flower iS in vigour. Another of the wonders 
of nature may beobferved in the peduncles, which 1 end 
down whillt the plant is in flower, but become upright 
as the feed ripens. This circumftance, however, is by 
no means peculiar to tliis plant, but common to it with 
many others. 
Varieties. 1. Common crown imperial, of a dirty red 
colour. 2. Yellow crown imperial, of a bright yellow. 
3. Bright red crown imperial, called fufai. 4. The pale 
yellow crown imperial. 5. The yellow flriped crown 
imperial. 6. 'Fhe large flowering crown imperial. 7. l ire 
broad-leaved late red crown imperial. 8. The double 
and triple crowned imperial crown. 9*. The double red 
crown imperial. 10. The double yellow crown impe¬ 
rial. II. The filver firiped leaved crown imperial. 
12. The yellow flriped leaved crown imperial. 7 'here 
are fome few other varieties which are mentioned in the 
cat.ilogues of the Dutch ttorifls, but their diflinftions are 
fo niinuie that they are not diflinguifliahle. The variety 
with yellow flowers, that with large flowers, and ihofe 
witli double flowers, are the moll valuable ; but that 
which lias two or three whorls of flowers above each 
other, makes the fined appearance ; though this felJom 
produces its flowers after tliis manner the firft year after 
removing, but the fecond and third year after planting, 
the ftalks will be taller, and frequently have three tier of 
flowers, one above another, which is called the triple crown. 
The ftalks of this fort frequently run flat and broad, 
when they produce a greater number of flowers than 
iifiial ; but this is only a luxuriancy of nature, not con- 
flant, though many of the writers have mentioned it as a 
particular variety. 
2. Fritillaria Perfica, the Perfian fritillary, or Perfian 
lily : raceiue almoft naked ; leaves oblique. The Per- 
lian lily has a large round root ; ftem three feet high, the 
lower part clofely garniftied on every fide with leaves, 
which are three inches long, and half an inch broad, of 
a grey colour, and twitted obliquely; flowers in a loofe 
fpike at the top, forming a pyramid : they are fhorter 
than the other forts, fpread wider at the brim, and are 
T not 
