870 IMP 
The bloom of beauty other years demands, 
Nor will be gather’d by inch wither’d hands : 
You importune it with a falfe deiire. Dry den, 
[Accented on the fecond fyllable, and ufed by Spenfer 
for] To import: 
But the fage wizard telles, as he has redd, 
That it importunes death and dolefull dreryhedd. F. Queen, 
[Accented on the laft fyllable.] To require: 
We /hall write to you, 
As time and our coiicerns lhall importune, 
How it goes with us. Shakejpcare. 
IMPORTU'NE, ad}, [importunus, Lat. anciently with the 
accent on the fecond iyliable.] Conftantly recurring; trou- 
blefome by frequency.—Henry, king of England, needed 
not to have bellowed fuch great fums, nor fo to have bu¬ 
lled himfelf with importune and inceifant labour, to com- 
pafs my death and ruin, if I had been a feigned perfon. 
Bacon. 
All that charge did fervently apply, 
With greedy malice and importune toil; 
And planted there their huge artillery, 
With which they daily made molt dreadful battery. Sp. 
Troublefome; vexatious.—If the upper foul can check 
what is confented to by the will, in compliance with the 
Belli, and can then hope, that, after a few years of fenfu- 
ality, that importune rebellious fervant ihall be eternally 
call off, this would be fome colour for that novel perfua- 
fion. Hammond. 
And th’ armies of their creatures, all and fome. 
Do ferve to them, and with importune might 
War againft us, the vafials of their will. Spenfer. 
Unfeafonable; coming, alking, or happening, at a wrong 
time: 
No fair to Ihine 
Equivalent, or fecond ! which compell’d 
Me thus, though importune perhaps, to come 
And gaze and worlhip thee. Milton. 
IMPORTU'NELY, adv. Troublefomely; inceflantly : 
The palmer bent his ear unto the noife. 
To weet what call’d fo importunely: 
Again he heard a more efforced voice, 
That bade him come in halle. Fairy Queen. 
Unfeafonably ; improperly.—The conllitutions that the 
apollles made concerning deacons and widows, are with 
much importunity, but very importunely, urged by the dif- 
ciplinarians. Sandcrfon. 
IMPORTU'NING, f. The aft of harafling with in- 
celfant folicitations. 
IMPORTUNITY, / [importuhitas, Lat. importunite, Fr.] 
Inceifant folicitation.—Overcome with the importunity of 
his wife, a woman of a haughty fpirit, he altered his for¬ 
mer purpofe. Knolles. 
Thrice I deluded her, and turn’d to fport 
Her importunity. Milton. 
IMPOR'TUOUS, adj. [from in, Lat. contrary to, and 
portus, a harbour.] Void of ports; having no harbours. 
Scott. * , 
To IMPO'SE, v. a. [ impofer, Fr. impoftum, Lat.] To 
lay on as a burthen or penalty.—If a fon do fall into a 
lewd action, the imputation, by your rule, fliould be im- 
pofed on the father. Shakejpcare. 
To tyrants others have their country fold, 
Impofng foreign lords for foreign gold. Dry den. 
To enjoin as a duty or law.—What good or evil is there 
under the fun, wdiat aftion correfpondent or repugnant 
unto the law which God hath impofed upon his creatures, 
but in or upon it God doth work, according to the law 
which himfelf hath eternally propol'ed to keep ? Hooker, 
I M P 
Thou on the deep impofef nobler laws, 
And by that jullice halt remov'd the caufe. Walter. 
To fix on ; to impute to.—This cannot be allowed, ex- 
cept we impute that unto the firft caufe which we impofe 
not on the fecond; or what we deny 'unto nature, we im¬ 
pute unto nativity itfelf. Brown.— To obtrude fallaci- 
oufly : 
Our poet thinks not fit 
T’ impofe upon you what he writes for wit. Drydcn. 
Among printers. To put the pages on the Hone, and fit 
on the chafes, in order to carry the forms to prefs. 
Fo Imfo'se on. To put a cheat on ; to deceive.—* 
Phyficians and philofophers have fuffered themfelves to 
be fo far impofed upon as to publilh chemical preparations 
they never tried. Boyle.—He that thinks the word centaur 
Bands for fome real being, impofs on himfelf, and miitakea 
words for things. Locke. 
IMPO'SE, /. Command; injunftion. Not in life: 
According to your ladylhip’s impofe 
I am thus early come. Shakejpcare. 
IMPO'SEABLE, adj. To be laid as obligatory on any 
body.—They were not fimply impofeable on any particular 
man, farther than he was a member of, fome church. 
Hammond. 
IMPOS'ER, f. One who enjoins as a law; one who 
lays any thing on another as a hardlhip.—The univerfi- 
ties’ fulferings might be manifelled to all nations, and the 
impofer of thele oaths might repent. Walton. 
IMPO'SING, f. The aft of obtruding; the aft of en¬ 
joining._ With printers, laying pages on the Bone to be 
formed into forms. 
IMPO'SING-STONE, /. The Bone upon which forms 
are impofed. See the article Printing. 
IMPOSITION,/, {impoftion, Fr. imp oft us, Lat.] The 
aft of laying one tiling on another.—The fecond part of 
confirmation is the prayer and benediftion of the bilhop, 
made more folemn by the impoftion of hands. Hammond.— 
The aft of annexing.—The firft impoftion of names was 
grounded, among all nations, upon future good hope con¬ 
ceived of children. Camden. —Injunction of any thing as 
a law or duty.—Their determination is to trouble you 
with no more fuit; unlefs you may be won by fome othes 
fort than your father’s impoftion, depending on the calkets, 
Shakefpeare. 
From impoftion of ftrift laws, to free 
Acceptance of large grace; froni fervile fear 
To filial; works of law, to works of faith. Milton. 
Conftraint; opprefiion.—A greater load has been laid on 
us than we have been able to bear, and the grofieft impo- 
f lions have been fubmitted to, in order to forward the 
dangerous defigns of a faftion. Swift. —Cheat; fallacy ; 
impolture.—Being well acquainted with his hand, I had * 
no reafon to fulpeft an impoftion in this letter, Smol/et.~. 
A fupernumerary exercife enjoined fcholars as a punilh- 
ment: 
Thefe impoftions were fupply’d. 
To light my pipe, or pleafe my pride. Progr. of Difontent. 
The aft of laying pages on the ftone, and fixing them in 
a chafe. 
Impoftion of hands, an ecclefiaftical aftion by which a 
bilhop lays his hand on the head of a perfon, in ordina¬ 
tion, confirmation, or in uttering a blefiing. This prac¬ 
tice is alfo frequently obferved by the diftenters at the or¬ 
dination of their minifters, when all the minilters prefent 
place their hands on the head of him whom they are or¬ 
daining, while one of them prays for a blefiing on him 
and his future labours. This fome of them retain as an 
ancient praftice, juftified by the example of the kpoftles, 
when no extraordinary gifts are conveyed. However, 
they are not agreed as to the propriety of this ceremony ; 
nor do they conlider it as an eflential part of ordination. 
Impofition of hands was a Jewifli ceremony, introduced 
, * not 
4 
