L I G 
To fall in any particular direction : with en: 
The wounded deed curvets; and, rais’d upright. 
Lights on his feet before; his hoofs behind 
Spring up in air aloft, and laffi the wind. Dry den. 
To fall; to (trike on: with on or upon. —A curfe lights 
upon him prefently after: his great army is utterly ruined, 
he himfelf (lain in it, and his head and right hand cut off, 
and hung up before Jerufalem. South. 
On me, me only, as the fource and fpring 
Of all corruption, all the blame lights due. Milton. 
[Alightan, Sax.] To defeend from a horfe or carriage— 
When Naaman faw him running after him, he lighted down 
from the chariot to meet him. 2 Kings, v. 21.—Rebekah 
lifted up her eyes, and, when (he faw Ifaac, (he lighted off 
the camel. Gen. xxiv. 64. 
I faw ’em falute on horfeback, 
Beheld them when they lighted, how they clung 
In their embracement. Shakefpeare. 
The god laid down his feeble rays. 
Then" lighted from his glittering coach. Swift. 
To fettle; to reft; to ftoop from flight; to alight: 
Then as a bee which among weeds doth fall, 
Which feem fweet flow’rs, with luftre frefh and gay. 
She lights on that, and this, and tafteth all, 
But, pleas’d with none, doth rife, and foar away. Davies. 
LIGHT, adj. fleohr. Sax.] Not tending to the centre 
with great force; not heavy.—Thefe weights did not ex¬ 
ert their natural gravity till they were laid in the golden 
balance, infomuch that I could not guefs which was light 
or heavy whilft I held them in my hand. Addifon. 
Hot and cold were in one body fixt, 
And foft with hard, and light with heavy, mixt. Drydtn. 
Not burdenfome; eafy to be worn, carried, or lifted.— 
A king that would not feel his crown too heavy, muft 
wear it every day; but, if he think it too light, he knovveth 
not of what metal it is made. Bacon's Effays. 
Horfe, oxen, plough, tumbrel, cart, waggon, and wain, 
The lighter and (Longer, the greater thy gaine. Tuffer. 
Not afflictive; eafy to be endured.—Every light and com¬ 
mon thing incident into any part of man’s life. Hooker. 
Light fuff’rings give us leifure to complain : 
We groan, but cannot fpeak, in greater pain. Dryden. 
Eafy to be performed ; not difficult: 
Well pleas’d were all his friends, the ta(k was light, 
The father, mother, daughter, they invite. Dryden. 
Eafy to be aCted on by any power: 
Apples of a ripe flavour, frefli and fair. 
Mellow’d by winter from their cruder juice, 
Light of digeftion now, and fit for ufe. Dryden. 
Not heavily armed.—Paulus Bachitius, with a company 
of light horfemen, lay clofe in ambulh, in a convenient 
place for that purpofe. Knolles. —ACtive; nimble.—Afithel 
was as light of foot as a wild roe. 2 Sam. ii. 18. 
Light bounding from the earth at once they rife. 
Their feet halt viewlefs quiver in the (kies. Pope. 
Unencumbered; unembarraffed 5 clear of impediments.— 
Unmarried men are bell rnafters, but not belt l'ubjeCts ; 
for they are light to run away. Bacon. —Slight; not great. 
—A light error in the manner of making the following 
trials was enough to render fome of them unfuccefsful. 
Boyle. —Not denfe; not grols.—In the wildernefs there is 
no bread, nor water, and our foul loatheth this light bread. 
Numbers, xxi. 5. 
Light fumes are merry, groffer fumes are fad 
Both are the fEafonable foul run mad. Dryden. 
Eafy to admit any influence; unfteady; unfettled; loofe. 
H T . 687 
—There is no greater argument of a light and inconfide- 
rate perfon, than profanely to feoff at religion. Tillotfon. 
Thefe light vain perfons (till are drunk and mad 
With furfeitings, and pleafures of their youth. Davies. 
Gay; airy; wanting dignity or folidity; trifling.—Seneca 
cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light. Shakefpeare. 
Fictions light I mix with truth divine. 
And fill thefe lines with other praife than thine. Fairfax , 
Not chafte; not regular in conduCt: 
Let me not be light ; 
For a light wife doth make a heavy hulband. Shakefpeare. 
[From light, /] Bright; clear.—As foon as the morning 
was light, the men were fent away. Gen. xliv. 3.—Not dark ; 
tending to whitenefs.—In pajnting, the light and a white- 
colour are but one and the fame thing : no colour more re- 
fembles the air than white, and by confequence no colour 
which is lighter. Dryden. 
LIGHT, adv. [for lightly, by colloquial corruption.} 
Lightly; cheaply.—Shall we fet light by that cuftom of 
reading, from whence fo precious a benefit hath grown f 
Hooker. 
LIGHT-BEL'LIED, adj. A horfe is thus called that 
commonly has flat, narrow, contracted,, fides, which make 
the flank turn up like that of a grey-hound. 
LIGHT-FIN'GERED, adj. Nimble at conveyance; 
thieviffi. 
LI'GHT-FOOT, adj. Nimble in running or dancing 3 
aClive: 
Him fo far had born his light-foot (teed. 
Pricked with wrath and fiery fierce difdain. 
That him to follow was but fruitlefs pain. Fairy Queen. 
LI'GHT-FOOTED, adj. Light of foot, nimble in run¬ 
ning, aCtive. 
LI'GHT-HANDED, adj. Diffioneft. 
LIGHT-HEAD'ED, adj. Unlteady ; loofe;. thought- 
lefs; weak.—The Englifti Liturgy, how pioufly and wifely 
foever framed, had found great oppofition; the ceremo¬ 
nies had wrought only upon light-headed weak men,, yet 
learned men excepted againft fome particulars. Clarendon<. 
—Delirious; difordered in the mind by temporary difeafe. 
—When Belvidera talks of lutes, laurels, feas of milk,, 
and (hips of amber, (lie is not mad, but light-headed. Wal¬ 
pole. 
LIGHT-HEAD'EDNESS, f. Delirioufnefs; difordei 
of the mind. 
LIGHT-HEARTTD, adj. Gay; merry; airy; cheerful. 
LIGHT HOR'SE,/. An appellation given by us to all 
cavalry that is compofed of (mail and lightly-accoutred 
men mounted on light fvvift horfes. Ours were firft raifed 
in 1757. They were fo denominated in companion with 
the royal guards, who were heavily armed at all points. 
They have lately fucceeded the life-guards in the honour 
of attending the royal perfon. 
LI'GHT HOUSE, J. An high building, at the top of 
which lights are hung to guide (hips at fea.—He charged 
himfelf with the rifque of fu.ch veffels as carried corn in 
winter; and built a pharos, or lighl-houfe. Arbuthnot . 
The liglit-houfe is generally a high tower, having at the 
top an apartment called the lantern, with windows on all 
fides, to exhibit the light made within it by the flame of 
an open fire, or by lamps or candles. It is frequently of 
fervice to navigation to ereCt light-lioufes upon infulated 
rocks rifing from the fea, to warn (hips of their approach 
to fuch rocks. Of this kind are the Eddyftone-rocks off 
Plymouth, and the Bell-rock at the mouth of the Forth 
in Scotland. In thefe (ituations, the heavy fwell of the 
fea, when agitated by a ftorm, (trikes with fuch force 
againft the building, as to require every precaution to fe- 
cure it from being overthrown by the continued aCtio® 
of fo powerful an enemy. The Eddyftone-rpcks being 
the molt celebrated, as well from their peculiarly expofed 
fit nation*. 
