6 MED 
were very apparent On the 2d of June he began to cut 
it for foiling eleven cart-horfes, a large tumbrel-load every 
day 5 it was not in flower, nor arrived at its full growth, 
but he cut it fo early to prevent any grafs feeding in it. 
The five roods lafted the eleven horfes fourteen days ; it 
was excellent food, and the horfe-keeper acknowledged it 
to be heartier than tares. Mr. Young remarks upon this 
very fatisfaftory account of the introduflion of a new 
plant into culture, that may bid fair to rival lucern itfelf; 
that, Mr. le Blanc’s farm at Cavenham being on a poor 
blowing fand, he has very happily fixed on a plant w hich 
appears to thrive better on fuch fand than in richer foils. 
Mr. Young tried it in moift loams, worth 15s. an acre, but 
never could get the plants to do fo well as on the pooreft 
fands. 
8. Hop-medic. This plant has been much fown of late 
years for fheep-feed in open fields, where it is a confidera- 
ble improvement, firft for the fweet food, and then to help 
the land by ploughing it in, getting a good crop of wheat 
after it on indifferent foils. Mr. Zappa, of Milan, fays that 
it likes deep ground, rich, and expofed to the fun ; multi¬ 
plies very well from the feed, grows chiefly in the fpring, 
flowering at the beginning of May (in the Milanefe), and 
ripening the feed at the beginning of June; it grows but 
little towards the end of fummer and in autumn. It is 
cut with Poa trivialis, fifteen inches high, but is naturally 
procumbent. It is very nutritious, and increafes milk in 
cattle. The feed of this plant falls fo readily, that great 
lol's enfues from moving it, and in threfhing the leaft ftroke 
clears it. It is a good way therefore to threfti it in the 
field on a cloth, which is moved to the feed, and not the 
feed to the cloth. 
9. Sea-medic. This plant is propagated by feeds, fown 
upon a warm border of dry foil in the fpring, where the 
plants are defigned to remain ; when the plants are come 
lip, two or three of them may be tranfplanted into fmall 
pots, to be flieltered in winter, becaufe, in very fevere frolt, 
thole which are in the open air are frequently deftroyed ; 
though they will endure the cold of our ordinary winters, 
in a dry foil and flieltered fituation. The remaining plants 
require only to be thinned and kept clean. It may alfo 
be increafed by cuttings, planted in June or July in a fliady 
border, covering them clofe with a glafs to exclude the 
external air; they will take root in about fix weeks, and 
may then be either planted, in a warm border or in pots, 
and treated in the fame way as the feedling plants. 
10. Variable medic. Some of the varieties are common 
in flower-gardens among_other annuals, under the names 
o i /nails and hedge-hogs, from the Angular form of their 
feed-veflels. They are propagated by feeds fown in the 
middle of April, where they are to remain ; they require 
110 culture but to be thinned, and kept clean. The va¬ 
riety called heart-trefoil or heart-clover, but more pro¬ 
perly heart-medic or fpotted medic, is frequently very 
luxuriant among lucern, faintfoin, and trefoil; and might 
be cultivated for the fame purpofe as the latter; but, on 
account of its hairinefs and the roughnefs of the feeds, it 
ihould be cut or paftured when young. See Trifolium 
and Trigonella. 
MED'ICAL, adj. [medicus, Lat.] Phyfical; relating 
to the art of healing ; medicinal.—In this work attempts 
will exceed performances, it being compofed by fnatches 
of time, as medical vacation would permit. Brown's Vulgar 
Errours. 
MED'ICALLY, adv. Phyfically ; medicinally.—That 
which promoted this confideration, and medically advanced 
the fame, was the dextrine of Hippocrates. Brown. 
MEDIC'AMENT,/ [Fr. from medicamentum, Lat.] Any 
thing ufed in healing; generally topical applications.— 
Admonitions, fraternal or paternal; then public reprehen- 
fions ; and, upon the unfuccelsfulnefs of thefe milder medi¬ 
caments, the ufeof ihonger phyfic, the cenfures. Hammond. 
—A cruel wound was cured by fcalding medicaments, after it 
was purified ; and the violent fwelling and bruife of an- 
MED 
other was taken away by fcalding it with milk. Temple's 
Mi/cellany. 
MEDIC AMEN'TAL, adj. Relating to medicine, in¬ 
ternal or topical. 
MEDICAMEN'TALLY, adv. After the manner of 
medicine; with the power of medicine.—The fubltance 
of gold is invincible by the powerfulleft aftion of natural 
heat; and that not only alimentally in a fubftantial mu¬ 
tation, but alfo medicamentally in any corporeal converfion. 
Brown. 
MED'ICASTER, f. [ medicus, Lat.] A pliyfician ; a 
forry phyfician ; a quack. Scott.. 
To MED'ICATE, v, a. [medico, Lat.] To tinflure or 
impregnate with any thing medicinal.—The fumes, fleams, 
and flenches, of London, do fo medicate and impregnate 
the air about it, that it becomes capable of little more. 
Graunt. 
MED'ICATING, f. The aft of impregnating with 
fomething medicinal. 
MEDICA'TION,y. The aft of tinfturing or impreg¬ 
nating with medicinal ingredients.—The watering of the 
plant with an infufion of the medicine may have more 
force than the reft, becaufe the medication is oft renewed. 
Bacon .—The ufe of phyfic.—He advifeth to obferve the 
equinoxes and folftices, and to decline medication ten days 
before and after. Brown. 
MED'ICI (Cofmo de], an illuftrious citizen of Flo¬ 
rence, was born in that city in 1398. He was the elded 
fon of John de Medici, who had acquired vaft wealth by 
his commercial concerns, and had been honoured with 
the highelt offices in the republic, which he filled with 
exemplary virtue and patriotifm. Cofmo from his youth 
engaged in the commerce eftablifhed by his houfe, and 
greatly increafed its property ; and, on the death of John 
in 1428, he fucceeded to the influence poffelfed by him 
as head of that powerful family, which rendered him the 
fil'd citizen of the (late, though without any fuperiority 
of rank or title. He fupported and augmented the family 
dignity. His conduct was uniformly marked by urbanity 
and kindnefs to the fuperior ranks of his fellow-citizens, 
and by a conftant attention to the interefts and wants of 
the lower clafs of them, whom he relieved with un¬ 
bounded generofity. By thefe means he acquired nu¬ 
merous and zealous partifans, whom he conlidered ra¬ 
ther as pledges for the continuance of the power which 
he poflefled, than as inftruments to be employed in the 
ruin and fubjugation of the ftate. 
The authority which Cofmo and his defcendants exer- 
cifed in Florence during the 15th century confided rather 
in a tacit influence on their part, and a voluntary ac- 
quiefcence on that of the people, than in any prefcribed 
or definite compaft between them. The form of govern¬ 
ment was that of a republic, directed by a council of ten 
officers, and a chief executive officer,.called th t gonfalonier e, 
or “ ftandavd bearer,” who was chofen every two months. 
Under this eftablilbment, the citizens imagined they were 
poflefled of the full exercife of their liberties; but fuch 
was the influence of the Medici, that they generally af- 
fumed to themfelves the firft offices of the date, or no¬ 
minated fuch perfons as they efteemed fit for thofe em¬ 
ployments. In this, however, they always paid great 
refpedl to popular opinion. Notwithftanding the valt 
prudence and moderation of Cofmo’s public conduff, the 
difcontent of the Florentines, with the bad fuccefs of the 
war againft Lucca, gave occafion to the preponderance of 
a party led on by Rinaldo de Albizi, which, in 1433, 
after filling the magiftracies with their own creatures, 
feized the perfon of Cofmo, and proceeded judicially 
againft him, on the pretence that his influence was ha¬ 
zardous to the ftate. On the news of his danger, feveral 
princes and ftates of Italy interfered in his behalf; but 
in conclulion, he was banifhed to Padua for ten years, 
and feveral other members and friends of the Medici 
family underwent a fimilar punilhment. He was received 
with 
