134 M JE R 
from the ancients, and contain nothing that is original. 
The whole were colle&ed, and printed m three volumes, 
folio, in 1605; and have been feveral times reprinted. 
JBloy. Did. de la Med. 
MERCED' (La), a town of New Navarre : ninety miles 
fduth-weft of Cafa Grande. 
MERCED' (La), a town of Chili; fifty miles fouth- 
fouth-weft of St. Yago. 
MER'CEDARY, f. [from the Lat. mercedula, a Email 
fee.] One that hires. Cole. 
MER'CEDARY, adj. Mercenary. Cole. 
MER'CENARINESS, f. [from mercenary.) Venality; 
relpecl to hire or reward—To forego the pleafures of 
fenfe, and undergo the liardfhips that attend a holy life, 
is fuch a kind of mercenarinefs, as none but a refigned be¬ 
lieving foul is likely to be guilty of; if fear itfelf, and even 
the fee.r of hell, may be one juftifiable motive of men’s 
actions. Boyle. 
MER'CENARY, adj. [mercenaire, Fr. from mercena- 
rius, Lat.] Venal; hired; fold for money— Divers Al- 
mains, who fervid in the garrifons, being merely merce¬ 
nary, did eaiily incline to the ftrongeft. Haywood. 
Many of our princes, woe the while ! 
Lie drown’d, and foak’d in mercenary blood. Shahefpeare. 
Too ftudious of profit; adding only for hire.—The ap¬ 
pellation of fervant imports a mercenary temper, and de¬ 
notes fuch an one as makes his reward both the foie mo¬ 
tive and meafure of his obedience. South's Sermons. 
’Twas not for nothing I the crown refign’d; 
I flill muff own a mercenary mind. Dryden. 
MER'CENARY, f. [mercenaire, Fr.] A hireling; one 
retained or ferving for pay : 
He a poor mercenary ferves for bread ; 
For all his travel, only cloth’d and fed. Sandys. 
MER'CER, f. [mercier, Fr.] One who fells filks.—The 
draper and mercer may meafure religion as they pleafe, and 
the weaver caft her upon what loom he pleafe. Howel. 
MER'CER, a county of Pennfylvania, forty miles long 
and twenty-feven broad, with 3220 inhabitants. Chief 
town, Mercerfburgji. 
MER'CER, a town of Kentucky, with 9442 inhabi¬ 
tants, of whom 2169 are Haves. Chief town Harrodfburg. 
MER'CERY, J\ Trade of mercers; traffic of filks.— 
The mercery is gone from out of Lombard-ltreet and 
Cheapfide into Paternofter-row and Fleet-llreet. Graunt. 
MERCEU'IL, a town of France, in the department of 
the Cote d’Or : fix miles fouth of Beaune. 
MERCE'Y, a towm of France, in the department of the 
Upper Saone : leven miles north-north-eall of Gray, and 
eighteen fouth-welt of Vezoui. 
MERCE'Y LE BA'S, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Mofelle : eight miles fouth of Longwy, and 
ten north-well of Briey. 
MERCE'Y le GRA'ND, a towm of France, in the de¬ 
partment of the Doubs ; eleven miles weft of Belangon, 
and nine north-weft of Quingey. 
MER'CHAB, or Mer'kab, a fortrefs of Syria, in the 
pachalic of Tripoli, on the coaft of the Mediterranean. 
It was built by the Franks, and remained long in the pol- 
feflion of the Knights of St. John : eight miles north of 
Tortofa. 
To MER'CHAND, v.n. [marchander, Fr.] To tranlacf 
by traffic.—Ferdinando merchanded with France for the 
reftoring Rouffiglion and Perpignan, oppignorated to them. 
Bacon. 
MER'CHANDISE, f. [marcjtandife, Fr.] Traffic ; com¬ 
merce ; trade.-—If a Ion, that is fent by his father about 
merchandije, fall into fome lew'd adlion, his wickednefs, 
by your rule, ftiould be impofed upon his father. Shake- 
Ipeare's Henry V.—If he pay thee to the utmoft farthing, 
thou haft forgiven nothing : it is merchandije, and not for- 
givenefs, to reftore him that does as much as you can re- 
M E R 
quire. Taylor. —Wares ; any thing to be bought or fold. 
•—Thou ffialt not fell her at all for money ; thou ffialt not 
make merchandije of her. Dent; xxi. 14,—As for any mer¬ 
chandije you have brought, ye ffiall have your return in 
merchandije or in gold. Bacon. —So active a people will al¬ 
ways have money, whilft they can fend what merchandijes. 
they pleafe to Mexico. Addij’on. 
Fair when her breaft, like a rich laden bark 
With precious merchandije , ffie forth doth lay. Spenjer. 
To MER'CHANDISE, v.n. To trade; to traffic; to 
exercife commerce. 
MER'CHANDISING, f. The aft of buying or felling, 
—The Phoenicians, of whofe exceeding merchandifmg we 
read lo much in ancient hiftories, were Canaanites, whole 
very name figniftes merchants. Brercwood on Languages. 
MER'CHANT, f. [marchand, Fr.] One who traffics to 
remote countries.—The moft celebrated merchants in the 
world were lituated in the illand of Tyre. AddiJ’on. 
France hath flaw’d the league, and hath attach’d 
Our merchants' goods at Bourdeaux. Skaliejpeare. 
Formerly fynonymous to the vulgar word chap. —What 
faucy merchant was this ? Skaliejpeare's Borneo and Juliet. 
As merchandije includes all goods and wares expofed to 
fale in fairs or markets, fo the word merchant formerly ex- 
• tended to all forts of traders, buyers, and fellers. But 
every one that buys and fells is not at this day under the 
denomination of a merchant; only thole who traffic by 
importation or exportation, or carry on bulinefs by way 
of barter or exchange, and who make it their living to 
buy and fell by wholefale. Thole who buy goods, to re¬ 
duce them by their own art or indultry into other forms 
than they are of, and then to fell them, are artificers, and 
not merchants. Lex. 31 ercat. 
The mercantile profeffion is in Come countries efteemed 
noble and independent. In France, by two arrets of 
Louis XIV. the one of 1669, the other of 1701, the nobi¬ 
lity are allowed to trade, both by land and lea, without 
derogating from their nobility ; and we have frequent in- 
llances of merchants ennobled in that country, in regard 
to the utility of their commerce, and the manufactures 
they have let up. In Bretagne, even a retail trader does 
not derogate from nobility ; but, when the nobles of that 
province are difpofed for commerce, they let their nobility 
lleep ; that is, they do not lofe it, but only ceafe to en¬ 
joy the privileges of their noblelfe while their commerce 
continues ; and re-aifume it on their giving over trade, 
without any letters or inftruments of re-habilitation. 
In republics, trading is ftill more valued ; but no-where 
more than in England, where the younger Ions and bro¬ 
thers of the bell families are frequently bred up to mer- 
chandife. 
The affairs of merchants are regulated by a law of their 
own, called the law-merchant, or lex mercatoria, which all 
nations agree in, and take notice of. And in particular 
it is held to be part of the law of England, which decides 
the caufes of merchants by the general rules which ob¬ 
tain in all commercial countries ; and that often even in 
matters relating to dorneftic trade, as for inftance with 
regard to the drawing, the acceptance, and the transfer, 
of inland bills of exchange. Thus the cujlom of merchants, 
as it is lometimes called, is a part of the common law of 
this kingdom, of which the judges ought to take notice; 
and, if any doubt arile, they may fend for merchants to 
know the cultom. See Custom of Merchants, voi. v. 
p. 499. and Chriltian’s edit, of Blackftone, voi. i. p. 75. n. 
Englifh merchants are not reftrained from departing the 
kingdom without licenfe, as all other fubjeCts are ; they 
may depart, and live out of the realm, and the king’s 
obedience; and the fame is no contempt, they being ex¬ 
cepted out cf the flat. 5 Rich. II. ft. 2. And, by the com¬ 
mon law, they might pafs the leas without licenle; though 
not to mercluindile. Dyer, 206. 
Th© 
