O B L 
the pooreft giver upon the fame level with the richeft. 
Smith. 
Behold the coward, and the brave, 
All make oblations at this fhrine. Swift. 
In the canon-law, oblations are defined to be any¬ 
thing offered by godly Chriftians to God, and the church, 
i. e. to the priefts, whether they be movables or im¬ 
movables. 
Oblations were anciently of various kinds; viz. ob- 
lationes altavis, which the priefts had for faying mafs; ob- 
lationes defundorum, given by the laft wills of the faith¬ 
ful to the church; oblationes mortuorum, thofe given 
by the relations of the dead, at their burials; oblationes 
panitentium, thofe given by penitents ; and oblationes pcu- 
teaftales, or Whitfun-oft'erings. 
Till the fourth century the church had no fixed reve¬ 
nues, nor any other means of fubfiftence than alms, or 
voluntary oblations. Under this term are now compre¬ 
hended not only thofe finall cuftomary fums commonly 
paid by every perfon when he receives the facrament of 
the Lord’s Supper, at Eafter, which in many places is 2d. 
from every-communicant, and in London ^d. a-houfe; 
(though it does not appear on what their opinion of a 
groat a-houfe for London is founded ;) butalfo the cuf¬ 
tomary payment for marriages, chriftenings, churchings, 
and burials. The four offering-days are Chriftm.as, 
Eafter, Whitfuntide, and the feaft of the dedication of 
the pariih-church. It hath been decreed, with regard to 
JEaji cr-of dings, that they are due of common right, and 
not by cuftom only : and offerings may be recovered be¬ 
fore the juftices of the peace, by the fmall-tythe aft of 7 
and 8 Will. cap. 6. 
To OBLEC'TATE, v. a. [obleder, Fr. oblcdo, Lat.] 
To delight. Cotgrave and Sherwood. 
OBLECTA'TION, /'. Delight, pleafure.—-A man that 
hath not experienced the contentments of innocent piety, 
will hardly believe there are fuch obledations that can be 
hid in goodnefs. Feltham's Ref. 
OB'LEY, a town of Lithuania, in the palatinate of 
Wilna : thirty-two miles fouth of Breflau. 
To OB'LIG ATE, v. a. [obligo, Lat.] Tobindbycon- 
traft or duty. 
OBLIGA'TION, J\ [obligatio, from obligo, Lat.] The 
binding power of any oath, vow, duty; contraft.—No¬ 
thing can be more reafonable than that fuch creatures 
lhoulc! be under the obligation of accepting fuch evidence 
as in itfelf isfuflicient for theirconviftion. Wilkins. 
No ties can bind that from conftraint a rife, 
Where cither’s forc’d, all obligation dies. Granville. 
An aft which binds any man to fome performance.—The 
heir of an obliged perfon is not bound to make reftitu- 
tion, if the obligation palled only by a perfonal aft ; but, 
if it palled from his perfon to his eftate, then the eftate 
paftes with all its burthen. Bp. Taylor's Rule of Holy 
Living. —Favour by which one is bound to gratitude.— 
Where is the obligation of any man’s making me a pre- 
fent of what he does not care for himlelf ? L'Ejirange. 
Obligation, in law, is an aft whereby a perfon en¬ 
gages, or binds himlelf, oris bound by another, to do 
fomething; as to pay a fum of money, to be furety, or 
the like. The acceptance of a bill of exchange is a kind 
of obligation to pay it. 
Obligation, in a more ftrift fenfe, denotes a bond con¬ 
taining a penalty, with a condition annexed, for payment 
of money at a certain time; or for performance of cove¬ 
nant, or the like. A bond or obligation is laid to differ 
from a bill, in that the latter is commonly without a pe¬ 
nalty and without condition. Yet, a bill may be obliga¬ 
tory. Coke on Littleton, 172. 
OBLIGATORINESS, _/". The ftate or. quality which 
impofes an obligation. Scott. 
OBLIGA'TO, adj. [Italian.] A mufical term,fignify- 
ing neceffary, on purpofe, for the inftrument named. 
You XVII. No. 1183. 
O B L 8G5 
OBLIGATORY, adj. Impofing an obligation ; bind¬ 
ing ; coercive : with to or on. —And. concerning the law- 
fulnefs, not only permiflively, but whether it be not obli¬ 
gatory to Chriftian princes and ftates. Bacon. —A people 
long ufed to hardlliips, look upon themfelves as creatures 
at mercy, and that all impofitions laid on them by a 
ftronger hand are legal and obligatory. Swift. —If this 
patent is obligatory on them, it is contrary to adds of par¬ 
liament, and therefore void. Swift. 
To OBLI'GE, v.a. [obliger, Fr. obligo, Lat.] To bind; 
to impofe obligation ; to compel to fomething.—Religion 
obliges men to the praftice of thole virtues which con¬ 
duce to the prefervation of our health. Tillotjon.— The 
law muff oblige in all precepts, or in none. If it oblige 
in all; all are to be obeyed ; if it oblige in none, it has no 
longer the authority of a law. Rogers. —To indebt; to 
lay obligations of gratitude.—To thtife hills we are 
obliged for all our metals, and with them for all the con¬ 
veniences ahd comforts of life. Bentley. 
Thefe truths are not the produft of thy mind, 
But dropt from heaven, and of a nobler kind : 
Reveal’d religion firft inform’d thy fight, 
And reafon law not, till faith fprungthe light. 
Thus man by his own ftrength to heaven would foar, 
And w'ould not be oblig'd to God for more. Dry den.. 
To pleafe ; to gratify.—A great man gets more by obliging 
his inferior, than by difdaining him; as a man has a 
greater advantage by fowing and drelfing his ground, 
than he can have by trampling upon it. South.—f Some 
natures are fo four and lo ungrateful, that they are never 
to be obliged. L'Ejirange. 
Happy the people, who preferve their honour 
By the fame duties that oblige their prince. Addifon. 
OBLIGE'E, f. The perfon to whom another, called 
the obligor, is bound by a legal and written contraft.— 
The bond had been taken in the obligee's own name, and 
not in the king’s. Sanderfons Cafes of Confcience. 
OBLI'GEMENT, J'. Obligation.—I will not refill, 
whatever it is, either of divine or human obligement, that 
you lay upon it. Milton. 
Let this fair princefs but one minute ftay, 
A look from her will your obligements pay. Dryden. 
OBLI'GER, f. That which impofes obligation.—It is 
the natural property of the fame heart to be a gentle in¬ 
terpreter, which is fo noble an obliger. Wotton's Rem. 
—One who binds by contraft. 
OBLI'GING, adj. Civil; complaifant; refpeftful; 
engaging.—Nothing could be more obliging and refpeft¬ 
ful than the lion’s letter was, in appearance ; but there 
was death in the true intent. L'Eftrange. 
Obliging creatures ! make me fee 
All that difgrac’d my betters met in me. Pope. 
Obligatory ; binding.—Suppofe a monarch, who hath a 
fupreme nomothetical power to make a law, and, when, 
it is made and written, Ihould lay it up in “ archivis im¬ 
perii,” fo that it be not known nor publifhed tohisfub- 
jefts ; it is manifeft that fuch a law' neither is nor can be 
obliging till he takes care for the publilhing of it. Bp. 
Barlow's Remains. 
OBLI'GINGLY, adv. Civilly ; complaifantly.—Euge- 
nius informs me very obligingly, that he never thought lie 
Ihould have difliked any pafiage in my paper. Addifon. 
I fee her tafte each naufeous draught, 
And fo obligingly am caught; 
I blefs the hand from whence they came. 
Nor dare diftort my face for lhame. Swift. 
OBLI'GINGNESS, f Obligation ; force.—Thofe legal 
inftitutions did confequently let a period to the obliging - 
nejs of thofe inftitutions. Hammond .—Civility; coinpiai- 
fance.—His behaviour was with fuch condelcenlion and 
obligingnefs to the meanelt of his clergy, as to know and 
5 A be 
