3GS O B R 
vice lie rendered this houfe by his work, caufed no means 
to be neglected for engaging him in its interefts. He was 
made profefl'or of law at Strafburg ; and, by his induftry, 
found time to compofe various works, befides fulfilling 
the duties of his office. One of thel'e was a “ Prodromus 
Rerum AHaticarum,” 4to. 16B1, being a (ketch of a great 
work he meditated upon the province of Alfatia. After 
the capture of Strafburg by Louis XIV. Obrecht, who 
had hitherto been a Lutheran, went to Paris in 1684, 
where he abjured Lutheranifm before Bofluet, the grand 
converter of his time, who complimented him with the 
title of “an epitome of all the fciences.” He was lent 
by his majelty to Frankfort, as his commiffioner for fup- 
porting the rights of the princefs-eleftoral Palatine to 
the inheritance of her anceftors ; and he wrote an elabo¬ 
rate work entitled “Excerpta Hiftorica de Natura Succef- 
fionis in Monarchia Hifpanite,” for the purpofe of pro¬ 
ving the hereditary title of Philip V. to the crown of 
Spain. Exhaufted by his learned labours, he died in 
1705, in the fifty-fifth year of his age. Gen. Blog. 
O'BRECHT, or Hobrecht (Jacob), the moll: ancient 
compofer of mafles, in correft counter-point of four parts, 
that are come down to us. He was a Netherlander, and 
the mufical preceptor of Erafmus. Glareanus, the difci- 
ple of Erafmus, fays, that he had frequently heard his 
.preceptor (peak of Hobrecht as a mulician who had no 
Superior ;and fay, that he had fuch a rapid and wonderful 
facility in writing, that he compofed an excellent mafs in 
one night, which was very much admired by the learned. 
Indeed, in fcoring his mafs Si Dcdero, which was printed 
at Venice in 1508, it appears, though the movements are 
fomewhat too limilar in lubjeft, that the counterpoint is 
clean, clear, and mafterly. And this is the chief praife 
that is juftly due to mod of the compofitions of the fame 
period ; which, in other refpefts, fo much refemble each 
other, that a few fpecimens would exhibit almofl all tlie 
variety of melody and meafure which the produftions of 
a whole century can furniffi. Indeed, as air and grace 
were not at this time the objeft of the compofer’s purluit, 
they (liould not be fought or expected. Thofe, however, 
w'ho have heard modern melody, harmony, and modula¬ 
tion, to a degree of fatiety, and admire the fugues, ca¬ 
nons, and other ingenious contrivances, of the iixteenth 
and feventeenth centuries, would have great pieafure in 
the performance or contemplation of fuch mufic as this, 
which is become new by excefs of antiquity. Few or 
none of the paflages have been retained in modern muiic; 
and, the harmony and modulation having been regulated 
by the ecclefiaftical tones, or modes, which have been fo 
long exploded in this country, every thing would be as 
new to a dilettante of the prelent age as if he now only 
heard mufic for the firfl time ; fo that thofe, who can to¬ 
lerate nothing but what is ancient, and thofe who are in 
con dan t fearch of fometliing new, will, in thefe authors, 
find mufic equally adapted to their feveral (aftes, and be 
likewife furniffied with an excule for their faftidioufnefs. 
O'BRECKHEIM, a town of Germany, in the palati¬ 
nate of the Rhine: nineteen miles ealt of Heidelberg, and 
ten north of Wimpfen. 
OBREP'TION, J'. [obreptio, Lat.] The aft of creeping 
in with fecrecy or by furprife.—Sudden incurfions and ob- 
reptiuns , fins of mere ignorance and inadvertency. Cud- 
worth. —By the canon-law, a perfon demanding a benefice, 
without expreffing thofe he is already poflefled of, forfeits, 
&c. by obreption. Chambers. 
OBREPTI'TIOUS, adj. An appellation given to let- 
ters-patent, or other inftrument, obtained of a fuperior 
by furprife, or by concealing from hitn the truth, which was 
neceflary to have been exprefled, in order to render it 
valid. In which fenfe the word (lands oppofed to furrep- 
titions, where fome falsehood has been exprejfed, in order to 
procure it the more eafily. Obreption annuls the grant, 
w herever found. 
OBRI'EN’s BRID'GE, a fmall town of the county of 
Clare, Ireland, where there is a bridge over the river 
O B S 
Shannon. Near it is Montpellier, where there is an ex¬ 
cellent fulphurous fpring. This place is eight miles 
north-eall of Limeric. 
OBRI'NE (Knights of), a military order inflituted in 
the thirteenth century by Conrade duke of Mazovia and 
Cujavia, whom fome authors call alfo duke of Poland. 
He firfl: gave them the name of Knights of JeJ'us Chrijl ; and 
their grand-mafter was Bruno. Their chief end was to 
defend the country from the Pruffians, who were yet ido¬ 
laters, and committed great cruelties. Duke Conrade 
putting them in pofleffion of fort Obrine, they hence took 
a new name 5 and it was agreed between them, that wliat- 
ever lands they conquered from the Pruffians ffiould be 
equally divided with him. But the Pruffians bLocking- 
up the fort, fo that none of the knights could get out, 
the order became ufelefs, and was loon fuppreffed. 
O'BRITZ, a town of Auftria, fituated on the Taya: 
fix miles well of Sonneberg. 
OBRI'ZUM, f in antiquity, a kind of gold. Pliny 
fays, that “ they call the gold that has been feveral times 
purified in the fire, obrizum .” Abriz, in Arabic or Per- 
fian, lignifies fine gold without mixture, which the Greeks 
and Latins call obrizum. 
To OB'ROGATE, v. a. [obrogo , Lat ] To proclaim a 
contrary law for the diffolution of the former. See To 
Abrogate. 
OB'SANG, a town of Germany, in the principality of 
Culmbach : nine miles north-welt of Bayreuth. 
OBSCE'NE, adj. [Fr. obfccenus, Lat.] ImmodeA ; not 
agreeable to chaftity of mind ; caufing lewd ideas.—Che- 
mos, the obj'cene dread of Moab's Ions. Milton .— Words 
that were once chafte, by frequent life grow obj'cene and 
uncleanly. Watts's Logic. —Offenfive ; difgufting. — A gir¬ 
dle foul with greale binds his obj'cene attire. Dryden. 
Home as they went, the fad difcourfe renew’d, 
Of the relentlefs dame to death purfu’d, 
And of the fight obj'cene 1b lately view’d. Dryden. 
Inaufpicious ; ill-omened.—It is the Inn’s fate, like your’s, 
to be difpleafing to owls and obj'cene animals, who cannot 
bear his luflre. Pope's Letters. 
Care fhuns thy walks, as at the cheerful light 
The groaning gholls, and birds olfcene, take flight. Dryden. 
OBSCE'NELY, adv. In an impure and unchalle man¬ 
ner.-—That ail words which are written in the law ob- 
J'cenely, mull be changed to more civil words. Milton's 
Apol. for Smettymnuus .— Expofed obj'cenely, naked and 
alieep. Dry den's Hind and Panther. 
OBSCE'NENESS, or Obscen'ity, f. Impurity of 
thought or language; unchaflity; lewdnefs.—Mr. Cow¬ 
ley alferts plainly, that obj'ccnity has no place in wit. 
Dryden. —Thole fables were tempered with the Italian 
feverity, and free from any note of infamy or obj'cenenefs. 
Dryden. 
Thou’rt wickedly devout. 
In Tiber ducking thrice by break of day. 
To walh the objcenities of night away. Dryden. 
No pardon vile obj'cenity (liould find, 
Tho’ wit and art confpire to move your mind. Pope. 
OBSCURA'TION, J~. [ obfcuratio , Lat.] The a6l of 
darkening. A ftate of being darkened.—As to the fun 
and moon, their objuration or change of colour happens 
commonly before the eruption of a fiery mountain. Burnet. 
JhBSCU'RE, adj. [ olj'curus , Lat. This word was for¬ 
merly accented on the firfl lyliable.] Dark; unen¬ 
lightened; gloomy, hindering fight.—Wholo curfeth 
his father and mother, his lamp lhall be put out jn 
obj'cure darknefs. Prov. xx. 20. —Living in the dark. — 
The obj'cure bird clamour’d the live-long night. Shake - 
fpeare. — Not eafily-intelligible ; abltrule; difficult.—I ex¬ 
plain fome of the moll obj'cure paflages, and thofe which 
are moll neceflary to be underliood ; and this according 
to the manner wherein he ufed to exprefs himlelf. Dryden . 
—Not 
