420 
OFF 
OFF'-SET, f. Sprout; (hoot of the plant.—Some plants 
are raifed from any part of the root, others by off-jets, 
and in others the branches fet in the ground will take root. 
Locke. 
OFF'-SCOURING, f. Recrement; part rubbed away 
in cleaning any thing.—Thou haft made us as the off- 
fconring and refufe in the midft of the people. Lam. iii. 
45 - —Being accounted, as St. Paul fays, the very filth 
or the world, and the offf-fcouring of all things. Kettlewell. 
OFF'-SCUM, adj. Refufe ; vile.—A raoft vile game 
devifed by the off-jcum rafcals of men. Tr. of Bocculini, 
i6z6. 
OF'FA, King of the Mercians, one of the kingdoms 
of the Saxon heptarchy. See the article England, vol. 
vi. p. 547. where, however, the name is mifprinted 
“Otto.” 
OFFA’s DY'KE, or Clawdh Offa, a famous dyke, 
conftrufted by Offa the Great, king of Mercia, about 
A. D. 780 ; and intended either to mark the boundaries 
between a colony of Saxons whom he planted in the level 
country between the Severn and the Wye, and the Welfh, 
whom he had driven out.of it, or to defend the former 
from the hoftile incurfions of the latter. This dyke ex¬ 
tended from north to fouth about ninety miles, running 
along the fides and bottoms of the hills, from the mouth 
of the river Dee to that of the Wye, near Chepftow. It is 
thought to have been an imitation of the ramparts thrown 
up by Agricola, Adrian, and Severus, to guard the Ro¬ 
man province againft the incurfions of the northern bar¬ 
barians; but, from fome remains of it, which are ftill to be 
been, and for other reafons, lord Lyttelton concludes, 
that it was rather intended fora boundary, to feparate 
the territories of the Englifh from thofe of the Welfti, 
than as a fortification to proteft the former. Whatever 
the intent of fo vaft a work may have been, it was pro¬ 
bably at this period that the larger towns and cities, fitua- 
ted to the eaft of the Severn and Dee, were built, for the 
purpofe of checking the irruptions of the Welfti, by a 
Prong line of frontier-pofts. The villages likewife, on 
the eaft fide of Clawdh Offa, whofe names terminate in 
ton or ham, were about this time inhabited by Saxons, 
who were ufually called “ Gwyr-y-Mers,” or the Men of 
Mercia; though, in after-times, the men fettled on each 
fide of the dyke. During an interval of peace, Offa 
finiftied this dyke; but the Welfti were not infenfi.ble of 
the dilhonour and injury done to their country. Accor¬ 
dingly, they fecretly concerted the plan of its deftruftion; 
and, having fettled a previous agreement with the kings 
of Northumberland, and of the South-Saxons, with whom 
they were then in alliance, they fuddenly befet Clawdh 
Offa in the night of St. Stephen’s day, the night itfelf 
being extremely dark ; and, affifted alfo by the country- 
people, they broke down the rampart, and in a fliort time 
filled up and levelled the dyke to the length of a bow- 
fiiot. Early in the morning they aflailed the camp of king 
Offa, and flew great numbers of his foldiers ; who, de¬ 
pending on the time, were either afleep or unarmed, or 
bad given themfelves up to pleafure, or to the religious 
obfervanceof the feftival. The labour and charge ofthis 
dyke were much greater than the benefit; for, loon after 
Gfta’s death, the Welfti again extended their dominions 
beyond that dyke, forcing their way, like a rapid torrent 
which defcends from the mountains, and overflows the 
plain country. We lhall only add, that the limits of the 
Welfti from that time were very uncertain; being often 
advanced, or let back, as the fortune of war happened to 
change in favour of them or of the Saxons. 
OF'FAK HAR'BOUR, a port on the north coaft of 
the ifland of Way goo, on the line. Lon. 131. 6 . E. 
OFF'AL, [ off-fall , lays Skinner, that which falls from 
the table, perhaps from offa, Lat.] Wafte meat: that 
which is not eaten at the table.—He let out the offals of 
his meat to intereft, and kept a regifter of fuch debtors 
in his pocket-book. Arbuthnot. —Carrion; coarleflelh: 
4 
OFF 
I Ihould have fatted all the region kites 
With this flave’s offal. Shakefpeare's Hamlet. 
Refufe ; that which is thrown away as of no value.—To 
have right to deal in things facred, was accounted an ar¬ 
gument of a noble and illuftrious defcent; God would 
not accept the offals of other profeflions. South. 
If a man bemoan his lot, 
That after death his mouldering limbs lhall rot, 
A fecret fting remains within his mind ; 
The fool is to his own call offals kind. Dryden. 
Any thing of no efteem.—What trafti is Rome; what 
rubbifti,and what offal! Shakefpeare. 
OFFALEN'GO, a town of Italy: four miles eaft of 
Crema. 
OFF'ELING, a town of Auftria : fixteen miles fouth- 
weft of Freyftadt. 
OFF'EN. See Buda, vol. iii. 
OFF'EN SEE, a lake of Auftria : fixteen miles eaft 
of St. Wolfgang. 
OFF'ENBACH, a town of Germany, in the county of 
Ifenburg, on the Maine, containing two Proteftant 
churches, a fynagogue, and quay, and feveral manufac¬ 
tures. It is three miles eaft of Frankfort on the Maine, 
and twelve north-north-eaft of Darmftadt. 
OFF'ENBACH, late a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of Mont Tonnerre, on the Gian : four miles north- 
eaft of Lautereck, and thirty-three weft-north-weft of 
Worms. 
OFF'ENBURG, a town of Germany, fituated on the 
Kinzig, in the Ortenau. This town was originally im¬ 
perial, but by the empire mortgaged to Baden, which, in 
the year 1330, made over the fame mortgage to the bi- 
Ihopric of Stralburg, by which bifliopric one-half of it 
was transferred to the eleftor-palatinate. In 1633, its 
charter as,-an imperial and circular town was renewed. 
In 1802, it was given to the duke of Baden. The inha¬ 
bitants are Roman Catholics. It is twenty four miles 
fouth-fouth-weft of Raftatt, and fixteen north-weft of 
Freudenftatt. Lat. 48. 27. N. Ion. 7. 58. E. 
OFFEN'CE, f. [Fr. offenfa, from offentlo, Lat.] Crime; 
aft of wickednefs : 
Thou haft ftol’n that, which, after fome few hours, 
Were thine without offence. Shakefpeare's Hen. IV. 
A tranfgreflion.—If, by the law' of nature, every man hath 
not a power to punilh offences againft it, I fee not how the 
magiftrates of an)' community can punilh an alien of an¬ 
other country. Locke. —Injury.-—I have given my opinion 
againft the authority of two great men, but I hope with¬ 
out offence to their memories ; for I loved them living, 
and reverence them dead. Dryden. —Dilpleafure given ; 
caule of difguft ; fcandal.—The pleafures of the touch are 
greater than thofe of the other fenfes; as in warming 
upon cold, or refrigeration upon heat; for, as, the pains 
of the touch are greater than the offences of other fenfes, 
fo likewife are the pleafures. Bacon. —Anger; dilpleafure 
conceived.—Earned in every prefent humour, and making 
himlelf brave in his liking, he was content to give them 
juft caufe of offence when they had pow'er to make juft re¬ 
venge. Sidney. —Attack; aft of the aflailant.—I have 
equal lkill in all the weapons of offence. RichardJ'on. — 
Courtely, that leemed incorporated in his heart, would 
not be perfuaded to offer any offence, but only to Hand 
upon the belt defenfive guard. Sidney. 
OFFEN'CF.FUL, adj. Injurious; giving difpleafu re : 
It feems your inoft offenceful aft 
Was mutually committed. Shakefpeare's Meaf.for Meaf 
OFFEN'CELESS , adj. Unoffending; innocent.—I lhall 
endeavour it may be offencelefs to other men’s ears. Milton's 
Apol. for Sme6tymnuus. 
To OFFEN'D, v. a. [offendo , Lat.] To make angry; to 
difpleafe.—Grols fins are plainly feen, and eafily avoided, 
by 
