G4I 
P L A 
in proving that he has ‘played the fool. Collier of Friend- 
Jhip.— Alphonfe, duke of Ferrara, delighted himfelf only 
in turning and playing the joiner. Peacham of Mufic. 
I did not think to filed a tear 
In all ray miferies; but thou haft forc’d me, 
Out of thy honeft truth, to play the woman. Shahefpeare. 
To PLAY, v. a. To put in action or motion : as, He 
played his cannon ; the engines are played at a fire.— 
When the allurement of any finful pleafureor profit plays 
itfelf before him, let him fee whether his defires do not 
reach out after it, though perhaps his hand dares not. 
South's Sermons. —To ufe an inftrument of mufic; as. 
He plays the organ, fiddle, See. —To perform a piece of 
mufic.—As mufical exprefiion in the compofer is fucceed- 
ing in the attempt to exprefs fome particular paflion; fo 
in the performer it is to do a compofition juftice, by play¬ 
ing it in a tafte and ftyle fo exa&ly correfponding with 
the intention of the compofer, as to preferveand illuftrate 
all the beauties of his work. Avifon's Eff. on Mufical Ex- 
prejf. —To aft a mirthful chara&er: 
Nature here 
Wanton’d as in her prime, and play'd at will 
Her virgin fancies. Milton’s P. L. 
To exhibit dramatically: 
Your honour’s players, hearing your amendment, 
Are come to play a pleafant comedy. Shahefpeare. 
To aft; to perform.—Doubt would fain have played his 
part in her mind, and called in queftion, how (he Ihould 
be aifured that Zelmane was not Pyrocles. Sidney. 
PLAY,/. Aflion not impofed; not work; difmiflion 
from work. Amufement; fport.—Two gentle fawms at 
play. Milton’s P. L. 
My dearling and my joy ; 
For love of me leave off this dreadful play. Spenfer. 
A drama ; a comedy or tragedy, or any thing in which 
chara&ers are reprefented by dialogue and adtion.—A 
play ought to be a juft image of human nature, repre- 
fenting its humours and the changes of fortune to which 
it is fubjedt, for the delight and inftruction of mankind. 
Dryden. 
Only they, 
That come to hear a merry play, 
Will be deceiv’d. Shahefpeare's Hen. VIII. 
Game ; pradlice of gaming; conteft at a game.- I’ll play 
no more, my mind’s not on my play. Shahefpeare. —Prac¬ 
tice in any conteft, as fword-play.—Bull’s friends advifed 
to gentler methods with the younglord ; but John natu¬ 
rally lov’d rough play. Arluthnot, —Action; employment; 
office: 
The fenfelefs plea of right by Providence, 
Can laft no longer than the prefent fway ; 
But juftifies the next who comes in play. Dryden. 
Pradtice ; adtion ; mannerof adting ; as, fair and foul play. 
— Determining, as after I knew, in fecret manner, not to 
be far from the place where we appointed to meet, to pre¬ 
vent any foul play that might be offered unto me. Sidney. 
— Adi of touching an inftrument. Irregular and wanton 
motion. A ftate of agitation ordifeuflion : 
Many have been fav’d, and many may, 
Who never heard this queftion brought in play. Dryden . 
Room for motion.—The joints are let exadlly into one 
another, that they have no play between them, left they 
fhake upwards or downwards. Moxon's Mech, Ex. —Li¬ 
berty of adting; fwing.—Should a writer give the full 
play to his mirth, without regard to decency, he might 
pleafe readers ; but mull be a very ill man, if he could 
pleafe himfelf. Addifon's Freeholder. 
PLAY'-BOOK, f. Book of dramatic compcfitions.— 
Yours was a match of common good liking, without 
Vol. XX. No. 1397. 
P L A 
any mixture of that ridiculous paffion, which has no be¬ 
ing but in play-looks and romances. Sivift. 
PLAY'-DAY, f. Day exempt from talks or work : 
I thought the life of every lady 
Should be one continued play-day; 
Balls and mafquerades and (hows. Sivift's Mifcell. 
PLAY'-DEBT,/. Debt contradled by gaming.—She 
has feveral play-debts on her hand, which mull be dif- 
charged very fuddenly. Spectator. 
PLAY'-PLEASURE,/. Idle amufement.—He taketh 
a kind of play-pleaj'ure in looking upon the fortunes of 
others. Bacon's EJfai/s. 
PLAY'ER, /. “One who plays. An idler; a lazy 
perfon : 
You’re pidlures out of doors, 
Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, 
Players in your houfewifery. Shakefpeare's Othello. 
Adlor of dramatic feenes.—Certain pantomimi will re- 
prefent the voices of players of interludes fo to life, as 
you would think they were thofe players themfelves. Ba¬ 
con's Nat. Hifl. 
Thine be the laurel then, fupport the ftage; 
Which fo declines, that Ihortly we may fee 
Players and plays reduc’d to fecond infancy. Dryden. 
A mimic : 
Thus faid the player god ; and, adding art 
Of voice and geliure, fo perform’d his part, 
She thought, lo like her love the (hade appears, 
That Ceyx fpake the words. Dryden. 
One who touches a mufical inftrument.—Command thy 
fervants to feek out a man, who is a cunning player on the 
harp. 1 Sam. xvi. 16.—A gamefter. One who adls in 
play in a certain manner.—The fnake bit him fall by the 
tongue, which therewith began fo to rankle and 1 ’welJ, 
that, by the time that he had knocked this foul player on 
the head, his mouth was fcarceable to contain it. Carew's 
Surv. of Cornwall. 
PLAY'FAIR (James), D.D. F.R.S. F.A.S. Edinb. 
was born in the parifli of Bendochie, in the county of 
Angus, about the year 1740. After the common courfe 
of education he went to St. Andrew’s, where he ftudied 
with great diligence, and was licenfed as a preacher by 
the prelbytery of Meigle. He was next prefented to the 
living of New Tile by Mr. Stewart Mackenzie; after 
which he obtained that of Meigle, near the feat of the 
fame gentleman. This naturally introduced him to the 
patronage of the family of Bute, which led to his ap¬ 
pointment as Principal of the United College of St. Sal¬ 
vador and Sr. Leonard, in the Univerfity of St. Andrew’s. 
He was the author of a laborious and valuable “ Syftem 
of Chronology,” comprifed in eight parts, fol. 1784. He 
died in June 1819, in the 80th year of his age. 
PLAY'FAIR (John), a mathematician and philofo- 
pher of great eminence and celebrity, was the eldeft fon 
of the Rev. James Playfair, minifter of Benvie in Forfar- 
fiiire; in which place he was born on the 10th of March, 
1748. He refided at home, under thedomeftic tuition of 
his father, till the age of fourteen, when he entered at the 
Univerfity of St. Andrew’s ; and wasalmoft immediately 
diftinguilhed, 'not merely for his lingular proficiency in 
mathematical learning, but lor the extent of his general 
knowledge, the clearnefs of his judgment, and the dig¬ 
nity and propriety of his condudl. A remarkable telti- 
mony to this effedl has been lately made public in an early 
letter of the late Principal George Hill, who was, at this 
time, one of his fellow-ftudents, and was himfelf fo re¬ 
markable for early talent, that we find it recorded of him 
that he had privately compofed an excellent fermon in 
the tenth year of his age! A youth of this defeription 
cannot be fuppofed to have been very indulgent in his 
eftimate of the merits of his competitors; and it could, 
8 A therefore. 
