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R 0 U 
R O U 
ROUNDEL, or Rou'ndelay, s. [ rondelet, Fr.] A 
song or tune in which preceding lines or strains are repeated. 
The common roundelay consists of thirteen verses, eight 
of which are of one rhyme, and five in another. It is 
divided into couplets; at the end of the second and third 
of which, the beginning of the roundelay is repeated; and 
that, if possible, in an equivocal or punning sense. 
The roundelay is a popular poem among the French, but 
little known among us. Marot and Voiture have succeeded 
the best in it. 
A kind of dance.—Come now a roundel and a fairy song. 
Shahspeare. 
Some of the ancient writers speak of the roundelay, or 
roundel , as a kind of air appropriated to dancing; and in 
this sense the term seems to indicate little more than danciug 
in a circle, with the hands joined. Rees. 
A round form or figure.—The Spaniards, casting them¬ 
selves into roundels, and their strongest ships walling in 
the rest, made a flying march to Calais. Bacon. 
ROUNDER, s. Circumference; enclosure. 
If you fondly pass our proffer’d offer, 
’Tis not the roundure of your old fac’d walls 
Can hide you from our messengers of war. Sha/cspeare. 
ROUNDING, in Sea Language, denotes certain old ropes 
wound .firmly and closely about that part of a cable which 
lies in the hawse, or under the ship’s bow, or athwart the 
stem. It is used to prevent the surface of the cable from 
being chafed or fretted in those places. 
Rounding-//;, generally implies the act of pulling upon 
any rope which passes through one or more blocks, in a 
direction merely horizontal; as round-in the weather-braces, 
&c. It seems to be derived from the circular motion of 
the rope about the sheave or pulley through which it 
passes. 
Rounding-;///, is expressed of a tackle which hangs in a 
perpendicular position, without sustaining or hoisting any 
weighty body; in which case it is the operation of pulling 
the blocks closer to each other, by means of the rope which 
passes through them, to compose the tackle; and is opposed 
t,o over hauling, by which the blocks are drawn farther 
asunder. 
ROUNDHEAD, s. A puritan, so named from the prac¬ 
tice once prevalent among them of cropping their hair round, 
or from the close round helmets they wore in the army.— 
Your petitioner always kept hospitality, and drank confusion 
to the roundheads. Spectator. 
ROUNDHEA'DED, adj. Having a round top.— Round- 
headed. arches and windows. Lotv'th. 
ROUNDHOUSE, s. The constable’s prison, in which 
disorderly persons, found in the street, are confined.—They 
marched to some fam’d roundhouse. Pope, 
ROUNDISH, adj. Somewhat round; approaching to 
roundness.—It is not every small crack that, can make such a 
receiver, as is of a roundish figure, unless to our experiment. 
Boyle. 
ROU'NDLET, A little circle.—Little circles, or 
roundlets, dispersed here and there about the hemispheres. 
Gregory. 
ROUNDLY, adj. Somewhat round; like a circle. 
About the edges of whose roundly form 
In order grew such trees as doe adorne 
The sable hearse. " W. Browne. 
ROUNDLY, adv. In a round form; in a round 
manner. Openly'; plainly; without reserve.—He affirms 
every thing roundly, without any art, rhetoric, or circum¬ 
locution. Addison. —Briskly; with speed.—When the 
mind has brought itself to attention, it will be able to cope 
with difficulties, and master them, and then it may go on 
roundly. Loc/rft—Completely ; to the purpose; vigo¬ 
rously; in earnest.—This lord justice caused the earl of 
Kildare to he arrested, and cancelled such charters as were 
lately resumed, and proceeded every way so roundly and 
severely, as the nobility did much distaste him. Davies, 
ROU'NDNESS, s. Circularity ; sphericity ; cylindrical 
form.—The same reason is of the roundness of the bubble - 
for the air within avoideth discontinuance, and therefore 
casteth itself into a round figure. Bacon. —Smoothness.— 
The whole period and compass of this speech was delightsome 
for the roundness, and grave for the strangeness. Spenser. 
—Honesty; openness; vigorous measures.—Albeit roundness 
and plain dealing be most worthy praise. Ralegh. 
ROUND-ROBIN, s. [A corruption of the Fr. ruban 
rond, a round riband.] A written petition or remonstrance, 
-signed by several persons round a ring or circle.—It was 
usual among French officers, when they signed a remon¬ 
strance, to write their names in a circular form, so that it 
was impossible to ascertain who signed first.—The question 
was who should have the courage to propose them to him ? 
at last it was hinted, that there could be no way so good as 
that of a round-robin, as the sailors call it, which they 
make use of when they enter into a conspiracy, so as not 
to let it be known who puts his name first or last to the 
paper. Sir IF. Forbes. 
F.OUNDSTONE BAY, a harbour on the west coast of 
Ireland. Lat. 53. 22. N. long. 9. 56. W. 
ROUNDWAY, a village of England in Wiltshire, east of 
Devizes, adjoining to which are Roundway Downs, remark¬ 
able for a battle fought between the parliamentary forces 
ana Charles I. 
ROVNO, a small town of European Russia, in the go¬ 
vernment of Volhynia, with 3300 inhabitants; 115 miles 
north-east of Lemberg. 
ROUP, in Commerce, a silver coin of Turkey, containing 
10 paras, the para being equal to 3 aspers, and 40 paras 
being equal to the dollar or piastre. 
ROUP, in Poultry, is a filthy boil or swelling upon their 
rumps, known by the staring, or turning back of the feathers. 
The roup, if not soon remedied, will corrupt the whole 
body; to prevent which, the feathers are to be pulled away, 
the swelling laid open, and the matter pressed out; after 
which, the part is to be washed with salt and water. 
ROUSAY, one of the Orkney islands, about 9 miles Iqng 
and 4 broad, lying to the north-west of the Mainland. It is 
altogether a range of hills, with somes stripes of arable land 
on the coast. The soil is good; and, if well cultivated, 
would yield abundant crops. The hilly ground is covered 
with heath, and abounds with game. There are several small 
lakes, from which a number of rivulets take their rise. It is, 
upon the whole, one of the most pleasant of the Orkney isles. 
Around it there are safe harbours for shipping; and the in¬ 
habitants prosecute the fisheries with great diligence. It con¬ 
tained, in 1811, 795 inhabitants. 
ROUSAY and EGLISHAY, an united parish of the 
Orkneys, comprehending Rousay, Eglishay, Weir, and In¬ 
hallow, with two small holms or uninhabited islets- These 
are situated about three leagues north-west of Kirkwall, and 
lie contiguous, to each other. Rousay is one continued range 
of hills; Eglishay is a pleasant low lying, is.land ; Weir is 
smaller than Eglishay; and Inhallow is still less than either. 
The inhabitants are principally engaged in fishing; about 
44 beats belonging to the parish. Population in 1801, 
1061; in 1811,965. 
To ROUSE, v. a. To wake from rest. 
Rev’rent I touch thee ! but with honest zeal, 
To rouse the watclrmen of the publick weal. 
To virtue’s work provoke the tardy hall; 
And goad the prelate slumbering in his stall. Pope. 
To excite to thought or action. 
Then rouse that heart of thine. 
And whatsoever heretofore thou hast assum’d to be. 
This day be greater. Chapman. 
To put into action. 
As an eagle, seeing prey appear, 
His airy plumes doth rouse full rudely dight; 
So shaked he, that horror was to hear. .Spenser. 
Blust’ring 
