80 
SEW 
SEX 
in Derbyshire, and prebendary of Litchfield, where he died 
in 1790. He was a man of taste and learning, and of con- 
siderable talents for poetry and polite literature. He pub- 
lished an edition of Beaumont and Fletcher’s works, and was 
author of a treatise on the “ Conformity between Popery and 
Paganism.” Some of his poems are in Dodsley’s collec¬ 
tion. 
SEWARD (Anna), daughter of the preceding, a poetess 
of distinguished elegance, was born about the year 1745. 
Her infant mind was nourished by her father with the vivid 
and sublime imagery of Milton, and her early education 
amidst the wild and alpine scenery of the Peak, enhanced 
the enthusiasm of feeling to which she was naturally dis¬ 
posed. In her seventh year, her father being appointed 
canon residentiary of Litchfield, she removed with the family 
to that city, which thenceforth became her residence during 
the whole of her life. The fruit of her father’s instructions 
appeared in some early efforts at poetical composition, 
which, however, met with discouragement from her mother; 
and Mr. Seward was afterwards induced to withdraw the 
countenance he had given to her literary pursuits; so that 
several years of her youth elapsed with only stolen and in¬ 
terrupted attempts to cultivate an art of which she had so 
strongly imbibed the rudiments. As she advanced in life, 
she of course followed more freely the bent of her genius, 
and in 1780 she published an 44 Elegy on Captain Cook,” 
a performance of great merit, as well from the harmony of 
its versification, as the beautiful and appropriate imagery 
with which it abounds, and the force and delicacy of its 
sentiments. The contrast between the different mourners on 
this event, queen Obera, and the wife of the great navigator, 
is peculiarly striking. In the following year she gave the 
world a “ Monody on Major Andre.” With this lamented 
young officer she was intimately acquainted: she accordingly 
wrote with peculiar pathos on the occasion, and expressed a 
glowing and just indignation against the actors in that tra¬ 
gedy : the laws of what are called civilized war do not and 
ought not to suppress the feelings of humanity. Miss Seward 
made herself known as a writer on many other topics: in 
1790 she published “ Llangollen Vale,” with other poems; 
and, in 1804, she gave the public “ Memoirs of the Life of 
Dr. Darwin.” This is a desultory performance, but it con¬ 
tains much entertaining mattery enriched with some judi¬ 
cious criticism on Dr. Darwin’s poetical character. Miss 
Seward died in March, 1809. A collection of her letters 
has been published since her decease, in 6 vols. 12mo. 
At hen mum . 
SEWARD (William), was the son of a brewer in Lon- 
dan, and born in 1797. He received his education at the 
Charter House, which he completed at Oxford; this place he 
left without taking a degree. Having a good fortune, he 
devoted his life to literary ease, and antiquarian researches. 
He is known as an author by five volumes of “ Anecdotes 
of distinguished Persons,” extracted from curious hooks, to 
which he added a supplement, in two volumes, under the 
title of “ Biographiana.” 
SEWARDSTONE, a hamlet of England, in Essex; 2 
miles south of Waltham Abbey. Population 580. 
SEWDLEY, a village of of England, in Gloucestershire, 
situated on a brook that runs into the Avon near Winch- 
comb. 
SEWEE BAY, or Bull’s Harbour, a bay of the At¬ 
lantic, on the coast of South Carolina. Lat. 32. 58. N. 
SEWEL, denotes any thing that is set or hung up, to keep 
deer out of any place. 
SEWEL-CORONDE, a name given by the natives of 
Ceylon to a species of cinnamon, which, when chewed, is 
of a mucilaginous nature, like the cassia: this dries well, 
and is very firm and hard, and has the appearance of a very 
fine cinnamon; but it has very little taste, and a disagree¬ 
able smell. The natives take advantage of the handsome 
appearance of this kind of cinnamon, and are very apt to 
mix it with the good kind. 
SE'WER, s. [ cscuyer , old Fr.J An officer who serves 
up a feast.—Sir Fulke Grevil, being cup-bearer, gave it on 
his knee ; Mr. Mildmay was carver ; Captain Preston some¬ 
times sewer. Sir T. Herbert. 
Marshall^ feast, 
Serv’d up in hall with sewers and seneshals; 
The skill of artifice or office mean. Milton. 
A passage for water to run through, now corrupted to 
shore. —The fenmen hold that the sewers must be kept so, 
as the water may not stay too long in the spring till the 
weeds and sedge be grown up. Bacon. 
As one who long in populous city pent. 
Where houses thick, and sewers annoy the air, 
Forth issuing on a summer’s morn, to breathe 
Among the pleasant villages and farms 
Adjoin'd, from each thing met conceives delight. Milton. 
He that uses a needle. 
SEWERBY, a township of England, in the East Riding 
of Yorkshire, remarkable for the number of goats bred near 
it; It is situated between Bridlington and Flamborough 
Head, on the shore; 209 miles from London. 
SEWICKLY, a river of the United States, in Pennsylva¬ 
nia, which runs west into the Youghiogauy; 9 miles above 
the Monongahela. 
SEWICKLY, New, a township of the United States, in 
Beaver county, Pennsylvania. Population 788. 
SEWICKLY, North, a township of the United States, 
in Beaver county, Pennsylvania. Population 1323. 
SEWIS, or Saewis, a large village in the east of Switzer¬ 
land, canton of the Grisous ; 6 miles east-by-south of Mey- 
enfeld. 
SEWL, provincially a plough. It is sometimes written 
sulc. 
SEWSTER, s. A woman that sews or spins. Ob¬ 
solete. 
At every twisted thrid my rock let fly 
Unto the sewster, that did sit me nigh. B. Jonson. 
SEWSTERN, a hamlet of England, in Leicestershire; 
10 miles east-north-east of Melton Mombray. 
SEX, s. [sexus , Lat.] The property by which any 
animal is male or female.—These two great sexes animate 
the world. Milton. —Shame is hard to be overcome; but 
if the sex once get the better of it, it gives them afterwards no 
more trouble. Garth. * 
SEXA'GENARY, adj. [sexagenaire, Fr. ; sexage- 
narius, Lat.] Threescore.— Sexagenary fair-ones, and up¬ 
wards, whether they were handsome or not in the last 
century, ought at least in this to reduce themselves to a 
decency and gravity of dress suited to their years. Ld. 
Chesterfield. 
SEXAGE'SIMA, 5. [Latin.] The second Sunday be¬ 
fore Lent. 
SEXAGESIMAL, adj. [from sexagesimus, Lat.] Six¬ 
tieth ; numbered by sixties. 
SEXA'NGLED, or Sexa'ngular, adj. [from sex, 
Lat., and angular.'] Having six comers or angles; hexa¬ 
gonal. 
The grubs from their sexangular abode 
Crawl out unfinish’d like the maggot’s- brood. Dry den. 
SEXA'NGULARLY, adv. With six angles; hexago- 
nally. 
SEXE'NNIAL, adj [sex and annus, Lat.] Lasting six 
years;, happening once in six years.—This evil was not so 
much the vice of their constitution itself; as it must be in 
your new contrivance of sexennial elective judicatories. 
Burke. 
SEXT, a small town of the Sardinian States, in Savoy, on 
the Isere; 2 miles south-east of Saint Morice. 
SEX'TAIN, s. [from sextans , sex, Lat.] A stanza of 
six lines. 
SEXTANS, or Sextant, a sixth part of certain things. 
The Romans divided their as, which was a pound of 
brass, 
