S P I 
480 S P I 
—Native of Siberia, Hungary, Japan, and China, about 
Canton. There are, also, the following shrubby spiraea: 
Spiraea ulmifolia, crenata, triloba, thalictroides, opulifolia, 
and sorbifolia. 
II.—Herbaceous. 
9. Spiraea aruncus, or goat's-beard spiraea.—Leaves super- 
decompound. Root perennial. Stem annual, from three to 
four feet high. Three or four pairs of oblong leaflets termi¬ 
nated by an odd one : they are two inches long, and almost 
an inch broad, serrate, and ending in acute points. Flowers 
disposed in long slender spikes, formed into loose terminating 
panicles; they are small, white, and of two sexes in the same 
spike.—Native of Germany, Austria, Carniola, Dauphine, 
Switzerland, Piedmont, Siberia, Japan, and Virginia. 
10. Spiraea filipendula, or common dropwort.—Leaves 
interruptedly pinnate; leaflets uniform, serrate, smooth; stem 
herbaceous; flowers cymed, many-styled. Root perennial, 
consisting of oval tubers or solid lumps, hanging from the 
main body by threads, which has given occasion to its com¬ 
mon names of filipendula and dropwort: these tubers enable 
the herb to resist drought, and render it very difficult to be 
eradicated. It is an elegant plant, very common in high pas¬ 
tures, on a calcareous soil, where it is sometimes very small. 
In gardens it grows very luxuriant, and has often double 
flowers. It flowers early in July. 
11. Spiraea ulmaria, or meadow-sweet. — Leaves inter¬ 
ruptedly pinnate, tomentose beneath ; the end-leaflet larger, 
lobed; flowers cymed, many-styled. Root perennial, fibrous. 
Stems erect, three or four feet high, angular and furrowed, 
tinged with red, leafy, branched in the upper part. Flowers 
white, in a very large compound cyme, the side branches of 
which rise much above the central one. Meadow-sweet, or 
queen of the meadows, abounds in moist meadows, about 
the banks of rivers, brooks and ditches, perfuming the air 
with the sweet hawthorn-like scent of its plentiful blossoms 
from June to August. The following remain in this section: 
Spiraea digitata, lobata, camtschatica, palmata, and trifo- 
Iiata. 
Propagation and Culture. —The shrubby sorts may be 
propagated from suckers, which are sent forth in plenty from 
the stems of the old plant, in some of them; or by laying 
down the tender branches, which, when rooted, should be 
transplanted. 
These shrubs require no other pruning, but to cut out all 
the dead branches and such as grow irregularly; and to take 
off the suckers every year, if these be permitted to grow, 
they will starve the old plants. The ground between them 
should be dug every spring, to encourage their roots, and 
every third year a little rotten dung should be buried in it, to 
make them flower strong. 
The herbaceous sorts may be propagated by seeds, or by 
parting the roots in autumn. 
SPI'RAL, adj. [spiral, Fr. from spira, Lat.] Curve; 
winding; circularly involved, like a screw.—The process of 
the fibres in the ventricles, running in spiral lines from the 
tip to the base of the heart, shews that the systole of the 
heart is a muscular constriction, as a purse is shut by draw¬ 
ing the strings contrary ways. Ray. 
SPI'RALLY, adv. In a spiral form.—The sides are com¬ 
posed of two orders of fibres running circularly or spirally 
from base to tip. Ray. 
SPIRA'TION. s. [spiralio, Lat.] Breathing.—To other 
substances, void of corporeal bulk and concretion, the name 
of spirit is assigned to imply the manner of their origin, be¬ 
cause God did, by a kind of spiration, produce them. 
Barrow. 
SPIRDING, a large lake of East Prussia, in the govern¬ 
ment of Gumbinnen; 75 miles south-east of Konigsberg. 
It is about 60 miles in circumference, contains four small 
islands, and abounds in lampreys, and such other fish as are 
found in shallow and muddy water. 
SPIRE, s. [spire, old Fr., spira, Ital. and Lat.] A curve 
line; any thing wreathed or contorted, every wreath being in 
a different plane; a curl; a twist; a wreath. 
His head 
Crested aloft, and carbuncle his eyes; 
With burnish’d neck of verdant gold, erect 
Amidst his circling spires, that on the grass 
Floated redundant. Milton . 
A dragon’s fiery form belied the god. 
Sublime on radiant spires he rode. Dry den. 
Any thing growing up taper; a round pyramid, so called 
perhaps because a line drawn round and round in less and 
less circles, would be a spire; a steeple.—With glistering 
spires and pinnacles adorn’d. Milton. —The top or upper¬ 
most point. 
’Twere no less than a traducement, 
To hide your doings, and to silence that, 
Which, to the spire and top of praises vouch’d, 
Would seem but modest. Shakspeare. 
To SPIRE, v. n. To shoot up pyramidically.—The 
spiring turrets glitter through the skies. Shenstone. — [Spiro, 
Lat.] To breathe. Not in use. 
To SPIRE, v. a. To shoot forth. Not in use. 
In gentle ladie’s breste, and bounteous race 
Of woman-kind, it fayrest flowre doth spyre. 
And beareth fruit of honour and all chast desyre. Spenser . 
SPIRE, or Speyer, an ancient though not large town 
of the west of Germany, situated at the confluence of the 
Spirebach and the Rhine; 14 miles south of Manheim, and 
16 north-east of Landau. Its population, formerly about 
5000, does not at present exceed 4000: they are partly 
Catholics, partly Protestants. It long gave name to a bish¬ 
opric ; and the only interesting building in the place is the 
oid cathedral, now falling into decay, the choir being the 
only entire part of the edifice. Spire was frequently the 
seat of the German diet. From 1795 to 1814, it belonged 
to the French; at present it is the capital of the Bavarian 
province of the Rhine, and has a lyceum or great school 
established by government. The bishopric of Spire was 
not of great extent. It contained 55,000 inhabitants, and 
yielded a revenue of 30,000/. sterling. It was secularised in 
1802, and at present belongs partly to Bavaria, partly to 
Baden. The episcopal residence was not Spire, but Bruch- 
sal. 
SPIREBACH, a small river of the Bavarian circle of the 
Rhine, near Spire, near which the allies were defeated by 
the French under marshal Tallard, in 1703, when they 
attempted to raise the siege of Landau. 
SPARED, adj. Having a steeple or spire.—Or pinnacled, 
or spired. Mason. 
SPI'RIT, s. [spiritus, Lat.] Breath; wind.—The balmy 
spirit of the western breeze. Anon. —An immaterial sub¬ 
stance; an intellectual being.— Spirit is a substance wherein 
thinking, knowing, doubting, and a power of moving do 
subsist. Locke. 
She is a spirit; yet not like air, or wind; 
Nor like the spirits about the heart or brain; 
Nor like those spirits which alchymists do find. 
When they in every thing seek gold in vain; 
For she all natures under heav’n doth pass, 
Being like those spirits which God’s bright face do see, 
Or like himself whose image once she was. 
Though now, alas! she scarce his shadow be; 
For of all forms she holds the first degree, 
That are to gross material bodies knit; 
Yet she herself is body less and free; 
And though confin’d is almost infinite. Davies. 
The Soul of man.—The spirit shall return unto God that 
gave it. Eccl.— An apparition.—.Perhaps you might see the 
image and not the glass; the former appearing like a spirit in 
the air. Bacon. —Temper; habitual disposition of mind. 
He sets 
Upon their tongues a various spirit, to rase 
Quite out their native language. Milton. 
Ardour; courage; elevation; vehemence of mind. 
’Tis 
