It would be infinite to go over all forts of relations; we have therefore contented ourselves with mentioning fome of the moft confiderable, and fuch as may ferve to let us fee from whence we get our ideas or relations, and wherein they are founded. of these words. Again, when we confider the great author of our being, not only as the creator of the universe, but alio as preferving and holding it together, and prefiding over the present frame of things with uncontrouled dominion; he then appears under the notion of a moral governor, to whom we are accountable for our actions, and the ufe we make of thofe powers and faculties we derive from him. And thus we may, in fome measure, perceive, how the mind proceeds in comparing its ideas together, and by what views it is chiefly governed in framing the compound notions of this clafs, by which it reprefents the various habitudes of things. We fhall only add two more obfervations upon this fubject: 1. That our ideas of relations are, for the most part, very clear and diftin&t; for the comparing of things together being a voluntary act of the mind, we cannot but fuppofe it must be acquainted with its own views in the comparison; and, of course, have a clear conception of the foundation of that relation; and what is ftill more remarkable of the ideas of this clafs, they cease not to be diftin&t, even when the fubjects compared are but imperfectly known; for though we cannot comprehend the manner of the world's being treated, yet we find no difficulty in framing the ideas the relative words creator and creature ftand for. 2. Our ideas of relations are among the most important conceptions of the understanding, and afford the largeft field for the exercise and improvement of human knowledge. See the article KNOWLEDGE. Moral actions are nothing but relations, it being their conformity or disagreement with fome rule that makes them either good or bad, or indifferent; and indeed, we ought carefully to diftinguish between the pofitive idea or the action, and the reference it has to a rule. Thus, the taking from another what is his, without his confent, is properly called ftealing; but that name being commonly understood to fignify alfo the meral pravity of the action, men are apt to condemn whatever they hear called tealing as an ill action, difagreeing with the rule of right: and yet the private taking away his fword from a madman, to prevent his doing mischief, though it be properly denominated ftealing, is nevertheless agreeable to the law of God. See the articles ETHICS and MORALITY, VOL. IV. RELATION, among the ancient logicians, conftituted one of the ten categories, or predicaments. See CATEGORY. RELATION, in geometry, fignifies the fame with ratio. See RATIO. RELATION, in grammar, is the correspondence which words have to one another in conftruction. RELATION is alfo ufed for analogy. See the article ANALOGY. RELATION, in law, is where two times, or other things, are confidered as if they were one and the fame; and by this the thing fubfequent is faid to take its effect, by relation, from the time preceding thus, in cafe of a deed of bargain and fale inrolled, the inrollment hall have relation to the delivery thereof; and in our courts, a judgment has always relation to the first day of term. RELATIVE, fomething relating to, or refpecting, another. See the preceding article. RELATIVE TERMS, in logic, are words which imply a relation: fuch are master and fervant, hufband and wife, &c. In grammar, relative words are thofe which answer to fome other word fore going, called the antecedent: fuch are the relative pronouns, qui, que, quod, &c. and in english, who, ruhom, which, &c. The word answering to these relatives is often underflood as, I know whom you mean, for, I know the perfon whom you mean. RELAXATION, in medicine, &c. the act of loofening or flackening, or the loofenefs and flackness of the fibres, nerves, muscles, &c. RELAXATION, in law, is the fame with releafing. See the article RELEASE. RELAY, a fupply of horfes placed on the road, and appointed to be ready for a traveller to change, in order to make the greater expedition. In hunting, relay fignifies fresh fets of dogs, or horfes, or both, placed in readinefs, in cafe the game comes that way, to be cast off, or to mount the hunters, in lieu of the former, which are fuppofed to want refpite. RELAY, in tapestry, is an opening left, where the colours and figures are to 16 A be be changed, when the piece is finished. RELEASE, in law, is an inftrument in writing, by which eftates, rights, titles, entries, actions, and other things, are extinguifhed and difcharged; and fometimes transferred, abridged, or enlarged: and, in general, it fignifies one person's giving up or discharging the right or action he has, or claims to have, against another, or his lands, &c. A release may be either in fact or in law; a release in fact is where it is exprefly declared, by the very words, as the act and deed of the party; and a release in law is that which acquits by way of confequence, as where a feme creditor takes the debtor to husband. The perfon releafing is termed the releafor, and he to whom the release is made, the releasee. RELEGATION, a kind of banishment or exile, in which a perfon is fentenced to retire to a certain place prescribed, and to continue there a certain time, or till he is recalled. In Rome, relegation was a lefs fevere punishment than deportation, fince he who was relegated, neither loft the rights of a roman citizen, nor those of his family, as the authority of a father over his children, &c. RELICS, in the romifh church, the remains of the bodies or cloaths of faints or martyrs, and the inftruments by which they were put to death, devoutly preferved, in honour to their memory; kiffed, revered, and carried in proceffion. This is a piece of fuperftition which began very early in the chriftian church, and at prefent makes no inconfiderable article of popery. The fhrines in which they are depofited are first sprinkled with holy water and folemnly bleffed. The fubftance of the prayer on this occasion is, that God would grant his protection to fuch as revere the merits of his faints, and humbly embrace their relics; to the end that these faithful fupplicants may be guarded from the power of the devil, from thunder, plague, bad air, wild beafts, and from the hoftilities and machinations of men. The catacombs are an inexhauftible fund of relics; yet it is ftill difputed who were the perfons interred in them. See the article CATACOMB. The tranflation of relics, or depofiting them in fome church, is performed with great care and ceremony. Before they are tranflated, they are examined by the bishop, who pronounces a folemn benediction over them. On the day of their tranflation, the houses in the streets thro' which they pals, are covered with tapef try: the church and altar are pompously adorned, and the images of the faints ranged in open view. The relics are carried in proceffion under a canopy, the clergy walking before, and the people furrounding them with lighted tapers in their hands. As foon as they enter the church, Te Deum is fung, and the relics are fet upon the altar. Prayers are appointed in honour of them, and a lamp is left burning day and night before the place where they are afterwards depofited. RELICT, in law, the fame with widow. See the article WIDOW. RELIEF, in law, a certain fum of money which every freehold-tenant, being at age, formerly paid, and in fome places fill pays to his lord, on his entrance upon the inheritance of his ancestor's lands, &c. hy the payment of which money the heir is faid to relieve, or raise again the lands, after they were fallen into the superior's hands. A person may hold lands of another, by rent, and a customary relief, which is only payable by freeholders; and for which the lord may distrain, but cannot bring an action of debt, though his executors may. These reliefs are, in fome places, half a year, or a year's rent, and the profits of the lands; and in others, double the fame for that year. RELIEF, in chancery, is an order sued out, for diffolving contracts and other acts, on account of their being unreasonable, prejudicial, or grievous; or from fome other nullity, either de jure, or de facto. RELIEF of a bare, among hunters, is the place where she goes to feed in an evening. RELIEF, in fculpture. See RELIEVO. RELIEVE, in a military sense, is to fend off those men that are upon duty, and to bring others to take their place: thus, to relieve the guard, the trenches, &c. is to bring fresh men upon duty, and to dif charge those who were upon duty before. RELIEVO, or RELIEF, in fculpture, &c. is the projecture or ftanding out of a figure, which arifes prominent from the ground or plan on which it is formed; whether that figure be cut with the chiffel, moulded, or caft. There are three kinds or degrees of relievo, viz. alto, baffo, and demi-relievo. The alto-relievo, called alfo haut-relief, or high-relievo, is when the figure is formed after nature, and projects as much as the life. Baffo-relievo, bafs-relief, or low-relievo, is when the work is raised but a little from the ground, as in medals, and the frontifpieces of buildings; and particularly in the hiftories, feftoons, foliages, and other ornaments of friezes. Demi-relievo is when one half of the figure rifes from the plan. When, in a baffo-relievo, there are parts that stand clear out, detached from the reft, the work is called a demi-baffo. In architecture, the relievo or projecture of the ornaments, ought always to be proportioned to the magnitude of the building it adorns, and to the distance at which it is to be viewed. RELIEVO, or RELIEF, in painting, is the degree of boldness with which the figures feem, at a due diftance, to ftand out from the ground of the painting. The relievo depends much upon the depth of the shadow, and the strength of the light; or on the height of the different colours, bordering on one another; and particularly on the difference of the colour of the figure from that of the ground: thus, when the light is fo difpofed as to make the nearest parts of the figure advance, and is well diffused on the maffes, yet infenfibly diminishing, and terminating in a large fpacious fhadow, brought off infenfibly, the relievo is faid to be bold, and the clair obscure well understood. RELIGION, that worship and homage which is due to God, confidered as our creator, preferver, and moft bountiful benefactor. As our affections depend on our opinions of their objects, it feems to be among the firft duties we owe to the author of our being, to form the leaft imperfect, fince we cannot form perfect, conceptions of his character and adminiftration: for fuch conceptions will render our religion rational, and our difpofitions refined. If our opinions are diminutive and distorted, our religion will be fuperftitious, and our temper abject. Thus, if we afcribe to the Deity that falfe majefty, which confifts in the unbenevolent and fullen exercife of mere will or power, or fuppofe him to delight in the proftrations of fervile fear, or as fervile praife, he will be worshiped with mean adulation, and a profufion of compliments. If he be looked upon as a ftern and implacable being, delighting in vengeance, he will be adored with pompous offerings, or whatever elfe may be thought proper to footh and mollify him. But if we believe perfect goodness to be the character of the fupreme Being, and that he loves those who refemble him moft, in this, the most amiable of his attributes, the worship paid him will be rational and fublime, and his worshipers will feek to pleafe him by imitating that goodness which they adore. Indeed, wherever right conceptions of the Deity, and his providence, prevail, when he is confidered as the inexhaufted fource of light, and love, and joy, as acting in the joint character of a father and governor, what veneration and gratitude must fuch conceptions, thoroughly believed, excite in the mind? how natural and delightful must it be, to one whofe heart is open to the perception of truth, and of every thing fair, great, and wonderful in nature, to engage in the exercises of religion, and to contemplate and adore him, who is the firft fair, first great, and first wonderful; in whom wildom, power, and goodnefs dwell vitally, eflentially, and act in perfect concert? what grandeur is here, to fill the most enlarged capacity, what beauty to engage the most ardent love, what a mass of wonders, in fuch exuberance of perfection, to astonish and delight the human mind, through an unfailing duration! When we confider the unfullied purity, and abfolute perfection of the divine nature; and reflect on the imperfection and various blemishes of our own, and the ungrateful returns we have made to his goodness, we must fink, or be convinced we ought to fink, into the deepest humility and proftration of foul before him, and be conscious that it is our duty to repent of a temper and corduct fo unworthy of cur nature, and fo unbecoming our obligations to its author; and to refolve and endeavour to act a wifer and a better part for the future. And if the Deity is confidered as the father of mercies, who loves his creatures with infinite tenderness, and, in a particular manner, all good men; nay, who delights in goodness even in its most imperfect degrees; what refignation, what dependence, what generous confidence, what hope in God, and in his all-wife providence, muft arife in the foul that is poffeffed of fuch amiable views of him. We must further obferve, that ali thofe affections which regard the Deity as their immediate and primary obje, are 16 A 2 vital energies of the foul, and confequent- RELL-MOUSE, in zoology, the white bel lied mus, with a blackifh back and a long body. See the article Mus. This creature is not fo thick in the body as the common rat, but is longer, and approaches in fome degree to the form of the weafel; the head is oblong, large at the upper part, but very flender at the fnout; both the jaws are equal in length, and the upper lip is fplit, as in the hare; the teeth are long, flender, and sharp; the eyes are black and prominent; the ears are thort, naked, and obtuse; the tail is fhort and hairy; and the legs are fhort, especially the anterior pair. REMAINDER, in law, is an estate in lands, tenements, or rents, not to be enjoyed till after a term of years, or another perton's deceafe; thus, a perfon grants lands or tenements to one perfon, for a term of years, or for life, and the remainder to another perfon for life, or in fee. ly exert themselves into act, and, like all other energies, gain ftrength or greater activity by that exertion: it is therefore our duty, as well as highest intereft, often, at ftated times, and by decent and folemn acts, to adore the great original of our exiftence, to express our veneration and love by a devout recognition of his perfections, and to evidence our gratitude by celebrating his goodness, and thankfully acknowledging all his benefits; by proper exercites of forrow and humiliation to confefs our ingratitude and folly, to fignify our dependence on God, our confidence in his goodness, and our refignation to the difpofals of his providence, and this not only in private, but in pub. lic worship, where the prefence of our fellow-creatures and the powerful contagion of the focial affections, confpire to kindle and spread the devout flame with greater warmth and energy. Religion is divided into natural and revealed: by natural religion is meant that knowledge, veneration, and love of God, and the practice of thofe duties to him, our fellow-creatures, and ourselves, which are difcoverable by the right exercife of our rational faculties, fromconfidering the nature and perfections of Ged, and our relation to him and to one another. See ETHICS. And by revealed religion is meant, na. tural religion explained, enforced, and enlarged, from the exprefs declarations of God himself, from the mouths or pens of his prophets, &c. Religion, in a more contracted fenfe, is ufed for that fyftem of faith and worship; which obtains in feveral countries of the world; and even for the various fects into which each religion is divided. See the articles PAGANISM, MAHOMETANS, JEWS, &c. ROMAN, LUTHERANS, CALVINISTS, &c. RELIGIOUS, in popish countries, is particularly used for a perfon engaged, by folemn vows, to the monaftic life: or a perfon fhut up in a monaftery, to lead a life of devotion and aufterity, under fome rule or inftitution. See the articles MONK, NUN, &c. RELIQUARY, a fhrine or cafket, where in the relics of a dead faint are kept. RELIQUÆ, in roman antiquity, the afhes and bones of the dead, that remained after burning their bodies; which were gathered up, put into urns, and afterwards depofited in tombs. This word is alfo ufed for relics, See RELICS. There is this difference between a remainder and a reverfion; in cafe of a reverfion, the estate granted, after the limited time, reverts to the grantor or his heirs; but by a remainder it goes to some third perfon, or a stranger. REMAINDER, in mathematics, is what is left after taking a leffer number out of a greater. REMARRYING, marrying a fecond time. See the article MARRIAGE. REMEDY, in medicine, a preparation applied either internally or externally, for the cure of a difeafe. See PRESCRIPTION. REMEMBRANCE, the fame with memory. See the article MEMORY. REMEMBRANCERS, antiently called clerks of the remembrance, certain officers in the exchequer, whereof three are diftinguished by the names of the king's remembrancer, the lord treasurer's remembrancer, and the remembrancer of the firft fruits. The king's remembrancer enters in his office, all recognizances taken before the barons, for any of the king's debts, for appearances or obferving of orders; he alfo takes all bonds for the king's debts, &c. and makes out proceffes thereon. He likewife iffues proceffes against the collectors of the customs, excife, and others, for their accounts; and informations upon penal ftatutes, are entered and fued in his office, where all proceedings in matters upon english bills in the exchequer-chamber, remain. His duty further is to make out the bills of compofitions upon penal laws, to take the the fatement of debts; and into his office are delivered all kinds of indentures and other evidences, which concern the affuring any lands to the crown. He, every year, in craftino animarum, reads in open court, the statute for election of fheriffs; and likewife openly reads in court, the oaths of all the officers, when they are admitted. The lord treasurer's remembrancer is charged to make out process against all fheriffs, efcheators, receivers, and bailiffs, for their accounts. He also makes out writs of fieri facias, and extent for debts due to the king, either in the pipe or with the auditors; and process for all fuch revenue as is due to the king, on account of his tenures. He takes the account of sheriffs; and also keeps a record, by which it appears whether the fheriffs or other accountants pay their profers due at Eafter and Michaelmas: and at the fame time he makes a record, whereby the sheriffs or other accountants keep their prefixed days: there are likewife brought into his office, all the accounts of cuftomers, comptrollers, and accountants, in order to make entry thereof on record: alfo all eftreats and amercements are certified here, &c. The remembrancer of the first-fruits takes all compofitions and bonds for the pay. ment of firft-fruits and tenths; and makes out process against such as do not pay the fame. REMINISCENCE, reminifcentia, that power of the human mind, whereby it recollects itself, or calls again into its remembrance fuch ideas or notions as it had really forgot: in which it differs from memory, which is a treasuring up of things in the mind, and keeping them there, without forgeting them. See the article MEMORY, Hence memory may be confidered as a continual remembrance, and reminiscence as an uninterrupted memory. How near akin foever thefe two faculties may feem, yet they are generally found feparated fo, that they who excell in the one, are ufually defective in the other. REMINISCERE, the fecond Sunday in lent. See the article LENT. REMISSION, in phyfics, the abatement of the power, or efficacy of any quality, in oppofition to the increase of the fame, which is called intenfion. In all qualities capable of intenfion and remiffion, the intenfion decreases reciprocally as the of money, bill, or the like, is to fend the fum of money, &c. To remit is alfo ufed among bankers, for what is usually given a banker, or as it were discounted with him, for his giving a bill of exchange. REMITTANCE, in commerce, 'the traffic or return of money from one place to another, by bills of exchange, orders, or the like. This word is also used in speaking of the payment of a bill of exchange. It allo fignifies the fee or reward given a banker, both of his wages and the different value of the fpecies in the places where you pay the money, and where he remits it.. REMITTER, in law. Where a perfon has two titles to lands, &c. and he comes to fuch lands by the last title, which, proving defective, he shall be reltored to, and adjudged in, by virtue of his former more antient title, this is called remitter. In cafe lands defcend to a perfon, that had right to them before, he shall be remitted to his better title, if he pleates. Where a tenant in tail makes a feoffment of land, upon condition, after whofe death, his iffue within age enters, for the condition broken, he fhall be firft in as a 'tenant in fee, and be remitted as heir to his father: yet if the heir is of age, it will be no remitter to him, who is to bring his writ of formedon against the feoffee. Alfo if a tenant in tail infeoff his fon or heir apparent, at that time under age, and afterwards dies, this is a remitter to the heir; but here it would be otherwife, were he of full age. By a remitter of iffue in tail, all charges on the land are avoided; and where a perfon is remitted to an eftate for life, the dower claimed by a widow may be gone; in which cafe alfo an eftate is liable to be forfeited upon making a feoffment thereof, &c. REMITTITUR, in law, an entry made in the king's bench, on a writ of error's abating in the exchequer chamber. REMONSTRANCE, an expoftulation or humbls |