BRICKHILL-BOW, BRICKHILL MAGNA, and BRICKHILL PARVA,

proceeds. But the greatest and most striking advantage attending this invention is the abfolute fecurity it affords, and at a very reasonable rate, againft the poflibility of fire; for, from the peculiar properties of this arch, requiring no abutments, it may be laid upon, or let into, common walls no ftronger than what are required for timbers, of which it will preclude the neceffity, and fave the expence."

(IX) BRICKS, USEFUL EXPERIMENTS WITH. In Dr Percival's effays, Vol. I. p. 301, we have the following experiments of the effects of bricks on water. "Two or 3 pieces of common brick were steeped 4 days in a baton full of diftilled water. The water was then decanted off, and examined by various chemical tefts. It was immifcible with foap, ftruck a lively green with fyrup of violets, was rendered flightly lactefcent by the volatile alkali, and quite milky by the fixed alkali and by a solution of faccharum faturni. The infufion of tormentil root produced no change in it." The experiment, he obferves. affords a ftriking proof of the impropriety of lining wells with brick, a practice very common in many places, and which cannot fail of rendering the water hard and unwholesome. Clay generally contains a variety of heterogeneous matters. The coloured loams often participate of bitumen, and the ochre of iron. Sand and calcareous earth are ftill more common ingredients in their compofition; and the experiments of Mr Geoffrey and Mr Pott prove, that the earth of alum alfo may in large quantity be extracted from clay. Now as clay is exposed to the open air for a long space of time, is then moulded into bricks, and burnt, this process resembles in many respects that by which the alum ftone is prepared. And it is probable that the white efforefcence, frequently obfervable on the furface of new bricks, is of an aluminous nature. The long expofure of clay to the air, before it is moulded into bricks, the fulphureous exhalations of the pit coal ufed for burning it, together with the fuffocating and bituminous vapours, which arifes from the ignited clay itself, fufficiently account for the combination of a vitriolic acid with the earth of alum.

*To BRICK. v. a. [from the noun.] To lay with bricks.-The fexton comes to know where he is to be laid, and whether his grave is to be plain or bricked. Saift.

BRICKBAT. ».ƒ. [from brick and bat.] A piece of brick.-Earthen bottles, filled with hot water do provoke in bed a sweat more daintily than brickbats hot. Bacon.

BRICKCLAY. n. f. [from brick and clay.] Clay ufed for making brick.-I obferved it in pits wrought for tile and brickclay. Woodward.

BRICKDUST. 2. f. [from brick and duft.] Duft made by pounding bricks.-This ingenious author, being thus fharp fet, got together a confiderable quantity of brickduft, and difpofed of it into feveral papers. Spectator.

BRICKEARTH. n. f. [from brick and earth.] Earth used in making bricks.-They grow very well both on hazelly brickearths, and on gravel. Mortimer.

BRICKHAMPTON, a village in Gloucefterhire, near Cheltenham.

Three villages in Bukinghamshire,

near Woburn.

BRICKING, n. f. among builders, the coun. terfeiting of a brick wall on plafter. It is done by fmearing it over with red ochre, and making the joints with an edged tool; these last are afterwards filled with a fine plafter.

* BRICK-KILN. n. f. [from brick and kiln.] A kiln; a place to burn bricks.-Like the Ifraelites in the brick-kilns, they multiplied the more for their oppreffion. Decay of Piety.

(1.) BRICKLAYER. n. f. [from brick and lay.] A man whofe trade it is to build with bricks; a brick mafon.

The elder of them, being put to nurfe, And ignorant of his birth and parentage, Became a bricklayer when he came to age. Shakef

If you had liv'd, fir, Time enough to have been interpreter To Babel's bricklayers, fure the tow'r had flood, Donne.

(2.) BRICK-LAYERS in London are a regular company, which was incorporated in 1568; and confifts of a master, two wardens, 20 affistants, and 78 on the livery.

(3.) BRICK-LAYERS, MATERIALS AND TOOLS USED BY. Thefe are bricks, tyles, mortar, laths, nails, and tyle-pins. Their tools are a bricktrowel, wherewith to take up mortar; a brickaxe, to cut bricks to the determined shape; a faw, for fawing bricks; a rub-stone, on which to rub them; a fquare, wherewith to lay the bed or bottom, and face or furface of the brick, to fee whether they are at right angles; a bevel, by which to cut the under fides of bricks to the angles required; a final trannel of iron, wherewith to mark the bricks; a float-ftone, with which to rub a moulding of brick to the pattern described; a banker, to cut the bricks on; line-pins to lay their rows or courfes by; plumb-rule, whereby to carry their work upright; level, to conduct it horizontal; square, to fet off right angles; ten foot rod, wherewith to take dimenfions; jointer, wherewith to run the long joints; rammer, wherewith to beat the foundation; crow and pick-ax, wherewith to dig through walls.

BRICK-LAYING, the art of framing edifices of bricks. This bufinefs in London, includes tyling, walling, chimney-work, and paving with bricks and tyles. In the country it alfo includes the mafon's and plafterer's butinefs. Moxon has an exprefs treatife on the art of brick-laying; in which he defcribes the materials, tools, and method of working, ufed by brick-layers. Great care is to be taken, that bricks be laid joint on joint in the middle of the walls as feldom as may be; and that there be good bond made there, as well as on the outfides. Some brick-layers, in working a brick and half wall, lay the header on one fide of the wall perpendicular to the header on the other fide, and fo all along the whole courfe; whereas, if the header on one fide of the wall were toothed as much as the stretcher on the other fide. it would be a stronger toothing, and the joints of the headers of one fide would be in the middle of the headers of the courfe

ourfe they lie upon of the other fide. If bricks be laid in winter, let them be kept as dry as poffible, if in fummer, it will quit cost to employ boys to wet them, for that they will then unite with the mortar better than if dry, and will make the work stronger. In large buildings, or where it is thought too much trouble to dip all the bricks feparately, water may be thrown on each courfe after they are laid, as was done at the building the phyfician's college, by order of Dr Hooke. If brick are laid in fummer, they are to be covered; for if the mortar dries teo haftily, it will not bind fo firmly to the bricks as when left to dry more gradually. If the bricks be laid in winter, they fhould alfo be covered well, to protect them from rain, fnow and froft; which laft is a mortal enemy to mortar, efpecially to all fuch as have been wetted juft before the froft affaults it.

BRICKLEHAMPTON, a village in Worcesterhire, near Perthore.

BRICKLESEY, near Merfey ifle, Effex. BRICKLEY-LODGE, in Needwood foref, Staf

fordshire.

* BRICK-MAKER. n. S. [from brick and make.] One whofe trade it is to make bricks.-They are common in claypits; but the brickmakers pick them out of the clay. Woodsvard.

BRICK-MAKING is mostly performed at fome fmall diftance from cities and towns; and though fome, through ignorance, look upon it as a very mean employment, because laborious, yet the matters about London, and other capital cities, are generally men of fubftance. See BRICKS, ◊ IV. BRICK-RIVER, a river in Kerry, Ireland. BRICKTON, a town in Hampshire, near Fording-Bridge.

BRICKY, a river of Ireland, in Waterford. BRICOIL, or The rebound of a ball, after a BRICOLE, fide itroke at tennis. BRICOLS, engines ufed before the invention of gun-powder to batter the walls of towns and caftles.

(1.) * BRIDAL. adj. [from bride.] Belonging to a wedding; nuptial; connubial.

Our wedding chear to a fad fun'ral feast, Our folemn hymns to fullen dirges change, Our bridal flowers ferved for a buried corfe. Shakespeare. Come, I will bring thee to thy bridal chamber. Shakespeare.

The amorous birds of night Sung fpoufal, and bid haste the ev'ning ftar, On his hill-top to light the bridal lamp. Milt. Your ill-meaning politician lords, Under pretence of bridal friends and guests, Appointed to await me thirty spies. Milton. When to my arms thou brought'ft my virgin love,

Fair angels fung our bridal hymn above. Dryd. With all the pomp of woe, and forrows pride!

Oh, early loft! oh, fitter to be led
In chearful splendour to the bridal bed. Walsh,
For her the spouse prepares the bridal ring,
For her white virgins hymenaæals fing.
(2.) * BRIDAL. n.. The nuptial feftival.-
Nay, we must think, men are not gods;

Pope.

Nor of them look for fuch obfervance always,

As fits the bridal.

Shakespeare's Othello Sweet day, fo cool, fo calm, so bright, The bridal of the earth and sky, Sweet dews fhall weep thy fall to night; For thou must die.

Herbert.

In death's dark bow'rs our bridals we will keep,

And his cold hand

Shall draw the curtain when we go to fleep. Dryden. BRIDDISTOW, a village in Devonshire, 4 m SW. of Oakhampton.

(1.) * BRIDE. n. f. [briid, Saxon; brudur, in Runick, fignifies a beautiful woman.] A woman new married.—

Held me mine own love's praifes to refound, Ne let the fame of any be envy'd; So Orpheus did for his own bride. Spenfer. The day approach'd, when fortune fhould decide

Th' important enterprize, and give the bride. Dryden.

These are tributes due from pious brides, From a chafte matron, and a virtuous wife.

Smith.

(2.) BRIDES, ANCIENT CUSTOMS RESPECTING. Among the ancient Greeks, it was cuftomary for the bride to be conducted from her father's houte to her husband's in a chariot, the evening being chofen for that purpose, to conceal her blushes; fhe was placed in the middle, her husband fitting on one fide, and one of her moft intimate friends on the other; torches were carried before her, and the was entertained in the paffage with a song fuitable to the occation. When they arrived at their journey's end, the axle tree of the coach they rode in was burnt, to fignify that the bride was never to return to her father's house.—Among the Romans, the bride was to feem to be ravaged by force from her mother, in memory of the rape of the Sabines under Romulus; fhe was to be carried home in the night to the bridegroom's house, accompanied by 3 boys, one of whom carried a torch, and the other two led the bride; a fpindle and diftaff being carried with her: he brought 3 pieces of money, called affes, in her hand to the bridegroom, whofe doors on this occafion were adorned with flowers and branches of trees; being here interrogated who he was, he was to answer Caia, in memory of Caia Cecilia, wife of Tarquin the Elder, who was an excellent spinstress; for the like reafon, before her entrance, the lined the door pofts with wool, and fmeared them with grease. Fire and water being fet on the threshold, fhe touched both; but starting back from the door, refused to enter, till at length the passed the threshold, being careful to step over without touching it: here the keys were given her, a nuptial fupper was prepared for her, and minstrels to di vert her; fhe was feated on the figure of a priapus, and here the attendant boys refigned her to the probnux, who brought her into the nuptial chamber and put her to bed. This office was to be performed by matrons who had only been once married, to denote that the marriage was to be for perpetuity.

BRIDEBED. n. f. [from bride and bed.] Mar

riage bed.

Now until break of day,

Through this house each fairy tray;
To the best bride bed will we,
Which by us fhall bleffed be.

Shakespeare

Could David's fon, religious, just and braves To the firft bridebed of the world receive A foreigner, a heathen, and a flave? Prior. BRIDECAKE. n. f. [from bride and cake.] A cake distributed to the guests at the wedding.With the phant'fies of hey troll, Troll about the bridal bridecake Round about the bride's stake. Ben Jonson. -The writer, refolved to try his fortune, fafted all day, and, that he might be fure of dreaming upon fomething at night, procured an handfome fice of bridecake, which he placed very conveniently under his pillow. Spectator.

(1.) * BRIDEGROOM. n.s. [from bride and groom.] A new married man.

As are thofe dulcet sounds in break of day, That creep into the dreaming bridegroom's ear. And fummon him to marriage. Shakespeare. Why, happy bridegroom! Why doft thou fteal fo foon away to bed?

Dryden. (2.) BRIDEGROOMS, ANCIENT CUSTOMS RESPECTING. The Spartan bridegrooms committed a kind of rape upon their brides. For matters being agreed on between them, the woman that contrived and managed the match, having fhaved the bride's hair clofe to her fkin, dreffed her up in man's clothes, and left her upon a mattrefs: this done, in came the bridegroom, in his ufual drefs, having fupped as ordinary, and stealing as privately as he could to the room where the bride lay, and untying her virgin girdle, took her to his embraces; and having ftayed a fhort time with her returned to his companions, with whom he continued to spend, his life, remaining with them by night as well as by day, unless he ftole a fhort vifit to his bride, which could not be done without a great deal of circumfpection, and fear of being difcovered. Among the Romans, the bridegroom was decked to receive his bride; his hair was combed and cut in a particular form; he had a coronet or chaplet on his head and was dreffed in a white garment. By the ancient canons, the bridegroom was to forbear the enjoyment of his bride the first night, in honour of the nuptial benediction given by the prieft on that day. In Scotland, and fome parts of England, a more fhameful custom anciently prevailed, called marchet, whereby the lord of the manor was entitled to the bridegroom's privilege with his tenant's bride the first night. Sec MARCHET. What intolerable oppreffion must the lower claffes have then laboured under, when fuch iniquity was eftablished by law!

BRIDÉKIRK, a village in Cumberland, 3 m. N. of Cockermouth.

BRIDE-RIVER, a river of Ireland, in Cork. BRIDE, ST, two villages in Monmouthshire. 1. near Ifton: 2. S. of Tredgar.

BRIDE'S BAY, ST, a bay on the coast of Pembrokeshire, where hips anchor at 7 fathoms water.

BRIDE'S, ST, a town near Caernarvon.

* BRIDESTAKE. n.. [from bride and fake.] It feems to be a poft fet in the ground, to dance round, like a maypole.Ben Fonfon

Round about the brideftake.

(1.)* BRIDEWELL. n.. [The palace built by St Bride's, or Bridget's well, was turned into a workhouse.] A houfe of correction.-He would contribute more to reformation than all the workhoufes and Bride-wells in Europe. Spectator.

(2.) BRIDEWELL, is also a workehouse for vagrants, ftrumpets, and other diforderly perfons: who are made to work; being maintained with clothing and diet; and when it seems good to their governors, they are sent by paffes into their native countries. While they remain in Bridewell they are not only made to work, but, according to their crimes, receive, once a fortnight, fuch a number of stripes as the governor commands.

(3.) BRIDEWELL, near Fleet-ftreet, is a foundation of a mixt and fingular nature, partaking of the hospital, the prifon, and workhoufe; it was founded in 1553, by Edward VI. who gave the place where K. John formerly kept his court, and which had been repaired by Henry VIII. to the city of London, with 700 merks of land, bedding, and other furniture. Several youths are fent to the hospital as apprentices to manufac turers, who refide there; they are clothed in blue doublets and breeches, with white hats. Having faithfully ferved for 7 years, they have their freedom, and a donation of L. 10 each, for carrying on their respective trades.

(4.) BRIDEWELL, EDINBURGH, is feated on the Calton hill. The foundation ftone was laid Nov. 30, 1791: and the first prisoners admitted in 1794. The expence was L. 12,000.

(I. 1.)* BRIDGE. n. f. [bric, Sax.] 1. A building raised over the water for convenience of paffage. What need the bridge much broader than the flood. Shakespeare. Dryden

And proud Araxes, whom no bridge could

bind.

2. The upper part of the nofe.-The raising gently the bridge of the nofe, doth prevent the deformity of a faddle nofe, Bacon. 3. The fupporter of the strings in ftringed inftruments of mufick.

(2.) BRIDGE, in architecture, is a work either of ftone or timber, confifting of one or more arches built over a river, canal, or the like. See ARCHITECTURE, Index, CANAL, and MECHA

NICS.

(3.) BRIDGE, CONDITIONS REQUIRED IN A. It is requifite that a bridge be well designed, commodious, durable, and fuitably decorated. The piers of tone bridges fhould be equal in number, that there may be one arch in the middle, where commonly the current is ftrongeft; their thicknefs is not to be lefs than a fixth part of the span of the arch, nor more than a fourth; they are commonly guarded in the front with angular fterlings, to break the force of the current: the Aronge

(4.) BRIDGE, ESSENTIAL PARTS OF A. These are, the piers; the arches; the pavement, or way over for cattle and carriages; the foot way on each fide, for foot-paffengers; the rail or parapet, which inclofes the whole; and the butments or ends of the bridge on the bank.

(5.) BRIDGE, IRON. See ý 9. N° vi

(5.) BRIDGES, ANCIENT. The first inventor of bridges, as well as of thips and crowns, is by fome learned men fuppofed to be Janus: their reafon is, that on feveral ancient Greek, Sicilian, and Italian coins, there are reprefented on one fide a Janus, with two faces; and on the other a bridge, crown, or a fhip. Bridges are a fort of edifices very difficult to execute on account of the inconvenience of laying foundations and walling under water. The earliest rules and inftructions relating to the building of bridges are given by Leon Babtifta Alberti. Archit, 1. viii. Others were afterwards laid down by Palladio, 1. iii. Serlio, l. iii. c. 4. and Scammozzi, 1. v. all of which are collected by M. Blondel, Cours d'Archit. p. 629, feq. The beft of them are given by Goldman, Baukburft, 1. iv. c. 4. p. 134. and Hawkefmoor's Hiftory of London bridge, p. 26, feq. M. Gautier has a piece exprefs on bridges, ancient and modern; Trait des Ponts, Paris 1716, 12mo. Among the Romans, the building and repairing of bridges was firft committed to the pontifices or priests; whence the epithet, pontifex. i. e. a bridge-maker; then to the cenfors, or curators of the roads; laftly, the emperors took the care of bridges into their own hands. Thus Antoninus Pius built the Pons Janiculenfis of marble; Gordian reftored the Pons Ceftius; and Adrian built a new one denominated from him. In the middle age, bridge building was reckoned among the acts of religion; and a regular order of Hofpitallers was founded by St Benezet, towards the end of the 12th century, under the denomination of pontifices, or bridge-builders, whofe office it was to be affiftant to travellers, by making bridges, fettling ferries and receiving strangers in hofpitals, or houfes built on the banks of rivers. We read of one hofpital of this kind at Avignon, where the hofpitallers dwelt under the direction of their firit fuperior St Benezet. The Jefuit Raynaldus has a treatife exprefs on St John the bridge-builder. Among the bridges of antiquity, that built by Trajan over the Danube is allowed to be the moft 'magnificent.

(7.) BRIDGES, FLOATING, are ordinarily made of two fmall bridges, laid one over the other, fo that the uppermoft ftretches and runs out, by the help of cords rusting through pullies placed along the fides of the under bridge, which pul it for

(8.) BRIDGES, FLYING, Pontes ductorii, an appellation given to bridges made of pontoons, leather boats, hollow beams, cafks, or the like, laid on a river, and covered with planks, for the paffage of an army. A flying bridge, pont volant, more particularly denotes a bridge compofed of one or two boats joined together by a fort of flooring, and furrounded with a rail or balustrade; having alfo one or more mafts, to which is faftened a cable, fupported at proper diflances, by boats, and extended to an anchor, to which the other end is faftened, in the middle of the water: by which contrivance the bridge becomes moveable, like a pendulum from one fide of the river to the other, without any other help than the rudder.-Such bridges fometimes also coufist of two ftories, for the quicker paffage of a great number of men, or that both infantry and cavalry may pafs at the fame time. In Plate XLIV, is reprefented a flying bridge of this kind. Fig. 1. gives a perspective view of the course of a river and its two banks. a, b, c, d, Two long boats or batteaux, which fupport the flying bridge. GH, KL, two mafts joined at their tops by two tranfverfe pieces, or beams, and a central arch, and fupported in a vertical pofition by two pair of throuds and two chains LN, HR. M, a horse, or cross piece, over which the rope or cable M, F, e, f, that rides or holds the bridge against the current, pafles. E, a roll or windlafs round which the rope M, F, e, f, is wound. a, b, The rudders. AB, and CD, two portions of bridges of boats fastened to the bank on each fide, and between which the flying bridge moves in patling from one fide of the river to the other. e, f, Chains fupported by two punts, or small flat-bottomed boats; there are 5 or 6 of these punts at a about 40 fathoms from one another. The firft, or fartheit from the bridge, is moored with anchors in the middle of the bed of the river. Fig. 2. Is a plan of the fame bridge. a, b, c, d, The two boats that fupport it. K and G, the two mafts. KF G, the tranfverfe pieces or beam over which the cable pares. E, the roll, or windlafs, round which the rope or cable is wound. a, b, The rudders, O, a boat. e, One of the punts, or finall flat-bottomed boats that support the chain. N, N, pumps for extracting the water out of the boats. P, P, capitans. Fig. 3. A lateral elevation of the bridge. a, c, One of the boats. b, The rudder. E, the roll, or windlafs. M, The horfe, or cross-piece. G H, One of the mafts. E, M, H, F, The cable. In this view the balustrade running along the fide of the bridge is plainly exhibited. Fig. 4. Elevation of the hinder or fern part of the bridge. a, b, The two boats. GH, KL, The two mafts. H L, The upper tranfverfe beam. p, g, The lower tranfverte bealli, or that over which the cable palies, and on which