ORIGIN OF THE CAP OF LIBERTY,

TOGETHER WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE SEVERAL CAPS BY WHICH VARIOUS ORDERS ARE DISTINGUISHED.

[From the Encyclopedia Britannica.]

THE ufe of caps and hats is referred to the year 1449, the first feen in thefe parts of the world being at the entry of Charles VII. into Rouen; from that time they began to take place of the hoods or chaperoons that had been till then used. When the cap was of velvet they called it mortier, when of wool, fimply bonnet. None but kings, princes, and knights, were allowed the use of the mortier. The cap was the head drefs of the clergy and graduates. Pafquin fays, that it was anciently a part of the hood worn by the people of the robe, the skirts whereof being cut off as an incumbrance, left the round cap an eafy commodious cover for the head, which round cap being afterwards affumed by the people, thofe of the gown changed it for a fquare one, firft invented by a Frenchman, called Patrouillet; he adds, that the giving of the cap to the ftudents in the univerfities, was to denote that they had acquired full liberty, and were no longer fubject to the rod of their fuperíors, in imitation of the ancient Romans, who gave a pileus or cap to their flaves, in the ceremony of making them free: whence the proverb vocare fervas ad pileum. Hence alfo on medals the cap is the fymbol of liberty, whom they reprefent holding a CAP in her right hand by the point.

The Romans were many ages without any regular covering for the head; when either the rain or fun was troublelome, the lappet of the gown was thrown over the head, and hence it is that all the ancient ftatues appear bareheaded, excepting fometimes a wreath, or the like. And the fame ufage obtained among the Greeks, where, at least during the heroic age, no caps were

F 2

known

known. The forts of caps or covers of the head in ufe among the Romans, on divers occafions, were the pitra, pileus, cucullus, galerus & pallialum, the differences.between which are often confounded by ancient as well as modern writers.

The French clergy wear a fhallow kind of cap, called calotte, which only covers the top of the head, made of leather, fatin, worsted, or other stuff. The red cap is a mark of dignity, allowed only to thofe who are raised to the cardinalate. The fecular clergy are diftinguished by black leathern caps, the regulars by knit and worsted

ones.

Churchmen, and the members of univerfities, ftudents in law, phyfic, &c. as well as graduates, wear square caps. In most univerfities doctors are diftinguished by peculiar caps, given them in affuming the doctorate. Wickliff calls the canons of his time bifurcati, from their caps. Pafquin obferves, that in his time the caps worn by the churchmen, &c. were called fquare caps, though in effect they were round yellow caps. The Chinese have not the ufe of the hat like us, but wear a cap of peculiar ftructure which the laws of civility will not allow them to put off. It is different for the different feafons of the year, that ufed in fummer is in form of a cone, ending at top in a point. It is made of a very beautiful kind of a mat, much valued in that country, and lined with fatin, to this is added, at top, a large lock of red filk, which falls all round, as low as the bottom, fo that in walking, the filk fluctuating regularly on all fides, makes a graceful appearance; fometimes, inftead of filk, they ufe a kind of bright red hair, the luftre whereof no weather effaces. In winter they wear a plush cap, bordered with martlet's or fox's fkin; as to the reft like thofe for the fummer. Thefe caps are frequently fold for eight or ten crowns, but they are fo fhort that the ears are expofed.

The cap is fometimes ufed as a mark of infamy; in Italy

Italy the Jews are diftinguished by a yellow cap; at Lucca by an orange one. In France, thofe who had been bankrupts were obliged ever after to wear a green cap to prevent people from being imposed on in any future commerce. By feveral arrets, in 1584, 1622, 1628, 1688, it was decreed, that if they were at any time found without their green cap, their protection fhould be null, and their creditors empowered to caft them into prifon; but the sentence is not now executed.

VULGAR ERRORS IN NATURAL HISTORY,

1. THA

CORRECTED.

HAT the fcorpion does not sting itself when furrounded by fire, and that its fting is not even venomous.-Keyfler's Travels, Maupertui, Hughes's Barbadoes, Hamilton's Letter in the Philofophical Tranfactions,

II. That the tarantula is not poifonous, and that mufic has no particular effect on perfons bitten by it, more than thofe ftung by a walp,-De la Lande's Travels, Naples; Abbé Richard's ditto, Experiments of the prince of San Severo.

III. That the lizard is not friendly to man in particular, much lefs does it awaken him on the approach of a ferpent.-Hughes's Barbadoes, Brook's Natural Hiftory.

IV. That the remora has no fuch power as to retard the failing of a fhip by sticking itself to its bottom.→ De la Lande, alii paffim.

V. That the ftroke of the cramp-fish is not occafioned by a muscle.-Bancroft's Guiana concerning the torporific Eel.

VI. That the falamander does not live in fire, nor is it capable of bearing more heat than other animals. Sir T. Brown fufpected it, Keyfler has clearly proved

VII. That the bite of the fpider is not venomous. Reaumur. That it is found in Ireland too plentifully; that it has no antipathy to the toad. Barrington's Letter, Philofophical Tranfactions, &c. Swammerdam.

VIII. It is an error to fuppofe that a fly only has a microfcopic eye. Dragon-flies, &c. bees, wafps, fleshflies, &c. will turn off and avoid an object in the way on the fwifteft wings, which thews a very quick and commanding fight. It is probable, that the fight of all animals is, in quickness and extent, proportioned to their speed.

IX. The porcupine does not fhoot out his quills for annoying his enemy; he only theds them annually. as other feathered animals do. He has a muscular skin, and can thake the loofe ones off at the time of moltingHughes, & alii paffim.

X. The Jack-all, commonly called the lion's provider, has no connection at all with the lion. He is a fort of fox, and is hunted in the east, as the fox is with us-Shaw, Sandys.

XI. The fable of the fox and grapes is taught us from our childhood, without our ever reflecting, that the foxes we are acquainted with do not eat grapes. This fable came from the eaft; the fox of Palestine is a great deftroyer of grapes.-V. Haffelquist, Shaw.

XII. The eye of birds is not more agile than that of other animals, though their fight is more quick. On the contrary, their eye is quite immoveable, as is that of most animals and infects of the quickeft fight.British Zoology, &c.

XIII. The tyger, inftead of being the fwifteft of beafts, is a remarkably sluggish and flow animal.— Owen's dictionary in verbo. Experiment at Windforlodge.

XIV. Sir Thomas Brown, who wrote against Vulgar Errors, maintains that apes and clephants may be taught to fpeak....

INGRATITUDE DESERVEDLY PUNISHED.

A

AN ANECDOTE FROM SENECA,

CERTAIN foldier, in the Macedonian army, had, in many inftances, diftinguished himself by extraordinary acts of valour; and had received many marks of Philip's favour and approbation. On fome occafion, he embarked on board a veffel, which was wrecked by a violent ftorm, and he himself caft on the fhore, helpless and naked, and fcarcely with the appearance of life. A Macedonian, whofe lands were contiguous to the fea, came opportunely to be witness of his diftrefs, and, with all humane and charitable tendernefs, flew to the relief of the unhappy ftranger. He bore him to his houfe, laid him in his own bed, revived, cherished, comforted, and, for forty days, fupplied him freely with all the neceffaries and conveniences which his languishing condition could require. The foldier, thus happily rescued from death, was inceffant in the warmest expreffions of gratitude to his benefactor, affured him of his intereft with the king, and of his power and refolution of obtaining for him, from the royal bounty, the noble returns which fuch extraordi. nary benevolence had merited. He was now completely recovered, and his kind hoft fupplied him with money to purfue his journey. In fome time after he prefented himself before the king, he recounted his misfortunes, magnified his fervices; and this inhuman wretch, who had looked with an eye of envy on the poffeffions of the man who had preferved his life, was now fo abandoned to all sense of gratitude, as to request that the king would bestow upon him the house and lands where he had been fo tenderly and kindly entertained. Unhappily Philip, without examination, inconfiderately and precipitately granted his infamous request; and this foldier now returned to his preferver, and repaid his goodness by driving him from his fettlement, and taking immediate