1440. A viscount’s mantle is two doublings and a half of plain fur. His

coronet, granted by James I., has only a row of sixteen pearls set close to the circlet. =Vise=, Arch. A spiral staircase. (See NEWEL.) “Vyce, a tourning stayre, _vis_.” (_Palsgrave._) =Visitation=, Chr. (It. _La visitazione_; German, _die Heimsuchung Mariä_). A frequent theme of Christian art, representing the meeting of the Virgin Mary and Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist. (Consult _Mrs. Jameson’s Legends of the Madonna_.) =Visor.= The part of a helmet made to cover the face. (See UMBRIL.) =Vitis=, =Vine=, R. and Chr. A vine or vine-branch with which a centurion punished any soldier who had neglected his duty. In Christian symbolism, the vine-stock with clusters of grapes is an emblem of the Church. Representations of it are frequently met with on monuments of Christian art. =Vitreous Wares.= Wares having a glassy surface. (See POTTERY.) =Vitro di Trino= (Ital.). An ornamental glass-work invented by the Venetians in the 15th century, consisting of a sort of lace-work of white enamel or transparent glass, forming a series of diamond-shaped sections; in the centre of each an air-bubble was allowed to remain as a decoration. (_Fairholt._) =Vitrum=, R. GLASS (q.v.). =Vitruvian Scroll=, Arch. A name given to a peculiar pattern of scroll-work, consisting of convolved undulations, used in classical architecture. (_Parker._) [Illustration: Fig. 693. Vitta.] =Vitta=, R. A ribbon or band worn round the head by Roman women of free birth to confine their hair. _Vitta sacra_ was a long ribbon confining the flocks of wool which formed an _infula_, and worn by the priests or the victim destined for sacrifice. The term was further applied to the ribbon which passed round garlands or festoons of leaves and fruits, and thence to any ribbon employed in the decoration of an architectural motive, such as tori for instance, as shown in Fig. 693. =Vittatus=, R. Adorned with the _vitta_; a term applied to women, victims, and certain architectural ornaments. =Vivarium=, R. (_vivum_, a living thing). A general term for any kind of place in which live animals are kept; such as aviaries, warrens, fish-ponds, game preserves, &c. =Vivianite.= A blue phosphate of iron, occasionally used as a pigment. =Vizard.= A mask for the face. “On with this robe of mine, This _vizard_ and this cap!” (_Old Play._) =Vizor.= (See VISOR.) =Voided=, Her. Having the central area removed. =Volant=, Her. Flying. =Volante Piece.= A piece of jousting-armour fastened to the GRAND-GARDE above it, protecting the neck and breast. =Volets=, Fr. (1) The side _wings_ of a TRIPTYCH. (2) A gauze veil worn at the back of the head, by ladies, in the Middle Ages. (See Fig. 704.) =Volumen=, R. (_volvo_, to roll). A very long, narrow sheet made of strips of papyrus glued together. This sheet was gradually rolled round a wooden cylinder as the reader perused what was written on it, an operation expressed by the term _evolvere volumen_. When a work was of considerable length, each book or chapter was rolled round a separate stick or wooden cylinder, so that a single volume (_volumen_) consisted of a large number of rolls. =Volupere=, O. E. A woman’s cap or nightcap. “The tapes of her white _volupere_.” (_Chaucer_, _The Miller’s Tale_.) [Illustration: Fig. 694. Ionic Volute.] =Volute=, Arch. (_volvo_, to roll). (1) The spiral scroll peculiarly distinguishing the capital in the Ionic order. (Fig. 694.) (2) The small volutes of the Corinthian capital which are placed at the four angles of the _abacus_; they are called _helices majores_, while the volutes beneath the cinque-foils are called _helices minores_. (See HELIX.) =Vomer=, =Vomis=, R. A plough-share; it resembled almost exactly our modern ones. [Illustration: Fig. 695. Vomitorium.] =Vomitoria=, R. (_vomo_, to discharge). Doors in a theatre or amphitheatre opening on the corridors of the building, or on to the _scalæ_ leading into the _cavea_. Fig. 695 represents a _vomitorium_ (restored) in the Coliseum or Flavian amphitheatre, at Rome. =Votive Tablets.= Sculptured representations of parts of the body affected with disease, offered to the gods, either in gratitude or propitiation. The superstition introduced by the ancient Egyptians has survived all religious revolutions, and survives in Roman Catholic countries at the present day. Wilkinson says:— “After the cure of a disease was effected they (the ancient Egyptians) frequently suspended a model of the restored part in the temple of the god whose interposition they had invoked, precisely in the same manner as in the sheikh’s tombs in modern Egypt, and in the Roman Catholic chapels of Italy and other countries, consecrated to the Virgin or a saint; and ears, eyes, distorted arms and other members were dedicated as memorials of their gratitude and superstition.” (_Ancient Egyptians._) =Voulge.= (See LANGUE-DE-BŒUF.) =Voussoir=, Arch. A French term for the wedge-shaped stones (ring-stones) of which an arch is composed. =Vulcanalia.= Roman festivals to Vulcan, celebrated with games in the Flaminian circus on the 23rd August. The sacrifices were of _fishes_, which the people threw into the fire; and it was the custom to commence the work of the day by candle-light, in honour of the god of fire. =Vulned=, Her. Wounded or bleeding. The pelican in its piety (Fig. 531) is described as _vulning herself_. =Vulture=, Egyp. Among the Egyptians, the vulture is the symbol of maternity, and accordingly a representation of it served to write the word _mother_, and the name of the goddess MAUT. =Vulture Feathers.= Largely used for making artificial flowers; the feathers of species of _accipitres_ imported from Bombay. =Vulturius=, =Vulture=, R. A throw at dice. It is not known how many points made up a vulture, but it is clear from certain authors that it was a bad throw, although not so bad as the _canis_ or dog. =Vuyders= or =Guiders=. Straps to draw together the parts of armour. W. _This initial interchanges frequently with_ gu:—_as ward_, guard; _wicket_, guichet, _&c._ =Wafters=, O. E. Blunted swords for exercise. =Wain=, O. E. A wagon. =Wainscot=, Arch, (from the German _Wand-Schotten_, wall-covering), wooden panelling used to line the inner walls. =Waist.= The central part of the upper deck of a ship, between the fore and main masts. =Wait.= An old English wind instrument resembling the SHAWM (q.v.). It was used by the watchmen or _waights_, to proclaim the time of night. =Waka-tana.= The war canoe of New Zealand; some of these are fifty feet long, by four feet beam, with a high stern-post. This and the carved prow are both richly decorated with a profusion of feathers. (_Simmonds._) =Wakes= (A.S. _wæcan_). Originally vigils or eves of Saints’ days. The _late-wake_ of the Highlanders; the _lyke-wake_ of the early English, and the _wake_ of the Irish are the remains of the ancient northern custom of watching the body of a deceased friend before burial. (Consult _Brand’s Popular Antiquities_.) =Wales.= The strong side planks of the body of a ship, running fore and aft. =Walking-sticks.= (See BOURDON.) (See also Fig. 91.) Fairholt (_Costume in England_) gives the following quotation from an inventory of Greenwich Palace, _temp._ Henry VIII. “A cane, garnished with sylver and gilte, with astronomie upon it. A cane, garnished with golde, having a perfume in the toppe, under that a diall, with a pair of twitchers, and a pair of compasses of golde, and a foot rule of golde, a knife and a file the haft of golde, with a whetstone tipped with golde.” Under Charles II. bunches of ribands on the tops of canes were fashionable. =Wall Painting.= The GREEK temples were brilliantly decorated with painting and gilding internally. “The method has been investigated and is described to be the colouring of the body of the wall of a pale yellow or golden colour, the triglyphs and mutules blue, the metopes and the tympanum red, and some other portions of the building green, and varying these tints or using them of greater or less intensity as the judgment of the artist dictated.” (_Hittorf_, _Essay on the Polychromy of Greek Architecture_.) The colouring of the EGYPTIAN bas-reliefs is familiar. The buildings of HERCULANEUM and POMPEII were decorated with _frescoes_ and _mosaics_, in the Augustan age of Roman art. In the Middle Ages the custom was continued of decorating with colour the architecture of sacred edifices; and many old palaces and mansions in England show relics of the practice of decorating the walls with tempera, especially under Henry III. (See FRESCOES, STEREOCHROMY, WATER-WORK, &c.) [Illustration: Fig. 696. Wallet—Badge of the Gueux.] =Wallet.= The badge of the Gueux; two hands clasped through the handles of a beggar’s wallet. (See GUEUX.) =Wall-plates=, in building. Horizontal timbers, called _plates_, _properly_ those at the top of a building under the roof. =Walled=, =Muraillée=, Her. Made to represent brick or stone-work. =Walling Wax.= The composition with which etchers make a _wall_ round the plate upon which they are proceeding to pour the acid. (See ENGRAVING.) =Walnut=, Chr. In Christian iconography the walnut is the symbol of perfection. (See NUT.) =Walnut Oil.= (See NUT OIL.) =Wambais= (Saxon _wambe_, the belly). A stuffing of wool in the quilted tunic or GAMBESON. The best illustration is the conventional figure of Punch. =Wampum=, North American Indian. Strings of shells worn as belts and used for money. =Wang=, Chinese. Yellow. The sacred colour. =Wapentake=, O. E. A hundred, or district. The term is derived from _weapon-taking_ (or counting). =Wapinshaw=, O. E. A review of weapons. “Et fiat visus armorum, quod dicitur Wapinschaw.” (_Scotch Statute._) =Wappenrock=, Germ. A military cloak, with armorial charges. (See TABARD.) =Ward=, of a castle. The BAILEY or courtyard. (See BALLIUM.) =Warnbrace.= (See VAUNT-BRACE.) =Wassail= or =Wassel=, O. E. (Saxon _waes hael_, “to your health.”), (1) A drinking-bout generally. (2) A drink made of roasted apples. =Watchet=, O. E. Pale blue. “The saphyre stone is of a _watchet_ blue.” (_Barnfield’s Affectionate Shepherd_, 1594.) =Water=, of a diamond; its lustre. =Water-colour Painting= was gradually raised from the hard dry style of the last century to its present brilliancy, by the efforts of Nicholson, Copley Fielding, Sandby, Varley, the great Turner, Pyne, Cattermole, Prout, &c., within the present century. The Water Colour Society’s Exhibition was begun in 1805. (_Haydn’s Dict. of Dates._) =Water-Colours.= The principal are _lemon yellow_, _gamboge_, _Indian yellow_, _yellow ochre_, _chrome_, _vermilion_, _light red_, _Indian red_, _rose madder_, _carmine_, _purple madder_, _Vandyke-brown_, _sepia_, _brown pink_, _sap-green_, _emerald green_, _indigo_, _ultramarine_, _smalt_, and _cobalt_. =Water-gilding.= Gilding with a thin coat of amalgam. =Water-mark=, on paper. A device resembling a transparency in the texture, which is printed during the process of manufacture, by means of wire or brass plates on the mould of the paper machine. =Water-scape.= A fanciful term sometimes used to distinguish a sea view from a _landscape_. =Water-table=, Arch. A horizontal set-off in a wall, sloped to throw off the wet. =Water-work=, O. E. Wall painting in distemper. “A pretty slight drollery, or the German hunting in _waterwork_, is worth a thousand of these bed-hangings, and these fly-bitten tapestries.” (_Shakespeare._) =Watered= (=silk=) having a shaded or diversified surface; produced by placing two pieces of silk lengthways between metallic rollers, where they are subjected to different degrees of pressure. =Watteau Pictures.= Idyllic scenes of imaginary Arcadian enjoyment, and a certain fanciful style of costume characteristic of Watteau’s pictures, called in French “scènes de la vie galante.” =Wattle.= An Australian name for various woods of the Acacia species. =Wattled=, Her. Having a comb and gills, as a cock. =Wayn-cloutt=, O. E. A waggon-cloth. =Wax.= Bleached bees’-wax is the vehicle in _encaustic_ painting. =Wax painting.= (See ENCAUSTIC PAINTING.) =Weathercock.= (See FANE.) =Weathering=, Arch. The slope of flat surfaces, for drainage. =Webbing Tape.= A kind of broad tape. [Illustration: Fig. 697. Wedgwood Vase.] =Wedgwood Ware.= The manufacture of Josiah Wedgwood begun in 1759, at Etruria, in Staffordshire. A fine white, cream-coloured ware, having a clear and hard body, with more compact glaze and more perfect substance than the majolica. Many of the groups on Wedgwood vases and plaques were designed by Flaxman. (Fig. 697.) =Weepers=, O. E. Statues in niches round tombs, representing the mourners. =Welding.= The union of two pieces of metal together, by heat and pressure. =Welkin.= The sky; hence _welkin eyes_, blue eyes. (_Shakspeare._) =Well-staircase.= A spiral staircase. (See NEWEL.) =Welsh Hook.= A mediæval weapon, a kind of bill with a _hook_ at the back, used to drag a horse-soldier from his saddle. =Welt.= A joint or fold in a texture. The term is variously explained as synonymous with _guard_, a facing to a gown; or _purfles_, i. e. fringes. (Consult _Fairholt_, s.v.) =Welted Brocades= and =Quilts=. Articles with folds in the texture; lined and ribbed. =Weued=, A.S. The altar. “In chvrche to vore the _heye weued_ Constantyn hym sleu.” (_Robert of Gloucester._) =Whalebone= is the commercial name for the _baleen_ plates found in the mouth of the whale, of which there are about 300 in each animal. =What-not.= A modern piece of furniture, a light side-board or stand. =Wheel.= In Christian art, the attribute of St. Catherine, in allusion to the manner of her martyrdom. =Wheel=, =Catherine Wheel=. Represented in heraldry with curved spikes projecting from its rim. =Wheel Engraving upon Glass.= (See GLASS.) =Wheel-lock.= A crude invention in gunnery, of the 16th century, for winding up the trigger of a gun with a hand-winch. =Whinyard=, O. E. A sword. =Whipping-tops= are represented in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts; the thongs of the whips are _knotted_, which would add to the difficulty of the game. [Illustration: Fig. 698. Falling “Whisk.”] =Whisk=, O. E. A _ruff_ or _band_. “A woman’s _nec whisk_ is used both plain and laced, and is called of most a gorget or _falling whisk_, because it falleth about the shoulders.” (_Randle Holme._) =Whisket=, O. E. A basket. S. =Whistle.= Prehistoric specimens of whistles made of bones have been disinterred among relics of the Stone Age. The Mexicans in antiquity made curiously grotesque whistles of baked clay representing caricatures of the human face and figure, birds, beasts, and flowers. (Consult _Musical Instruments by Carl Engel_.) =White=, in Christian art represented by the diamond or silver, was the emblem of light, religious purity, innocence, virginity, faith, joy, and life. (_J._) =White= is in theory the result of the union of the three primary colours. The principal white pigments are _white lead_, _Lake white_, _Krems white_, _zinc white_, _constant white_ (q.v.). (See CARBONATE OF LEAD, OXIDE OF ZINC, &c.) =White Copper.= German silver. =White Lead= is the white pigment universally used for oil painting; it is considered a good dryer, and is used to render oil more drying. (Consult _Merrifield’s Treatise_, &c., vol. i. cl.). (See CARBONATE OF LEAD.) =White Vitriol.= SULPHATE OF ZINC (q.v.). =Whiting=, as used for wall painting, &c., is pure chalk, cleansed and ground with water. =Whittle=, O. E. A pocket clasp knife. (_Shakspeare._) =Whole and Halves.= Proportional compasses used for the enlargement or reduction of drawings. =Whorler.= The wheel of a potter’s lathe. =Wicker-work.= Texture of osiers, or small twigs; basket-work. =Wicket= (Fr. _Guichet_). A small door perforated in a larger one. =Wigs= (contraction of Periwigs, from Fr. _perruque_) were brought in from France in the 16th century. They took their greatest proportions in the time of Louis XIV. In the early 18th century also they are described as of immense size, “large enough to have loaded a camel.” And of this date is the celebrated wig-maker’s sign, in which Absalom was represented hanging by the hair in a tree, and King David weeping beneath, exclaiming,— “O Absalom! O Absalom! O Absalom, my son! If thou hadst worn a _periwig_ Thou hadst not been undone.” Smaller varieties were called _perukes_ or travelling-wigs; and the _campaign wig_, which “hath knots or _bobs_, a _dildo_ on each side with a curled forehead.” These _dildos_ or _pole-locks_ were the origin of the pigtail. (See HAIR.) =Wilton Carpets= are a kind of Brussels carpeting, with the yarns cut. =Wimple=, O. E. A nun’s hood, covering the neck and shoulders, adopted by ladies in general, _temp._ Henry VII. =Winchester Bushel.= An ancient standard measure of capacity preserved in the Town Hall at Winchester. It dates from the reign of King Edgar. It is 18½ inches wide, and 8 inches deep. =Windows.= The earliest of stained glass in Italy were painted by order of Pope Leo III., at Rome, in 795. The windows of some churches were closed with valves or shutters of stone, like those of the Duomo of Torcello, erected in 1008. Others were filled with slabs of transparent talc or alabaster. The earliest painted glass in York Cathedral is of A. D. 1200. The use of glass windows in private houses was not general until the 14th century. During the Middle Ages glass windows were in movable wooden frames, and were taken away by families when they travelled. (Consult _Hallam’s Middle Ages_, vol. iii.) Substitutes for glass were thin parchment or linen, painted and varnished, or even paper. (_Le Vieil_, _de la Peinture sur Verre_.) These paper windows may still be seen in villages in the north of Italy. =Winds= (Latin, _Venti_). The impersonations of the _winds_ were held in high veneration, especially by the Athenians. The four principal were Eurus or Vulturnus, the east or south-east wind; Auster, the south wind, the Notus of the Greeks, pernicious to plants and men; Zephyrus, the son of Aurora and father of Carpus (fruit), a genial, health-bearing breeze, called also ζωηφόρος, life-bearing; and Boreas, the strong north wind, usually represented with the feet of a serpent, his wings dripping with golden dewdrops, and the train of his garment sweeping along the ground. Inferior _winds_ were Solanus, in Greek Apeliotes, answering to the east, and represented as a young man holding fruit in his lap; Africus, south-west, represented with black wings and melancholy countenance; Corus, north-west, drives clouds of snow before him; Aquilo, north-east by north, equally dreadful in appearance, from _aquila_, an eagle, type of swiftness and impetuosity. =Windsor Chairs.= A plain kind of strong wooden chairs, so called. =Wings=, from time immemorial, have been the Oriental and Egyptian symbol of power as well as of swiftness; of the spiritual and aerial, in contradistinction to the human and the earthly; also in Chaldaic and Babylonian remains, in the Lycian and Nineveh marbles, and on the gems and other relics of the Gnostics. In Etruscan art all their divinities are winged. =Wings=, in theatres. The shifting side-scenes on the stage. In costume, the projections on the shoulders of a _doublet_. (See Fig. 91.) =Wise Men=, Chr. The MAGI. (See EPIPHANY.) =Wisp=, O. E. A broom. =Woad.= A dye plant—_Isatis tinctoria_. =Wolf.= In Egypt was worshipped at Lycopolis; it figures frequently among hieroglyphic signs. The Greeks had consecrated the wolf to Apollo, the Romans to Mars. In Christian (especially Spanish) art, an attribute of St. Vincent, in allusion to the legend that wild beasts were driven away from his body after his martyrdom, by a raven. [Illustration: Fig. 699. Carved-wood mirror frame, belonging to Lord Stafford at Costessy.] =Wood-carving.= One of the most ancient manifestations of the art instinct of humanity is found in the very earliest relics of every nation. Especially in Egypt specimens remarkable for fidelity of representation have been recently disinterred, and stand in the Boulac Museum. Among Christian countries Germany is the most distinguished in this branch of art, but Holland and Belgium closely rival it in excellence and abundance of early specimens. Illustrious English carvers in wood were mostly of Dutch or German extraction. The most famous of them is Grinling Gibbons, employed by Sir Christopher Wren in the decoration of St. Paul’s Cathedral. He excelled in carving flowers and foliage. =Wood-engraving= or =Xylography=. Box-wood is the only kind that can be used. The blocks when smoothed and polished are prepared for drawing on, by rubbing the polished surface with _bath brick_ in very fine powder mixed with water. When this thin coating is dry, it is removed by rubbing the block on the palm of the hand; its only use is to make the surface less slippery. There are four descriptions of cutting tools used in wood-engraving. The _graver_ is not very different from that used for copper-plate, but has the point ground to a peculiar form by rubbing on a _Turkey stone_. Eight or nine _gravers_, of different sizes, are generally required commencing with a very fine one, which is called the _outline tool_, and increasing in size or breadth. _Tinting_ is cutting series of parallel lines, which, when engraved, form an even and uniform tint. For this process there is a distinct set of tools called _tinting tools_. _Gouges_ of different sizes are used for scooping out the wood towards the centre of the block, and flat tools or _chisels_ for cutting it away towards the edges. The earliest known wood-engraving, “The Virgin surrounded by four Saints,” is dated 1418. A print of it is in the Brussels Museum. =Wood-skin.= An American name for a large canoe made of bark. =Woof.= The _weft_, or cross-texture of fabrics. =Woolsack.= The seat of the Lord Chancellor, in the House of Lords. =Working Drawings= (Arch.) are enlarged portions of plans with details of a building, for the practical artificers to work from. =Worsted= (properly Worstead, spelt also “_worsett_” and “_woryst_”) was the name given to the cloth woven of the hard thread produced by the peculiar carding process that was invented at _Worstead_ in Norfolk; 14th century. =Wou= or =Wouwou=, Egyp. The Egyptian name for the dog; it is evidently an onomatopœia, like the name for a cat, which is written MAAOU. (See CANIS.) =Wreath.= Wreaths have at all times been prominent among symbolical personal ornaments; always with an honourable or pleasant signification; wreaths of ivy distinguished the votaries of Bacchus; appropriate wreaths were invented for sacrifices at the altar for heroic or priestly or literary distinction. (See ORLE, CREST, WREATH, &c.) =Wrest=, O. E. An instrument for drawing up the strings of a harp. (_Shakespeare._) =Wyn=, O. E. A narrow flag. [Illustration: Fig. 700. Wyvern.] =Wyvern=, =Wivern=, Her. A fabulous creature, a species of dragon with two legs, and represented having its tail nowed. (Fig. 700.) X. (_The syllable_ ξυν- _in Greek is generally rendered Syn_, _q.v._) =X.= The Roman numeral for ten. =Xanthian Marbles.= Sculptures found in 1838 at Xanthus, in ancient Lycia, now in the British Museum. The figures are Assyrian in character, and of a date not later than 500 B.C. Besides the so called Harpy tomb (see HARPIES), there are sieges, processions, and many figures, in the energetic action so remarkable in the Nineveh sculptures. Most of the figures are in profile; but the eyes, like those of Egyptian sculptures, are shown in full. =Xebec.= A small lateen-rigged three-masted vessel, common in the Mediterranean. =Xenagia=, Gr. (ξεναγία). A subdivision of the Greek army consisting of 256 men, and subdivided into four tetrarchies, commanded by the _Xenagos_, an officer appointed by the Spartans, who had the control of the armies of the Greek states. =Xenia=, Gr. (ξένια, lit. friendly gifts). (1) Delicacies, dainties, or pastry which were sent to one another by the Greeks and Romans as a pledge of friendship, chiefly during the Saturnalia. (2) Decorations to the walls of _guest_-chambers consisting of paintings of _still life_ representing game, fruits, fish, and flowers. =Xenodochium=, R. (ξενο-δοχεῖον). A low Latin term for a hospice intended for the reception of pilgrims and sick persons. Childebert founded a _xenodochium_ at Lyons in the 6th century. =Xerophagia=, Chr. (ξηρο-φαγία). A six days’ fast throughout Holy Week, during which the Christians of the primitive Church ate only bread with a little salt, and drank nothing but water. =Xestes=, Gr. (Lat. Sextarius). A Greek measure of capacity; very nearly a _pint_; equivalent to the Latin SEXTARIUS. =Xoïtes=, Egyp. A nome or division of Lower Egypt, the capital of which was _Khsonou_; Ammon-Ra was the principal deity there worshipped. =Xylography.= Wood-engraving (q.v.). =Xylon=, Gr. (lit. wood). A Greek measure of length, equal to 4 feet and 6·6 inches. =Xylopyrography.= Poker-painting; the art of burning pictures on to wood. =Xyneciæ=, Gr. (συν-οίκια). Festivals held at Athens in honour of Minerva, to commemorate the union of the inhabitants of Attica into a single city. These festivals were instituted by Theseus, and held every year in the month of July. Another name for them was _Metœciæ_ (μετοίκιαι). =Xystus=, Gr. (ξυστός). A covered place situated near a portico, within which, in a palæstra or stadium, athletes went through their exercises. Pausanias tells us that this part of the stadium received its name from the fact that Hercules used every day to clear out the palæstra at Elis in order to inure himself to toil, and that he tore up many weeds by scraping (ξύω, to scrape, ξυστός). The baths and thermæ at Rome were furnished with large xysti, in which young men went through a number of exercises. The term _xystus_ was also generally applied by the Romans to the beds of rare flowers and shrubs in the centre of the peristyle; it also denoted a garden walk perfectly straight, and planted in a regular style; and lastly, an open walk or terrace in a garden attached to any building. Y. The letter =Y= is called the letter of Pythagoras because that philosopher made it the symbol of life. The foot of the letter, he said, represented infancy, and as man gradually rises to the age of reason, he finds two paths set before him, the one leading to good, the other to evil, portrayed by two forks of the letter. The illustration is the device of Jean de Morvilliers (+ 1577), Chancellor of France; the harrow tied to the Pythagorean Υ, a _rebus_ on his name _Mort-vie-liers_—“Death and life united.” The harrow is the symbol of Death, which makes all things equal. (Fig. 701.) [Illustration: Fig. 701. Device of Morvilliers. (The Pythagorean Y.)] =Yacca.= An ornamental Jamaica wood used for cabinet-making. =Yard= (from the Saxon _geard_ or _gyrd_, from _gyrdan_, to enclose). Originally estimated to measure the _girth_ of a man’s body; until Henry I. decreed that it should be the length of his arm. =Yataghan.= A Turkish dagger or scimitar. =Yawl.= A man-of-war’s boat, rowed with six oars. =Ychma=, Peruv. The name for wild cinnabar among the ancient Peruvians; it was employed by them for painting the body and drawing figures on the face and arms. =Yellow.= One of the three primary colours; producing with _green_, blue; and with _red_, orange. The principal yellow pigments are _gamboge_ (bluish), _gold ochre_ (reddish), _yellow ochre_, _Naples yellow_, _chrome yellow_, _lemon yellow_, _Indian yellow_, _gall-stone_, _Roman ochre_, _Mars yellow_, _terra di Siena_, _Italian pink_, _cadmium yellow_, &c. =Yellow=, in Christian art, or gold, was the symbol of the sun; of the goodness of God, initiation or marriage, faith or fruitfulness. In a bad sense yellow signifies inconstancy, jealousy, deceit; in this sense it is given to the traitor Judas, who is generally habited in dirty yellow. =Yellow Arsenic.= (See YELLOW ORPIMENT.) =Yellow Flag.= Denoting sickness on board of a ship or quarantine. =Yellow Lake.= A bright pigment, very susceptible to the action of light or metal. (See PINKS.) =Yellow Metal.= A composition, two-thirds copper and one-third zinc. =Yellow Ochre.= An argillaceous earth, coloured by admixture of iron. (See OCHRE.) =Yellow Orpiment= (_auripigmentum_). A bright and pure yellow pigment, but not durable, and dries very slowly; called also _Yellow Arsenic_. =Yeoman= of the Guard. A beef-eater; one of the British sovereign’s state body-guard; below the _gentleman-at-arms_. Instituted at the coronation of Henry VII. in 1485. =Yew.= _Taxus baccata._ The word is largely used in cabinet-making. The excellence of the wood for making bows led to the trees being planted in churchyards, to preserve them. =Ymaigier.= (See IMAGIER.) =Ymaigerie=, =Imagery=, Med. (1) Illuminated borders on missals and manuscripts executed by the miniaturists of the Middle Ages. (2) Bas-reliefs and sculptures on wood and stone. [Illustration: Fig. 702. Yoke. Device of Pope Leo X.] =Yoke.= A symbolical device assumed by Pope Leo X. in allusion to the text “My yoke is easy,” expressed in the one word of the motto “_Suave_.” (See JUGUM.) Fig. 702. =York Collar.= Her. Was formed of alternate _Suns_ and _Roses_. =York Herald.= One of the six Heralds of the College of Arms. (See HERALDS.) =York Rose.= Her. The _white_ rose of the family of York. (See Fig. 589.) =Yorkshire Grit.= A stone used for polishing marble and engravers’ copper plates. =Ypres Lace= is the finest and most costly kind of VALENCIENNES. =Yu=, Chinese. (1) A hard and heavy stone, supposed to be a kind of agate which was used for the ancient musical instrument KING, which was a kind of harmonicon made of slabs of sonorous stone of different sizes. (2) An ancient name for a curious wind instrument of high antiquity, which is still in use and is now called _cheng_. It consists of a number of tubes placed in a _calabash_, or bowl, and blown into through a long curved tube. =Yucatan.= A province of Mexico remarkable for its architectural monuments of a forgotten civilization, described by _Stephens, Incidents of Travel in Yucatan_. (See MEXICAN ARCHITECTURE.) =Yufts.= A kind of Russia leather, red and soft, with a pleasant smell. =Yule=, O. E. Christmas time. Z. _The initials Z and S and Z and C frequently interchange, especially in old words derived from the German, as zither, cither; zentner, centner, &c. The German Z is pronounced ts._ =Zaba=, =Zava=. An Arabic cuirass. (_Meyrick._) =Zabaoth.= (See SABAOTH.) =Zafferano=, It. Saffron. A vegetable yellow pigment. =Zaffre= (It. _zaffiro_). An ancient blue pigment, prepared from _cobalt_, of a _sapphire_ blue, resembling _smalt_. =Zamarilla=, Sp. A loose jacket of sheepskins. =Zarf.= An oriental saucer for coffee-cups. =Zauca=, =Zaucha=, or =Zauga=, Gr. and R. A soft and flexible leather boot peculiar to Eastern nations; it was worn under the trousers. =Zazahan=, Sp. A kind of flowered silk. =Zebec.= A common form of sailing vessel in the Mediterranean, rigged with a lateen sail. =Zebra Wood.= The _Hyawaballi_ of Guiana, a beautiful wood for furniture. =Zebu.= The humped species to which the sacred Brahmin bull belongs, represented in Hindu art. =Zema=, Gr. and R. (ζέμα). A vessel of earthenware or metal, a saucepan. =Zemzemeeyeh=, Arabic. A skin for carrying water in the desert. =Zend-Avesta=, Pers. “The Word of Life” or “Living Word.” The sacred book of the Parsees; it consists of two parts, one of which is written in _Zend_, the other in _Pehloi_ and _Parsee_. The first part is called _Vendidad-Salé_, and the second _Boundehech_. =Zenith.= The centre of the arch of the sky overhead. (Cf. NADIR.) =Zephyr Yarn= is the dyed worsted thread usually known as _Berlin wool_. =Zeuxite.= A gem. (See TOURMALINE.) =Zigzag=, Arch. One of the mouldings frequently used in Norman architecture, running in zigzag lines. (See Fig. 488.) Fig. 123 is an illustration of a variety of this ornament on a column. _Zigzig_ mouldings in connexion with pointed arches are characteristic of the transition period of architecture, from the Norman to the Early English, frequently called _chevron_. [Illustration: Fig. 704. Duchess of Parma in richly embroidered robes and zimarra.] =Zimarra.= An Oriental robe, called in England also _Samare_. Described as a lady’s jacket: “it has a loose body and four side laps or skirts, which extend to the knee; the sleeves short, cut to the elbow, turned up and faced.”—_Randle Holme._ =Zincography.= Engraving on plates of zinc, introduced in 1817. (See PHOTOZINCOGRAPHY.) =Zinc White.= A pigment recently introduced as a substitute for the preparations of white lead. It is little liable to change, either by atmospheric action or mixture with other pigments. It is the white oxide of zinc, and is also called _Chinese White_ (q.v.). =Zipo=, Med. Lat. A shirt of mail. =Zircon.= A peculiar rare grey and brown earth, found in the true rough and opaque varieties of hyacinth stone, which are met with in Ceylon, Norway, Carinthia, and the Ural. The term _hyacinth_ is applied to the transparent and bright-coloured varieties of zircon, and _jargoon_ to crystals devoid of colour and of a smoky tinge, occasionally sold as inferior diamonds. (_Simmonds’ Com. Dict._) =Zither.= A favourite stringed instrument of a soft and sweet effect, much used in the Austrian Tyrol. It is played lying flat on a table, and the strings struck with a _plectrum_ worn on the thumb. =Zocle= or =Socle=, Arch. The plinth in classical architecture. =Zodiacus=, =Zodiac=, Gen. (ζωδιακὸς, i. e. pertaining to animals). The zone of the celestial sphere which extends to eight degrees on either side of the ecliptic. The Egyptians had representations of it in their temples, the most celebrated being that of _Denderah_, a cast of which is at the Louvre. Other zodiacs have also been found in the great temple of Esneh and at Contra-Lato. Many monuments of the Romano-Byzantine and Gothic periods possess representations of zodiacs. They occur on the doorways and other parts of churches from the end of the 10th century. In particular may be noted the one which figures on the bas-reliefs of the frieze in the side apsides of the Romano-Auvergniate church of St. Paul d’Issoire. One of the largest zodiacs, dating from the beginning of the 11th century, is that of the church of St. Vézelay. The series of medallions which surround the great tympanum representing Christ and the apostles, contain, independently of the signs of the zodiac, representations of the agricultural operations belonging to each month of the year. [Illustration: Fig. 705. Zona.] =Zona=, Gr. (1) A girdle, used to gird up the skirts of the dress for freedom of action (Fig. 157); on occasions of solemnity, as sacrifices or funerals, the girdle was relaxed, and the folds of the dress allowed to hang to the feet (Fig. 537); as a part of the marriage ceremony it was taken off. Upon the armour of men it supported the kilt, and was worn round the cuirass (Fig. 705; cf. Fig. 44). It was generally used as a purse. The celebrated girdle (_cestus_) of Venus, which conferred beauty and inspired love, is not represented on the statues of that goddess. There is a town on the Ægean Sea called Zona from the belt of trees upon it, still growing in the processional order in which they arrived when they left their native plantations and followed the music of Orpheus. (2) In Architecture, an entablature which encircles any isolated building. Lofty buildings surrounded by seven _zones_ were described as _septizonia_. (3) In painted vases, horizontal annular bands often decorated with animals. (See ZOOPHORI.) =Zonula.= Diminutive of ZONA. =Zoomara=, Arab. A double clarionet. [Illustration: Fig. 706. Greek Vase decorated with Zoophori.] =Zoophori.= Bands of ornament on friezes, vases, &c., representing animals. (See Figs. 706, 707.) [Illustration: Fig. 707. Vase with bands of Zoophori.] =Zophorus=, Gr. and R. (ζωφόρος). Literally, bearing animals, and thence a _frieze_, decorated with figures of animals, conventional or real. =Zotheca=, Gr. and R. (ζω-θήκη). A small chamber adjoining a larger apartment, whither the occupant might retire for the purpose of study. (2) A small niche for the reception of a statue, vase, or any other object. The Romans had a diminutive for _zotheca_, viz. _zothecula_. =Zummárah=, Egyp. A musical instrument; a double reed pipe. THE END. LONDON: PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LIMITED, ST. JOHN’S SQUARE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES