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forth in the ensuing year, and form a harrier impenetrable to cat-tle. Beside these, alder, and even elder, make, in certain situa-tions, excellent fences. If sticks or truncheons of the latter, fromten to twelve feet in length, be set in a sloping direction eachway, so as to form a kind of chequer-work, they will growspeedily, and continue for several years. This plant is excellentlyadapted to watery places, as its fewest roots are continually spread-ing, and thus prevent the banks on which they stand, from beingundermined, or washed away by the current. The last tree whichwe shall mention is the Ilorn-Beam. It is cliictly used in Ger-many for the purpose of fencing lands; and is propagated fromsets or slips, which are planted on a parapet of earth, with a ditchon each side, in such a direction that every two plants may inter- jsect each other. The bark is then scraped oft the place wherethey meet, and which is covered with bauds of straw : in conse-quence ot this operation, the two plants become conjoined, andput‘forth horizontal slanting shoots, forming a kind of palisade ;which, if lopped annually, will render every part of the fenceequally impenetrable to men and cattle.
Fence-Month, the month wherein deer begin to fawn, duringwhich it is unlawful to hunt in the forest. It commences 15 daysbefore midsummer, and ends 15 days after it. This month, byancient foresters, is called defence-mouth.
FENCING, the art of making a proper use of the sword,either for attacking an enemy, or defending one’s self. This art isacquired by practising with foils, called in Latin rudest whencefencing is also denominated gladiatnra rudiaria. It is one of theexercises learnt in the academies. I’vrard assures us, that the artof fencing is so highly esteemed in the East Indies, that none butprinces and noblemen are allowed to teach it. They wear abadge or cognizance on their right arms, called in their languageoaru ; which is put on with great ceremony, like the badges ofour orders of knighthood, by the kings themselves. Fencing isdivided into two parts, simple and compound.
1. Fencing, Compound, includes all the possible arts and in-ventions to deceive the enemy, and make him leave that part, wehave a design on, hare and unguarded, upon finding we cannotcome at it by force, nor by the agility of the simple play. Theprincipal means hereof are, on the offensive side, feints, appeals,clashing*, and entanglinps of swords, half thrusts, &c. ; and, onthe defensive, to push in parrying. Of these a detail would behere useless, as they are only to be understood and acquired frompersonal instructions conjoined with practice.
2. Fencing, Simple, is performed directly and nimbi}, onthe same line ; and is either offensive or defensive. 'Die princi-pal object of the first, is whatever may be attempted, in pushingor making passes, from this or that point, to the most uncoveredpart of the enemy. The second consists in parrying and repellingthe thrusts aimed hv the enemy.
FEN-CRICKET. See Gryllus.
FENELON, Francis de Salignac df. la Motte, was ofan ancient and illustrious family, and horn at the castle of Fetie-Jon in Perigord , in 1051. In id89, he was appointed tutor to thedukes of Burgundy and Anjou; and, in ltiyj was consecratedArchbishop of Cambray. After this, a storm rose against him,that obliged him to leave the court for ever, occasioned by hiswork entitled, “ An Explication of the Maxims of the Saintsconcerning the Interior Life in which he seemed to favour theextravagant notions of Madam Guvon, and the principles ofQuietism . A controversy on this occasion was for some time car-ried on between him and M. Bosstn-t, bishop of Meaux ; whichterminated in an appeal to the pope, who condemned the hook,March 12th, 1099. Some allege that there was more of eeiutpolicy than religious zeal in this affair ; but he this as it may, thearchbishop submitted patiently, and retiring to his diocese, per-formed the duties of his station, and led a most exemplary life.The work that gained him the greatest reputation, and which willrender his memory immortal, is his •* Adventures of Telr-ma-t hus the style of which is natural, the fictions well contrived,the moral sublime, and the political maxims tending all to thehappiness of mankind. Hence it is thought, as the printing of thiswork was stopped at Paris, that the prelate’s heresy was rather inpolitics than religion; and though his disgrace was prior to thiswork, lie lead, w hile he was tutor to the young princes, taughtthem the same principles asserted and exemplified in Teleina-
chus. Fenelon died in 1715 ; and a collection of all his religiousworks was afterwards printed at Rotterdam, under the care o! tin:Marquis Fenelon his grand nephew, when ambassador to theStatcs-General.
LEXER I, tl-.e capital of Chiampa.
FEN ESTKKLLE, a town of Piedmont, in the Vaudois, 18miles W. of Turin .
FENNEL, in botany. See Anethum,
Fennel Flower. See Njgella.
FEOD , or FLU 1), is defined to he a right which a vassal hathin lands or some immoveable tiling of his lord’s, to use the same,and lake the profits thereof hereditarily, rendering unto tiie lordsuch feodal duties and .services as belong to military tenure, Sec.i and tiie property of the soil always remaining to the lord. Pon-j toppidan says, that odh in tiie northern languages is the samewith proprictus, and all with totum in the Latin : lienee, odliallsignifies right; and lienee we may conjecture, that tiie tidal rightiii Finland is derived. By transposing these two syllables, wcform tiie word allodli ; whence we have tiie etymology of the,allodium or absolute property claimed by tiie holders ot fiefs orfeuds ; and combining odh, signifying property, with the word fee,signifying, a conditional stipend or reward, we have the wordfeodh, signifying, a property given by way of stipend or rewardi upon a certain condition.” See Feodal System.
Feodal System, the constitution of Fiefs or Feuds. About12 centuries ago, this system was so univers illy received in Eu-rope , that Sir Henry Speiimui calls it “ the law of nations in ourwestern world.” Ileme it deserves our attention in a particularmanner ; a knowledge of tiie different feuds being indispensablyrequisite for a proper understanding either of the civil governmentof our own country, or tiie laws by winch its landed properly isregulated. 'The military policy of the Celtic or northern nations,known by the names oi Goths, Vandals, Franks, Iluniis, and Lom-bards , furnished the i nginal constitution or system of feuds. Thesepeople pouring out in vast multitudes from the same ofiicina gen-tium, or store-house of nations, over-ran all the European coun-tries on tiie declension of the Roman empire- They brought thefeudal system along with them from the countries out of whichthey emigrated ; and, supposing it to he the most proper me-thod of securing their new conquests, they introduced it into theirmore southerly colonies. Accordingto this system, the victoriousgeneral allotted considerable tracks of land toliis principal officers;while they, in like manner divided their possessions among the in-ferior officers, and the common soldiers who were thought to hethe most deserving. Allotments of this kind were named fcoda,fiefs, fees, or feud.-, from a combination of words, in tiie lan-guage of these barbarians, signifying a reward or stipend bestowedon certain conditions. The condition upon which these rewardswere given was, that tiie possessors should faithfully serve the per-son from whom they were received, both at home and abroad, inthe military way. To this they engaged themselves by ajura-nicntum lidelitatis, or oath of fealty, in the event of a breach ofwhich, either by not performing tiie service agreed upon, or bydeserting their lord in time of battle, See. the lands were to returnto their original possessor. The possessors of icodal allotmentsthus became interested in the defence of them ; and not only thereceivers, hut those who gave them, were equally and mutuallyhound to defend their possessions, none of them being able to pre-tend any right but that of conquest. For this purpose, govern-ment and subordination were absolutely necessary ; it lining im-possible to conduct any system of defence where every thing wastumultuous and irregular. Every per-on, therefore, who was afeudatory, i. c. who had received lands, was hound to do everytiling in his power to defend tiie lord of his fee ; while, on theother hand, the latter was no less subordinate to his immediate su-perior ; and so up to the prince himself. In like manner a reci-procal bond of defence existed dowu from the prince to tiie lowestfeodists. Such were the foundations on which the feodal systemwas properly established : and tlu* natural consequence was, a mi-litary subjection throughout tiie whole community'. The princecould always collect an army of feudatories ready to defend notonly the kingdom in general, but the particular possessions ofeach person ;~and the propriety of this constitution was soon ap-parent in the strength which these newly erected kingdoms acquit*