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vorsul modes of trial. It was exceedingly common in Germany invery remote ages. It was also used in some countries on the continentat pretty eariy periods: it is not, however, mentioned in any of theAnglo-Saxon laws ; and it does not appear to have been much used inEngland till after the conqtie t. There are, however, two remarkableinstances of it recorded in Dr. Henry’s History of Great Britain, towhich we-shall refer the inquisitive reader. TV e need scarcely add,that this detestable form of trial was the foundation of the no lessdetestable crime of duelling, which disgraces our age and nation.See Duel . It was so much the custom in the middle ages ofChristianity , to respect the cross even to superstition, that it wouldhave been indeed wonderful if the same ignorant bigotry had notconverted it into an ordeal: accordingly we find it used for thispurpose, in so many different ways as almost to preclude descrip-tion. Dr. Henry gives the following account of it: “ In crimi-nal trials, the judgement of the cross was commonly thus con-ducted. When ihe prisoner had declared his innocence upon oath,and appealed to the judgement of the cross, two sticks were pre-pared exactly like one another; the figure of the cross was cut onone of these sticks, and nothing on the other : each of them wasthen wrapped up in a quantity ot fine white wool, and laid on thealtar, or on the relics of the saints ; after which a solemn prayerwas put up to God , that he would please to discover, by evidentsigns, whether the prisoner was innocent or guilty. These solem-nities being finished, a priest approached the altar, and took upone of the sticks, which was uncovered with much anxiety Ifitwas the stick marked with the cross, the prisoner was pronouncedinnocent; it it was the other, he was declared guiltv. When thejudgement of the cross was appealed to in civil causes, the trialwas conducted in this manner : The judges, parties, and all con-cerned, being assembled in a church, each of the parties chose apriest, the youngest and stoutest that he could find, to be his re-presentative in the trial. These representatives were then placedone on each side of some famous crucifix ; and at a signal given,they both at once stretched their arms at full length, so as to forma cross with their body. In this painful posture they continuedto stand while divine service was performing ; and the party whoserepresentative dropped his arms first lost his cause. These andthe like r< lies of superstition and barbarism, were abolished inEngland, (as had been done in Denmark above a cenlurv before)by act of parliament 3 Hen. III. according to Sir Edward Coke , orrather by an order of the king in council. Ordeal seems to becarried to a greater height among the Hindoos, than ever it hasbeen in any nation or among any people however rude or bar-barous : for in a paper of the Asiatic Researches communicated bythe celebrated Warren Hastings , esq. we find that the trial by or-deal among them is conducted in nine diflerent ways: viz. 1. bythe balance; 2. by fire ; 3. by hot oil ; 4. bv images; 5. by poi-son; tj. by red-hot iron ; 7. by rice; 8. by the Gosha; 9. bywater.
ORDER, in architecture. See Architecture.
Order, in natural history, is used for a division of plants or ani-mals. See Botany, Entomology, Ornithology, Zoo-logy , &c.
Order, in rhetoric. See Oratory.
Order is also the title of certain ancient books, containing thedivine office, witli the order and manlier of its performance.The Roman order is that wherein are laid down the ceremonieswhich obtain in the Romish church. See Ritual.
Orders, in a military sense, all that is lawfully commanded bysuperior officers. Orders are given out every day, ■ whether incamp, garrison, or on a march, by the commanding officer ; whichorders are afterwards given to every officer in writing by their re-spective Serjeants.
Orders, Holy, or Orders, by way of emincncy, denote acharacter peculiar to ecclesiastics, whereby they are set apart forthe ministry. See Ordination. This the Romanists make theirsixth sacrament. In no reformed church are there more thanthree orders ; viz. bishops, priests, and deacons. In the Romishchurch there are seven, exclusive of the episcopate: all which thecouncil of Trent enjoins to be received, and believed, on pain ofanathema. They are distinguished into petty or secular orders,which are four viz. those of door-keeper, exorcist, reader,and acolyth, and major or sacred orders which are three: viz.those of deacon, priest, and bishop.
VOL. IV.—NO. 1(KI.
Orders, Military, are companies of knights, in.-tiluted by-kings and princes, either for defence of the faith, or to confermarks of honour, and make distinctions among their subjects.
Orders, Religious, are congregations or societies of monas-tics, living under the same superior, in the same manner, andwearing the same habit. Religious orders may be reduced to fivekinds; viz. monks, canons, kuigbts, mendicants, and regularclerks. See Canon, Monk , &c. E. Mabillon proves, that t-.llthe ninth century, almost all the monasteries in Europe followedthe rule of St. Benedict ; and that the ■ Amotion of orders did notcommence till upon the reunion of several monasteries into onecongregation.
Orders,-Religious Military, are those instituted in de-fence of the faith, and privileged to say mass ; and who are prohi-bited marriage, &c. Of this kind are the knights of Malta, or ofSt. John of Jerusalem . Such also were the knights Templars,the knights of Caialrava, knights of St. Lazarus, Teutonicknights , &c.
Order, White, denotes the ord ( er of regular canons of St.Augustine , so named from the colour of their habit.
ORDINANCE, or ORDONNANCE, a statute, or com-mand of a sovereign or superior: thus the acts of parliament aresometimes termed ordinances of parliament, as in the parliamentrolls. Though in some cases we find a difference made betweenthe two ; ordinances being only temporary things, by way of pro-hibition ; and capable of being altered bv the commons alone:whereas an act is a perpetual law, and cannot be altered but by-king, lords, and commons.
ORDINARY, in general, signifies, common, usual; thus, anembassador or envoy- in ordinary, is one sent to reside statedly,and for a number of years, in the court of some foreign prince orstate, in order to keep up a good understanding, and watch overthe interest of his own nation. This term is also applied to severalofficers in the king’s household, who attend on common occasions-Thus we say, physician in ordinary, &c.
Ordinary, in civil law, is any judge invested with autho-rity, to take cognizance of causes in his own right, and not by de-putation.
Ordinary, in common or canon law, means one who has or-dinary or immediate jurisdiction in mutters ecclesiastical, in any-place. In this sense archdeacons are ordinaries, but the appella-tion is most frequently applied to the bishop of the diocese, whohas of course the ordinary ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and the colla-tion to the benefices within such diocese. There are some cha-pels, chapters, abbeys, &c. exempted from the jurisdiction of theordinary.
Ordinary, in naval language, denotes the establishment of Un-persons employed by government to take charge of the ships ofwar, which are laid up in the several harbours adjacent to theroyal dock-yards. These are principally composed of the war-rant officers of the said ships, as the gunner, boatswain, carpenter,deputy purser, and cook, and three servants.
Ordinary of Assizes and Sessions, .was a deputy of thebishop of the diocese, anciently appointed to give malefactors theirneck-verses, and judge whether they read or not; also to performdivine service for them, and assist in pit-paring them for death.So the
Ordinary of Newgate is one who is attendant inordinaryupon the condemned malefactors in that prison, to prepare themfor deatli; and lie records the behaviour of such persons.
ORDINATES, or ORDINA TE APPLICATION, in geo-metry, are parallel lines, MM, mm, (Plate CXVill. fig. 14,)terminating in a curve, and bissected by a diameter, as AD. 'Thehalf of these, as M P, m p, is the ordinate, the whole being com-monly called the double ordinate. See Absciss, Curves, andConic Sections.
OUDINATiON, the act of conferring holy orders, or of ini-tiating a person hits the priesthood, by prayer and the laying on-of hands. It lias always been esteemed the principal prerogativeof bishops, and they still retain tlie function as a mark of spiritualsovereignty in their dioceses. Without ordination, no person canreceive any benefice, parsonage, vicarage, &e. A person mustbe 23 years of age, or near it, before lie can be ordained deaconor have any share in the ministry, and full 24 before lie can beordained priest, and bv these means be permitted to administer2 T thss