FORKS.
200
Wliat, in our opinion, also renders this infinitely prefer-able is, that it can be placed as near to a house as may benecessary, is instantly put in motion by the assistance oftwo persons; and at fires it generally happens that thereare always in populous towns, where fires are most to bedreaded, plenty of people to assist. The cradle, indepen-dent of the utility previously mentioned, will also containproperty which no pecuniary means can replace, whichmay be brought down in the custody of the person to whomit is invaluable. For these reasons, and many otherswhich will be apparent, we do not feel the slightest hesita-tion in giving our decided preference to Mr. Gregory’smachine.
FORKS.
There is not the least room to suppose the ancientswere at all acquainted with this little table utensil, as thereis no expression in Pliny , who enumerated most thingsnatural, physical, philosophical, and economical; nor doesit occur in any other writer of antiquity; nor does Polluxspeak of it in the very full catalogue which he has givenof things necessary for a table.
Neither the Greeks or Romans had any name in theleast applicable to its use, either direct, or by inference,where it can be asserted that such an instrument wasnamed. The ancients had indeed in Greece their xpeaypa.creagra. In Rome their furca, fuscina, furcilla, fuscinula,and gabalus; the Grecian instrument, was, it is true, afork, or perhaps somewhat resembling a rake of an ordinaryconstruction, and calculated for the purpose of takingmeat out of a boiling pot, constructed somewhat in theshape of a hook or rather the bent fingers of a hand ; this,however, is the sense of a passage quoted by Suidas. 1
With reference to the Roman names previously given,the first two were undoubtedly applied to instrumentswhich approached near to our furnace and hay forks. Thetrident of Neptune is also called fuscina. The furcillawas large enough to be employed as a weapon of defence,as is proved by accompanying expressions, as furcillisejicere and expellere. Fuscnutla, the present Latin name