Page 581

I Act 5
MOOTING, the chief Exercife of the Students in the
Inns of Court i being the arguing of Cafes, which young
Utter Barriflers, Lqc. perform at appointed Times, the
better to enable them for Pracfice, and the Defence of
their Clients Caufes. See INNS of Court.
Such, as from their Learning and Standing are call'd~by
the Benchers to argue Moot Cafis, are cali'd Utter sarritjiers;
the refl, who for want of Experience, Zc&. are not ad-
mitted, are call'd Inner Barri/ters. See BARRISTER.
The Place where Moot Cafes were argued, was antiently
call'd a Moot-Hali.
In the Inns of Court there is a Bailift or Surveyor of the
Moots, yearly chofen by the Bench to appoint the Moot-Men
for the Inns of C'bancery5 and to keep Account of' Perfor-
mance of Exercifes, both there and in the Houfe.
MOOT-MEN, are thofe who argue Moot-Cacfes. SeeMooT.
Out of there Moot-Men are chofe Readers for the Inns of
chancery; where, in Term-time and in Vacations, they ar-
gue CaIes in the prefence of Attorneys and Clerks.
MORAL, any thing relating to the Manners, or the
Condu-l of Life. See MANNERS.
Thus, befides the Theological Virtues, as Faith, Hope,
Charity, Ecc. we fay there are alfo Moral Virtues, as 5uffrice,
Temperance, Yc. See VIRTUE.
MORAL of a Fable, is the Infiruaion drawn from it. See
FABLE.
Thus when Pbxdrus at the end of a Fable adds, Hoc illis
di~lum Pi, E$c. that makes what we call the Moral. This,
the Greeks call'd iznsAteov when at the end of the Fable,
and wrf;p,&ov at the beginning, The Latins call it Affaba-
latio.
MORAL Senfe, the Faculty whereby we difcern, or per-
ceive what isGood, Virtuous, Beautiful, Tc. in A61ions,
Manners, Characters, Lcc.
A late Author has endeavoured to prove, that it is a pe-
culiar Senfe whereby we get the Ideas of thefe Things ;
and denominate it a Moral Senfe. See Moral SENSE.
MORAL Theoloty is that which treats of Cafes of Con-
fcience ; cali'd aib Caafuijtry. See CASUISTRY.
MORAL Certainty, or Afflurance, is ufed to fignify a very
firong Probability i in contra-ditiinalion to a Mathematical
Demonfiration. See CERTAINTY.
MORAL ImpOfibility, is what we otherwife call a very
great, and aimoft in uperable Difficulty ; in oipofitions to a
Phyfical, or NaturalImpoffibility. See IMPossIBILITY.
MORAL Pbilofophy, a Science whofe Objea is to dired,
and form our Manners i to explain the Reafon, and NIa-
ture of A&ions; and to teach and inflru& us how to
acquire that Fclicity or Happinefs which is agreeable to
human Nature. SeePEIILosoPHY.
Moral Ibzlo/ophy is the fame with what we otherwife call
Ethics. See EThIcs.
MORAL 8)iOn, or Acls, are fuch asrender the Rational
or Free Agent Good or Ev.1 5 and, confequently, Rewardable
and Puniihable becaule he doth them. See GOOD, SC.
MORALITY is a Conformity to thofe unalterable Ob-
ligations which refult from the nature of our Exijience,
and the neceffary Relations of Life i whether to God as our
Creator, or Mankind as our Fellow-Creature.
MORASSE, a Msar/, Fen, or low moift Grounds, which
drain the Waters from above, without having any defcet
to carry them ofFagain.
Somzer derives the Word from the Saxon Merfe: Salma-
fius from Mare, a Colleaion of Waters ; others from the
German Maraft, a muddy Plate 5 and others from Marefe,
of Maricetum, 4 Mari/cis, i. e. Ruffhes.
In Scotland, Ireland, and the North of En1gland, they
have a peculiar kind of Morafes, call'd Mo//es, or Peat-
Mo//es, whence the Country-People dig their Peat or
Turf. See TURF.
The Earl of Cromartie gives a particular Account of
thefe Molfes in the Philofoph. Tranfal. They are cover'd
with aheathyScurf, under which is a black, moifl, fpongy
Earth, in fome Places lhallower, in others deeper, ordi-
narily from three or four to feven or eight Feet depth, tho'
in fomre few Places twice or thrice as much.
This black, fpungy Earth they cut into oblong Squares
with Iron Spades fitted to that end, eight or nine Inches
long, and four or five broad ; as the Men cut 'em up,
they are carried and fpread on a dry Ground, to be dried in
the Wind and Sun. Some of thefe become harder, fome
fofter, according to the nature of the Mold or Earth: The
more black and folid, the better Fire ; and they are the
leafi efleemed which are greyeil, the lightefi, and moll
fpungy.
When they have cut off one Surface of four or five Inches
deep, they proceed downwards to another, and fo to a
third and a fourth, till they come to the hard Channel, un-
lefs they be flop'd with Water, which they alfo ordinarily
remove by making a Channel, if they can i but where they
cannot, there the Water flagnates. In fuch wailed Pits,
or Peat-Dikes, as they call 'ctm, where Water hinders the
-M O R
cutting the fpungy tarth to the Bottom, the Pits wilt td
filld up again in folie Years with new fpungy Earth ;
which  in procefs of Time comrs to the conliitence of
Pcat-Mofs as at firin, and a fcarfy Heath-Turf grows over
the Top of it. When the Dikes ave dug down to the hard
Channel, the Moffies don't renew, as in the other Cafe;
tho' it has been obferv'd, that if they be cut down tr. the
Channel, provided the l-eathb-Turf cut off from the Top
be but laid on the Channel, in courfe of Time the Mois
grows again.
Thefe Tvoires always fland on Plains ; tho' they are
frequently found on Hills, and near the Top of 'emn too'
Yet, as that curious Nobleman obferves, the Mod'es have
always a defcent to 'em, and generally from 'em 5 info-
much that he never knew any, where the Water might flag-
nate. '-is the Water draiv.ing from above that feems to
be the Parent of Peat. In niany of theft MoflIsare found
Quantities of Fir nd Oak Woodiufuially in whole Trees3 for
the fmaller Branchcs are feldom found unconfum'd. This
Wood is as good for ufe as any old Wood is 5 only that
having imbibed a deal of Moilturc, it takes fomne time to
dry, in order to fit it for ufe.
There are many Places, where Wood will not grow,
where yet the Mufles are well flock'l with thefe Under-
ground Timber; but yet it appears there mufl have been
Woods formerly: Elfe how come they in the MoMs ?
To prove this, that Noble Lord gives us the Hiftory and
Origin of a Mofs, in great meafure from his own Experi-
ence. In the Parifh of Lochbrun, in the Year z65 r, ho
faw, near the Top of a very hiah Hill, a Plain about A
Mile over, then covcr'd with a firm handing Wood, but
which was fo very old, that nor only the Trees had no
Leaves or Bark on, but the outfidI for the fpace of an Inch
inward was dead, white Timber, tho' within they were
firm. Coming by the fame Place 15 Years after, he could
not difcover the lealt Appearance of a Tree, but inflead
thereof a plain green Ground covL r'd with a Niiofs; the
Trees being all fallen, and having lain So thick over one
another, the Green had over-run the whole Timber, by
means of the Moiflure draining from the Hill above it;
and flagnating on the Plain. He adds, that none could pafs
over it ; the Scurf not being firm enough to- fapport 'em.
In thirty Years more he found the whole Piec. .1 Ground
turn'd into a common Pear-Mofs, and the Count-y-People
digging Turf ard Peats.
This accounts for the Generation of Mofes, and whenc6
it is that many of them are farnifh'd with Timber.
MuRATU R, or DE MOR AT UR, in Law, fignifies as much
as be Demurs ; by reafon the Party here goes not forward,
but reds, or a oies upon the Judnmenr of the Court, who
take time to deliberate, argue, and advife thereon. See
DEMURRER.
When -he Councii ;f the Party are of opinion, that the
Count or Plea of the adverfe Party is infufficient in Law 5
then he Demnurs, or abides in Law, and refers the fame to
the Judgment of the Court.
MORBID, MoREiDus, in Medicine, is npply'd to fig-
nify thofe Parts, Humours, Wc. wherein a Dfjrafe lies. See
DISEASE.
MORBID, in Painting, is particularly apply'd to fat Flefh
very firongly expreffed.
MORBILLI, in Medicine, a Difeafe popularly cali'd
the Mea/le,. See MEASLES.
MOR1tUS, a Term purely Latin, fignifying-Dileafe.
See DISEASE.
MOsRB US Comitialis, is the Epilepfy; thus call'd by the
Romans, becaufe when in any of their public AfTemblies
Perfons fell down with this Diflemper, they immediately
broke up, and diIlved the Comitia, which was the common
Appellation for fuch Courts. See EPILEPSY.
Morbus Reg'iu,       - JAUNDICE.
Morbus Vingineus,  See - CHLOROSIS.
Morbus Galficus, 3   CVENEREAL Difeafe.
MORISCO, or MoRISlt, a kind of Painting, Carving,
&ic. done after the Manner of the Moors j confluting of fe
veral Grotefque Pieces and Compartiments promifcuoufly
intermingled, not containing any perfea Figure of a Man,
or other Animal, but a wild Refemblanceop Birds, Beafts,
Trees, Zfc, See GROT ESE.
Thefe are alfo call'd Arabefrques, and are particularly ufed
in Enbroideries, Damask-Work, ec. See ARABESK.
Morefqzoe Dances, vulgarly call'd Morrice-Dances, are thofe
altogether in imitation of the Moors, as Saraboands, Caacons, Ufc,
which are ufually performed with Caitagnets, Tabours, L  .
See CASTAGNETTAS.
MORNING, the beginning of the Day; or the Tim.
of the Sun-rifing. See DAY and RISING.
The Aflronomers reckon Morning, Mlane, frot. the lime
of Mid-night, to that of Mid-day. Thus in Eclipfe uisid
to begin at I I a clock in the Morning, gc.
Mor.NINC-Star is the Planet Vents, when a little to the
Eaftward of the Sun j that is, when The rafes a little before
7    1                   him.
M  m