the action of fire on some pabulum, or fuel, by which the minute parts thereof are put into a violent motion, and some of them assuming the nature of fire themselves, fly off in orbem, while the rest are dissipated in form of vapour, or reduced to ashes. See Fire.

Burning, or Brenning, in our old customs, denotes an infectious disease, got in the stews by conversing with lewd women, and supposed to be the same with what we now call the venereal disease.

In a manuscript of the vocation of John Bale to the bishopric of Ossory, written by himself, he speaks of Dr. Hugh Wetton, who was dean of Windsor, in 1556, but deprived by cardinal Pole for adultery, thus: "At this day is lecherous Wetton, who is more practised in the arts of breech-burning, than all the whores of the stews. He not long ago burnt a beggar of St. Botolph's parish." See Stews.

Burning, in antiquity, a way of disposing of the dead, much practised by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and still retained by several nations in both the East and West Indies.

Eustathius assigns two reasons why burning came to be of so general use in Greece; the first is, because bodies were thought to be unclean after the foul's departure, parture, and therefore were purified with fire. The second reason is, that the soul, being separated from the gross and inactive matter, might be at liberty to take its flight into heaven. The body was rarely burnt without company, for besides the various animals they threw upon the pile, we seldom find a man of quality consumed without a number of slaves and captives, which, in barbarous times, they used to murder for that purpose: and in some parts of the East Indies it is customary, at this day, for wives to throw themselves into the funeral pile with their deceased husbands. At the funerals of emperors, generals, &c., who had their arms burnt with them, the soldiers made procession three times round the funeral pile with shouts and trumpets, to express their respect to the dead. During the burning also, the dead person's friends stood by, called on the deceased, and poured out libations of wine, with which, when the pile was burnt down, they extinguished the remains of the fire; and having collected the bones of the deceased, washed them with wine, and anointed them with oil. When the bones were discovered, they gathered the ashes that lay close to them, and both were repolished in urns, either of wood, stone, earth, silver, or gold, according to the quality of the deceased. See Urn.

Burning, among surgeons. See Cauterization.

Burning is much practised by the people of the East Indies, particularly those of Japan, who use the moxa for this purpose. See Moxa.

Burning-glass, a convex or concave glass, commonly spherical, which being exposed directly to the sun, collects all the rays falling thereon into a very small space, called the focus; where wood, or any other combustible matter being put, will be set on fire. See Optics.

Burning-mountains. See Volcano.

Burning of colours, among painters. There are several colours that require burning; as first, lampblack, which is a colour of so greasy a nature, that, except it is burnt, it will require a long time to dry.

The method of burning, or rather drying, lampblack, is as follows: Put it into a crucible over a clear fire, letting it remain till it be red hot, or so near it that there is no manner of smoke arises from it.

Secondly, Umber, which if it be intended for colour for a horse, or to be a shadow for gold, then burning fits it for both these purposes.

In order to burn umber, you must put it into the naked fire, in large lumps, and not take it out till it is thoroughly red hot; if you have a mind to be more curious, put it into a crucible, and keep it over the fire till it be red hot.

Ivory also must be burnt to make black, thus: fill two crucibles with shavings of ivory, then clap their two mouths together, and bind them fast with an iron wire, and lute the joints close with clay, salt, and horse-dung, well beaten together; then set it over the fire, covering it all over with coals: let it remain in the fire, till you are sure that the matter inclosed is thoroughly red hot: then take it out of the fire; but do not open the crucibles till they are perfectly cold; for were they opened while hot, the matter would turn to ashes; and so it will be, if the joints are not luted close.